Well... March sucked.
Being sick for the first 2 1/2 weeks really messed things up. I didn't do any cooking, which means we didn't really do much cooking during that time. Hard to be motivated to buy food when you're living off soup, water, and juice.
Don't worry, the kids ate. I wasn't a neglectful mom, I called my grandma to feed them.
However, we did end up throwing out food, but because I wasn't on top of it whatever was in the fridge was ignored until the night before garbage day, which is when we do our weekly clean out of the fridge.
Food wasted:
1 fish stick: $0.50
*4 peppers: $2.25 (was suppose to be used in dinners during the worst of my flu)
75g roast beef: $1.54
*1/2 rack of ribs: $4.12 (should have frozen with the others I froze)
From KFC:
My version of life & motherhood
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Trip Down Memory Lane: Winter Classic
Over the last month and a bit I've been backing up our photos and it's been fun to look back at them.
Back in 2008 Danny and I spent New Years back east to go to the Winter Classic Game in Buffalo, NY.
Back in 2008 Danny and I spent New Years back east to go to the Winter Classic Game in Buffalo, NY.
There are some more pictures somewhere but I cannot find them for the life of me. Hmmm...
It was a good game, Pittsburgh won in a shoot out. We got to talking to a bunch of people in our section, most of whom were quite surprised we travelled from Canada to watch a hockey game. A) Canada is about not far from Buffalo and B) We Canadians LOVE our hockey!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
BFFs
I found this article recently about if schools in England banning "Best Friends".
I can understand the attempt at getting rid of cliques and trying to get children to play more with their peers, probably in the hopes to reduce the amount of bullying in schools, which is very much needed. But I am not sure that going as far as banning best friends is the right step in the right direction.
I was one of those kids that was picked on and bullied. This made my elementary school years miserable for me. I didn't make my first real friend until I was in grade 5 and it was great (I say first real friend because my bullies were creative. They would pretend to be my friend until they got useful information that they could use against me later, or wait til I was comfortable to go out, because a lot of them lived in the complex we lived in, and throw stuff at me).
In grade 7 I met Ellen, who quickly became my best friend. We were inseparable. It was great to have a best friend, someone who I could trust completely and tell all my secrets too. She gave the the confidence to trust people who wanted to be my friend.
By grade 9 I was more comfortable with who I was and moving to high school opened the door to make more friends. There was a core group of us, 6 girls, who were wonderful friends, however, being my friend came with a price tag: my bullies.
I can understand the attempt at getting rid of cliques and trying to get children to play more with their peers, probably in the hopes to reduce the amount of bullying in schools, which is very much needed. But I am not sure that going as far as banning best friends is the right step in the right direction.
I was one of those kids that was picked on and bullied. This made my elementary school years miserable for me. I didn't make my first real friend until I was in grade 5 and it was great (I say first real friend because my bullies were creative. They would pretend to be my friend until they got useful information that they could use against me later, or wait til I was comfortable to go out, because a lot of them lived in the complex we lived in, and throw stuff at me).
In grade 7 I met Ellen, who quickly became my best friend. We were inseparable. It was great to have a best friend, someone who I could trust completely and tell all my secrets too. She gave the the confidence to trust people who wanted to be my friend.
By grade 9 I was more comfortable with who I was and moving to high school opened the door to make more friends. There was a core group of us, 6 girls, who were wonderful friends, however, being my friend came with a price tag: my bullies.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Pig Tails!
I didn't play with dolls, I didn't play dress up much as a kid, but there's something about putting Alyssa in pretty clothes that makes me smile. I've been totally jealous of a few babies because their moms have been able to put their daughter's hair in pig tails.
This past weekend I was playing with Alyssa's hair, as I do a lot, and thought "maybe there's enough hair to do pig tails". We bought some hair ties from the dollar store (no, I did not pre-own any. And why do the dollar store sell them in packs of 100 or 300?!?!? I understand they get lost but I do not want 300 hair ties in my bathroom drawer) and when I got home I did her hair.
It didn't go over so well at first
But I managed to get them in. Here's a shot of the back of her head. I need to practice getting them even, but to be fair she squirmed through most of it.
Then we got her to smile after cuddles and bouncing her on my lap.
This past weekend I was playing with Alyssa's hair, as I do a lot, and thought "maybe there's enough hair to do pig tails". We bought some hair ties from the dollar store (no, I did not pre-own any. And why do the dollar store sell them in packs of 100 or 300?!?!? I understand they get lost but I do not want 300 hair ties in my bathroom drawer) and when I got home I did her hair.
It didn't go over so well at first
Then we got her to smile after cuddles and bouncing her on my lap.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Isn't That Pinteresting - Easter
Easter is not too far away and Lynden is super excited. Not just because the Easter Bunny is coming, who by the way has started to walk to our house, according to Lynden, but also because Aunty Dana is coming! Since we've told him she's coming he's asked me "when is Aunty Dana and the Easter Bunny coming" about 100 times.
As I mentioned in my Mommy Guilt post we're not a "crafty" bunch but around holidays my friend Ellen and I get our kids together (they're a month apart) and do something (her daughter is crafty). Last year we made Easter baskets and sugar cookies, which the kids helped us decorate. We're getting together next week, hopefully, and to get ideas of possible craft ideas I, of course, turn to Pinterest.
Here's some of my favourite pins from my Easter board.
What are some of your favourite Easter pins?
**********************************************************************************
I am just a 2 weeks away from my 1st Blogiversary and in honor of it I'd like to do some give aways. If you would like to donate something for a giveaway please let me know. You can reach me at bluepens_30{at}hotmail{dot}com.
As I mentioned in my Mommy Guilt post we're not a "crafty" bunch but around holidays my friend Ellen and I get our kids together (they're a month apart) and do something (her daughter is crafty). Last year we made Easter baskets and sugar cookies, which the kids helped us decorate. We're getting together next week, hopefully, and to get ideas of possible craft ideas I, of course, turn to Pinterest.
Here's some of my favourite pins from my Easter board.
 |
| Paper Cones Woudn't these be cute hanging outside?? |
 |
| Easter Egg Ideas Some good ideas for non-candy ideas |
 |
| Rubber Ducks Perfect for Alyssa |
 |
| Capture the Bunny So cute (would even work with Elf on a Shelf) |
 |
| Bunny Suckers Lynden's all about suckers |
 |
| Dying eggs with a whisk One less mess |
 |
| Easter Bunnies Lynden might agree to this |
 |
| Countdown to Easter Maybe this will help with the "when?" questions |
 |
| Egg Birds How cute are these? |
 |
| Milk Carton Bunny too cute |
What are some of your favourite Easter pins?
**********************************************************************************
I am just a 2 weeks away from my 1st Blogiversary and in honor of it I'd like to do some give aways. If you would like to donate something for a giveaway please let me know. You can reach me at bluepens_30{at}hotmail{dot}com.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Seriously, Get The F*@^ Out!
Monday was yet another installment of sickness in our household; this time it was Alyssa's turn.
She's down to 1 nap a day and I plan it to coincide with Lynden's quiet time. Monday she went down just before 1pm and Lynden went down not long after her. Thankfully, Lynden actually napped. 30 minutes into Alyssa's nap I could hear her softly crying. She doesn't wake up that quickly into a nap, ever, and she doesn't cry when she wakes up, ever. I thought maybe she was just fussing and let her go for a few minutes (I now regret that). After 5 minutes she didn't quiet down so I went in to check on her thinking she might have thrown her blanket out of the crib.
Nope.
(I should preface this by saying Alyssa's room is dark when she's sleeping. We have a dark sleeping bag hanging in her window to keep the light out, so the only light we have in there is an Ikea night light)
When I went in she had what looked like a booger hanging out of her nose so I wiped her nose, only to notice there was some around her eye. I thought she had rubbed her nose and then her eye. As I went to wipe it she turned her head and I knew I was wrong.
She's down to 1 nap a day and I plan it to coincide with Lynden's quiet time. Monday she went down just before 1pm and Lynden went down not long after her. Thankfully, Lynden actually napped. 30 minutes into Alyssa's nap I could hear her softly crying. She doesn't wake up that quickly into a nap, ever, and she doesn't cry when she wakes up, ever. I thought maybe she was just fussing and let her go for a few minutes (I now regret that). After 5 minutes she didn't quiet down so I went in to check on her thinking she might have thrown her blanket out of the crib.
Nope.
(I should preface this by saying Alyssa's room is dark when she's sleeping. We have a dark sleeping bag hanging in her window to keep the light out, so the only light we have in there is an Ikea night light)
When I went in she had what looked like a booger hanging out of her nose so I wiped her nose, only to notice there was some around her eye. I thought she had rubbed her nose and then her eye. As I went to wipe it she turned her head and I knew I was wrong.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Customer Service Stories
It's amazing how my brain gets from point A to B. The other night I was lying in bed thinking about our trip to the Island soon and somehow ended up reminiscing about some of the funny customers I've had to deal with over the years.
I'd thought I'd share some of them.
- While working at a high end kitchen store in a high end part of town we got to see and meet some "interesting" people. My personal favourite was the older woman who came into the store wearing a matching blue outfit (shoes included) pushing a stroller. Like most women who worked in the store, we enjoyed cooing over the cute babies in strollers. One of the other girls I was working with went over to check on the woman in blue and shortly came back to tell us we "had to check out the stroller". I went towards the customer to "straighten" some stuff and had to choke back a laugh. In the stroller was not a cute bouncing baby; it was a pug. Yes, a pug.
I'd thought I'd share some of them.
- While working at a high end kitchen store in a high end part of town we got to see and meet some "interesting" people. My personal favourite was the older woman who came into the store wearing a matching blue outfit (shoes included) pushing a stroller. Like most women who worked in the store, we enjoyed cooing over the cute babies in strollers. One of the other girls I was working with went over to check on the woman in blue and shortly came back to tell us we "had to check out the stroller". I went towards the customer to "straighten" some stuff and had to choke back a laugh. In the stroller was not a cute bouncing baby; it was a pug. Yes, a pug.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Mommy Guilt
We are not a craft household, we don't have stunning art work by our kids hanging on the fridge or wall. We don't have various craft projects on the go or have shelves lined with things drying.
I feel guilty about this.
I want to have the problem of having so many different art projects that I don't know what to do with them. I'd rather feel guilty about deciding what to keep and what to toss than having nothing.
And there are so many cute things I want to do with Lynden, in fact I have a board on Pinterest of things I want to do with him.
So, every now and again my guilt over takes me and I break out the art supplies and find a craft I think we can handle. It doesn't take long before the guilty quickly vanishes and anger takes over.
Lynden is the type of person who will not do something unless he knows he can do it. If he's not confident he won't even try, and this upsets me.
Last week I decided to make caterpillars out of egg cartons with Lynden so while I had dinner cooking I dug out the paint and got him set up. It took me about 10 minutes to regret my decision. Lynden painted the top of the egg carton only and when I suggested he paint the sides he told me he didn't know how. I showed him with the one I had been working on and once done told him to try. Again I got "I don't know how" and that was it. He wasn't willing to even try.
Yes, I know he's 3.
But how will he learn to do anything new if he's not even willing to try??
Now, I realize it's a catch-22. He doesn't know how to do it because we don't have a regular craft time and we don't do crafts because he's not willing to try. (Much like my guilt for not doing more with him which turns to anger which leads back to the guilt for being angry over it)
But how can I make him try things? He's 3 and stubborn (I don't know who he gets that from....).
After getting angry with him and putting everything away I went and folded laundry. Once I was done I asked Lynden to come and talk to me. I explained that I want to do make things with him and to do that he has to try. It's okay if we get dirty (Lynden's particular about getting stuff on his hands), we can wash our hands and clothes. And if he doesn't know how to do something that's okay too, mommy will show him and then he has to be willing to try.
He agreed, but he's 3 and has a selectively short memory (he'll remember that you promised him ice cream but conveniently forget to pick up his toys).
He asked me to make worms, although I'm not sure what exactly that entails so we're going to draw them.
I think one way I might go about it is I'll show him my Pinterest board and ask him what he wants to make. Maybe if he chooses he'll be more excited about trying something new.
I want to be that parent; the one who feels guilty about not being able to keep every wonderful piece of art work my kids make, not the one who feels guilty about having nothing to throw out.
**********************************************************************************
I am just a few weeks away from my 1st Blogiversary and in honor of it I'd like to do some give aways. If you would like to donate something for a giveaway please let me know. You can reach me at bluepens_30{at}hotmail{dot}com.
I feel guilty about this.
I want to have the problem of having so many different art projects that I don't know what to do with them. I'd rather feel guilty about deciding what to keep and what to toss than having nothing.
And there are so many cute things I want to do with Lynden, in fact I have a board on Pinterest of things I want to do with him.
So, every now and again my guilt over takes me and I break out the art supplies and find a craft I think we can handle. It doesn't take long before the guilty quickly vanishes and anger takes over.
Lynden is the type of person who will not do something unless he knows he can do it. If he's not confident he won't even try, and this upsets me.
Last week I decided to make caterpillars out of egg cartons with Lynden so while I had dinner cooking I dug out the paint and got him set up. It took me about 10 minutes to regret my decision. Lynden painted the top of the egg carton only and when I suggested he paint the sides he told me he didn't know how. I showed him with the one I had been working on and once done told him to try. Again I got "I don't know how" and that was it. He wasn't willing to even try.
Yes, I know he's 3.
But how will he learn to do anything new if he's not even willing to try??
Now, I realize it's a catch-22. He doesn't know how to do it because we don't have a regular craft time and we don't do crafts because he's not willing to try. (Much like my guilt for not doing more with him which turns to anger which leads back to the guilt for being angry over it)
But how can I make him try things? He's 3 and stubborn (I don't know who he gets that from....).
After getting angry with him and putting everything away I went and folded laundry. Once I was done I asked Lynden to come and talk to me. I explained that I want to do make things with him and to do that he has to try. It's okay if we get dirty (Lynden's particular about getting stuff on his hands), we can wash our hands and clothes. And if he doesn't know how to do something that's okay too, mommy will show him and then he has to be willing to try.
He agreed, but he's 3 and has a selectively short memory (he'll remember that you promised him ice cream but conveniently forget to pick up his toys).
He asked me to make worms, although I'm not sure what exactly that entails so we're going to draw them.
I think one way I might go about it is I'll show him my Pinterest board and ask him what he wants to make. Maybe if he chooses he'll be more excited about trying something new.
I want to be that parent; the one who feels guilty about not being able to keep every wonderful piece of art work my kids make, not the one who feels guilty about having nothing to throw out.
**********************************************************************************
I am just a few weeks away from my 1st Blogiversary and in honor of it I'd like to do some give aways. If you would like to donate something for a giveaway please let me know. You can reach me at bluepens_30{at}hotmail{dot}com.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
We Have A Monster
I seem to have an on going problem in my kitchen and I don't know what to do about it. The only explanation I can come up with is there is a creature who enjoys eating my cutlery and measuring spoons. Seriously!
How else can you explain the fact that my spoons and forks go missing?!? I used to have a set of 6 forks, spoons, and knives that I Loved! I'm down to 2 spoons and maybe 2 forks, depending on the day. I went out and bought a set of 20, which had 4 dinner forks, dessert forks, soup spoons, teaspoons, and knives. I am now down to 5 forks in total. How did I go from 10 (between the 2 sets) to 5?!?!?
I know, you'd think Danny would be the culprit but he SWEARS he returns everything he takes to work.
Then there's my measuring spoons.
How else can you explain the fact that my spoons and forks go missing?!? I used to have a set of 6 forks, spoons, and knives that I Loved! I'm down to 2 spoons and maybe 2 forks, depending on the day. I went out and bought a set of 20, which had 4 dinner forks, dessert forks, soup spoons, teaspoons, and knives. I am now down to 5 forks in total. How did I go from 10 (between the 2 sets) to 5?!?!?
I know, you'd think Danny would be the culprit but he SWEARS he returns everything he takes to work.
Then there's my measuring spoons.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Potty Training - A Year Later
Potty training did not go anything like I thought it would (you can read about it here and here). Ideally we were going to start potty training around Lynden's second birthday but with him commuting between the Okanagan and the Coast we felt it would be too much stress for him so we waited.
On March 19, 2011 we started potty training. We decided to go with a bare bum approach for the first 3 days. Danny was instrumental those first days as I was breastfeeding Alyssa every 2.5-3 hours, which made it difficult to clean up the many accidents.
The first day was something else. Lynden decided to just pee everywhere and it was very hard to not get mad at him. We had his potty in the livingroom with us and every time he peed anywhere but the potty we would take him and sit him on the potty, trying to explain we go pee on the potty.
Around 7 that night Lynden, still bare bummed, was playing when he got up, walked to the potty, sat down, and went pee. We were thrilled, as was he.
On March 19, 2011 we started potty training. We decided to go with a bare bum approach for the first 3 days. Danny was instrumental those first days as I was breastfeeding Alyssa every 2.5-3 hours, which made it difficult to clean up the many accidents.
The first day was something else. Lynden decided to just pee everywhere and it was very hard to not get mad at him. We had his potty in the livingroom with us and every time he peed anywhere but the potty we would take him and sit him on the potty, trying to explain we go pee on the potty.
Around 7 that night Lynden, still bare bummed, was playing when he got up, walked to the potty, sat down, and went pee. We were thrilled, as was he.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Who's Daughter Do I Have?
I am not one who frets over my "style" or lack there of. I don't own a million pairs of shoes: I own 1 pair of dress boots, 2 pairs of runner, 1 slip on runners, snow boots, and a pair of purple flats that I hope to one day wear (they're for the style I wish I had). I don't think that's an unreasonable amount of shoes. I don't own oodles of accessories; the only belts I own are ones that come with tops, 1 bracelet, which I need to get fixed, 2 pairs of earrings, and... that's it. No hats, 2 scarves, which I only wear during the winter.
I know, there are people out there who are wondering how I manage to leave the house.
Don't fret, I have a daughter who is, apparently, going to make it up for me. We've had to take to hiding her shoes because if she seems them she must have them on, right up until bedtime. She brings us hats and sunglasses to put on her. She's now taken to bringing me clothes so I'll get her dressed in the morning.
I know, there are people out there who are wondering how I manage to leave the house.
Don't fret, I have a daughter who is, apparently, going to make it up for me. We've had to take to hiding her shoes because if she seems them she must have them on, right up until bedtime. She brings us hats and sunglasses to put on her. She's now taken to bringing me clothes so I'll get her dressed in the morning.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Isn't That Pinteresting: Mar 15
While I've been dying sick I've managed to get on Pinterest every so often (how hard is it to look at the computer screen and click repin when you can't do anything???). Check out what's caught my eye
 |
| Scrapbooking Page I love everything about this |
 |
| Some sort of brownie dish I'd bathe in this it looks that good |
 |
| adding fabric to a collage frame Friggin' BRILLIANT |
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
What A Week
I ended up taking last week off from... well... everything. Lynden had a Terrible viral infection and ended up having a fever for 5 days and throwing up for 6. It sucked! Around the time he started to get back to "normal" it was my turn.
I tend to get super sick once every 5 years and it showed up about a year early. Last Saturday I was so sick, fever included, that I slept almost 20 hours. The longest I was able to stay awake was 45 minutes. It was something else. I spent the last week trying to eat, napping throughout the day, trying to cough up a lung, and doing a lot of nothing. No cleaning, no cooking, no playing, no getting dressed, nothing. For 6 long days I ate nothing but small amounts of soup and drank juice or water. It really kicked my butt.
By mid week I was starting to feel a bit better but my energy levels just bottomed out. Feeding the kids breakfast would exhaust me and by the time quiet time rolled around at 1 I was ready for a snooze - thankfully most of the week the kids napped for longer periods of time (an hour and a half to three hours!).
I tend to get super sick once every 5 years and it showed up about a year early. Last Saturday I was so sick, fever included, that I slept almost 20 hours. The longest I was able to stay awake was 45 minutes. It was something else. I spent the last week trying to eat, napping throughout the day, trying to cough up a lung, and doing a lot of nothing. No cleaning, no cooking, no playing, no getting dressed, nothing. For 6 long days I ate nothing but small amounts of soup and drank juice or water. It really kicked my butt.
By mid week I was starting to feel a bit better but my energy levels just bottomed out. Feeding the kids breakfast would exhaust me and by the time quiet time rolled around at 1 I was ready for a snooze - thankfully most of the week the kids napped for longer periods of time (an hour and a half to three hours!).
Friday, March 2, 2012
Love Love Love
Yet another installment of things I love about my kids.
Lynden:
- he helps Alyssa with her bottle
- loves to wear his backpack. He puts all his cars in it and will wear it all day.
- how he knows how to get from point a to b, on his own (I may dread this later)
- when I ask if he needs to use the potty he tells me "I just dancing my feet"
- how quick he picks up on things. When we were coming home from the Aquarium on the skytrain he remembered we needed to go through "2 little tunnels and 1 big one"
- how much he loves his daddy; he is a daddy's boy
- I was lying in bed with him when Danny left for work; Lynden wanted a hug and it was so sweet the way he wrapped his arms around daddy's neck to hug him
- how he tells me things. I don't know how to explain it; he's so serious when he tells me things and he cocks his head to the side, gets this look in his eye that means "this is how it's going to be"
Lynden:
- he helps Alyssa with her bottle
- loves to wear his backpack. He puts all his cars in it and will wear it all day.
- how he knows how to get from point a to b, on his own (I may dread this later)
- when I ask if he needs to use the potty he tells me "I just dancing my feet"
- how quick he picks up on things. When we were coming home from the Aquarium on the skytrain he remembered we needed to go through "2 little tunnels and 1 big one"
- how much he loves his daddy; he is a daddy's boy
- I was lying in bed with him when Danny left for work; Lynden wanted a hug and it was so sweet the way he wrapped his arms around daddy's neck to hug him
- how he tells me things. I don't know how to explain it; he's so serious when he tells me things and he cocks his head to the side, gets this look in his eye that means "this is how it's going to be"
Thursday, March 1, 2012
How To Follow Me
For those of you using Google Friend Connect you will need to find a new way to follow me since GFC is in its final days.
You can follow me on Bloglovin:
Or you can follow me with Linky Followers:
I hope all my wonderful followers continue to check in with me every so often to see what we're up to.
I am working my way through all the blogs I love and switching over.
You can follow me on Bloglovin:
Or you can follow me with Linky Followers:
I hope all my wonderful followers continue to check in with me every so often to see what we're up to.
I am working my way through all the blogs I love and switching over.
Resolution Update: Febuary
Febuary was an interesting month on the wasting less front. Most of our waste came from the begining of the month (and it's not because I didn't want it to skew January's total) and most of it was produce.
Food thrown out:
Half a loaf of french bread = $1.75
8 Mushrooms = $0.98 (This one was my fault, I had planned on serving side salads with a few meals and got flustered while trying new recipes that I served dinner without the salad. If I had made the salad before hand these would not have been wasted)
3 celery bunches = $3.25 (I buy celery with the intent to snack on it and never do. This has taught me to not buy more celery than I need.)
1 baby bok choy = $0.43 (I made a stir fry and could only buy in packs of 3 when I only needed 2.)
Handful of grapes - $0.52 (all the random grapes at the bottom of the bag)
Half a tomato = $0.68
2x half jars of baby fod = $1.19 (used when we were out and didn't make it to the fridge when we got home)
Food thrown out:
Half a loaf of french bread = $1.75
8 Mushrooms = $0.98 (This one was my fault, I had planned on serving side salads with a few meals and got flustered while trying new recipes that I served dinner without the salad. If I had made the salad before hand these would not have been wasted)
3 celery bunches = $3.25 (I buy celery with the intent to snack on it and never do. This has taught me to not buy more celery than I need.)
1 baby bok choy = $0.43 (I made a stir fry and could only buy in packs of 3 when I only needed 2.)
Handful of grapes - $0.52 (all the random grapes at the bottom of the bag)
Half a tomato = $0.68
2x half jars of baby fod = $1.19 (used when we were out and didn't make it to the fridge when we got home)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)