Last run of 2010

Today I ran outside. A major feat since I've sworn off winter running.

The above statement is a bit of a lie. To be truthful, I have yet to run outside this winter. Ice scares me. Big time. So I've decided to hoof it on a treadmill this winter. It is damn boring and mind numbing as a count down the seconds before I can push the big red button to end my run. Because today was plus eight, I decided to gear up and run outside. It was nice to breath fresh air for a change.

Today also marked my last run of 2010. I don't know how many times I've ran or how many kilometers I've racked up this year. I lost count in the summer. The Post-it board of all my running tallies is no more. Running is now like second nature to me. If I haven't ran in two days, I start to get antsy and fidgety.

As I write this post, it is hard not to look on the year that was. In some many ways, 2010 was my own Year of Magical Thinking. A lot of crap happened. There was sadness, disappointment, loss and anger. But there was triumph, too. I took back control of my life. In so many respects, I cleared house and refocused my energy in different aspects of my life. I'm a much different person than I was at the beginning of the year.

I haven't a clue what 2011 will bring. Other than running Race Weekend's 10K, there are no resolutions other than to keep on doing what I'm doing. It seems to be working so I'm going to stick with it.

Christmas Week: Next year will be different!

Next year I will not be so disorganized. This is always my lament when December 24 rolls around each year.

Actually, I'm not all that disorganized, but today seems crazy. Trying to finish stories for a deadline, make a salad, wash dishes before tackling my to-do list. Such craziness for one day of the year.

I had another post in mind. However, this one is going to have to do as I simply don't have the time. I'm still not dress. Darling daughter is eating lunch in her pajamas and I need to do some things before dear husband walks through the door.

So dear readers, I apologize for my hurried Merry Christmas greetings, but I wish you and yours a very happy holiday and I hope Santa is good to you.

Christmas Week: handmade Christmas

A lot of our gifts this year have been made by hand. One popular craft has been salt dough ornaments. I made several batches of salt dough ornaments for darling daughter to decorate for Christmas gifts. Many are now hanging on our tree. I think one mitten (or glovies as darling daughter calls them) has about three googly eyes.

Although they were a lot of fun, they were a lot of work in terms of giving darling daughter a bath. Despite the fact she loves to paint, she still manages to get a lot of it on herself instead of the craft.

They are fairly easy to make. In fact, my Kitchen Aid stand mixer came in handy in making the dough. If you are interested in making some yourself, here's an easy recipe.

Salt dough ornaments:

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 cup warm water

Mix all three ingredients together and roll out onto a floured table top or counter with a rolling pin. Roll the dough fairly thin. You don't want it to be thick as your ornaments will be puffy once they are finished baking in the oven. With cookie cutters, cut out the ornaments and place them onto baking sheets, preferably lined with parchment paper. Using a straw, poke a hole in your ornaments to thread a ribbon through for hanging. Bake for 300 F for about 45 minutes or when done. Don't let the ornaments brown. If they are going to be decorated by the younger set, you may want to give your ornaments a base coat of paint before the kids go nuts with the glitter glue.

Christmas Week: wrapping paper

I've done very well when it comes to wrapping paper. I haven't bought a roll in two years as I'm trying to slowly eat through my stash that once expanded into two wrapping paper storage containers. I'm down to one. I sold one last year.

This year we made our own. Not enough to wrap all our gifts, but we made two sheets. Earlier in the season, I bought stamps from the dollar store. Darling daughter had great fun printing the paper and herself.

When we were done, we wrapped one grandparent gift.

I wouldn't say making your own wrapping paper is all that economically feasible when bath time is taken into account, but it was fun.

Christmas Week: The tree

Over the years, I've had many Christmas trees, many of which were real. It took a massive tree accident two years ago, an angry phone call to dear husband where I told him it was all his fault the tree fell over, threats of throwing the tree out the back door and the thought of opening my grandmother's Christmas gift (a pre-lit artificial tree to replace her circa 1984 plastic balsam) to get the tree we have today. Yes, it is fake. But it doesn't shed needles. And if it was to fall over, there wouldn't be a massive dirty puddle to clean up.

This year, darling daughter was an active participant in the tree decorating ritual. She tells everyone "I helped Daddy decorate the tree." Actually she told a fellow mom friend that same phrase over and over again last week. We get it. You helped decorate the tree. Oh toddlers, so cute, but so repetitive.

I miss not having a real tree. I was at the Real Canadian Superstore recently and I love walking past the real tree display, enjoying the evergreen pine smell. Sadly, there weren't many trees left. Either there must have been a real run on real trees this year or there are more people, like me, who don't want to deal with pine needles stabbing into feet or cleaning up messy puddles.

Christmas week

My posting record in the last two months has been pretty spotty. Regardless of the fact I have a ton of work to do before Christmas arrives on Saturday, I thought I'd give myself a little challenge of sorts: Christmas Week.

First post this week are photos of our trip to Parliament Hill. We took darling daughter downtown last night to see the lights on Parliament Hill. If you are in the Ottawa area, you have until early January to enjoy the free light show. We also toured the grounds, where darling daughter had to call every statue she encountered "beautiful." We made a brief stop to visit the cats on Parliament Hill. (Yes, there are a colony of cats on Parliament Hill. They've been there since the 1970s and they have an uber cool cat house). A couple came out to say hello before we had to pull darling daughter away because she could have stayed there all night. Enjoy the photos.

How to score free books (and get them delivered to your door)

I've been meaning to blog about how I scored free knitting books. Free in every sense of the word.

I've been on a knitting book buying spree for the last month. While I have established a firm rule for myself that I don't buy books, knitting books have become the exception as they are classed as reference material.

So after using a gift card given to me buy a friend and supplementing my order with own money to buy books earlier this month, I came to the conclusion I could score free books if I wanted to.

However, free isn't exactly free. You've got to have an Air Miles Card to do this. So if you have sold your soul, so to speak, and tell retailers what you buy through the use of points cards you can reap the benefits. I cashed in some of my points and got a Chapter's gift card delivered to my door. Since it seems cheaper to buy books online from Chapter's, I disposed my gift card into my online account, selected the books I wanted to buy and took advantage of Chapter's cheap shipping rates (free shipping on orders $25 or more). Voila, I've got two Vogue Knitting books that I have been coveting for the last month.

So if you find yourself lacking in the book department this holiday season or if Santa has failed to deliver, you too can score free books.

Sometimes being grumpy does pay off

Last week I wrote about how I sent a quick email to my city councillor, complaining how I was being discriminated against by the city's green bin program as the city wouldn't upgrade my bin to a larger size or give me a second bin. I was basically told I had to stick with the status quo of my 47 litre bin or buy a new one for $35.

Upset, I wrote a letter, railing against the whole injustice of it all. Yes, I may sound a tad over dramatic, but in all seriousness, if the city wants me, and other residents who live in medium density housing, to participate in the organics program, it needs to give us the proper tools to do so.

My letter worked! Monday afternoon I received a call from my city councillor's office, informing me that I can get a bigger bin, free of charge, from the city. (So take that, 311 operator!) However, there was a catch. I had to empty out the bin, including the taco soup that pooled out of the liner bag and froze to side, place it outside and wait for the green bin fairy to grant my wish for a larger container.

Today it arrived. In all its shiny green glory, it stood in a snowbank, waiting to be filled with organic waste. And it didn't arrive a minute too soon as I was in desperate need to get rid of the huge amount of organic waste collecting underneath my sink in a bin liner.

I am a happy girl. Thanks city councillor! How says you can't take on city hall?

Crock Pot Mondays

I've been dragging my behind when it comes to Crock Pot Mondays. Let's just say we've been eating a lot of Margarita chicken since we are all so busy.

Yesterday, I decided to stir things up a bit by making a batch of taco soup. I had everything ready to go in my family sized Crock Pot. Instead of bubbling, the soup fizzled as my Crock Pot died on me.

For some reason, it refused to work. Heck, I don't think it got above the warm setting. I was disappointed as I hate to throw out food, but I refused to risk my family's health by serving not properly prepared food. So I dumped the entire thing into my green bin.

What a waste.

For many reasons, I'm not impressed for the simple fact we bought this slow cooker less than a year ago. I'm one slow cooker down. I'm in such a peeved mood that I may not even replace it.

Channelling my grumpy self

It must be Christmas. I'm grumpy. So grumpy in fact that I quickly sent a letter off to my city councillor about the city's green bin program. And I'm not done. I'm going to write a letter to the editor, too because that's how peeved I am.

Dear city councillor,

The reason I am writing you is to make you aware how some residents are being discriminated against when it comes to the green bin program. I wouldn't normally use the word discriminated, but since my tax dollars are going to operate the green bin program, I expect the city to give me the proper tools for me to fully participate in this program.

I live in medium density housing. As such, the city provided me with a 47-litre bin, which is smaller than residents who live in single detached homes. The reason the city gives for giving me a smaller bin is that I don't produce yarn waste. Yes, this is true. However, my bin is usually full to the brim as we prepare most of our meals from scratch as it is a healthier way of eating.

Since the city is now picking up green bins every two weeks, I now have a problem. My husband struggled to get the bin out to the curb this week because it was so heavy. We couldn't dispose of any more organic waste if we wanted to because it was so full. I called 311 to see if I could upgrade my green bin to a larger size or get a second bin. I was told in order for me to have a second bin, I would have to purchase one at a city client centre for $35.

As a taxpayer, I find this ridiculous. I am already paying for this program through my tax dollars. The green bin that I already use isn't free. I paid for it with my tax dollars. In my opinion, the city isn't giving residents the proper tools to participate in this program because the bins are too small. I have friends who live in Pembroke, Ontario, which has been operating a similar organics program for years. The bins Pembroke provides its residents are at least twice the size, if not more, when compared to Ottawa's largest bins.

I refuse to spend further money on this program. So any excess organics waste I produce this winter will likely be put in a garbage bag, which will head to a nearby landfill. I'm sure the city could give out more green bins if it wanted to. I am one of a handful of residents on my street who participate in this program. Most of my neighbours dispose of their waste in garbage bags. So here I am, a resident wanting to fully participate in this program but is unable to because the city won't give me a green bin that fits my needs.

Sincerely,

Me

An update

I've been neglecting my blog. It is gathering dust. To my blog, my sincerest apologies. But I have been busy. Very busy, so I thought I'd write a short update.

House: The reason I've been so busy is that working on my house. More specifically, I'm trying to get it ready for sale. The last couple of weeks have involved major decluttering, finding contractors to do some minor work, working with a realtor, and getting advice from a stager. Although we started looking for a new house, we've put that task off until we get this house ready for sale. Who knew it would be so much work?

Work: I've got a freelance writing job (maybe). It has been more than a year since I've written professionally, so I've been working hard when it comes to dotting the i's and crossing the t's.

Knitting: I'm a knitting machine. I'm taking my knitting everywhere, including on the road. Last weekend I was in knitting heaven: a total of two knitting meetups. I've got projects I need to get done before I start 2011, the year of selfish projects.

Running: Still running. But inside. My friend and coach, C, refuses to run in the summer because of heat. I've decided to refuse to run outside in the winter due to cold. I'm a chicken. I don't wanna. So I won't. Even though the treadmill is boring as old heck, it has become a good friend.

Christmas: I'm out of the loop this year when it comes to Christmas. Since we've been busy with the house, I just don't have the inclination to get in the Christmas spirit. I want to move my couch out before I put up the Christmas tree. It remains to be seen if that happens in the very near future.

Weight loss taboo

You may find the following post a bit vain. But what I am about to write has been on my mind for awhile.

Today I cleaned out my closet. Most of the clothes are going somewhere, anywhere, but other than my closet. They don't fit. Most, from my pre-pregnancy days, are too big.

I've lost weight. This year alone, I've lost more than 15 pounds. I'm aiming for another 10, but we will see how it goes. If I consider my pre-pregnancy weight, I've lost about 40 pounds. There may be something to be said for gestational diabetes as it kept me on the straight and narrow during the last trimester.

Lately, I've been checking myself out in the mirror at the gym. Not in a vain way, but in a curious way. The running shirt I bought in May is too big now. I had to get rid of a bunch of Lululemon clothes recently because they just didn't fit. The shirt that I bought during Race Weekend is starting to feel loose. We sent photos to dear husband's parents and they've said they can see a big difference in the way I look. It is hard to tell because I see myself in the mirror every day, but when you put on a pair of pants on and you are wading in them, then you start to realize you've lost weight.

Although weight loss is a big industry, people don't rarely talk about the losing weight part of it. You've lost weight! How much? Just a bit. Well you look great. End of conversation. Recently, I was knitting some ladies and the subject of weight loss came up. One woman said she had lost some weight and was in the curious position of having no clothes that fit. I can relate. Right now, I'm down to two actual outfits, three if I wear my skirt. It is a weird problem to have. You have no clothes that fit, but you are reluctant to go out and buy more because you either hope or know you are going to lose more weight. I told her that I was in the same situation. Although we both agreed that it was a topic that isn't often talked about (likely people don't want to hear you complaining that you've got no clothes because none of them no longer fit), the conversation soon ended. Again, it is a taboo subject.

I really don't have a solution to what many could consider to be a non-existent problem. I guess I'll keep on doing what I'm doing and consider breaking out the cheque book and buying some clothes.

On-peak and in the dark

I'm writing this post in the dark.

I'm trying to conserve electricity.

Kind of ironic as the last post I wrote revolved around the fact we got new lights installed.

We use them sparingly as we are trying to conserve electricity. I'm trying to fight the urge to turn off the new dining room light, but it wouldn't be fair to darling daughter or dear husband as they need light to colour.

This past weekend, there was a letter to the editor in the paper, about a woman who does all her laundry on the weekends. She was torn between visiting her family or doing the marathon of laundry so she can take advantage of Ontario's time-of-use electricity pricing as the rates are 5.1 cents a kilowatt-hour. I understand her plight. I visited family over the weekend and now I'm faced with laundry catch up. Darling daughter is down to her last pair of underwear. I can't find any socks and we are in desperate need of clean towels. If I was to turn on the washer right now, I'd be charged 9.9 cents a kilowatt-hour. The countdown to 9 p.m. is on as I can turn on the dryer, the washer and the dishwasher. All are primed for prime time off-usage. The dishwasher is filled and has a detergent tablet. The dryer is filled with wet clothes. (I broke down and washed clothes during the afternoon, where I will be charged the mid-peak rate of 8.8 cents a kilowatt-hour). And the washer is filled with clothes. Once the clock strikes 9, I'll be pressing buttons, trying to get as much done in a two-hour period before going to bed.

I'm not too sure how I feel about this. It is hard to break old habits. But I don't want to get in the habit of doing laundry at 3 a.m.

Let there be light

Sometimes the simple things can make your day.

In my case, it is the installation of new lights. This should have been done long ago, about four years ago, in fact. But it is one of the many things that we have put off.

Me: We really should get those lights installed.

Dear husband: Yep.

Me: We bought four lights a couple of years ago and there they sit in the closet, gathering dust.

Dear husband: Yep.

Me: We should really find a good electrician.

Dear husband: Yep.

And that is where the conversation would end: me wishing for lights, dear husband agreeing with me, and absolutely no action happening on either of our parts to get the job done. And the lights would sit, in the boxes they came in. (However, the boxes came in handy a couple of years ago as dear husband used them them to prop up baseboards when he was doing some painting).

Four years, a wedding and one child later, we finally got the lights installed today. In addition to the four we purchased four years ago, we got another three. And we even got the electrician to fix a couple of switches in the house. Now when I go to the bathroom, I don't have to use a dimmer switch. I just press the toggle switch and voila! Light! (Yes, I had a dimmer switch in my bathroom. Don't have a clue as to why as it was there when dear husband purchased the house).

Goodbye old chandelier. Goodbye dust collecting ceiling fans. Hello new lights. For the last half hour I've been admiring my new lights, turning them on and off. I can't wait for dear husband to come home so he can admire them, too.

A cute and furry visitor

Yesterday, a cat found its way into my backyard.

I had taken the last two days "off" from work, meaning I put darling daughter in daycare in order to do some stuff around the house -- namely declutter. As usual, the plan didn't go as planned as life always has a tendency to get in the way and not much got done.

While I was putting away laundry, I heard a distinct meow. When I looked out the window, I saw a black kitty, about six months old, crying for attention. When it comes to cats, I'm a sap as I'm a cat person. But no amount of pleading, asking and begging dear husband for a cat has gotten me anywhere over the years. So I was delighted when I saw this poor little kitty crying for my help.

I fed it. After it ate, it decided to take refuge behind the air conditioner. I knew this cat wasn't going anywhere as it found a food source. Bringing it inside was out of the question. Not only would dear husband freak, so would darling daughter. Although she loves animals, bringing one into the household at his point and time isn't feasible.

I made a temporary "cat house" out of an empty recycling box and a plastic dish wash bin. The bin became the bed and the recycling box became the house. I faced the box towards a stack of patio stones to reduce wind exposure. Apparently kitty loved her house because she stayed the night.

My backyard isn't a suitable home for kitty. So kitty and I took a ride down to the local shelter, where I discovered kitty was a six month old female. It was hard surrendering her to the shelter worker. I got a bit misty eyed. But kitty is safe. She is inside. She got vaccinated. She is with other kitties. She may be reunited with her owner if they decide to claim her. Or she may be adopted into a loving home. I wish kitty all the best.

Cleaning house

One thing that makes me sad is neglected blogs.

People blog. I like to think they blog for a reason. I also like to think they enjoy blogging. But whenever I come across a blog that hasn't had any recent postings, I wonder, what gives? What has happened to that person? Why aren't they blogging? Do they not care about their readers?

In my case life has gotten in the way. This is the first time in a week since I've found the time to log in and write. I've been busy, busy, busy, mainly dealing with decluttering and other house issues. It is time to clean house, so to speak. I've been packing stuff away, going through stuff, sorting stuff into piles, giving stuff away on freecycle and selling stuff on kijiji and usedottawa. Right now, I can deal with the organized chaos of my basement. What I can't deal with is the mounds of paper I need to shred. This is no word of a lie, but I have two big garbage bags filled with shredded documents. And I'm not done. I'll likely fill another bag before I'm completely finished.

Anyway, I thought I'd take a little break between shredding sessions to pop on and say hi. I'm sorry that I've neglected the blog. It has been very much on my mind, but I need to deal with the clutter first. It is time to clean house.

Crock Pot Mondays

I'm not a fan of Dijon mustard. In fact, it hasn't been granted any space in my refrigerator until now. A lot of the slow cooker recipes I've used lately have called for Dijon mustard. Yuck. I don't like the taste nor the smell. I like to ignore the Dijon mustard requirement and replace it with traditional North American yellow mustard. Yum! However, I have since learned that some people may not consider yellow mustard real mustard. And since most recipes I'm using call for the Dijon stuff, I broke down and bought some last week.

I wanted to try Stephanie O'Dea's margarita chicken recipe, which calls for Dijon mustard. When I was putting the sauce together yesterday, I could detect the tangy smell from the Dijon. I wanted to kick my butt. I really, really don't like Dijon mustard and at the time I thought I should have gone with my gut and substituted yellow mustard.

But I'm glad I decided to experiment as this recipe is the most tasty dish I've made, to date, from the recipes on Stephanie's blog. There were absolutely no leftovers and I really wanted to make it again, as in today. It was super yummy and it was a huge hit. As I didn't have any margarita mix, I substituted three tablespoons of lime juice. I bet this sauce would taste wonderful with pork tenderloin.

I've decided that I will no longer ignore the Dijon mustard requirements of any recipes. Although I have granted some room for a bottle of Dijon in my refrigerator, none of this mustard will grace any sandwich I make.

Knitting overdrive, part two

A month ago, I wrote a post about how I was in full knitting overdrive. As such, I have made a dent in my queue, only to replace finished projects with new projects.

The sweater I was test knitting is basically done. At this point I have to sew on the buttons and block it. Darling daughter's playground sweater is also complete. I didn't bother blocking it (but I will) and she has already wore it once. The market bag is done. The socks, featured above, are on the homestretch. I have successfully turned the heel and now I'm heading towards the toes. Yipee.

When I get busy like this, I have no qualms in taking my knitting with me to my Friday morning playgroup. While darling daughter goes from station to station, I trail behind with my knitting, trying to complete a couple of rows as sometimes every row counts. The kids look at my strangely as I try to balance a ball or two of yarn while walking and knitting, but a knitter gotta do what a knitter has to do, and that is knit.

So my queue, to date, is:

* Finish a cupcake hat for a friend. It has to be done tomorrow.
* Make darling daughter a helmet hat. Yes, you heard correctly, a helmet hat. It is for her snowsuit.
* Make darling daughter a pair of socks for Christmas.
* Make a friend's daughter a hat.
* Make a friend a hat
* And likely try to make the French press felted slippers before December. I need to keep my toes toasty warm this winter during playgroups.
* Squeeze in some dishcloth knitting. You can't have enough dishcloths.

Obviously, it remains to be seen if this list gets completed. I'm hoping for the best, but expecting my queue to get longer.

Stick to the plan, ma'am

This week I decided to wing it in the meal planning department.

It was a disaster.

Mental meal planning doesn't work for me. It just doesn't. Compiling a list of meals ideas in my head isn't enough. I have to write it down on paper. Plus, I need to ensure I have the required ingredients to make said meals. After dropping darling daughter off at preschool, I had to make an emergency trip to the grocery store to pick up ingredients for meals for the next three days.

Quite simply, I was too lazy to meal plan. In some ways, I still am as I tend to make the same meals over and over again. Today I did manage to get my act together by opening up a cook book and surfing on the Internet in finding at least two new recipes. I've got a grocery list started and I'm ready to go grocery shopping tomorrow. I'd like to think I'll have fun, but I realize that grocery shopping has now become one of my regular and weekly chores. Sending out dear husband to do this task was so much easier, but I've discovered for me to meal plan successfully, I need to involve myself in the entire process, which includes going grocery shopping. Oh, the things I will do to meal plan.

De-junking the junk drawer

When I was growing up, we had a junk drawer. If you ever needed anything -- pen, pencil, thread, needle, piece of paper -- you looked in the junk drawer first. Twenty years later, not much has changed as I still believe in the existence of the junk drawer.

But the junk drawer has been feeling a bit neglected, I do believe. It is full to the gunnels, as dear husband would say. In fact, it is overflowing. Good luck trying to find anything without it overflowing its drawer banks. It has been at a no vacancy levels in terms of accepting new junk for about three months now. When you get to the point where you have to yank or shove the drawer to either open or close, you've got a definite junk drawer situation.

Today I decided it was time to de-junk the junk drawer. I found old pregnancy tests (yes, I know gross, but until today it was hard to let go of the first tests that notified me the little bean I was pregnant with became darling daughter). I found an old hospital bill of $113 for crutches, removable cast and an ambulance ride. I also found $15 Singapore dollars as well as some good old Canadian Tire money. Old pens that no longer worked, broken magnets, an old wallet all were dejunked, along with a bunch of other stuff.

The junk drawer still has its junky qualities to it. There are pens, elastics, a bunch of hardware odds and ends, several small containers of floss, scissors, Swiffer cloths and finger nail clippers still littering the bottom of the drawer. Granted it still looks messy, but again, what else do you expect from a junk drawer?

Crock Pot Mondays

Orange chicken anyone?

I've been waiting to try Stephanie O'Dea's orange chicken recipe for awhile now. I bought the ingredients a couple of weeks ago. It has only been out of sheer laziness on my part that I haven't made this recipe earlier. As I've said before, I like assembling meals. I hate cooking. The chicken requires a bit of cooking prep before everything goes into the slow cooker.

I'll preface my comments by saying I did like the recipe, but it was a tad too sweet for my taste buds. I think the next time I make this recipe, I'll forget dredging the chicken in flour and browning it because it didn't seem to work for me, plus I hate cooking. I'll reduce either the amount of brown sugar or orange juice concentrate and add a bit of five spice. Since discovering five spice, I like to add it to some dishes that need a bit of zing.

If you are like me and don't have juice in the house, I scooped out about half of the orange juice concentrate from the can, zapped it in the microwave for about 40 seconds to thaw it out and left the remainder of the concentrate in the can and placed it a freezer bag. Now, the next time I make this recipe I don't have to go out and buy orange juice. What can I say? I'm cheap that way.

Happy Halloween

We are already on a sugar high.

When darling daughter woke up this morning, she was asking for candy. Candy, candy, and more candy. Last night we had made the mistake of letting it slip that it was Halloween and Halloween essentially means candy. Although I'd like to think that my daughter doesn't know what candy is, let's face facts. She does. The innocence of not knowing what candy is has ended.

This morning it looked like more than Christmas than Halloween. Last night it snowed. It snowed a good four centimetres. Blah. Regardless, we packed up the car this morning with treat bags to participate in trunk or treat.

The moms group that I belong to hosts trunk or treat. This was our first time participating and the idea is quite a clever one. Everyone lines their car up along the perimeter of a parking lot with truck facing into the parking lot. Decorate the truck and kids go trick or treating from car truck to car truck. Really, it is quite ingenious, especially when you have little ones who may not be all that willing to trick and treat in the dark. Also, who wants to risk giving their two-year-old candy right before bed? This way, you can avoid the just-before-bedtime sugar rush that Halloween night usually brings on.

To make the event more exciting, there was an ambulance, a school bus and an OC Transpo bus to explore. Darling daughter was in seventh heaven. She loves buses. At one point I didn't think I was going to get her off the bus, however, the allure of candy did the trick.

We scored lots of candy. She wanted some for lunch. I'm not too sure what I am going to tell her after she wakes up from her nap because she'll be asking for more. Damn sugar. We aren't too sure if she'll go trick or treating tonight. If not, she can buzz around the house in her bee costume and hand out candy (and likely eat some).

Happy Halloween!

A Wiggly Circus

Yesterday The Wiggles blew into town with its wiggly circus for a wiggly party.

I, along with thousands of others parent-child duos, crowded into Scotiabank Place for some wiggly entertainment. And the fab four of all things wiggly-ness were on top of their game. Dancing, singing, jumping, falling, telling Jeff to wake up, hearing Anthony trying to pronounce the word Parliament and singing a song in French were just some of highlights of their 70-odd minute concert.

Darling daughter was introduced to The Wiggles through her Nana. Nana decided to get her a Wiggles DVD for her birthday. We played that disc over and over during our summer vacation and by the time we got back home, we knew most of the words of the songs. Yes, I do know Hot Potato and Fruit Salad, which is very yummy, yummy indeed.

This was our first kids concert, and while darling daughter was a bit confused at first when the Wiggles bounded onto the stage, in no time she was singing, dancing and clapping her hands. The day before I was a bit fearful what would happen as darling daughter outright refused to watch her Wiggles DVD. Apparently Toopy and Binoo are in. The Wiggles are out. Oh, the fickleness of toddlers.

So thanks Wiggles for a great afternoon of fun. We won't forget you. We'll be back to see you the next time you blow into town. And I'm sure the little girl who was crying her eyes out while walking out of Scotiabank Place, so sad because the show was over, will be too.

Political change happens when you vote

For those who live in Ontario, you likely woke up to some political changes.

This was certainly the case in Ottawa. Not only did we elect a new mayor, we elected 10 new councillors, six of which are political challengers who defeated incumbents. Gone are Alex Cullen, Glenn Brooks, Christine Leadman, Rob Jellett, Georges Bedard and Michel Bellemare, many of whom were long-time veterans on city council.

This is the first time in the history of the amalgamated city that an incumbent went down in defeat. Sitting on my couch, watching the results come in, I was surprised, but at the same time I wasn't. Obviously Ottawa residents wanted change. I know I've been craving it.

Perhaps we learned our lesson four years ago when we elected a new mayor, but kept with the status quo with incumbent councillors, which led to a dysfunctional environment. It seemed like council would make decisions, but then change its mind. And in some cases, it wasn't willing to make a decision. Council seemed stalled, entrenched in an combative stance. If we wanted change, electing a new mayor wasn't going to cut it. Change needed to happen all around the council table. In my ward, we elected a representative who seems to be a fiscal conservative, which is quite astounding as the councillors who have represented the area since the city first amalgamated have been left leaning in their political views. Again, people wanted change.

But change only happens when you vote. Reports indicate that voter turnout was lower than it was in 2006. Forty-four per cent of eligible voters cast ballots in Ottawa's municipal election. Ouch. My parents taught me at an early age that you must exercise your civic right and vote, even when you don't want to. There have been plenty of elections that I've almost had to hold my nose and vote, but not voting seems almost sacrilegious. If you want your voice heard, you've got to vote.

Congratulations, Ottawa. You voted for change and change we got.

Crock Pot Mondays

Although it is one day late (sorry, it is turning into that kind of week) here is this recipe: slow cooker lasagna. This is a Kraft Foods recipe. I've made this recipe before. This time, I tweaked it with the ingredients I had on hand. I replaced the shredded mozzarella cheese with cheese I already had. Opted to leave out the Parmesan cheese because I had none, and added green pepper and mushrooms. But I added less water to compensate for the amount of veggies I added.

I cooked this in my large oval family Crock Pot and it was done in about 3 1/2 hours. It was a hit with darling daughter. We had to cut her off after she asked for a third helping of "sa."

The snowsuit decision

For awhile I've been feeling like a crappy mom since darling daughter didn't have a snowsuit for the upcoming winter. Momma guilt went into overtime yesterday when I saw a one-year-old bundled in a snowsuit at the bus stop. Since it is almost the end of October and dear husband called the local tire store today to make an appointment to get our winter tires installed on the car, I decided no more excuses and immediately executed Operation Buy Snowsuit.

The last two years we've lucked out as darling daughter has wore fleece suits. Her first winter she was still contained in her infant seat when we went out. Last year, she was uneasy on her feet in winter boots and she didn't play outside in the snow. This year is a whole different story.

After putting Operation Buy Snowsuit into effect, I soon found myself in Mountain Equipment Co-op. The last time we brought darling daughter with us, she cried up a storm. I've learned that it best to go alone. But solo shopping has its disadvantages as it is hard to gauge size with no child in two. I was soon pondering the question: do I go with the size two or the size three?

I ended up taking both suits home and letting darling daughter try them out. Size two fits nicely. Size three is roomy. But I'm afraid that if I went with size two, we'd need size three in mid-January as she is due for a growth spurt. But do I want my kid tripping in a suit that is tad too big? Argh, it is the same question every year when it comes to outerwear: do I go with the size that fits or the bigger size?

A decision has yet to be made. I'm leaning on going bigger. This is likely a question that many have pondered for generations, including my own mother. Damn snow. I have yet to see a flake and I'm cursing it already.

Photo Wednesday: All Aboard

This afternoon, darling daughter decided to give some of her "peeps" a ride in her small wooden wagon. She is shouting "Bye, Mommy" to me as she pulls her wagon. Two year olds can be so damn cute.

Dishpan hands

Other than a maid or the over use of my dishwasher, is there any solution to dishpan hands?

I don't exactly have dishpan hands, but every time I turn around I'm doing dishes. Dishes from breakfast. Dishes from lunch (and there seems to be a lot of them) and again dishes at dinner. Pots, pans, plastic cups and dishes, knives and anything else needs to be wash. I seem to be chief bottle washer in this joint.

Dear husband does his best. We do take turns unloading the dishwasher, another task I detest, but there are only so many times you can ask your significant other if he doesn't mind putting away dishes when you are overdue for your turn.

Me: Can you unload the dishwasher?

DH: No, can you? I did it last time.

Me: Pleeze? Pretty Pleeeeeeeeze? I'm tired. I always do it.

DH: Okay (audible grumbles in the background).

So yeah. Dishes. They are a pain. Have to live with them, can't live without them. I wish someone would invent self cleaning dishes. Or maybe I'll win the lottery one day and hire someone who is devoted entirely to washing my dishes.

Crock Pot Mondays

In the world of slow cookers, size does matter. And this recipe proves it.

I've made this sweet mustard roast recipe twice: once in my five quart slow cooker and again yesterday in my three quart slow cooker. The smaller pot made all the difference. If you do use a bigger crock pot, you will have to reduce the cooking time. Just to note, I bought a 2 pound roast on sale at Sobey's this week for $5, so this recipe could be budget-friendly if you take advantage of the sale.

Sorry, no photo this week. When I got home from the gym, darling daughter and dear husband were in the middle of dinner and I snagged the last piece. There was no time to take a photo because I was starving. Without further ado, here's the recipe.

Sweet mustard roast

The ingredients:
* 3 pounds beef or pork roast
* 1/3 cup molasses
* 1/3 cup Dijon mustard (I used regular mustard as I don't like Dijon)
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder (I got fancy and crush a couple of cloves of real garlic)
* 2 tablespoons white vinegar

The Method:
Place meat in the crock pot. Mix molasses, mustard, garlic and white vinegar. Pour on top of meat. Using tongs, flip the meat over a few times to coat it nicely with the sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

In Remembrance

Today is pregnancy and infant loss awareness day. To be honest, I'm not too sure how I feel about the day. Perhaps it is in close proximity to when I experienced my first known miscarriage and I have a tendency to feel numb around significant dates, including miscarriage anniversaries and estimated due dates. September was a horrible month for me as it was another reminder that I wouldn't be holding a child. I was so glad when October arrived, but again, October has its own challenges.

Firstly, I'm glad there is an awareness day as awareness around this issue is sorely lacking. It may sound cruel, but I won't be lighting a candle tonight. I'm not ready. But I do remember. I remember every day. Instead of lighting a candle, I ran. I really needed to run today. And it helped.

Last weekend I planted tulips bulbs in my front flower garden in honour of the two babies I've lost. In the spring, it will be nice to see them grow and bloom.

As I write this, there is a wave of light happening in Canada and the U.S. I want to thank everyone who lights candles tonight, remembers and spreads awareness of a subject that shouldn't be so taboo.

Photo Wednesday: Welcome October

I snapped this photo today while we were out on a walk on the wonderful trails near our house. Fall has certainly arrived and it was a great day to stomp and wade through leaves.

Bus follies

I like the idea of public transportation because it makes me feel good. However, the real world experience sometimes the idea surrounding public transit leaves me frustrated.

I regularly have meetings in a busy part of town. It is busy on the best of days. Now, it is in utter chaos due to construction. I have two choices: (1) drive, look for a parking space and freak out when I can't find one. Or (2) take the bus.

Most times, I take the bus. I took the bus today. The bus ride was unremarkable until we got to a major stop along the Transitway. Everyone off, announces the bus driver, because this bus isn't working.

What? It got us here, didn't us? Fine. Get off the bus. Wait for a second bus. Try to quell feelings of panic of possibility being late for meeting. Get on new bus. Cross fingers, hoping new bus doesn't break down. Make it to meeting on time.

Getting home to the suburbs in the middle of the day, so close to rush hour is always interesting. I had just missed an articulated bus, so I waited for another bus. Bus arrives. Door opens and the sight of wall-to-wall people greet me. Although I don't nearly have as much bus riding experience as dear husband, I've been on my share of busy buses and this bus took the cake. There were people crowded around the driver. I had expected the driver to tell me to wait for another bus, but nope, I guess there was enough room for one more because he opened the doors. And he kept on accepting passengers and we kept on making room.

Fish around arms, backpacks and bodies to get tickets into the fare box. Smushed. Try not to get too personal with my fellow bus passengers. Hard not to when everyone is forced to invade each other's personal safety circle. See a line of people smushed together down the aisle of the bus. Praying I don't fall. Praying I don't break an arm trying to hold myself up. Try to move out of the way of people trying to get off at the Park and Ride. Stare back at people giving me dirty looks. (Listen people, not my fault this bus is packed and there is no room for me to get out of your way. Not my fault I've had to stand in the aisle while you've snoozed in your seat!) Admire the new snazzy stop-call system.

In a nutshell, that was my latest bus experience. However, it comes no where close to the many crazy bus stories dear husband has. I still like the idea of public transit. Just not during rush hour.

Crock Pot Mondays

Happy Thanksgiving Monday to all my readers.

This week's Crock Pot Monday somewhat inspired by Thanksgiving. If you have some leftover cranberry sauce and frozen cooked meatballs hanging out in your freezer, I suggest making meatballs with cranberry barbecue sauce.

I deviated from Stephanie O'Dea's original recipe. Instead of using turkey meatballs, I used 1 pound of meatballs that I had previously made from a recipe that can be found in the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. Then I followed Stephanie's instructions of cutting up jellied cranberry sauce, laying it flat in the Crock Pot stoneware and adding a 1/2 cup barbecue sauce and a tablespoon of soy sauce. I cooked it on high for about four hours.

This recipe did not disappoint as I ate the leftovers for breakfast. However, the next time I make this recipe, I will be using whole cranberry sauce and reducing the amount of a barbecue sauce as I'd think I would enjoy these meatballs more if they had more a cranberry taste to them.

Circle time stress

I'm in a tizzy about circle time.

Honestly, I'm not too sure why circle time exists. Sure, it may be fun to jump up and down, sing songs and listen to stories, but isn't free play more fun and less of an effort on the part of adults who are in charge in leading circle time? Am I alone in this thinking?

My circle time stress started last month at a fabulous playgroup we are now a part of. It is wonderful. There are plenty of activities to keep the little one occupied, good conversation among parents and yummy treats. I must admit when it is circle time, my stress level increases. Darling daughter has no interest in sitting quietly with the other children, listening to stories. She has no interest in sitting in a circle participating in singing and dancing. Luckily, the organizers don't seem to mind that my kid is running in circles at the other end of the room while circle time is going on.

My circle time stress level was manageable until we completed our first preschool session. When I was picking up darling daughter, the instructor remarked that she doesn't do well in circle time. To be fair, she's young. It is hard to tell a two year old that playtime is over after playing with fun toys for about 45 minutes.

My circle time stress level went into overdrive this week when I was on parent duty day at preschool. I learned that in fact there are two circle times. For the first one, I had to keep myself busy washing paint pots and brushes. The second one I had to sit with darling daughter and urge her (and there was a bit of pleading on my part) to sit and participate.

It is funny how I will stress out about things. I remember I stressed out that darling daughter wouldn't sit up. Now she sits up but won't sit still for circle time. I know it will come in time, but honestly, what is the point of circle time? Isn't it more fun to play with toys?

Knitting overdrive

I'm in knitting overdrive and I better get going because despite the fact I've got one project done, I've got several more in the queue.

First off, I've been making these hats (pictured above) since the end of August. I sold several to raise funds for the CIBC Run for the Cure. Selling these hats, along with a bake sale and a garage sale, I managed to raise $270 for the run. I'm very proud of this achievement as I didn't ask friends or family members for a cent, not even dear husband. Times are tough. Besides, it was a bit of a personal challenge for me to see if I could raise the minimum $150 goal through other fundraising initiatives.

I call these my ugly pretty hats because although I do like them, there is a just a hint of tackiness to them. According to my husband, the term “ugly pretty” is a compliment in his seaside hometown, so that’s what I’ve decided to call them. (Ugly pretty shouldn’t be confused with pretty ugly because pretty ugly is certainly not a compliment by any means).

So when I thought I was finished my last ugly pretty hat, I got an order on Saturday to make three pumpkin hats by the end of this week. I am pleased to say the hats are done, but my work isn't done.

So here is in my queue:

* Socks for me. I signed up for a selfish stash-a-long. The premise is to make something for yourself out of your stash. I'm making socks. The last time I made socks was when I was in high school. I made them out of purple acyclic yarn and they were way too big (for the simple fact you don't make socks out of worsted acyclic yarn unless they are Christmas socks). Plus, I don't think I've ever knitted a garment for myself. Lucky for me, deadline is November 30, so I do have time.

* Test knitting a sweater. It is super cute, but it is a very cable-y sweater. I have yet to cast on, but I will soon. Just have to finish printing off the cable charts. I tried doing that last week, but the printer ran out of ink.

* Knitting a market bag for part of a prize pack for my online moms group. It's started, but not done. Now I just have to find where I stashed it. . .

* Darling daughter's preschool shirt. I had initially wanted to make her a back-to-school shirt to mark her first day for preschool. However, I learned at orientation that the kids do a lot of painting and it isn't advisable to send them in nice clothes. It will become her playgroup shirt. I'm halfway done, but I haven't touched it in over a week.

* Hats and mittens for darling daughter. I want to make matching hat and mittens to go with her new fall coat. It shouldn't take long, but I need to find the time.

So as you can see, I'm busy knitting up a storm these days. It has been pretty busy. I hope to finish most of these projects by the end of October. But we shall see as my queue always has a way of growing, not shrinking.

Crock Pot Mondays

Welcome back to another edition of Crock Pot Mondays. This week, it is a tale of two recipes -- the one that was a hit and the second that was a total disastrous messy miss.

The hit this week was hamburger stew. I've never made hamburger stew, but it is super easy. Regardless of the concern I had about the amount of canned condensed creamy soups this recipe calls for, I made it anyway. I'm sure you could tweak this recipe to suit your own taste buds and concerns about sodium intake. I can't remember exactly where I got the recipe, but I do believe it was off one of the message boards on Ravelry.

Hamburger stew

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef (feel free to use less. I used 1 1/2 pounds).
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of cheddar cheese soup
1 1/2 cups water. (The next time I make this recipe, I'm going to use a bit less).
5 quartered potatoes
1 small bag of baby carrots
1 sliced onion
1 can corn. (The recipe doesn't call for corn, but I tossed some in anyway. I think you could add in frozen veggies if you like, maybe towards the end of your cooking time).

Method:
Brown ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Put veggies in slow cooker Put ground beef on top of veggies Mix soup and water together in a large bowl. Pour into slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high until 3-4 hours or until veggies are tender. I used my family size crock for this.

Last week's total miss was honey cake. This was a mess. The photos below speak for themselves. I've been meaning to make a cake in the crock pot and when I came across this recipe on Stephanie O'Dea's blog, I thought I'd try it. It was a disaster. I followed the directions, but when the surface of the cake hadn't completely cooked in 2/12 hours after I took the lid off the crock pot, I decided to investigate. The top wasn't cooked at all. I had to scrape it off. The bottom of the cake was a completely different story. In fact, it was charred. I basically had to scoop out the cake from the crock pot and then chip the burnt parts off my stoneware. I had to soak my crock pot for two days, scour it, before placing it in the dishwasher for a good scrubbing.

This is what the cake looked like after I scraped off the uncooked surface. Please take note of the crispy edges. While at first I was a bit daunted after the whole honey cake fiasco from baking in my Crock Pot again, I think I'm going to give it a try again in the very near future. Next time I'll be lining the stoneware with aluminum foil as cooking spray wasn't enough.

Bulk shopping

About two weeks ago, when I was trying to find an obscure spice (it is likely not that obscure, but if it is beyond salt, pepper, and garlic powder it is classified as obscure in my books) I went to Bulk Barn. The problem with Bulk Barn is that the candy aisle is too big of a temptation for me. Regardless, when I was shopping for spices, which are much cheaper at Bulk Barn, a little thought occurred to me: "Why aren't I shopping here on a regular basis?"

I posed this question on the message board of a local moms group I belong to: can you save money by buying at the Bulk Barn? Respondents said yes it is cheaper to buy some stuff at Bulk Barn. They also noted you have to shop around because you can get some foodstuffs cheaper at other stores.

Last night, I returned to Bulk Barn to get supplies for next week's meals. As you can see from my receipt, no candy was purchased. I bought croutons for 97 cents. White liquid honey cost me $3.05. Steel cut oats, which were on sale, set me back 64 cents. Green split peas, $1.20; non-instant skim milk, $2.28; non-instant buttermilk, $2.38. In total, I spent $10.52. Total savings in regards to items being on sale: $1.19. Sweet!

I like the Bulk Barn for a variety of reasons. Although bulk in prominent in the name, I like the fact you can buy smaller amounts of various products. I have no need for a huge bag of powder milk, but I do need some for my bread machine. It would be ridiculous for me to buy a huge bag, spend $7 to $10 at the grocery store, only to use a bit of it before it expires. I plan on making bulk shopping a part of my grocery shopping routine, but I'll be skipping out on the candy aisle so I don't impact my waist line or my budget.

Three hundred posts

According to my dashboard, this is my 300th post. Yay me! When I first started this blog, I had a six month old. Now my six month old is a two year old who is now hitting the preschool age. (Yesterday after picking up darling daughter at preschool, all I heard throughout the day was, "We washed hands at preschool." Apparently that was a big highlight of her day.) At the time I wrote my first post, I didn't have a clear goal set, other than writing again. When I was a reporter, I struggled writing columns, so I am pleasantly surprised I even reached 100 posts, never mind 300.

I've survived the baby food era. I've survived teething. I've survived sleepless nights. I've survived a couple of poop eating incidents and potty training. And I'm continuing to survive all the challenges of parenthood throws at me. So dear readers, thanks for reading about my adventures. No doubt there will be many more to come.

Photo Wednesday: Preschool

Today was a momentous milestone for us as darling daughter started preschool.

Wearing her little back pack, it was a wonder that I didn't cry this morning. However, I did shed some tears during last week's orientation session while darling daughter was playing at the various stations preschool staff had set up for the kids. I had to look away and look interested in the reading corner so no one noticed I was getting teary-eyed. It doesn't seem that long ago that we brought her home from the hospital. Now, she is saying full sentences and going to preschool. In no time at all, she'll be going to kindergarten.

There was no tears this morning as there was a flurry of activity as parents filled out last minute forms, paid snack fees and provided immunization information. When I returned, I was welcomed with several pieces of artwork, most of which are laid out to dry in a spare room.

The preschool years have started. It is good for both of us. I have two hours to myself and darling daughter is able to socialize with other kids.

Nanas are better than mommas

I knew it would eventually happen. I just didn't realize how much it would sting.

Darling daughter spent this past weekend with her beloved grandmas -- my mother and grandmother. My mom was on babysitting duty as I went to a wedding. Darling daughter spent the weekend colouring, playing with dolls, having a tea party and other fun stuff that involves a great amount of spoiling, which I don't mind. She doesn't see her grandmothers that often.

When I returned to my grandmother's house for the night to relieve my mother of her babysitting duties, I was greeted to darling daughter sprawled out on the bed. Instead of a smile and a sweet hello when I woke her up to reposition in the bed so I could crawl into it, I was greeted with sad sobs and questions as to where "Nana" was. "Nana, Nana, Nana," she cried. It broke my heart.

It broke my heart because (1) she wasn't all that happy to see me as I was not Nana. And (2) she was so sad that her Nana had left. I could relate to darling daughter's feelings as my grandmother was a rock star in my life when I was growing up. Grandma could do no wrong. This was the woman who took us to the beach, taught me how to knit, made us cookies and would repeatedly make us Kraft Dinner for lunch, despite eating it two days previously.

So I wasn't surprised that there would be crying when we left Nana's house on Sunday. "No want to," was the response I quickly received when I informed darling daughter that we had to hit the road. There were lots of tears shed before we pulled out of the driveway.

So not only is darling daughter a Daddy's girl, she is also a Nana's girl. I'm not surprised. She takes after her mother, who was and is still Nana's girl.

Crock Pot Mondays

You can never have enough slow cookers!

This was the declaration I made at a gift opening for a friend yesterday. She and her new husband were opening gifts and they were the lucky recipients of a slow cooker. What a thoughtful gift! When they were unwrapping the present, I commented that you can't have enough slow cookers, which a true statement. The acquaintance sitting beside me chuckled, and wondered how many I have. I now have three, four if you include the Little Dipper that came with my largest Crock Pot.

In the slow cooker world, size does matter. I've discovered the truth of this fact in recent weeks. I made pork chops in my 5 quart pot two weeks ago and they were overdone. Last week when shopping, I found a 3 quart Crock Pot for $15. A steal of a deal that quickly ended up in my shopping cart.

Although I love all my slow cookers, I particularly love the 3 quart Crock Pot. It is the perfect size for the slow cooker meals I've been making lately. However, the 5 quart pot and the family size pots haven't been forgotten. They are both useful in their own right. The 5 quart pot is perfect for cooking small whole chickens and baked beans. I do foresee my family size pot making a lot of taco soup this fall and winter.

The meal we made last night proves that size does matter. Making chicken drumsticks in the family size pot wasn't enjoyable because the chicken would cook extremely fast. Using the 3 quart pot made all the difference in the world. This is an allrecipes.com recipe.

Molly's Chicken

Ingredients:

3 1/2 pounds chicken drumsticks, skins removed

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1- 8 ounce can tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

Method:

Place chicken in the slow cooker. In a bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar, tomato sauce and garlic together. Pour on chicken. Cover. Cook low for eight hours.

How a container of sour cream cost me about $13

I will preface this post and say that I'm not very proud of myself.

Darling daughter and I went grocery shopping this morning. Darling daughter is into stacking these days. She even stacked the contents of her sandwich at lunch. While we were grocery shopping, she stacked the container of sour cream I had placed in the cart on top of some canned veggies. Toddler clumsiness and gravity soon took over and the container of sour cream took a header onto the floor.

I was a poor example for my daughter and put the container of sour cream back into the dairy cooler. When I was leaving the store, a heavy feeling fell over me. I knew I should have taken the container with me to the check out counter and offer to pay for it.

I believe in karma. This may sound silly, but I'm afraid that I will be reincarnated into an earwig as penance for the number of earwigs I've killed this summer. I knew when I got behind the wheel of the my car to go home that I would pay for my not-so-good deed. And my payback has come in the form of a club pack of chicken thighs. I bought chicken thighs on quick sale. They expire tomorrow. The lure of 30 per cent off the regular price was too much and I bought them. Since they expire tomorrow night, I started cutting them up for a stir fry. I soon noticed that they don't smell right. In fact, they smell a bit fishy. Now I'm leery of using them. Right now they are sitting in plastic baggies in the refrigerator for dear husband's final inspection. I need a second opinion on the smell.

In full meal planning and budget mode, I called the store to see if I could get my money back. While dialing the number, I knew I was pushing my luck. The woman who answered told me the store's policy is not to refund money on quick sale products. Although she offered to transfer my call to the meat department so I could discuss the issue further with a staff member, I declined I decided to accept this experience as my penance for the sour cream incident.

Although I'm a bit annoyed that I'm likely out $13, I have learned some lessons.

1. Don't let toddlers play with dairy products. It will likely spell trouble.
2. You take your chances on buying quick sale products.
3. Karma always kicks you in the butt so go with your gut and do the right thing.

Running towards denial

I'm in denial.

Although summer is officially over, I still dress for it every time I step outside to run.

Headband. Check.

Visor. Check.

Water belt. Check.

T-shirt. Check.

Shorts. Check.

Well, tonight it was damn cold while I was running. I don't know what I was thinking. Earlier in the day, darling daughter and I went to the park and it was a bit chilly. I guess I had tomorrow's warm forecast in my head when I left the house. It was only when I had started out that I realized it wasn't as warm as I thought it would be. I should have worn the new long sleeved shirt I bought two weeks ago, but no matter. When I run I'm committed to finishing, despite the weather conditions. But I really I have to get my mind wrapped around the fact it is fall and I need to start dressing for it.

Photo Wednesday

Lately, for whatever reason, I haven't been taking that many photos, but I did catch darling daughter feeding her Pooh Bear lunch the other day. Toddlers are funny creatures. I bought that bear when she was about two months old because it reminded me of the huge Pooh Bear that was in one of the waiting room at CHEO that I used to sit and wait in when I was a kid. Until last week, it sat quietly on top of a book shelf. Now, she has taken a huge interest in him and he is now a regular at her tea parties. I'm surprised he hasn't joined the crib posse that consists of two stuffed Care Bears, a little purple cow, a Cabbage Patch doll, a doll and two assorted teddy bears.

The last day of summer and the weatherman lied

I woke up this morning expecting to haul darling daughter in her green wagon to the park. Instead, I've had to cancel our park plans due to rain, which is annoying as the weatherman said there would be sun today.


So when I noticed the dark, large cloud hovering over my house this morning and no sun in sight, I consulted the Environment Canada website. Instead of the sunny and relatively warm weather that was forecast by my local weatherman during the weather forecast last night, I was welcome to the sight of rain cloud icons on my computer screen. Cloudy, showers, thunderstorms, rain are some of the weather action that is being promised for the next four days.


It may just be me, but September seems to be turning out to be a crappy month weather wise. Sunday was a gorgeous fall day, but summer seemed to have disappeared two days after Labour Day. At this point, predictions of it being a warmer than usual September aren't shaping up to be true.


I guess I should cut the weatherman some slack. He's only human. He doesn't create the weather. He just predicts it. But what a crappy day on the last day of summer.

Crock Pot Mondays

Well dear readers, I haven't fallen off the meal planning bandwagon, but I had a bit of a scare on Friday when I was attempting to come up with this week's meal plan as I was struggling to find suitable recipes. Luckily, I came up with seven meals that I can live with.

To ensure I don't encounter the same issue this coming Friday, I went to the library and picked up three cook books, including the Biggest Loser Family Cook Book. (Disclaimer: I don't watch the Biggest Loser. The only reason I chose this book was because it was staring me in the face in the express reads section. I usually get all my library books in the express reads as I'm too lazy to look for actual books).

This book, surprisingly, is wonderful. I've found a lot of easy, healthy recipes in this book that I hope to use next week. I'd recommend getting your hands on one if you are stuck for meal ideas.

I used the Crock Pot almost every day last week. One of the recipes that stands is taco soup, a recipe I found on Stephanie O'Dea's crock pot blog.

Slow cooker taco soup

Ingredients:

2 cans of kidney beans
2 cans of pinto beans (I couldn't find them so I used lentils)
2 cans of corn
1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 can tomatoes and chilies
1 package taco seasoning
1 package ranch dressing mix

1 pound browned ground turkey or hamburger (optional.)
shredded cheese and sour cream for embellishment (optional)

The Method:
Brown meat

Drain fat and place meat into the Crock Pot.

Sprinkle both seasoning on top of the meat.

Drain and rinse beans and add to Crock Pot.

Add the entire contents of corn and tomato cans. Then stir.

Cover and cook for low for eight to 10 hours or on high for four to five hours. Stir well and serve with a handful of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream, if you like.

This is a wonderful recipe if you want to stretch your grocery dollars as it makes leftovers galore. We had this for dinner last Wednesday and on Thursday, Friday and Saturday we were still eating leftovers for lunch.

I'd suggest using a large crock pot because I had to downsize this recipe a bit as I couldn't fit the second can of lentils or corn into my five quart Crock Pot. This would also be a great meatless option to serve the family. The next time I make this recipe, I'm going to use half a pound of ground beef, just to stretch my grocery dollar just a bit more.

Poopie talk Fridays

I thought I'd give one (hopefully!) last potty training update.

Four weeks ago on Monday, darling daughter and I started on our potty training journey with the three-day potty training method. A month after starting potty training, I'm proud to say that we are about 95 per cent trained (knock on wood).

Now, I hope the potty training gods don't look upon this post and spite me for being cocky enough to say that we are almost at the end of the training journey. For the last week and a half, darling daughter has been pooping in the potty like a little champ. After initiating positive peer pressure, naming every kid to her who she knows who poops in the potty, both dear husband and I then introduced the "push, push, push" mantra. Push, push, push, we tell her. Push that poop out! We sound like a pair of labour and delivery nurses cheering on a patient. But you got to do what you have to do to encourage potty training.

It seems to be working. Now when she is trying to do her business, she says "push, push, push." Plus, the special surprises (otherwise known as Smarties) help as an incentive for potty usage.

The reason I say 95 per cent and not 100 per cent is because of the use of Pullups. Last week I gathered up enough courage to try out disposable training pants. Darling daughter was sick and no one was getting any sleep until I got her to wear Pullups. They were a security blanket of sorts, allowing her to sleep past 4 a.m. in her own bed. Having a tossing, kicking toddler in your bed at 4 a.m. is not a lot of fun as no one gets sleep.

For the most part, darling daughter is dry in the mornings. Last night when we got her up at 11 p.m. for her nightly pee and Pullup change she didn't have them on for very long. About an hour later she was demanding the Pullup off and wanting underwear instead.

So this is where we are in our potty training journey. There have been a lot of hard work, tears, poopie messes, coaxing and poopie talk. It is a work in progress and hopefully we will soon be done.

Embracing the grey, an update

I believe embracing the grey is working.

On Sunday, I met with C, my friend and running coach. We didn't run. Instead, we shopped for running clothes. When I got into her car, she immediately asked me about my hair.

C: What have you done with your hair? It looks different.

Me: Nothing. Nothing at all.

C: Did you get it coloured lately? It seems reddish.

Me: Nope.

I explained to C that I haven't coloured my hair since sometime in late 2009. It was a waste, I told her, since the dye wouldn't adhere to my grey hair. Two weeks after a dye job, I'd need another dye job. I could no longer justify going to the salon every six weeks just to get my hair coloured.

I think C was a bit impressed. I don't expect everyone to embrace the grey. (And I highly doubt if C has one teeny tiny grey hair on her head. Lucky girl!) But since I've embraced the grey, I feel a bit better about myself. No more worries about budgeting colouring sessions. No more worries about fitting colouring sessions into my schedule. And no more fretting if my grey was showing through my latest colour job. I know my grey is showing and I'm okay with that.

Photo Wednesday

This week's edition of photo Wednesday is a stinker, of sorts. It is garbage day on our street. The amount of garbage we place at the curb has been reduced drastically with the faithful use of our organics bin. Our garbage consumption has been further been reduced with the introduction of potty training as there are less diapers going to the landfill.

While I may seem like a bad neighbour for complaining about the following, I am tired of going out every garbage day and seeing the lack of recycling boxes at the curb. Of the residents who use this garbage pad, we are the only ones who use a green bin. Actually, there are only a handful of organics bin users on my street. Except for our blue bins, others of their species are rarely seen at the garbage pad. However, I should mention one of my neighbours did put out their blue bin after this photo was taken. Also, remnants of a dresser were also added to the pile. (Come on people, have you ever heard of an organization called Goodwill?) I will give my immediate neighbour a pass on this because she barely makes any garbage. (It really is quite amazing. I'd like to know her secret).

But please consider this a public plea of sorts: please, please, please consider using the green organics program. It substantially reduces garbage output. Less garbage in bags at the curb is a good thing. Plus, you are paying for the program so you might as well use it.

Rant over.

Crock Pot Mondays

In my quest in my battle to succeed at meal planning, I've decided to introduce a new feature to the blog: Crock Pot Mondays. Basically the premise is for me to post recipes that I've tried or currently trying in my slow cooker. This way (I hope!) I will be continually motivated to keep up with meal planning. Lately, my Crock Pot has been working overtime. In the last couple of days I've made lazy chicken and sloppy joes. I've got most of my recipes from Stephanie O'Dea's A Year of Slow Cooking blog. This woman's blog is giving the inspiration to expand my slow cooker repertoire from the usual fare I make. I really want to make a cake.

So what's in the Crock Pot today, you ask?

Lemon and herb roasted chicken

Ingredients:
* 1 whole chicken, thawed and skinned

* 1 head of garlic

* 2 lemons
* salt and pepper

* fresh rosemary

Method:

After you skin the chicken, rub it inside and out with salt and pepper. Place chicken in slow cooker. Peel garlic and stuff several whole cloves into chicken and sprinkle more cloves on top and around the chicken. Slice lemon and place on top, around and inside the chicken. Wash rosemary and do the same. The recipe states that if you are using dried rosemary, use a good amount, about two to three tablespoons. Do not add water. Cook on low for eight to 10 hours.

I've never tried this recipe, but I have no doubt it is a winner. I've made fragrant lemon chicken, which is a similar recipe and it was delicious. There is nothing like the smell of rosemary wafting through the house on a coldish September day.