poor little sick girl

Maya was whiny and pink cheeked this afternoon. Today was a school day, so I chalked it up to her being overtired from her full day. She refused dinner saying her stomach was sore and just sat at the table being out of sorts.

After dinner she climbed into my lap as I sat in the rocking chair and curled up like she used to when she was a baby. Of course she took up a lot less room back then. So we rocked and she drifted off to sleep and I was just enjoying the moment with my five year old baby.

And then she sat up and puked all over the two of us. The stomach bug has hit the blogmother abode. Hard. Now we're both on our third set of jammies and I'm feeling pretty thankful I've convinced her to sleep on the couch beside me because the both of us in the rocker is somewhat of a tight fit these days.

progress report

As we prepare to wrap up January I thought I should update how my 2011 to-do list is coming, if for no other reason than to keep myself on top of it.

I have been a water and green tea drinking machine! I still have to work on this at home, but I'm a rockstar to and from work and while I'm there too.

I have one completed lime green scarf in my donation basket.

I am tearing it up with the books though. I've read three since the beginning of the year and have three more on the go. One for work, one by my bed and one downstairs.Those are the three spots I read in and I always forget to bring whatever book I'm reading from one spot to the other, so three books works for me.

The yoga did not get off to a great start, but I have done it the last two weeks. I've also started zumba, which is really just me thrashing my uncoordinated limbs around set to music, but I enjoy it.

As for the 35lbs I've knocked that back to 34.6lbs thanks to a .4lb loss this week. Gotta start somewhere, right?

So I've definitely made a dent. I consider it a good start to the year.

Do you have a 2011 to-do list?

epic parenting moments

Today on the way home Abby informed us that if she were to kick Mike in his "thingy" that would be a USA - an unexpected sack attack.

We, of course, choked on our laughter trying to hold it back and attempt to be responsible adults about the whole thing, but within 30 seconds all four of us were laughing our faces off.

Then we got home and I tripped over something as soon as I got in the door. As the door jam came racing towards my face I let an f-bomb slip out.

Abby turned to me, with eyes wide and said... What the hell did you just say?

While behind us Maya danced a jig as she shouted out "shitballs" for no apparent reason.

Good thing they don't hand out parenting licenses. Ours would have been revoked today. For real life.

what's cooking wednesday - pie crust

I haven't had great success making my own pastry. I've tried using two knives. I've tried a pastry cutter and I've tried the food processor. All were epic fails. The pie crusts I was producing were the exact opposite of flaky. Then one night watching my beloved Diners, Drive ins and Dives (I hear from a friend that Triple D has been canceled... has anyone heard that. I can't verify the story) I watched a guy whip up pastry dough in a kitchenaid mixer and I thought - lightbulb- (please imagine me doing my very best Gru impersonation there).

So, armed with my trusty copy of The Pioneer Woman's cookbook I whipped up a batch of her pastry dough. In my mixer. OMG why wasn't I doing it that way the whole time? So quick. So easy. I think with the other methods I was overworking the dough, but the mixer and I have an excellent working relationship, so there was little risk of that happening.

So it came together all nice and easy, but how did it taste?

I ended up using the dough to make two bite maple butter tarts and I had a good feeling about them as soon as they came out of the oven.....



I could see the flaky layers the pastry had separated into. And they felt light and delicate when I took them out of the pan. Then I tasted one. And then I had Mike taste one. We both agreed it was the best pastry I had ever made. I know everyone raves about her cinnamon rolls and one of these days I'm going to give those a try, but that pastry..... wow!

I highly recommend it if you're into making your own pastry and having it turn out awesome times ten.

Head on over to the Pioneer Woman's site for the recipe.




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

just the good old boys

Please be advised - there be crummy cellphone pictures ahead.

I was not gracious, no I was not at all.



Mike received tickets to see John Schneider and Tom Wopat in concert from my Mom for Christmas. The Dukes of Hazzard is far and away Mike's favourite show. We have all the episodes on dvd and he's watched them with Abby and Maya many times over. I have to admit, my family was no immune to the charm of The Dukes, back in the day. I can distinctly remember being in my jammies in the living room and tuning in with Uncle Dave, Granny and my Dad. The Dukes of Hazzard was a great family show, a show that preached things like acceptance, and loyalty, and the idea that family is the most important thing. So don't even get me started on how they butchered that message all to hell in the big screen remake. Worst movie ever made. But I'm getting off topic......

Friday was the big night, the night I'd been trying to get out of since December 25th, 2010. I begged. I pleaded. I whined. I even asked Papa to go in my place. He said yes, but Mike said no. I was going with him no two ways about it. So I pouted and complained some more and before I knew it.... it was show night.

The concert was in the Avalon Theater at the casino, so we decided to make a little trip out of it and picked up my Mom to come with us.... she managed to trade her Saturday night tickets in for one on Friday night. So as much as I bitched and moaned about the whole thing... I actually had a really great time and if any of you tell Michael I said that I will deny it to my dying day, but he kinda already knows. For your convenience I'll bullet form the rest of it....

It was nice to spend time with my Mom. I never see her without kids in tow and they make sure Mom and I can never have an uninterrupted conversation. Ever. So it was nice to be able to chat over dinner that I didn't have to cook, clean up or pay for. Mom's rock, don't they?

I won the progressive jackpot playing the Sex and the City slot machines. Oh yes I did.



Try not to be jealous. Mike tried his hand at blackjack and made us some money, but then I made a smallish donation to the casino, so in the end we did a bit better than even Steven. I got stopped going into the casino and was asked how old I was. Now they are supposed to card you if you look under 25. So she asked and I told her 37 and the lady hung her head and started to chuckle. I'm not sure why and she waved me on my way. I thought it interesting that she thought perhaps I was younger than 25, but when I told her 37 she had no problem believing it. Moral of the story.... apparently I look younger from 10 feet away.

And the show... exactly how was the show.... better than I expected. The boys still have a tremendous amount of chemistry and they are great storytellers. As for the singing.... wow! They sang some of their own songs and covers and a bunch of fun duets. The theater was lovely. I am definitely going to keep my eye on what's coming up. It was a great venue to see a show.



Afterward they signed autographs and Mike just couldn't believe he was going to get a chance to meet his boyhood idols. Not only meet them, but shake their hand and tell them how much he enjoyed the show. Pretty awesome, right? But it gets so much better for my Michael. You see Mike knows a guy who's friends with John Schneider, so after the show Mike got the chance to meet both John and Tom at a bar in the casino. They remembered Mike from the signing and chatted with him for a few minutes, effectively making it one of the best nights of his entire life.



Who was your childhood idol?

dear maya

Dear Maya;

This week, my sweet baby girl, you turned five. And I think I'm going to like five very much. Since you started school I've watched you become more comfortable in your own skin, more confident and that, in a word, is awesome. Sure we still have moments when you need to hide in my skirts, but these days it doesn't always have to be Mommy's skirts. Last night as the entire extended family started to sing happy birthday you went to Grandma Linda for a snuggle when it got to be overwhelming. You are getting better, but still aren't 100% fond of a lot of attention being thrown your way. So when it comes time to sing at church it's only about 85% of the time you're actually willing to join the rest of the kids up front. I'm not even going to complain about that because for you 85% is stupendous.

I said to another Mom not long ago that you test me every day, not in the sense that you're testing my limits, but rather you test me as a Mom. The way I parent you today, may not work for you tomorrow. Sometimes you need me to be tough and other days you need some extra snuggles. Some days you are a little extra emotional and other days you are as tough as nails. You still hero worship your big sister, but aren't so willing to be pushed around these days. Case in point, the other night when you told her to "shut her pie hole". I'm not quite sure who was more surprised about that one - your sister or me. Of course when Abby told you that the restaurant you wanted to go to for your birthday was closed you bought it, hook, line and sinker. She told you that because Burger King is currently giving away spongebob toys and that seemed like a better deal to Abby than mini ice cream cones at Marios.

You are the sweetest like girl with the biggest heart and so much love for the ones that are your nearest and dearest. You have hugs for everyone and a knack for remembering the important things about people. You love choir practice and swimming lessons and watching Abby do just about everything, even more so when Abby doesn't want you to. You are incredibly charming and you know exactly when yo turn it on. You can melt me with just a look and I can only hope it's a skill you'll only use for good.

You love pretty much everything about school and you've settled in just as I expected you to. You love to do your homework each week, finding pictures in magazines that start with your letter of the week. Then there is printing, you love to print and are always asking Dad and I how to special different words in addition to your stable of the dozen or so you can spell on your own. It's been great fun to watch you grow and learn at school. I am so looking forward to your observation day and first report card.

It's hard to believe you're five, Dad says it seems like you've been here ten years or more. Time is just speeding by and, at the same time, standing still. I love you so very much and am so very thankful for every single minute with you.

Happy birthday monkey.
Love Mama xo

until tomorrow

Would you believe I've actually spent most of this week getting caught up on my sleep. Which was awesome times ten. I felt fantastic this week. Then I went and blew it all by staying out until 3am last night. Oh heck, yeah I did. On a related note, I am way too old to be rolling in at 3am.

This has been a pretty awesome week. There is so much to tell you about. Maya turning five!!! Mike met his boyhood idols. Parties and cake and hanging with family. Pictures to share and stories to tell, but tonight is not the tonight for I must go crawl into my comfy bed and get myself some more sleep. Those uber late nights are a killer at thirtysomething.

what's cooking wednesday - the mypie edition

Well in about 30 minutes my beautiful baby girl is turning 5 years old! Crazy isn't it? So in honour of my Little My Pie, here are the links to very favourite made by Mommy recipes.....

Pancakes, we had them for dinner tonight. Maya loved them, but Abby claims Papa's are better.

Pizza with cheese and turkey pepperoni (although sometimes she picks the pepperoni off and gives it to her sister)

Chocolate ritz are her favourite cookies.




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

and lame

Tonight I was helping Abby condition her hair......

Abby: Mom I want to play with my friends.
Me: You want to play with your friends?
Abby: Pray.
Me: You want to pray with your friends?
Abby: Prrraaaayyyy.
Me: You want to pray?
Abby: I want to pray my friends?
Me: You want to pray for your friends?
At this point she's sighing and rolling her eyes at me.
Abby: Pray!!!!!!!!
Me: Are you saying pray?
Abby: Prank! Prank! I want to prank my friends! (heavy emphasis on the k sound at the end)

And in her head I am sure she was thinking... oh my gosh my Mom is soooo old!

tidbits from the weekend

#1. I am so glad I have girls with zero interest in hockey. I don't think I'm hockey Mom material.

#2. Rockband is actually a lot of fun. Even the Beatles one and this is coming from an admitted Beatles non-fan. Also, I rock on the drums. True story.

#3. Abby can sing the hell outta Here Comes the Sun (99%).

#4. Maya's song is Yellow Submarine.

#5. I really wish I had booked the day off tomorrow, kids have a PA Day.

#6. I'm wondering why I wasn't reading Maeve Binchy before now.

#7. I big red puffy heart Ricky Gervais very much.

milestone for maya

Today Maya got to experience her first birthday party with friends from school. We sent invitations to six kids in her class and one to a friend of Abby's. Out of the seven only two were able to come. I thought she might be disappointed with that, but in the end I think the party was the perfect size for her. There were a couple of moments were she seemed a bit overwhelmed with the attention being focused on her. Specifically when her guests (a set of twins) arrived and then again when we sang to her, but she bounced back very quickly. I'm not entirely convinced she would have bounced back so quickly if it was a larger group.

It was a very low key party. She wanted to watch Despicable Me, her favourite movie these days, have pizza, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting and like her big sister she collected canned goods instead of gifts. Well that's what the invite said, but the boys brought her a couple of puzzles tucked into the bag of groceries. I always find it curious when people do that..... bring a gift in addition to the donation that was requested in lieu of. What would you do in that situation? Just curious.

So they watched the movie while they coloured the Despicable Me colouring pages I printed out. After pizza and cake they moved off to the toy room to play some Wii for the last 30 minutes. Really it was perfect party for her. She says she had the best time, but she's having a hard time grasping that she's not five quite yet.....

Maya: I'm five!!
Me: Not until Wednesday, honey.
Maya: But we had my party.
Me: I know, but your birthday isn't until Wednesday.
Maya: But the twins were here.
Me: Yes, but today was just your party.
Maya: But there was cake and everyone said happy birthday Maya.

....and lather, rinse, repeat.

i know you're out there

Did you know that today is delurking day? The internet is full of lurkers and today is your day! How many blogs do you read that you don't bother to comment on? I read lots and I'm trying to be a better commenter, but google reader, while it is fabulous for reading blogs is not really great for commenting on blogs. That extra step of having to click on through to the actual web-site seems like way too much work some nights.

So lurkers of the internet.... today is your day! Click on through and leave a comment today because as every blogger knows, comments make the world go round.

Not sure what to say?

Just say hi.

Or tell me I'm awesome.

Or tell what your favourite book, movie and TV show is.

And all my facebook friends, don't think you're off the hook either. Leave me a comment and say howdy. Let know me know who's reading over there too.

Happy delurking day, everyone.

tired

Blah... my sleep is all messed up. Like seriously hardcore messed up. Something horrifically tragic happened in our quiet little area and it's made me jumpy and nervous and unable to sleep. The lack of sleep only makes me more jumpy and more nervous.... it's just a vicious cycle. I haven't felt this beat down since Maya was a non-sleeping newborn. Only this time I'm working full time and keeping up with the house and the kids and volunteer stuff and blah. I'm not doing it 100% though because I just don't have it in me. And there's nothing really to be done about it. You can't take back what happened. I can't un-know it, as much as I think I'd like to. I can only pray for a swift resolution so I can get back to feeling safe and comfortable in my own home.

what's cooking wednesday - apple cinnamon syrup

ETA - In the recipe I typed out 6 cups unsweetened apple syrup when I actually meant 6 cups unsweetened apple juice.Oops!

For the past few years the general rule between Uncle Dave and I is that we have to make each other's Christmas presents. It's really not as easy as it sounds. Especially since I've used up all of my marketable skills. I've done cookies, canning, and made face cloths. Uncle Dave and Auntie Mel are tough because they are pretty granola, so I try to make the gifts something practical and useful rather than just giving them stuff. This year we allowed for things that were recycled, regifted, garage saled, value villaged or itunes gift card. Yeah Dave totally ignored the rules and dropped some itunes cash on Michael.

Now as you know Uncle Dave rocked it right out of the park and designed a logo and business card for my little baking biz. It makes me smile every time I think about it. In return we gave them our old home theater system, a book I thought they would both enjoy (previously read by me), some cookies, some red pepper jelly and................. apple cinnamon syrup.

This caught my eye as I was flipping through my Complete Book of Home Preserving. It looked easy enough and while it was still canning, which I'd done before, it was something I hadn't done before.

Apple Cinnamon Syrup

6 cups unsweetened apple juice - now the book says this is especially delicious when it's made from homemade apple juice.... so if you feel up to that, let me know how it works out for you. I just bought some
3 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
5 cups granulated sugar
4 cups water
3 cups corn syrup
1/4 cup lemon juice

1. Prepare canner, jars and lids.

2. In a large stainless steel pot, combine apple juice and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In a large stainless steel pot, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and cook until syrup reaches 230 degrees F. Add apple juice, cinnamon sticks and corn syrup. Return to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon sticks. Stir in lemon juice.

4. Ladle hot syrup into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

5. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid, wait 10 minutes, then remove jars and cool.

Recipe Notes: This is so very yum. I had it on my french toast this weekend and it was fantastic. It was like liquid apple pie. And really if you wanted to give canning a try it doesn't require any special ingredients. It makes about six 500ml jars. If you are going to make this and you haven't had to boil something to a certain temperature (get a candy thermometer for that part) it takes longer than you think. So don't worry if it doesn't seem like anything is happening. It will get there. Promise.




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

it was not rated e for everyone

Abby has gorgeous thick hair that I am 100% jealous of, but it is on the dry side. So her hair is a little bit of a project for me, making sure it's conditioned well and after her shower I brush through a leave in oil. On the weekend we settled on the couch so I could tend to her tresses and Abby immediately took control of the remote control. Mike had been watching Young Guns, but he had abandoned the TV so it was fair game.

"Young Guys?" Abby read off the screen as she made to tune the dial into something more tween friendly.
"It said Young Guns, honey" I corrected her.
"Still, it's not appropriate," she sniffed.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.... where on earth does she come up with this stuff.

back in the saddle

So it's been a month since I've done any kind of weight watchers tracking. A month that included me baking 100 dozen cookies, four Christmas dinners and one New Year's Eve food extravaganza. Oh and did I mention that I let two cases of grape pop in the house and y'all know how I feel about grape pop. Love it. It's the only pop I drink and it's usually a can or two a year, but this year I was an over achiever and drank my way through two cases. Although, I feel I should point out they were only 10 packs and not 12, so there's that. I can't say that I was surprised when I got on the scale last week and it registered that 4.6 of the pounds I had previously lost had made their way back to my ass. Actually, to be honest, I was surprised because I was really expecting it to be higher.

I'm not sure if you'd heard,but Weight Watchers has completely revamped their program. The new program launched just before Christmas and I made the decision to set it aside and continue with the old plan until things calmed down after the holidays. Yeah.... see the paragraph above to see how that worked out. It didn't. This was the week that Mike and I knew we had to sit down and figure out the new program. It was kind of discouraging to feel like we were starting from scratch all over again. There were lots of products that Mike and I had memorized the points for, so things like making breakfast were a breeze because we were aware, without having to look it up how many points it was costing us. Those days were over, for a little while anyway.

So with the new program, some things have a higher point value then they did before, but my daily points have increased... by four. Woo to the hoo. The good news, though is fruit is now free, so that's really helping to stretch the points budget. And I am happy to report that I've already knocked 1.1 pounds back off that holiday baggage.

One of my blogging besties, Merry wrote about losing weight this weekend too. Losing weight for the sake of vanity. Now I'd be lying if I were to say there isn't a healthy dose of vanity at play here, but more than that this is a health issue. I weigh too much, that is a fact. A fact, the Wii takes great pleasure in reminding me of every week went it puffs up my Mii while it's little voice squeaks out.... that's obese. Thanks soooo much. But it's true... hard to hear, but true. Now what I do have a problem with is what the Wii suggests a good weight for me may be 124 pounds. I really don't feel that is a realistic weight for me. I have no idea what a realistic weight is for me, but I feel like I'll know as I get closer.

In light of all of this we have been making the effort to talk about being healthy rather that just how much weight we lost in front of the girls. I'm taking the time to read and explain labels to them and what we should have a little bit of and what we should be eating the most of. Abby is the one I worry about the most, so we're adding more dance offs and talking more about how to make good food decisions. To her credit she's been good about trying new things, there hasn't been much she's liked, but she's tried... swiss cheese and hummus both got the thumbs down this week, but we aren't giving up. It's important to remember living healthier is not a static thing, there are ups and downs and you just gotta roll with it and keep doing the best you can.

knowing me, knowing you - january 2011

I'm feeling pretty great these days, if a little tired. Considering I work full time outside of the house and have two little-ish kids and spend far too many late night hours putzing about on the interwebs, that's to be expected. I'm ready to get things back on track here in my little corner of the blogosphere. So tonight we welcome Knowing Me, Knowing You back into the blogmother fold.

1. Okay so you have $5 million to spend in five days and you can't spend it on yourself or your family. What do you spend it on?

Well I would outfit our school with new gym equipment, the stuff we have now is old. Been there since before I went there and let me tell you there have been some startling advances in volleyball net technology in the past few decades. Not to mention hockey nets and the like. I'd also give a chunk to our church. We're a small congregation with a questionable future, I'd love to be able to put the questions to rest for a while longer. I'd hang out at the grocery store and pay for everyone's groceries. I'd partner with a bridal salon and pay for wedding dresses. I'd do the same at a baby store and pay for strollers, car seats and cribs. I'd eat all my meals out for 5 days and drop big ass tips on the wait staff. I'd gather a team of knitters/crocheters and pay for the wool to knit/crochet scarves, hats and mitts for Wesley Centre and blankets and hats for the NICU that took such great care of my baby girls. I'd buy an inflatable movie screen and host kick ass movie nights in our hood to raise money for charity. Am I at $5 million yet?

2. What's your favourite type of food?

Well I wouldn't call myself a foodie, but I do love food. Luckily I'm surrounded by folks that can cook really well. If I was forced to pick I think I'd have to say Italian. Mmmmm cheese and pasta! What could be better than that? Don't worry Mexican food, you're running a very close second. Spicy meat and cheese. Oh yum.

3. What is the best concert you've ever attended?

Garth Brooks. No question. Go ahead and judge. I love country music, I'm not afraid to admit it. I saw Garth many years ago in a smallish arena that holds about 18,000 people. Such a high energy show and he just sang hit after hit. Best show ever.

4. What sports do you like?

Um, none. I mean I watch some of whatever Mike is watching... hockey and baseball mostly with the odd basketball game thrown in there. I've never played organized sports. I do love love love the Olympics, summer and winter, and watch as much as I can every two years.

5. Who is your favourite cartoon character of all time?

I loved the Smurfs back in the day, but Papa Smurf was my favourite. I think it was the red outfit.




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.

friday high five - family fun night

No doubt, last month was busy with lots of family time, but it wasn't like our usual family time. So for tonight Abby had planned out an evening of activities for us to get back into the family fun night swing of things for 2011.

So this week's Friday High Five...... our Abby organized family fun night.

1. Subs from Subway. Abby even went out on a limb and tried swiss cheese on her sub. She didn't like it, but she tried. Maya doesn't eat subs, but she had requested a cheesestring and a hot dog.

2. Jammies. Who doesn't like getting in their jammies after a cold Friday spent at work/school.

3. Blankets. I mean why get into your jammies if you aren't going to snuggle in under a fuzzy woogie?

4. Toy Story 3. The girls got this for Christmas and watched it a kajillion times while we were on Christmas break. Mike and I hadn't seen it yet. Before it started I asked Abby if it was going to make me cry. Yeah, it probably will, she said. And yeah... she was right.

5. Dance Off. My girl likes to boogie. She's pretty serious about her Dance Offs too and brings all her moves. So we laughed and shook out tail feathers to some Ke$ha until we couldn't breathe. And she totally kicked my ass. She is the Dance Off Queen at our house.

I have to say she planned out a pretty perfect family fun night.

Do you have family fun nights?

you capture - top ten

I'm going to try and get back on the you capture track. It's such a fun project. This week's prompt was to post your top ten pictures from the last year. In no particular order mine are....





















you capture hosted by:

almost five

As of this evening Christmas has been packed away, back in it's rubbermaid totes and stashed in the top of the toy room closet. This may be the earliest I've ever packed Christmas away. This also may be the first time I've ever packed everything up in one day. In fact last year Abby's little tree stayed up in her room the entire year.

Now it's time to turn our focus to our little MyPie, who's turning 5 in two weeks. Two weeks! Five!! For real life? How is it even possible? Now that she's in school she gets to have her first school party. She's been planning the guest list for about a month now and has decided she wants to watch Despicable Me, have chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and wants to collect canned goods instead of presents. So she's laid the ground work for me, now I just have to put my own special stamp all over it.

I'm kind of grateful she's picked a pretty easy party, because I'm not feeling overly creative right now. So I am currently accepting suggestions on how to add some wow to an afternoon movie party.

what's cooking wednesday - extraordinary cheese dip

Not all that long ago I attended an Epicure Party. I had never really heard of an Epicure Party before. It's basically a tupperware party for spices. I left the party that day with one hell of a story, that alas I will not tell you, but trust me when I say it is epic and it involves drunken older ladies turning cartwheels. I also got me some spices and this recipe which they very cleverly serve you. If you ever have a friend having a party I highly recommend you buy these three dip mixes and then make this cheese dip at every party you have. You will be the talk of the town. Promise.

Now I have to apologize for the lack of picture, every time I've made this it's disappeared before I had a chance to snap a good picture. I think there may be a slightly grainy and dark picture on my phone, but it's hardly worth posting.

Epicure Extraordinary Cheese Dip

• 1 — 8 oz (250 g) package spreadable cream cheese
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup (250 ml) light mayonnaise
• 1 tsp (5 ml) Epicure’s Seasoning for Cheese, Chives & Bacon Dip
• 1 tsp (5 ml) Epicure’s Lemon Dilly Dip Mix
• 1 tsp (5 ml) Epicure’s 3 Onion Dip Mix

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).
2. Combine all ingredients until well-blended and spoon into Epicure’s Baker.
4. Bake for 20–30 minutes, or until heated through.




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

never know what you're going to get

This week of holidays was a tough one for being Maya's Mom. She was needy and clingy and whiny and cried at the drop of a hat. It was a week far from what I had pictured in my head... a week of relaxing and hanging with my girls, watching movies and reading books and staying in our jammies. I mean, we did that stuff too, but with all that other stuff it was more of a test of my Mom skills. I mean to a certain respect it was to be expected..... it was Christmas after all and that equals late nights, too much sugar, too much excitement and regular routines that are just gone right out the window.

Then tonight we went to choir practice with a friend who was bringing her kids for the first time. The kids weren't too sure about the whole experience, but there was Maya.... taking the older child by the hand encouraging her to join the rest of the kids around the piano. Our little friend wasn't quite ready yet so she stayed with us, but that didn't stop Maya from turning around every once and a while with her friendly smile and her little finger beckoning her friend to join the group. Maya was all too happy to sit beside our other little friend and chat him up. She was sunny and funny and helpful during snack time.

She's a study in contrasts that one.

to do in eleven

I did this in 2009, instead of a list of resolutions I made a to-do list for the year. You can read the list here and see how much of it I actually got done. I have to say going back to read it over I actually did better than I had expected. So I figured why not do it again.

My to-do list for 2011

Get the girls their SIN cards.
Get my passport.
Make 12 scarves to donate.
Make 12 cloths to donate to Wesley.
Read 15 books.
Participate in my second Relay for Life.
Do yoga once a week.
Lose 35 lbs.
Have a perogie making day.
Drink more water.
Drink more green tea.
Watch 10 movies from my "to-be-watched" stack.
Cut my hair short.

That should keep me busy for a little while, don't you think?

What would you put on your to-do list?

ying and yang kind of a weekend

Today Abby got a phone call from her bestie. Usually she only calls to ask if Abby can come over and play, but today she just called to chat. I could hear Abby telling her what she got for Christmas and while Abby was quiet I presume that she was telling Abby what had been under the tree at her house. It was a totally adorable conversation in that "oh my gosh they are growing up so fast" kind of way. In fact after she got off the phone I grabbed her in a big squeeze and begged her to stop growing up so fast.

Fast forward to bedtime, the girls were at Grandma's for a sleepover, but they called home to say goodnight. I got on the phone and said hi to Abby only to hear silence and I knew right away she was crying. Nothing kills me more than having to comfort one of my kids over the phone. Luckily she calmed down quickly otherwise she would have had me crying too. Poor little thing has always been prone to bouts of homesickness. I think she just wanted to remind me that she isn't growing up *that* fast and still needs her Mom. Thanks Abbers.