25 days of christmas eve

Well tonight is the night.... the 25 days of Christmas Eve. I had a meeting to attend tonight, but Grandma Linda assures me that Abby was beyond excited going to bed because Elwood! would be visiting the house while she slept.

I'd like to tell you that I have everything all planned out, but I don't. Much like last year I'm just going to wing it. Abby is convinced that, just like last year, Elwood's first note will be to write her letter to Santa and who am I to mess with Elwood? And Grandma Linda and Granny both have offered special family fun night treats for the girls to get via Elwood. I love that this has become a full on family project.



Today in preparation of Elwood Abby stashed her basket under the tree in my office and started working on her list for Santa.



She put number 5 on the list just for me. What a sweetie! And please make note of numbers 9 through 11! Tech junkie!

Know what? I may be just as excited as Abby!

breakfast with Santa

A few weeks ago Granny called and invited the girls (and me) for a sleepover and then to have breakfast with Santa. Now my girls like Santa in theory only. They aren't exactly fond of him as an actual person. Maya has never had her picture taken with Santa and it's been years since Abby has been willing to go see him. As soon as she was old enough to express an opinion on the matter, she was done. Growing up people in costumes always made me anxious and still do to a lesser degree. Kids on Halloween don't bother me so much anymore, but I still can't handle anything like a team mascot. Remind me to tell you about the time at the Santa Claus parade when the team mascot for our local football team made a beeline right for me and actually put his furry costumed hands on me. Oh. Em. Gee. I'm sure if they had taken my blood pressure at that exact moment I would have blown the cuff right off. Ack it's making me anxious, just thinking about it.... and I know I came through unscathed.

Anyway... I told Granny I would ask the girls and we'd go from there, never really expecting they would want to go. So I asked and Abby was game. It actually shocked me how excited she was to go, but only after I promised her she wouldn't have to talk to him or even look at him if she didn't want to. Hmmmm.... remind me again why we're going. And since Abby wanting to go.. well that was all Maya needed to know before she agreed to go.

Flash forward to tonight. The girls and I had been talking about our trip to see Santa next weekend. Abby wandered off to play, but Maya hung back.......

Maya: Why are we going to have breakfast wif Santa?
Me: Because Granny invited us and you guys said you wanted to go....
Maya: But we have food at home. I wanna have breakfast at home.

So this could be interesting.

potluck

For the better part of a year I have been hosting jammie movie night for some of my best girls. I like to think of it as a low pressure night off for us hardworking ladies. You show up (or don't - no worries if they can't make it that month) in your jammies, kick back and laugh your butt off. I like to stick to the comedy genre when making the movie selection just to keep the mood light and fun.

It being the holiday season and all, I decided to host a little holiday potluck. Just to say thank you to the men for holding down the fort while we enjoyed a night off. We all made arrangements to be kid free. Which turned out to be a good decision. I'm not sure my little house could have stood all of us and a dozen or so rambunctious kids.

I had no real game plan in mind, beyond put the food out and enjoy some conversation. Oddly enough it turned into a movie night. It just so happened that Step Brothers was on the dish, a movie we've watched for movie night, but that I'm always up to rewatch it. As luck would have it the Russell Peters comedy special was on right after so we just continued to laugh our butts off. All in all it was a really great evening and if everyone had half as much fun as I did... well I'd consider it a success.

A big thanks to everyone for all the yummy food.

Special thanks to my online bff Rick (and Sherry), for making an appearance despite feeling way less than 100%.

Huge thanks to my Robin (and Tim) for helping me tidy up and load up the dishwasher before she headed back home. It was great waking up to a relatively clean house this morning. Love you for that.

Thanks to JJ (and L) for the lovely reed diffuser. I have it in my bathroom already. It smells fabulous.

And ML (and T), thanks for the blueberries and magazines. You spoil me, but I'm really okay with that.

I wish I had some thankful thoughts from last night to share with you about The Mommy Project and Miss Heather, but alas they bailed on us. Something about the pox and having a better offer - respectively.

Really I'd like to thank all y'all for being such great friends. This feels like a really great time in my life. I'm so glad you're all here to share the ride with me.

friday high five - christmas

Christmas hasn't even been on my radar as of yet, which is completely odd for me. I'm usually done my shopping, planning and organizing by now not just beginning. Luckily I feel absolutely no stress about it. Yet, anyway.



So for this week's Friday High Five - Random Christmas thoughts.

1. This year's theme is all about simplifying and cutting back. We've been working at simplifying our social activities for the past couple of years. This year I'm working on simplifying the gift process too. Everyone's budgets are tighter this year and we're no different. This year it makes good sense to be as fiscally responsible as we can. So if we shop for you - expect less, but I hope more meaningful gifts. Expect gifts from the heart and more gifts of time.

2. I am finding My-Pie pretty difficult to shop for. I have zero ideas. It doesn't help that she says she wants whatever they're shilling on the current commercial she's watching. And I mean everything - from Bakugan to Barbie.

3. On the flipside, The Abster is way too easy to shop for. Maybe because she's older and that leaves me with more options?

4. Plans for Christmas dinners are still up in the air. We know where we'll be Christmas day, but the rest depends on the schedules of others. Hoping to get some plans nailed down soon.

5. The decorating of the house has begun. Abby's little purple tree is up and decorated in her room. Maya's pink tree came out of the box (bought brand new last year, but unopened until this year) missing it's stand. Mike has it out in the garage trying to fashion something out of wood.

i need a maya to english dictionary

Maya: I have a hegit!
Me: A what?!
Maya: A hegit!! I have a hegit!
Me: I don't know what that is.
I'm pretty sure at this point she was rolling her eyes at me.
Maya: I. Have. A. Hegit. Because. My. Sister. Is. Being. Too. Loud!
Me: Do you mean a headache? You have a headache?
Maya: Yes!

wordless wednesday - sisters

How about a little wordless wednesday?

what's cooking wednesday - the christmas cookie edition

Well the Christmas baking season is upon us once again. This year I've been invited to the first annual Festivus Cookie Exchange over at The Mommy Project's house. I'm so excited to go and even more excited to nab myself a dozen of Heather's yummy peanut butter cup cookies (thanks Nancy for getting us all addicted last year). Mmmmm peanut butter cups. I plan on telling all the other ladies in attendance that they taste awful and maybe scoop up all 6 dozen. I'll let you know how it works out for me.

So now the big question is what to make for the First Annual Festivus Cookie Exchange. So I thought I'd go over my list of Christmas favourites and maybe give ou some holiday baking inspiration too.

Peanut Butter Fudge - who knew making fudge could be so easy. On the flip side, this is dangerous information to have.

Spritz Cookies - delicious and nostalagic. They were always an important part of my Grandma's holiday baking. On the flipside, I have yet to master the technique. I got extremely annoyed with the whole process the last time I made them.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - hands down the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made. On the flipside, I make them all the time.

Lemon Cheese Squares or Skor Bars - both yummy. On the flip side, how does one decide what a dozen Skor bars are?

Butterscotch Confetti Squares - oh these are so good. A childhood favourite that my other Grandma made. On the flipside, I might have a hard time giving them away.

Caramel Squares - I had these at an Anniversary open house I was at. I think I may have eaten most of them. Then I came home and scoured the internet for the recipe. On the flipside, I have a hard time getting my caramel as thick as it should be. So they taste delicioius, but aren't as pretty as they should be.

Ginger Snaps - Abby's favourite. On the flipside, they aren't the flashiest cookie. Will they be impressive enough for The FAFCE?

Or should I branch out and try something different? What do you recommend?




What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?

What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page. *All front page links will be deleted!* Don't make me be a jerk. And don't forget to link back here, the home of What's Cooking Wednesday.

So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html

I'll let you in on a little secret, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday

happy birthday heazer

So today is the lovely Heather's birthday! And even though she went off and left us I'm still going to share with you the 26 things I love about her...

1. She is the first official jammie movie night member. Jammie movie night was born after she came over to watch Twilight with me and I warned her I'd likely be in my jammies. She said if I was going to wear mine she was going to wear hers. And the rest, as they say, is history.
2. She is 100% Team Edward.
3. She lent me her Twilight books to read and I am so grateful she did.
4. She is also 100% Team Kate.
5. She makes some kick ass Super Nachoes.
6. For movie night she made them without meat because The Mommy Project is going veggie again.
7. She is an all-star facebook creeper.
8. She usually arrives to visit here with some little treat for the girls. Odds are.... it's chocolate.
9. Her dog Homer is the cutest thing evah! And she spoils him rotten.
10. She has fantastic hair.
11. She has an iphone (oh wait that one of the reasons I'm jealous of her!)
12. She once told me a story that began..... This is so embarrassing I'm not even sure why I'm telling you this but...
13. She recycles.
14. She's joined us for family game night.
15. She popped in a couple of weeks ago just because she had some time to kill... she could have gone shopping.
16. She is a champion shopper.
17. Even still she managed to go an entire month without setting foot into WalMart.
18. She is a funny funny girl. Some of my biggest laughs in the past year have been with her.
19. She's taken care of my facebook farm for me.
20. She makes killer rice krispie treats!
21. Our first date was to the American Idol concert. We big red puffy heart Danny Gokey!
22. She texts me while we are watching our favourite TV shows like Idol and The Office.
23. She's been known to leave me little surprises in the suggestion box.
24. She's really embraced all my friends that have joined us for jammie movie night.
25. She loves my cookies.
26. Her favaourite word is vagina.

Happy birthday my friend! xo

25 days

I feel like if I blink it will be December and I am entirely unorganized for this time of the year. I usually have Christmas well in hand by this point, as of today I have one or two gifts in the closet upstairs and a handful of things for the big stocking. I think it's the mild weather that is making me think I have all the time in the world.

In just about a week it will be time to start the 25 days of Christmas. A holiday family time movement lead by the fab Andrea from A Peek Inside the Fishbowl. Mike, the girls and I played last year and it was so much fun I cannot wait to do it again. I realize it sounds overwhelming to have an activity planned for each and every night, but it's not nearly as difficult as you'd think. I think to pull it off successfully you need to be kind to yourself. Not every night has to be a huge extravaganza. The time spent with the family is the focus.

Please take a moment and go read how Andrea sets her and her family up for the 25 days of Christmas and when you get back I'll tell you how we set up ours. Just because I need to be a little bit different.

Last year on a whim I invented Elwood, a Christmas Elf who's in charge of family fun. I have a Christmas tree set up in my office that we placed a wicker basket under and at some point each day Elwood would leave a note and sometimes other goodies in the basket that would outline what our family fun activity would be. I'm not sure why I even bothered to invent Elwood. Maybe because I just love the wonder kids have for Santa and wanted to be able to enjoy that through my kids for a full 25 days. Abby loved getting Elwood's notes because he always seemed to know a little bit about her. I love the way her eyes light up as she tries to figure the mystery out. How does he get in the house? How does he know what I'm doing? I just love it.

with Papa and Grandma Linda. I really don't like to be over scheduled, so I kind of flew by the seat of my pants last year. I would write up Elwood's notes daily just so I could keep them topical. We had some "big" activities and some small ones. I also made sure the girls had a special activity with each Grandparent. I hope to continue with the same activities each year so they have a special tradition with them. We had sugar cookie decorating with Grandma Sandi (those were the cookies we used for Santa). Gingerbread night with Granny. And a viewing of The Polar ExpressFor those nights I made the plans in advance with the appropriate grandparent(s) and then when Abby got the note from Elwood she would call, all excited, to tell them what the plan was for that night.

Those were probably our biggest nights. The other nights I filled in with activities like snowman shaped pancakes for dinner. One night we played Christmas themed charades which was a huge hit and a whole lot of fun. Another night the girls built Santa's house out of mega blocks. I also picked up a Christmas chapter book and some nights were read another chapter night. This year I ordered a handful of Christmas themed story books from the Scholastic catalog to read during the 25 days. It shall be fun fun fun!

And what about you? Are you joining us for the 25 days of Christmas?

wordless wednesday - more fall

how about a little wordless wednesday?

what's cooking wednesday - rolo cookies

So about a month ago my buddy Karen was tempting me by posting on facebook that she was baking rolo cookies. Well she had me at Rolo....... and cookies. I have been attempting for the past month to make them, but never managed to have all the ingredients in the house at the same time. Then I had a hard time finding regular Rolo. Michael accidentally picked up the jumbo rolos and they were huge. Too huge to go in a cookie. Over the weekend I grabbed a bag of mini rolos and thought I'd try and make those work.

Go and check out the recipe.... go ahead. I'll wait.

So yeah, that's them. The mini rolos worked out okay, but I think the regular size ones would be way better. The actual cookie itself is delicious on it's own. I may actually make these again with just a bag of white chocolate chips thrown in. The dough makes a nice soft cookie that reminds me of a brownie. Maya declared them "the best cookies ever!" And she's a kid that doesn't like food.

These have actually made the short list of cookies I think I might take to the first annual Festivus cookie exchange taking place over at the Mommy Project's house. I'd love to show you a picture of them, but they were all gone before I got a single shot, but just ask Heather, she was here just when they were coming out of the oven and got to taste the deliciousness.




What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?

What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page. *All front page links will be deleted!* Don't make me be a jerk. And don't forget to link back here, the home of What's Cooking Wednesday.

So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html

I'll let you in on a little secret, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday

life lessons

So I mentioned briefly that Abby is in resource at school for reading. This is something that came up at the end of last year. The plan was to read with Abby over the summer and reassess the situation in Grade 2. So far all concerned feel that what's holding Abby back is Abby. She's great until she gets to a word she doesn't know, then she just stops reading. She has convinced herself that she can't read and that she's the worst in the class. It's more than a little bit worrisome and a tad bit heart breaking.

But the good news is... and there is good news, sometimes you just have to go looking for it.... she loves going to resource and loves the resource teacher. At home, with me, the reading - well - it's a challenge for both of us. I do my best to keep calm, hold on to my patience and make the experience as pleasant as I can. When she gets to the point where she stops I need to push her to continue and she pushes just as hard back. Some nights though, there are bigger lessons to be learned.

Tonight when it came time to read the books she'd brought home from school she was laying in my bed. When I appeared at the door she flung her arm across her eyes.... but I'm tiiiirrrreeedddd!!!

That's fine, I told her. As soon as we're done reading these books you can go to bed.

So we read. And Abby did her best to stall as much as possible and play the "I'm tired" card as often as she could. We got through the three books (She did a great job, a few stumbles, but it was coming out a whole lot easier. I hope it's all beginning to click with her.) and I sent her off to her room to get into jammies, telling her I'd be there to tuck her in as soon as My-Pie was settled in bed.

Do you know what time it is? I asked her when I got back to her.

She didn't.

It's 8 o'clock and your bedtime is 8:30. You see, you were telling me how tired you were hoping to get out of reading your books tonight. I told you when you were done you could go to bed. So you had to read the books any way and now you're in bed a half an hour before bedtime. And you know I'm not going to let you get out of bed now, right?

She nodded.

So what did you learn tonight?

That I just should have read my books and not whined.

Here's hoping she remembers this for tomorrow night.

one day she'll have a shoe closet like carrie bradshaw

It's been tradition the past few years that on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend Mike and Papa take off to the tractor pulls at the fair. This year Grandma Linda and I thought while the boys were off doing that we'd take the girls and do a little shopping. At the mall. Where Granny works.

So off we went, but when we got to Granny's store she wasn't there yet. In fact she wasn't due for another hour. So Grandma Linda suggested we go across the mall to Payless Shoes. Also known as Abby's Disneyland.



As soon as we got to the part of the store that housed her size she spun around and asked me.... do you have your camera? I didn't, but I did have me new old cell phone and snapped the picture above. The next thing she asked me was... can I try all of these on? And I wish I had recorded her because I cannot fully explain the awe that you could hear in her voice. Just to be surrounded by all these shoes, these beautiful shoes. It was like a divine moment for her.



And then she found these. It was love at first sight. Just to clarify these are brown "suede" peep toe pumps... in her size. They were the most beautiful thing that she'd ever seen. They were soulmates, destined to be together. She was already telling me of the places she could wear them. The things she could wear them with.

Even still, with the lovefest that was going on... do you see that blur of orange and brown just past the box? That's My-Pie. And what is My-Pie doing? Scouring the shelves for more shoes for her sister to try on. No joke. She would get them off the shelf and bring them to Abby's feet like she was leaving an offering. Girlfriend is serious about shoes. And My-Pie... she's serious about her sister.



Not surprisingly, she was only more in love with them after they hit her feet. I'm sure the pose she's striking tells the entire love story. And Grandma Linda, being a self declared shoe girl herself...... well she was buying into it too. I won't even try to deny that I wasn't a little swept up in the excitement as well. She was just so in love with these shoes. And I'm sure they'd be in my closet next to the eleventy billion other pairs of Abby shoes right now had I not keeled over from sticker shock ($35!!) and told Grandma Linda she was not allowed to buy them for her. Really, I guess I should be thankful she doesn't know what Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin or Prada is yet.

friday high five - the wishlist

Well it's been a while since I partook in a Friday High Five. I'm not sure why, but by the time Friday rolls around I am beat and ready to crawl into bed not long after the kids. Since Christmas is barreling towards us at the speed of light I thought I'd let you take a sneak peek of the 5 things I've got on my wish list to Santa.



1. A laptop. Oh sure it's a pipe dream, but a girl can wish can't she? Oh I have pined for a laptop this past month as Mike, Abby and I jostled for computer time. Even more so as I struggled to balance the school fair payout sheet. Something tells me it would have been alot easier if I could have retired to my quiet bedroom and locked the door. Then nobody could ask me for a glass of water/milk or to mediate a dispute (often over Polly Pockets) or if I was done yet so they could play Farmville/webkinz.

2. Books. Yes I have stacks, but I have my eye set on stacks more. Like Cookie Craft and the Pioneer Woman's cook book. And Heather Armstrong's book It Sucked, Then I Cried (or something like that). And Born Standing Up by Steve Martin. He's one of my favouritest ever. And The Kids Are Alright, by I can't remember right now, but the review I read made me really want to read it. The latest Douglas Coupland. My own copy of the Twilight Series. Some Nick Hornby. The Sookie Stackhouse Series. Some Kate Jacobs. The Diners Drive in & Dives cookbooks.

3. DVDs. I love dvds. Especially TV on dvd. Season 3 and on of Entourage. Season 2 and on of Grey's. Season 3 and on of The Office. For some inexplicable reason I do not own Christmas Vacation or StepBrothers on dvd. Ridiculous when you figure they are likely the two movies I quote from the most. And I haven't heard, but I'm hoping that The Hangover makes an appearance on store shelves before the big day.

4. Gift cards. I know. Boring. But we just never go to the movies. Or go shopping at Michaels. Or out to dinner at a place with menus they bring to your table.

5. Wii games. I'll let you in on a little secret. I love the Wii just as much as my girls. It's definitely a cold weather activity for us. I can count on one hand how many times it's been on this summer. I'd love some more workout type games. Some more sports type games to play with the kids. Group games like Wii Resort and the like. Bowling is a huge hit here. I think Mario Kart would be fun. Oh and The Price is Right. I love the Price is Right. I could play Plinko right in my own living room. And the lego series. I have the Complete Star Wars, but the others look like fun too.

What's on your wish list?

quiet night

Tonight I.....

Watched Abby's riding lesson. She's doing amazing and loving every minute of it, but dang it's cold in that arena. But seeing her trot with no hands... well that's totally worth it!

Made dinner - spaghetti and meatballs in the crockpot. Neither of the girls would touch it. Peanut butter sandwich for Abby. Fruit Loops for Maya. Which she ate with milk! I wouldn't of believed it if I hasn't seen it with my own eyes.

Helped Abby practice playing jingle bells on her ukulele. Basically I just needed to hold her music sheet. I think it kinda sounded a little like jingle bells. Sorta.

Did two loads of laundry. I think I may finally be buying into the Flylady's "one load per day" way of thinking. Of course the over achiever in me (snort!) did 2 loads.

Attempted to snuggle Maya out of her crusty mood. It was somewhat of a failure.

Took out the recycling and moved 30+ leaf bags out to the road for pick up. Okay to be fair Mike took out about a third of them, but the rest was all me.

Watched the coming attractions and the first 5 minutes of Ice Age 3.

Listened to Abby read The Little Pets - Teachers Pet for her book club. Was pleased to hear the improvement in her reading. I'm not sure if I mentioned she is now seeing the resource teacher for some extra reading help. It's a little bit worrisome, but I'm confident that between home and the school we have things well in hand.

Watched Survivor and The Office while folding 2 loads of laundry.

Put away two loads of laundry.

Tweeted The Mommy Project just a little bit. Really... way less than usual. I had too, she misses me when I don't.

Panicked - silently - about how quick Christmas is coming up.

Directed the toy room tidy up project before bed. You would have thought I had asked Maya for a kidney and not to pick up 5 webkinz and put them back in their bucket.

Tucked two little girls into bed. Both were zonked out within 5 minutes.

Made myself a tea and remembered to drink half of it before it went cold.

And now here I sit wondering where in the heck the night went. Feeling a tad frustrated that all that work was only a portion of what I wanted to get to tonight. Time to call it quits and attempt it all again tomorrow.

wordless wednesday - fall

how about a little wordless wednesday?

what's cooking wednesday - breakfast bars

The recipe for these breakfast bars was printed in this year's Milk calendar which just came with my latest issue of Canadian Living. I thought these would be a great easy to eat on the run breakfast snack that would help up my fibre intake in the morning.

picture tomorrow

Morning Glory Breakfast Bars

2 cups bran cereal
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup milk
3/4 cup drained canned crushed pineapple
1/2 cup plain yogurt (not fat free)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup liquid honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 13 X 9 inch pan with tinfoil, leaving a 2 inch over hang at each end. Lightly butter foil.

In a bowl combine bran cereal, carrots, milk, pineapple and yogurt. Let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Whisk egg and honey into milk mixture. Pour over dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.

Spread into prepared pan, smoothing out the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Recipe Notes: Well Mike was not a fan, but my guinea pig - ML and I both liked them. They are super moist and it doesn't really seem like you're eating a lot of fibre. Mike wasn't a fan, but that's fine.... more for me. The only small adjustment I'd make is to up the cinnamon. I like a stronger cinnamon taste.




What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?

What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page. *All front page links will be deleted!* Don't make me be a jerk. And don't forget to link back here, the home of What's Cooking Wednesday.

So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html

I'll let you in on a little secret, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday

family fun night - board games

We haven't had an organized family fun night in a while now. What with the busy schedules and the kids taking turns being sick, it just hasn't happened. So Friday night seemed a good night for game night. Abby wanted to play Disney Scene It, like she always does, but I decided to veto that in favour of Five Little Monkey's Jumping on the Bed. We actually got this last Christmas and hadn't yet played a single game. I'm not sure why not.

Now the box makes some pretty bold claims about how easy it is to get started. I admit I was skeptical, but it was true. The instructions were easy to read and simple to follow. Which is great when you're playing a game with little ones.



The game itself is fairly straight forward, you move your man around the board collecting tokens while adding monkeys to the bed. After each turn you get to press the red button on the bed post once. When the bed pops up, if your monkeys fall off the bed you have to take them back. To win you need to have all four tokens and four monkeys standing on the bed.



You know what was really great about this game? It was easy enough for Maya to play on her own. Usually when we play a board game Maya gets stuck "helping" either Mike or I. She was just over the moon to have a man of her own on the board. Abby helped her with counting out her spaces when it came time to move her man, but all other aspects of the game she could manage on her own. Call me a sappy Mom, but it was a nice "big girl" moment for my little My-Pie.



Of course you know the big attraction of the game is that little red button on the bedpost. Both girls just loved it when the bed would pop sending monkeys scattering across the table. This game was great because it was enjoyable for both a 7 year old and a 3 year old. It's not easy to find a game like that.

We were really rolling with a theme this weekend because Saturday found Grandma Sandi over for a little super Scrabble.



And Maya was, once again, the helper.



But she's such a good helper.



I didn't hold out much hope for winning because Grandma Sandi is a kick ass player. So I was pretty impressed with myself when she only beat me by 2 points. Especially with tiles like those.

Hope your weekend was just as fun!

knowing me, knowing you - november

It's that time again... time for that monthly interview project I started - Knowing Me, Knowing You.

1. What's your strategy for gift giving this Christmas?

I think much like a lot of people this holiday season, we'll be cutting back. More of our gifts will be handmade and there will be more gifts of time this year. I've had fun this past year with the scrabble nights, the dinners and the family fun nights we've had with the Grandparents. And I have some other cool ideas up my sleeve that I can't tell you about here because of all the family lurking about.

2. How do you feel about the holiday newsletter?

Mike and I love receiving newsletters, but we've never sent one before. Now we're toying with the idea of writing one up this year. Thing is we're pretty boring folk. Whatever would I write about?

3. What's your favourite board game?

Well I'm down with just about any kind of board game. Or cards. Cards are good too. It is such a cheap night of entertainment in my opinion. I really love Scrabble, but I think probably my favourite game is Balderdash. Oh the laughs we have had at our kitchen table playing it. I think I need to organize a Balderdash night quick!

4. What's your favourite cold weather comfort dish?

I really love the casseroles and the pasta dishes we seem to eat more of over the winter, but by far my favourite cold weather comfort food is soup. There is just something so intensely satisfying about a hot bowl of soup and some fresh crusty bread on a cold night.

5. What is your favourite new show this season?

I am really loving Modern Family. If you're not watching it.... well you're just missing out. It is perfectly cast and so very funny. Uncle Dave thinks it's a cross between The Office and Arrested Development and I have to agree.




So now the rules, they're pretty simple. Post your answers to these questions on your own blog in the next few days. Remember to link back here in your post and sign the Mr. Linky too, so we can all see what you have to say. Please make sure you link to your actual KMKY post and not your blog's front page. Any front page links will be deleted. And most importantly, have fun! Have suggestions for next months questions? Leave me a comment or send me an email and let me know.

putting me in my place since 2002

Abby and I were walking back home last Saturday night after crashing the Mommy Project's evening of wine and visiting with her family when I stopped, dead in my tracks, just a few feet from her driveway.

Why did you stop? The ever logical Abby asked me.

Well I had stopped because I'd heard loud, very likely drunken voices, coming from the little street that runs behind our house. I just wasn't sure if I was hearing angry drunken voices or just your run of the mill drunken voices. I'm not really sure why it mattered, except it was getting late on Halloween night, the streets were deserted, but pumpkins still glowed from front porches.... at the time it seemed like information I should have while walking home in the dark with a seven year old.

What I told Abby was this..... Oh I was just trying to hear those people talking.

Well that's inappropriate.

Really?! My seven year just told me I was inappropriate? Are you kidding?

It's inappropriate? I asked her.

Yes, it's inappropriate to listen to other people's secrets. We should just walk home and not listen.

And so we did.

wordless wednesday - a girl & her horse

How about a little wordless wednesday?

what's cooking wednesday - pepper steak

This recipe is on my meal plan for this week. It's new to us, so I'm not sure how it will go over. I'm betting that the girls hate it though....

I'll let you know how it works out.

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips
• garlic powder to taste
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cube beef bouillon
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 large green bell peppers, roughly chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned beef strips. Transfer to a slow cooker.
2. Mix bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix in cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker with meat. Stir in onion, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.
3. Cover, and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?

What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page. *All front page links will be deleted!* Don't make me be a jerk. And don't forget to link back here, the home of What's Cooking Wednesday.

So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html

I'll let you in on a little secret, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday

papa's big night

So this past weekend promised to be very busy and full of all sorts of fun things. Then My-Pie got sick which sort of threw a wrench in the monkey works. Luckily my Mom was nice enough to stay with her Friday night so I didn't have to miss Papa receiving his award at the fair's Appreciation Night.

This year Papa was selected as one of two people to receive their life membership pins. It's a big honour and I was so proud to be amongst our friends and family sharing Papa's special moment with him.



Papa has a gift for saying the right thing at the right time and Friday night was no exception. His acceptance speech was sweet, sincere and brought a not so smallish lump to my throat. Abby was completely thrilled that the lady who gave Papa his award mentioned her (and the giant pumpkins she and Papa grow for the fair) by name.



Mike did very well in his capacity as Second Vice President. He introduced the invited dignitaries and the current board of directors. He must have read and reread his list a thousand times. It must of paid off because there was no stumbles.



Congratulations Papa on receiving your life membership.....



it's well deserved.

winner winner

So it was nice of me to promise you all a giveaway and then never mention it again. I have to admit that end of the post was poorly organized. Never fear, my faithful readers. I promised to give away a gift card and give it away I shall. So I wrote down all your names (The Mommy Project gets 2 entries because she is a Twitter fiend. Seriously, pop onto Twitter at 11ish and you'll find us using it as our own personal IM). So I threw all you lovely Canadian ladies who commented via here or facebook or Twitter into a bowl, had my lovely assistant draw out a name and the winner is.....

The lovely Heather P.

Congrats Heazer. I'll try to remember to give this and your pizza pan I've had for 2 months to you next time we hook up. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

So what's up next for me?

How about a little virtual book club?

disclaimer: The kind folks at Indigo Books (via the ever helpful Sam at MS&L) have supplied me with a selection of current novels to read to kick off my own little virtual book club

Now my question to you is what should I read first?

1) The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.

Okay here's the thing I've seen the DaVinci Code. Which creeped me out a little bit. I don't do well with religious/torture type stuff. That thing he strapped on his leg was enough for me to bail on it. Mike convinced me to watch the rest, but I couldn't get that image out of my head for ages. Overall I enjoyed the movie, though. I have book version sitting on my shelf, with about 67 others that are waiting to be read. I am curious to see how his writing differs from the story telling of the movie.

2) The Year of The Flood by Margaret Atwood.

I have read very little Margaret Atwood, but have enjoyed what I have read. I recently read an interview in a magazine with Ms. Atwood that piqued my interest about this book.

3) Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls.

I cannot tell you how much I loved her first book, The Glass Castle. I could not put it down and when I was done I made Michael read it just so I would have someone in the house to discuss it with. In fact I received these books earlier this week and Grandma Sandi already dove into Half Broke Horses on her babysitting day here before the girls woke up. A few dozen pages in and she's already raving about it. And when Granny was here watching a sick Maya for me, she was strongly tempted to pick it up as well, but her patient was too demanding.

So those are my choices.... what do you think? Have you read any of these? Are you currently reading any? Do you want to read along with me?