So another Christmas is over and all that remains are the toy boxes for the recycling bins, the tree on the curb and the calories on our bodies. Christmas is a time for gatherings and celebrating. It is a time of eating, drinking and playing a friendly game of charades. The adults spend weeks of preparations on gifts, cookies and surprises. The children spend weeks of praying and hoping for the perfect gifts they asked for.
My Christmas was spent as it always is. With my kids, my husband, my sisters, my parents and my extended family which includes cousins, aunts and uncles. I had a wonderful time with my family. We ate, we drank and most importantly we laughed pretty much all night. When I was on my way to my aunts’ house I took a look around me at the cars beside me. They were filled with other families driving to their destinations. It is most definitely an important and special part of the year. Some people make the midnight mass as their tradition; some skip it and head to bed. We go to bed because we know Santa will arrive very early and we want to be well rested for his arrival.
Christmas has definitely changed for me now that I am a mother. I do the preparing; the gifts, the food and the glass of milk for Santa. It is just as exciting for me as it is for my kids. In the morning my kids all ran down the stairs to see if they got what they asked for. Low and behold, Santa delivered. Joseph got his Wii. At that moment he knew that he must have been a good boy because he got what he wanted. He was eager to set it up, and so was my husband. My daughter; got her Hannah Doll and her Moxie girls. She too, ripped open the box to begin playing with her new toys.
If we can just for a minute, bottle up their enthusiasm, their joy, their innocent smiles, then wouldn’t we? The price we paid for their excitement was the money we spent on their gifts. I am sure you will agree that it was well worth it. For that day on Christmas we remain calm, we find a little more patience in our bag of patience, and we smile a little more. It is a very important day, and we know it. We know what the real meaning of the day is, and believe it or not, so do our kids. For that one day we continue with the gift of giving and the realization of good family, and good laughs.
This year is almost over, another few days and we will flip the page of our calendars. I have not yet written down my goals that I plan to achieve for the year because I am still bathing in the previous days of Christmas. I will find some time to sit down and reflect on the past 365 days. I know that they will be good memories and they will bring me smiles. I am just grateful for my 2009 Christmas and everything that went right with it. It was another memory made, another few dozen photos shot and a few more toys added to the basement. The only thing I do know for sure is that it was special, it was a little cold, and it was exactly what I hoped and anticipated. I can whole heartedly flip my calendar on Thursday with a smile on my face and utter the words, “That was fun!”
That’s my peace today.
This is a classic Calabrese desert...fattening as heck but darn good!!!
Tordili
1 cup oil
3 cups white wine
8 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp salt
450 gram honey
Combine oil, wine and salt in saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and stir in flour and baking powder. Roll into dough and cut into strips, roll like a snake. Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Heat oil and fry each piece (oil must cover for about 8 min)
Once ready take honey boil in a double boiler with 1/4 cu water, when it foams, throw the fried tordili and stir around.
ENJOY!!!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Pretty in Pink
On Wednesday night my kids had their annual Christmas concert. In the morning of the concert I was getting ready for work and I heard tears coming from my daughter’s room. I quickly went over to see what was wrong and what the heck Joseph did. It turns out this time, Joseph did nothing, she was upset because she could not find the perfect dress for her evening concert. I immediately began pulling out little outfits for her; nothing was what she wanted. She wanted a party dress; something fancy and beautiful. My daughter’s idea of beautiful is a regular person’s version of “tacky”..lol. She went on to cry and say that everyone was going to be beautiful and Sophia was going to look like a princess and she would not. I have to admit, that got me. I know it is horrible that it took so little for me to fold, but Franco and I could not bare to see her sad little face. So, Franco met me on my lunch at the mall and she chose a perfect little pink dress that was fit for a party.
Let’s fast forward to when she came home with the note that said, “Parents, please dress your children in jeans and a white top for tonight’s concert.” My jaw hit the floor. I asked my daughter if she knew that she was to wear jeans and a white top and she said, “Yes mommy, my teacher told us today but I told her you already bought me a pink dress to wear and she said that it was ok.” I explained to her that she would be the only one at the concert wearing a dress but she did not seem to care. I choose to pick my battles at home because there are just too many possibilities to lose my patience, so I let this one go. I figure, if it did not bother her to wear something different and her teacher said it was ok, then why should I argue with that?
I arrived early at the school, when I saw her teacher she just smiled. I apologized to her for my daughter’s attire and she told me not to worry, that she knew about it and that is was ok. As I looked around I noticed all the kids in my daughter’s Senior Kindergarten class and all I saw was a sea of white tops and blue jeans. I looked at my daughter and I asked her again, “honey are you sure you don’t want me to give you your jeans?” (I brought them in case) She insisted that she wanted to wear this dress and that she didn’t care.
I waited in the crowd for her class to come out on stage, after a few songs her class began to gather on stage. I quickly went to the front so she can see me watching her. All of a sudden, there she was, walking with her hair tied back in a pink bow, walking in with her black patent shoes, and there she was...proudly on the bench wearing her very girly,puffy pink dress. She sat their satisfied with her decision to be the only little person with a different colour.
In life, we want to try to teach our children about confidence, self love and acceptance of themselves. We know that life is difficult and that we second guess a lot of our own decisions and choices. So who was I to tell her that she should care what the others did? My daughter knew that she would be the only one in her class that was different. She knew that she would stand out from the crowd, but she didn’t care. I did. I cared what people would think, “Oh that poor little girl, her mother didn’t know that she was supposed to wear jeans.” Is what I thought parents were saying. Why did I care what others thought when my own daughter did not?
After the concert many of my parent friends smiled at me, and said “Maria-Alicia was so cute, the way she sang, sat and the way she looked.” Then they asked with laughter “Did you forget what she was supposed to wear?” I replied with, “No, I did not forget, and neither did she. She just wanted to wear something festive for the occasion, she decided that a Christmas concert is a special occasion because they are celebrating Jesus’ birthday and she always wears dresses at birthday parties. She decided that she didn’t care to be different; she just dared to be pretty in pink.
That’s my peace today!
Pizzelle
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
In a large bowl beat eggs with sugar. Stir in melted butter and vanilla. Sift together flour and baking powder, blend into batter. Brush pizzelle maker with oil and drop 1 tbsp of batter, close lid for about 45 seconds. Remove from maker. ****You can make Nutella sandwiches by spreading the Nutella on a pizzelle and topping with another...delicious!
Let’s fast forward to when she came home with the note that said, “Parents, please dress your children in jeans and a white top for tonight’s concert.” My jaw hit the floor. I asked my daughter if she knew that she was to wear jeans and a white top and she said, “Yes mommy, my teacher told us today but I told her you already bought me a pink dress to wear and she said that it was ok.” I explained to her that she would be the only one at the concert wearing a dress but she did not seem to care. I choose to pick my battles at home because there are just too many possibilities to lose my patience, so I let this one go. I figure, if it did not bother her to wear something different and her teacher said it was ok, then why should I argue with that?
I arrived early at the school, when I saw her teacher she just smiled. I apologized to her for my daughter’s attire and she told me not to worry, that she knew about it and that is was ok. As I looked around I noticed all the kids in my daughter’s Senior Kindergarten class and all I saw was a sea of white tops and blue jeans. I looked at my daughter and I asked her again, “honey are you sure you don’t want me to give you your jeans?” (I brought them in case) She insisted that she wanted to wear this dress and that she didn’t care.
I waited in the crowd for her class to come out on stage, after a few songs her class began to gather on stage. I quickly went to the front so she can see me watching her. All of a sudden, there she was, walking with her hair tied back in a pink bow, walking in with her black patent shoes, and there she was...proudly on the bench wearing her very girly,puffy pink dress. She sat their satisfied with her decision to be the only little person with a different colour.
In life, we want to try to teach our children about confidence, self love and acceptance of themselves. We know that life is difficult and that we second guess a lot of our own decisions and choices. So who was I to tell her that she should care what the others did? My daughter knew that she would be the only one in her class that was different. She knew that she would stand out from the crowd, but she didn’t care. I did. I cared what people would think, “Oh that poor little girl, her mother didn’t know that she was supposed to wear jeans.” Is what I thought parents were saying. Why did I care what others thought when my own daughter did not?
After the concert many of my parent friends smiled at me, and said “Maria-Alicia was so cute, the way she sang, sat and the way she looked.” Then they asked with laughter “Did you forget what she was supposed to wear?” I replied with, “No, I did not forget, and neither did she. She just wanted to wear something festive for the occasion, she decided that a Christmas concert is a special occasion because they are celebrating Jesus’ birthday and she always wears dresses at birthday parties. She decided that she didn’t care to be different; she just dared to be pretty in pink.
That’s my peace today!
Pizzelle
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
In a large bowl beat eggs with sugar. Stir in melted butter and vanilla. Sift together flour and baking powder, blend into batter. Brush pizzelle maker with oil and drop 1 tbsp of batter, close lid for about 45 seconds. Remove from maker. ****You can make Nutella sandwiches by spreading the Nutella on a pizzelle and topping with another...delicious!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
My name is Diana and I grew up in the 80's
You know, I kind of miss my days in the 80’s. I was only a kid but I remember it was kind of a simple way of living. I think kids today have way too many things to do and play with, it makes it stressful. I grew up in a time where “hide and go seek” was a game we played OUTSIDE with the neighbours. I grew up in a time where we had 1 pair of boots that our mothers chose, not us. I grew up in a time when “Toys R Us” was a place we just drove by but never went it.
I was sitting here remembering how much fun I had at home with my sisters. We had a few things to play with and we were happy at that. Our basement only got fixed when we were teenagers but it didn’t stop us from going downstairs to play and run on the grey concrete floors. Cougar boots were the hottest thing to have and do you remember the shoes “big foot”? I had a pair and I absolutely loved them. Do you guys remember Beta and VHS? I certainly do. That was the difference of what movies would be in at the local video store.
There are many jokes and emails regarding the 80’s and the differences of then and now. Unless you really sit and remember it, you don’t really remember it. I remember my trips with my mother to Miracle Mart and Kmart. Do you remember the restaurant at Kmart in Yorkdale mall??? How about the purple, orange and red juices that would fountain in that glass box? How about the Sheraton Mall? I know it still exists, but I do not know anyone that actually still “shops” there.
I am not sure if I think they were better times because that was my childhood, or if it really was better. Our Christmas lights were big, fat and colourful. They were not LED or snowflake shaped; just plain old bulbs that you can change 1 if 1 burnt..not the whole string! We didn’t receive any emails from Santa or dancing elves, we just wrote a plain old letter to Santa to 1 Ho Ho Ho, North Pole and that was it. If we didn’t like a song on our cassette player we had to fast forward it and WAIT to get to the song we liked. We did not have an MP3 or IPOD digital player.
Times were not tough; times in the 80’s were fun. We enjoyed playing Trivial Pursuit with our siblings and a friendly game of charades. I liked Rick Springfield’s “Jesse’s Girl” and Quiet Riot’s “We’re not going to take it”. Those were the days. The days when saying bitch would never happen on TV. The days that kids greeted their elders with “Good morning sir or Madame.” The 80’s were days of fluorescents, the “20 minute workout” and 33 inch albums. We loved it, we didn’t care that we couldn’t text our friends because we were happy running to their houses. We didn’t care we couldn’t Google information because that meant we were going to the Library to meet our friends. We didn’t care that there wasn’t 24 hour cartoons on TV that meant we were able to do jigsaw puzzles that we would eventually tape the back so we can hang on the wall.
I was born in 1974 and I grew up in the 80’s. I don’t feel that our lives were boring or simple. Our lives were what we wanted, and what we knew. We wore pins on our jackets with pictures of our heartthrobs like Rob Lowe and Jon Bon Jovi. We loved guys with long rocker hair, Levi’s and white t-shirts. Our guys didn’t wear diamonds on their t-shirts or designer jeans, and we still thought they were hot. So if all you kids of today think we were uncool, or deprived of the finer things in life, here is my response to you...”My name is Diana, and I grew up in the 80’s and I loved every hair sprayed, fish nets, cabbage patch dolls, smurfs and WHAM part of it!
That’s my peace today!
Home made fish sticks
6 fillets of sole or haddock
1 egg
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 cup oil for frying
Cut fish in long pieces. Flour and dip in beat egg. Bread each piece and fry in pan with oil.
I was sitting here remembering how much fun I had at home with my sisters. We had a few things to play with and we were happy at that. Our basement only got fixed when we were teenagers but it didn’t stop us from going downstairs to play and run on the grey concrete floors. Cougar boots were the hottest thing to have and do you remember the shoes “big foot”? I had a pair and I absolutely loved them. Do you guys remember Beta and VHS? I certainly do. That was the difference of what movies would be in at the local video store.
There are many jokes and emails regarding the 80’s and the differences of then and now. Unless you really sit and remember it, you don’t really remember it. I remember my trips with my mother to Miracle Mart and Kmart. Do you remember the restaurant at Kmart in Yorkdale mall??? How about the purple, orange and red juices that would fountain in that glass box? How about the Sheraton Mall? I know it still exists, but I do not know anyone that actually still “shops” there.
I am not sure if I think they were better times because that was my childhood, or if it really was better. Our Christmas lights were big, fat and colourful. They were not LED or snowflake shaped; just plain old bulbs that you can change 1 if 1 burnt..not the whole string! We didn’t receive any emails from Santa or dancing elves, we just wrote a plain old letter to Santa to 1 Ho Ho Ho, North Pole and that was it. If we didn’t like a song on our cassette player we had to fast forward it and WAIT to get to the song we liked. We did not have an MP3 or IPOD digital player.
Times were not tough; times in the 80’s were fun. We enjoyed playing Trivial Pursuit with our siblings and a friendly game of charades. I liked Rick Springfield’s “Jesse’s Girl” and Quiet Riot’s “We’re not going to take it”. Those were the days. The days when saying bitch would never happen on TV. The days that kids greeted their elders with “Good morning sir or Madame.” The 80’s were days of fluorescents, the “20 minute workout” and 33 inch albums. We loved it, we didn’t care that we couldn’t text our friends because we were happy running to their houses. We didn’t care we couldn’t Google information because that meant we were going to the Library to meet our friends. We didn’t care that there wasn’t 24 hour cartoons on TV that meant we were able to do jigsaw puzzles that we would eventually tape the back so we can hang on the wall.
I was born in 1974 and I grew up in the 80’s. I don’t feel that our lives were boring or simple. Our lives were what we wanted, and what we knew. We wore pins on our jackets with pictures of our heartthrobs like Rob Lowe and Jon Bon Jovi. We loved guys with long rocker hair, Levi’s and white t-shirts. Our guys didn’t wear diamonds on their t-shirts or designer jeans, and we still thought they were hot. So if all you kids of today think we were uncool, or deprived of the finer things in life, here is my response to you...”My name is Diana, and I grew up in the 80’s and I loved every hair sprayed, fish nets, cabbage patch dolls, smurfs and WHAM part of it!
That’s my peace today!
Home made fish sticks
6 fillets of sole or haddock
1 egg
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 cup oil for frying
Cut fish in long pieces. Flour and dip in beat egg. Bread each piece and fry in pan with oil.
Monday, December 14, 2009
You come down from the stars
Last night I was unwinding after I put all the kiddies to bed and there was nothing on TV. I was flipping the channels and I found a special on PBS. There was a Christmas concert with Andrea Bocelli. It seemed like the only interesting thing on, so I decided to watch it. There was a song he began to sing that just brought back so many memories to me. It is called “Tu Scendi dalle stella” an Italian children’s’ Christmas song. Besides learning it in elementary school, it was a song my late grandfather would sing to us when we were growing up.
It made me sad. I thought about him and our past Christmas’ with him. He would stand up at the end of the night; all the grandkids would line up and get our Christmas money from him. He was so proud and happy to hand the money to us. This past July, it was 12 years ago he died. He was my maternal grandfather and he was a wonderful man.
This time of year we celebrate with our families but we also remember the people we lost. I am very lucky to still have both my grandmothers alive. I lost my paternal grandfather over 2 years ago. When you lose people you love, it is a very difficult part of life. We know it is something that happens, but when it does, it hurts. My good friend lost her father 1 year ago this month, and I know how difficult it has been for her. Losing a parent is something I just cannot imagine right now in this part of my life.
As we age we hear of people that are ill and they have passed. It is a fact that the older we get, the more people we must lose. It doesn’t make it any easier; it is just a shitty part of life. We put pictures in frames to see them, we go visit their tombs to see them, and we watch videos to remember the good times we shared with them. Life is a journey, and on the way we meet, we love, we learn and we must lose. We must know what it is like to love people that we will eventually say goodbye to.. for good.
Everyday life does go on. We have our children to make us smile and forget about it, but in our weakest moments in life we think of them. In our weakest moments of life we pray for strength from them, and in our weakest moments of life we pray for miracles from them. They are our angels, our protectors. They are our footprints in the sand, the ones that walk beside us in the hard times and the bad times.
Last night when I was watching the program with Andrea Boccelli (besides the fact that it was an amazing concert) and the beautiful touching ballads of Christmas. It brought me much sad and joy when I heard my childhood song. It is only fitting that the English meaning of that song is “You come down from the stars.” I didn’t know then, those many years ago when my grandfather would sing that song to me that it would someday be special, and that it would one day remind me that there is an angel in heaven for me and my family; a person that I love, that once loved me; a man that was once my “Nono”, a man that is now the star shining down on me. We all have those stars in our life, we never forget they are there; we just get reminded once in a while when we are living our own lives, making our own memories, singing songs of Christmas, that one day will be special to someone else.
That’s my peace today!
Almond Biscotti
1 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted and chopped coarsely
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
In the bowl of your electric mixer combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until blended (about 30 seconds). Gradually add the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms, adding almonds about halfway through. On a lightly floured surface roll dough into a log about 12 inches long and 4 inches wide. Transfer log to baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 30-40 minutes at 300 degrees, or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
Transfer log to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut log into slices 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal. Arrange evenly on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another 10 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool.
It made me sad. I thought about him and our past Christmas’ with him. He would stand up at the end of the night; all the grandkids would line up and get our Christmas money from him. He was so proud and happy to hand the money to us. This past July, it was 12 years ago he died. He was my maternal grandfather and he was a wonderful man.
This time of year we celebrate with our families but we also remember the people we lost. I am very lucky to still have both my grandmothers alive. I lost my paternal grandfather over 2 years ago. When you lose people you love, it is a very difficult part of life. We know it is something that happens, but when it does, it hurts. My good friend lost her father 1 year ago this month, and I know how difficult it has been for her. Losing a parent is something I just cannot imagine right now in this part of my life.
As we age we hear of people that are ill and they have passed. It is a fact that the older we get, the more people we must lose. It doesn’t make it any easier; it is just a shitty part of life. We put pictures in frames to see them, we go visit their tombs to see them, and we watch videos to remember the good times we shared with them. Life is a journey, and on the way we meet, we love, we learn and we must lose. We must know what it is like to love people that we will eventually say goodbye to.. for good.
Everyday life does go on. We have our children to make us smile and forget about it, but in our weakest moments in life we think of them. In our weakest moments of life we pray for strength from them, and in our weakest moments of life we pray for miracles from them. They are our angels, our protectors. They are our footprints in the sand, the ones that walk beside us in the hard times and the bad times.
Last night when I was watching the program with Andrea Boccelli (besides the fact that it was an amazing concert) and the beautiful touching ballads of Christmas. It brought me much sad and joy when I heard my childhood song. It is only fitting that the English meaning of that song is “You come down from the stars.” I didn’t know then, those many years ago when my grandfather would sing that song to me that it would someday be special, and that it would one day remind me that there is an angel in heaven for me and my family; a person that I love, that once loved me; a man that was once my “Nono”, a man that is now the star shining down on me. We all have those stars in our life, we never forget they are there; we just get reminded once in a while when we are living our own lives, making our own memories, singing songs of Christmas, that one day will be special to someone else.
That’s my peace today!
Almond Biscotti
1 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted and chopped coarsely
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
In the bowl of your electric mixer combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until blended (about 30 seconds). Gradually add the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms, adding almonds about halfway through. On a lightly floured surface roll dough into a log about 12 inches long and 4 inches wide. Transfer log to baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 30-40 minutes at 300 degrees, or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
Transfer log to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut log into slices 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal. Arrange evenly on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another 10 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool.
Friday, December 11, 2009
What? Another recall????
This morning I was on my way to work and I got a call from my friend Sandra. She was livid, she heard on the news that they were recalling the Heinz Mixed Cereal pablum. The company is claiming that this particular crop in the wheat may contain cancer causing agents. She was so upset because this is the cereal she has been giving her son for the past 2 months.
In this day in age you cannot trust anything anymore. Companies are trying to make record making profits. They cut corners and substitute important natural products with artificial products just to make more money. There are recalls in household products, children’s products and in our food. Baby bottles, baby food, baby car seats. I just goggled recalls in Canada today and there was 264 products listed! Can you imagine? We are consumers and we cannot trust any manufacturer anymore. A company like Heinz that claims they triple test their baby food..obviously they do not!
We eat meat, we get scared. We eat chicken, we are worried. We eat baby spinach and we can get ill with e-coli, we buy deli products and we can die of listeria. What is going on? How can we live in a world that we cannot trust? It is not possible to grow our own food, because if we could we would.
Produce growers are now growing “organic” fruits and vegetables and at that, we should take it with a grain of salt. My question is this..shouldn’t everything be organic? Shouldn’t everything we put in our mouths and our children’s mouths be natural? These producers say you need pesticide to help grow the crops. This is not true, you can grow a crop naturally, our grandparents did it...it will just cost more. It is all about the green dollar, and how they can make more of it.
2 weeks ago there was a recall on a specific brand of cribs made in Canada. Apparently a few babies died because they suffocated in the crib. What???? Are you kidding me? How can we as parents ever feel safe? Most of our products are coming from China. China; the country that was putting melamine in their own babies’ formula, just to save money. Hundreds of babies were poisoned and died because of it. A country that made toothpaste with toxicity in it and could have harmed people who have liver and kidney disease. These are the people we are trusting to make our children’s toys, car seats, and baby bottles.
I know we do not live in a perfect world, and I think we are ok with that. I do however think, it is not ok to keep coming back and warning us that what we just fed our child, or what we trust to protect our children in, or what our babies play with and put in their mouths; may be harmful; may cause cancer eventually. There is enough profit being made with these companies to stop cutting corners, stop playing with the idea that something might be safe. I think us as Canadians are fed up with the “what if” of safety, I think we say enough is enough, and I think we ask with complete and utter anger...What???Another recall???
That’s my peace today!
Today I am giving you a natural recipe that my mother used to feed to us when we were babies. We loved it and it seems safe, as long as the milk won't be recalled..lol
Pane e Latte
2 cups milk
1/2 loaf of bread
cinnamon optional
Pour milk in a saucepan and bring to boil. Tear the bread in little pieces and add into the milk until soft. Remove from heat, you may add cinnamon for more flavour.
In this day in age you cannot trust anything anymore. Companies are trying to make record making profits. They cut corners and substitute important natural products with artificial products just to make more money. There are recalls in household products, children’s products and in our food. Baby bottles, baby food, baby car seats. I just goggled recalls in Canada today and there was 264 products listed! Can you imagine? We are consumers and we cannot trust any manufacturer anymore. A company like Heinz that claims they triple test their baby food..obviously they do not!
We eat meat, we get scared. We eat chicken, we are worried. We eat baby spinach and we can get ill with e-coli, we buy deli products and we can die of listeria. What is going on? How can we live in a world that we cannot trust? It is not possible to grow our own food, because if we could we would.
Produce growers are now growing “organic” fruits and vegetables and at that, we should take it with a grain of salt. My question is this..shouldn’t everything be organic? Shouldn’t everything we put in our mouths and our children’s mouths be natural? These producers say you need pesticide to help grow the crops. This is not true, you can grow a crop naturally, our grandparents did it...it will just cost more. It is all about the green dollar, and how they can make more of it.
2 weeks ago there was a recall on a specific brand of cribs made in Canada. Apparently a few babies died because they suffocated in the crib. What???? Are you kidding me? How can we as parents ever feel safe? Most of our products are coming from China. China; the country that was putting melamine in their own babies’ formula, just to save money. Hundreds of babies were poisoned and died because of it. A country that made toothpaste with toxicity in it and could have harmed people who have liver and kidney disease. These are the people we are trusting to make our children’s toys, car seats, and baby bottles.
I know we do not live in a perfect world, and I think we are ok with that. I do however think, it is not ok to keep coming back and warning us that what we just fed our child, or what we trust to protect our children in, or what our babies play with and put in their mouths; may be harmful; may cause cancer eventually. There is enough profit being made with these companies to stop cutting corners, stop playing with the idea that something might be safe. I think us as Canadians are fed up with the “what if” of safety, I think we say enough is enough, and I think we ask with complete and utter anger...What???Another recall???
That’s my peace today!
Today I am giving you a natural recipe that my mother used to feed to us when we were babies. We loved it and it seems safe, as long as the milk won't be recalled..lol
Pane e Latte
2 cups milk
1/2 loaf of bread
cinnamon optional
Pour milk in a saucepan and bring to boil. Tear the bread in little pieces and add into the milk until soft. Remove from heat, you may add cinnamon for more flavour.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Human Race
Lately Christmas songs have been playing on the radio and one of my favourite all time Christmas songs is “Do they know it’s Christmas?” by Band-Aid. I liked it from the day I heard it back in the 80’s. It is a catchy song with great artists singing it. The most beautiful part of the song is the message. “And in a world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy, pour your arms around the world at Christmas time.”
At this time of the year we all do our best to give and donate to charities, hospitals, food banks, homeless shelters, just so everyone can have a good Christmas. We are all humans; we all want to do our best to help others when they need it. Over the weekend there was a missing autistic boy is Nova Scotia (I am sure most of you watched it on the news). There was a whole community of people that were searching for 2 days for this missing 7 year old boy. In the bitter cold, day and night they searched. People that did not even know him were pitching in to help. They did find him but unfortunately he did not make it; he died in hospital. The point is, they all pulled together to help find a child that went missing.
When people pool together and join a team together, only good things happen. Things are stronger in numbers. CHUM CITY Christmas Drive is successful every year because of the efforts of all. If only a few people participated then it would not have the same outcome. The Daily Bread Food Bank is able to feed the hungry because people come together and either donate or help to serve the homeless. These are all acts of kindness. These are signs that we do care, we do want the best for ALL people.
“It is better to give than to receive”. This is something we tell our children. We make them understand that giving to someone feels so much better than getting something. I know when I buy something for someone it makes me feel so good when I see their face of excitement when they open it. We were made with a heart, we were made with a soul and we were made with a conscience. We cannot ignore the fact that when people need our help, it is a moral obligation to be there for them.
Over 20 years ago when all these famous rich artists from Britain got together to write, and sing a song for the people of Africa, they did not do it for money, not for fame, but for other people. They sang a song that stuck in the minds of people. A song to remind us that there are people in the world that have less than us; that need us. “Well tonight thank God it’s them, instead of you.” Let us remember and acknowledge that we love all the same, we hurt all the same, we want all the same, we cry all the same and we laugh all the same. We are one; we are humans; we are one race...the human race.
That’s my peace today!
Mixed Mushroom Buschetta
1 cup mixed mushrooms chopped
1 cup shredded provolone
1/4 cup sliced red onion
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 baguette
1/2 cup olive oil
Heat a pan, add 1 tbsp of oil and add the chopped mushrooms and the onions, saute until cooked. Slice the bread into 1/2 inch slices, with a brush spread oil on each slice. Put in oven and bake for 15 minutes at 385 degrees. Remove and place cooked mushrooms on the bread, top with shredded cheese, put back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
At this time of the year we all do our best to give and donate to charities, hospitals, food banks, homeless shelters, just so everyone can have a good Christmas. We are all humans; we all want to do our best to help others when they need it. Over the weekend there was a missing autistic boy is Nova Scotia (I am sure most of you watched it on the news). There was a whole community of people that were searching for 2 days for this missing 7 year old boy. In the bitter cold, day and night they searched. People that did not even know him were pitching in to help. They did find him but unfortunately he did not make it; he died in hospital. The point is, they all pulled together to help find a child that went missing.
When people pool together and join a team together, only good things happen. Things are stronger in numbers. CHUM CITY Christmas Drive is successful every year because of the efforts of all. If only a few people participated then it would not have the same outcome. The Daily Bread Food Bank is able to feed the hungry because people come together and either donate or help to serve the homeless. These are all acts of kindness. These are signs that we do care, we do want the best for ALL people.
“It is better to give than to receive”. This is something we tell our children. We make them understand that giving to someone feels so much better than getting something. I know when I buy something for someone it makes me feel so good when I see their face of excitement when they open it. We were made with a heart, we were made with a soul and we were made with a conscience. We cannot ignore the fact that when people need our help, it is a moral obligation to be there for them.
Over 20 years ago when all these famous rich artists from Britain got together to write, and sing a song for the people of Africa, they did not do it for money, not for fame, but for other people. They sang a song that stuck in the minds of people. A song to remind us that there are people in the world that have less than us; that need us. “Well tonight thank God it’s them, instead of you.” Let us remember and acknowledge that we love all the same, we hurt all the same, we want all the same, we cry all the same and we laugh all the same. We are one; we are humans; we are one race...the human race.
That’s my peace today!
Mixed Mushroom Buschetta
1 cup mixed mushrooms chopped
1 cup shredded provolone
1/4 cup sliced red onion
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 baguette
1/2 cup olive oil
Heat a pan, add 1 tbsp of oil and add the chopped mushrooms and the onions, saute until cooked. Slice the bread into 1/2 inch slices, with a brush spread oil on each slice. Put in oven and bake for 15 minutes at 385 degrees. Remove and place cooked mushrooms on the bread, top with shredded cheese, put back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
A little white lie
Today was the first storm of the season. I woke up to the sounds of shovelling and trucks salting the roads. It was exciting because it was the first time my twins saw snow. They were still babies last year so they didn’t really “see” anything. The older kids were equally excited because that meant Christmas was near.
My daughter was acting up a little and I reminded her that Santa was watching and that if she was not good, she wouldn’t get what she asked for. All of a sudden I thought of the perfect little white lie...I said this to my little innocent kids, “Did you know that Santa’s Elves are all the little boys and girls who were not good the year before, so this year their job is to make toys for all the good girls and boys.” Lol, I know that sounds mean but let me tell you, they stopped in their tracks. Then I realized that they were frightened by the thought of being kidnapped by Santa so I recovered by saying, “You only help him as an Elf in the month of December and then he brings you safely back home .” So Joseph says this, “Noooo, how come they all have the same hair?” I explained it is because he cuts and colours your hair all the same..lol.
Sometimes it is necessary to tell our children little white lies. It is like the Pinocchio fib. “When you lie your nose grows.” Does their nose really grow? Well maybe if you are Italian..lol..no but seriously, just the thought of their nose growing puts a little fear in them, and sometimes we need that to help us out a little bit. My mother used to tell my older sister that if she was bad she would send her to go live with the nuns..lol..yes, that is when there were nuns walking around the neighbourhoods. She also used to tell us that a girl got pregnant if you kissed a boy...that one we didn’t believe...we took our chances..lol.
In life it is necessary to fib and tell little white lies. Sometimes these white lies help protect people from getting hurt or offended. Like when your husband asks you if he has a gut. You don’t want to hurt his feelings so you tell him he is as handsome as the day you married him..the truth..na...but it was necessary to do.
So this morning I needed my kids to behave. I was getting ready making breakfast, lunches and getting the boots ready at the door. I did not need to have running, screaming children around me, so I did what I had to do to calm the situation. I told a little white lie. I am even thinking of going as far as to “Elf Them” online so they can see what they will look like in their little green suits..lol..but I won’t be that mean. Lol. As parents we sometimes get desperate, we grasp at straws. When they don’t eat we tell them we will call the doctor, when they don’t listen we tell them we will tell their teacher, and when they misbehave we may have to tell them something that is not true. We may have to tell them a little white lie.
That’s my peace today!
Easy roll-up lasagna
1 box lasagna
2 cups cooked sauce
1/2 tub ricotta
1/2 pound cooked minced meat
3 cups shredded mozzarella
Boil lasagna as directed. Drain. Mix cooked meat and ricotta in a bowl. With a large spoon, scoop mixture and spread evenly on the cooked pasta. Roll tightly, once rolled, place in a baking pan and pour sauce evenly and sprinkle mozzarella evenly. Cover and cook for 45 min - 1 hour at 385 degrees.
My daughter was acting up a little and I reminded her that Santa was watching and that if she was not good, she wouldn’t get what she asked for. All of a sudden I thought of the perfect little white lie...I said this to my little innocent kids, “Did you know that Santa’s Elves are all the little boys and girls who were not good the year before, so this year their job is to make toys for all the good girls and boys.” Lol, I know that sounds mean but let me tell you, they stopped in their tracks. Then I realized that they were frightened by the thought of being kidnapped by Santa so I recovered by saying, “You only help him as an Elf in the month of December and then he brings you safely back home .” So Joseph says this, “Noooo, how come they all have the same hair?” I explained it is because he cuts and colours your hair all the same..lol.
Sometimes it is necessary to tell our children little white lies. It is like the Pinocchio fib. “When you lie your nose grows.” Does their nose really grow? Well maybe if you are Italian..lol..no but seriously, just the thought of their nose growing puts a little fear in them, and sometimes we need that to help us out a little bit. My mother used to tell my older sister that if she was bad she would send her to go live with the nuns..lol..yes, that is when there were nuns walking around the neighbourhoods. She also used to tell us that a girl got pregnant if you kissed a boy...that one we didn’t believe...we took our chances..lol.
In life it is necessary to fib and tell little white lies. Sometimes these white lies help protect people from getting hurt or offended. Like when your husband asks you if he has a gut. You don’t want to hurt his feelings so you tell him he is as handsome as the day you married him..the truth..na...but it was necessary to do.
So this morning I needed my kids to behave. I was getting ready making breakfast, lunches and getting the boots ready at the door. I did not need to have running, screaming children around me, so I did what I had to do to calm the situation. I told a little white lie. I am even thinking of going as far as to “Elf Them” online so they can see what they will look like in their little green suits..lol..but I won’t be that mean. Lol. As parents we sometimes get desperate, we grasp at straws. When they don’t eat we tell them we will call the doctor, when they don’t listen we tell them we will tell their teacher, and when they misbehave we may have to tell them something that is not true. We may have to tell them a little white lie.
That’s my peace today!
Easy roll-up lasagna
1 box lasagna
2 cups cooked sauce
1/2 tub ricotta
1/2 pound cooked minced meat
3 cups shredded mozzarella
Boil lasagna as directed. Drain. Mix cooked meat and ricotta in a bowl. With a large spoon, scoop mixture and spread evenly on the cooked pasta. Roll tightly, once rolled, place in a baking pan and pour sauce evenly and sprinkle mozzarella evenly. Cover and cook for 45 min - 1 hour at 385 degrees.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The final touch
This past weekend my family and I took a trip to Montreal to visit my husband’s family. It was a short trip but it was nice to see the family. On the way home we were doing what we usually do; eating our sandwiches made from my mother in law, watching a movie, and we were talking about the weekend. The kids love to visit their cousins and we look forward to the trip.
It is a five hour journey and we are pretty accustomed to the roads, the service stations and the staying put, until we stop. Music is always a part of the journey. We scan the local stations and we listen to the tunes. Since we are in December it is only normal that Christmas songs are playing on almost all the stations. As we were driving the song “Jingle Bell Rock” came on. I put it louder for the kids to hear it so we can all sing along. The kids recognized the song because it was actually playing on the in-car movie Home Alone. So they enjoyed the tunes.
For me, that song brought back a lot more memories. I started thinking about Christmas when I was a kid. I remembered Christmas at my parent’s house, waiting and wondering what gifts Santa was going to bring me. I remembered all the feelings of excitement and anticipation for the morning to come. I remembered my “Alvin and The Chipmunks” album I played religiously every Christmas. There were many songs that I listened to and now that I am an adult I realized some of them were just very tasteless. “I saw mommy kissing Santa Clause.” What is up with that? How horrible for kids to think their mom was kissing goo old Saint Nick..lol..pervert. The line “don’t tell your dad that mommy was kissing Santa Clause last night.”..lol
This time of year brings back a lot of memories to adults. We think about our childhood and the traditions that came with it. The gifts we got that we really wanted, and the gifts we secretly opened wrapped again, and placed back under the tree. Last night I went to my parents’ house and all the stockings were hung on their mantel. There were the original 6 of our family and then the “add-ons” from over the years. I remembered when we got those stockings, so many years ago.
When you see things from your childhood it brings a nostalgic bittersweet feeling. You remember how wonderful it was, and at the same time you think how fast it past. I realized that I will never be at my parents’ house on Christmas morning waiting for my Santa gift ever again. My parents would anticipate our faces when we ripped open the gifts from our lists. Christmas morning was not about them; it was about seeing their children happy and excited. Our Christmas eves with all my aunts and uncles and cousins running around and playing with our new toys. The adults playing cards, drinking spiked egg nog and cracking nuts at the beautifully set table. Our mother or aunt spent all day preparing for this meal of Christmas dinner and presents for the kids. I remember when we would decorate the tree with the ornaments we had for over 20 years..lol..my mother would have Christmas songs playing in the background. It was hilarious because every year she would curse every Saint in the book while she was trying to wrap the garland neatly around the stair railing..she just wanted it perfect and I am glad that I remember that. The star on the tree was the best part and she always allowed us to place in on the top of the tree.
The time has come and we are now the adults at the table. We are now the ones sipping spiked egg nog, playing cards and cracking nuts. We are the ones that set the table and wrap all the gifts for the children. Time flies and we have no control over it. My Christmas holidays revolve around my children and how I can make it memorable and special for them. Memories are things that help us do something extraordinary for our own kids. They will remember the stockings we bought, the music that was playing while decorating the tree, and the shining star that will be carefully placed at the top of the tree as the final touch.
That’s my peace today!
These cookies are my kids favourite this time of year. We make a mess together rolling and cutting but we are also making special Christmas memories.
Christmas cut-out cookies
4 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cups butter
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl sift baking powder and flour. In a seperate bowl beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour and knead the dough. Divide in 4 and roll out on a floured surface. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out into shapes and placed on lightly greased pan for about 10 minutes. You can add food colouring to the dough if you want the cookies coloured.
It is a five hour journey and we are pretty accustomed to the roads, the service stations and the staying put, until we stop. Music is always a part of the journey. We scan the local stations and we listen to the tunes. Since we are in December it is only normal that Christmas songs are playing on almost all the stations. As we were driving the song “Jingle Bell Rock” came on. I put it louder for the kids to hear it so we can all sing along. The kids recognized the song because it was actually playing on the in-car movie Home Alone. So they enjoyed the tunes.
For me, that song brought back a lot more memories. I started thinking about Christmas when I was a kid. I remembered Christmas at my parent’s house, waiting and wondering what gifts Santa was going to bring me. I remembered all the feelings of excitement and anticipation for the morning to come. I remembered my “Alvin and The Chipmunks” album I played religiously every Christmas. There were many songs that I listened to and now that I am an adult I realized some of them were just very tasteless. “I saw mommy kissing Santa Clause.” What is up with that? How horrible for kids to think their mom was kissing goo old Saint Nick..lol..pervert. The line “don’t tell your dad that mommy was kissing Santa Clause last night.”..lol
This time of year brings back a lot of memories to adults. We think about our childhood and the traditions that came with it. The gifts we got that we really wanted, and the gifts we secretly opened wrapped again, and placed back under the tree. Last night I went to my parents’ house and all the stockings were hung on their mantel. There were the original 6 of our family and then the “add-ons” from over the years. I remembered when we got those stockings, so many years ago.
When you see things from your childhood it brings a nostalgic bittersweet feeling. You remember how wonderful it was, and at the same time you think how fast it past. I realized that I will never be at my parents’ house on Christmas morning waiting for my Santa gift ever again. My parents would anticipate our faces when we ripped open the gifts from our lists. Christmas morning was not about them; it was about seeing their children happy and excited. Our Christmas eves with all my aunts and uncles and cousins running around and playing with our new toys. The adults playing cards, drinking spiked egg nog and cracking nuts at the beautifully set table. Our mother or aunt spent all day preparing for this meal of Christmas dinner and presents for the kids. I remember when we would decorate the tree with the ornaments we had for over 20 years..lol..my mother would have Christmas songs playing in the background. It was hilarious because every year she would curse every Saint in the book while she was trying to wrap the garland neatly around the stair railing..she just wanted it perfect and I am glad that I remember that. The star on the tree was the best part and she always allowed us to place in on the top of the tree.
The time has come and we are now the adults at the table. We are now the ones sipping spiked egg nog, playing cards and cracking nuts. We are the ones that set the table and wrap all the gifts for the children. Time flies and we have no control over it. My Christmas holidays revolve around my children and how I can make it memorable and special for them. Memories are things that help us do something extraordinary for our own kids. They will remember the stockings we bought, the music that was playing while decorating the tree, and the shining star that will be carefully placed at the top of the tree as the final touch.
That’s my peace today!
These cookies are my kids favourite this time of year. We make a mess together rolling and cutting but we are also making special Christmas memories.
Christmas cut-out cookies
4 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cups butter
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl sift baking powder and flour. In a seperate bowl beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour and knead the dough. Divide in 4 and roll out on a floured surface. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out into shapes and placed on lightly greased pan for about 10 minutes. You can add food colouring to the dough if you want the cookies coloured.
Friday, December 4, 2009
The Smell of love
Yesterday I was picking up my kids from the bus stop. I was a little early so I was just standing around at the corner..waiting. As I was waiting I began to look around at the homes, who was in, who was not. I turned to a house because I heard the noise of a garage door opening. At once, there was a woman coming out of her front door. She was wearing an apron and was talking on her portable phone; she came out to bring a bag in her garbage can. I was standing across the street from her but the aroma from her home was released in the crisp cool air....mmmm...the smell of home cooked food. She was probably preparing for her children that were getting home from school.
One of my fondest memories from my childhood is stepping off the bus and walking into my house with the wonderful smell of food cooking on the stove. That is something that sticks with me into my adult life and is one of the main reasons I am home for my children every day when they walk in the door from school. If I was in trouble for whatever reason, she would simply remove the wooden spoon from the pot and whip it at my head..it was very convenient for her..lol. I remember like it was yesterday; she was always on the phone with one of my aunts gossiping and laughing. If I would love the meal, I would sit down and get ready to eat. If I hated it (which was often) then I would sulk and whine until I finished every last bite. My mother would reassure me that the food was healthy, good for me and that I better shut up and eat it if I knew what was good for me. She made that food with her love, her time and her money. The worst thing for a mother to hear, is that what she does with love for her children is unappreciated. I understand that now, as a mother. I make food for my kids with good intentions and when they whine about what I made, I can just scream. I try to tell them that they are lucky, I give them the whole "kids are starving" speech, and the "you will appreciate this food when you are older" speech, but they just don't get it. They actually think kids that eat take out every night are lucky..lol.
When a mother cooks a meal for her family, it is done with love and perfection. We make food that our children love; we make food that is good for them; and we make food a part of family time. Every night my family and I sit at the kitchen table and we talk about our day. What was good, what was bad, what was funny and what got them through the day. Food is a part of good times and bad times. It brings people together, talking, laughing, drinking and most importantly eating.
We joke a lot of times how we would like to substitute a pill for food so we wouldn’t worry about weight gain, but we all know we don’t really mean that; food is life. When we eat it, we enjoy every bite of it until our plate is clean.
When our children are newborns, they go through many stages. It begins with breast milk or formula for the first 6 months and then we have the pleasure of introducing pablum to them. We prepare for it and we anticipate the look on their face when they are about to try it for the first time. We are fortunate enough to witness the first scoops of food for our little babies. We then wait a few weeks and once we are given the ok from our paediatrician we begin veggies. We get so excited because we start feeding them. We begin with the basics; peas, carrots, applesauce, and then we progress into others. Eventually we introduce solids and the rest is history.
We cook meals every night for our families because we know it is important. We know that food gets to the heart and heals a lot. It helps when we have a bad day and it replenishes our body when we need it. Making a meal for our families is done with pride and love. We cook with every good intention. There are nights when we cook gourmet, nights we pull out the frozen fries, nights we make bacon and eggs and nights that we experiment on a new recipe, that doesn’t always turn out. We plan our meals in the morning, we think about it all day, and then we begin to prepare from the moment we get in the house. If you are lucky like me, than your children are able to walk in the door every day after school, throw their knapsacks on the floor, wash their little hands and get welcomed with a wonderful smell; the smell of cooking; the smell of love.
That’s my peace today!
White Veggie Pizza
1 pizza dough
1/2 tsp of dried oregano, black pepper
1/2 red pepper sliced
1/2 zucchini sliced
1/2 onion slice
5 mushrooms sliced
1/4 cup of oil
1 mozzarella or 6 medium size bocconcini
Flatten pizza in a greased pan, pour half the oil and sprinkle with the dried spices. Bake in oven at 400 for about 10 minutes (not entirely cooked) Meanwhile place all sliced veggies in a pan with the oil, saute until cooked (about 8 min). Slice the mozzarella or bocconcini and place on half cooked pizza. Add the veggies and place back in oven for another 7-8 minutes (until bottom is golden)
One of my fondest memories from my childhood is stepping off the bus and walking into my house with the wonderful smell of food cooking on the stove. That is something that sticks with me into my adult life and is one of the main reasons I am home for my children every day when they walk in the door from school. If I was in trouble for whatever reason, she would simply remove the wooden spoon from the pot and whip it at my head..it was very convenient for her..lol. I remember like it was yesterday; she was always on the phone with one of my aunts gossiping and laughing. If I would love the meal, I would sit down and get ready to eat. If I hated it (which was often) then I would sulk and whine until I finished every last bite. My mother would reassure me that the food was healthy, good for me and that I better shut up and eat it if I knew what was good for me. She made that food with her love, her time and her money. The worst thing for a mother to hear, is that what she does with love for her children is unappreciated. I understand that now, as a mother. I make food for my kids with good intentions and when they whine about what I made, I can just scream. I try to tell them that they are lucky, I give them the whole "kids are starving" speech, and the "you will appreciate this food when you are older" speech, but they just don't get it. They actually think kids that eat take out every night are lucky..lol.
When a mother cooks a meal for her family, it is done with love and perfection. We make food that our children love; we make food that is good for them; and we make food a part of family time. Every night my family and I sit at the kitchen table and we talk about our day. What was good, what was bad, what was funny and what got them through the day. Food is a part of good times and bad times. It brings people together, talking, laughing, drinking and most importantly eating.
We joke a lot of times how we would like to substitute a pill for food so we wouldn’t worry about weight gain, but we all know we don’t really mean that; food is life. When we eat it, we enjoy every bite of it until our plate is clean.
When our children are newborns, they go through many stages. It begins with breast milk or formula for the first 6 months and then we have the pleasure of introducing pablum to them. We prepare for it and we anticipate the look on their face when they are about to try it for the first time. We are fortunate enough to witness the first scoops of food for our little babies. We then wait a few weeks and once we are given the ok from our paediatrician we begin veggies. We get so excited because we start feeding them. We begin with the basics; peas, carrots, applesauce, and then we progress into others. Eventually we introduce solids and the rest is history.
We cook meals every night for our families because we know it is important. We know that food gets to the heart and heals a lot. It helps when we have a bad day and it replenishes our body when we need it. Making a meal for our families is done with pride and love. We cook with every good intention. There are nights when we cook gourmet, nights we pull out the frozen fries, nights we make bacon and eggs and nights that we experiment on a new recipe, that doesn’t always turn out. We plan our meals in the morning, we think about it all day, and then we begin to prepare from the moment we get in the house. If you are lucky like me, than your children are able to walk in the door every day after school, throw their knapsacks on the floor, wash their little hands and get welcomed with a wonderful smell; the smell of cooking; the smell of love.
That’s my peace today!
White Veggie Pizza
1 pizza dough
1/2 tsp of dried oregano, black pepper
1/2 red pepper sliced
1/2 zucchini sliced
1/2 onion slice
5 mushrooms sliced
1/4 cup of oil
1 mozzarella or 6 medium size bocconcini
Flatten pizza in a greased pan, pour half the oil and sprinkle with the dried spices. Bake in oven at 400 for about 10 minutes (not entirely cooked) Meanwhile place all sliced veggies in a pan with the oil, saute until cooked (about 8 min). Slice the mozzarella or bocconcini and place on half cooked pizza. Add the veggies and place back in oven for another 7-8 minutes (until bottom is golden)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
She gets that from me
Yesterday my son brought home his Grade 3 Report Card. I was a little nervous because it was the first one of the year so I didn’t know what to expect. Well to my glorious surprise, it was very good. I promised him 1 pack of hockey cards for every A, and I gladly bought 3! I was so proud as I read the wonderful words written by his teacher. It really brought a smile to my face. I was surprised to find out that he got an A in math? I suck at math, how can he do well in a subject that I always did so poorly in?
When our children are born, we examine every little inch of their body. Their toes, their hands, their nose and their eyes; the colour, the shape, the size. He has my eyes, she has your feet, and he has your hair and so on. It is not until they pass their first year of age that we can tell their personality, and their temperament. It is human nature that we assume the good stuff comes from us and our families, and the bad stuff comes from “them” (the men) and their families..lol.
So after reviewing his wonderful report, I automatically picked up the phone and called my husband to tell him how well he did. He was also very proud and of course at the same time we both uttered the words, “he got it from me”. Lol. When my kids get angry or yell or lose their patience, I say “don’t be like your father.” But the funny thing is, he says the same thing to them, “don’t be like your mother.” It’s not that we think we are perfect, we just maybe don’t see our own faults, all the times. I think we kind of know our own strengths, and our own weaknesses. It is just easier to see bad points and personality flaws of others.
The other day I had lunch with a friend who has twin girls. She told me that they are pretty similar in a lot of things, but they are also very different. She also said that she just recently found out that her daughter Ella did really well in art class, and that her daughter Maya was more of the gymnast. She had no idea. We don’t see our kids at school; we only see them at home. Apparently, they are quite different under the regime of teachers and I say thank God for that.lol.
In life, we expect our children to look like us, act like us, and do well in areas that we do well in. They are a product of us, so that must mean that they will have similarities to us. We seem to forget that they are their own people. We forget that they become and evolve into their own minds and bodies from their own nature and nurture. Our children are who they are, because that is who they want to be. They may have our eyes, our hair and our feet, but they are who they are... period.
We can feel proud when they do well, we can feel disappointed when they don’t. We look forward to seeing their report cards and witnessing them score the winning goal in the hockey game, but we have to remember that we should be proud for just being them. We can joke and tease our spouses when they excel in things that we do well in, and we can be pleased when our daughters’ teacher tells us that she is bubbly, easy to get along with, and a very bright student. We can tell the teacher in the parent interview the explanation is very simple, “I know why she does so well with others and in school; she gets that from me.”
That’s my peace today!
today's recipe is not Italian, I am posting it because it is absolutely delicious and perfect for entertaining this time of year, I got it from my friend last year and have made it tons of times. Many of you have already asked me for it..so here it is...
Tuna ball rolled with walnuts
1 large can of tuna or 2 small cans
1 package of softened philly cream cheese
1 tablespoon of mayo
2 stems of finely chopped chive onion
3 tablespoons of Lea and Perrins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
In a bowl mix all the ingredients except the nuts. Make sure it is well blended. Roll into a ball and cover with saran wrap, refridgerate overnight. In the morning remove from wrap and roll into walnuts. Serve with crackers.
When our children are born, we examine every little inch of their body. Their toes, their hands, their nose and their eyes; the colour, the shape, the size. He has my eyes, she has your feet, and he has your hair and so on. It is not until they pass their first year of age that we can tell their personality, and their temperament. It is human nature that we assume the good stuff comes from us and our families, and the bad stuff comes from “them” (the men) and their families..lol.
So after reviewing his wonderful report, I automatically picked up the phone and called my husband to tell him how well he did. He was also very proud and of course at the same time we both uttered the words, “he got it from me”. Lol. When my kids get angry or yell or lose their patience, I say “don’t be like your father.” But the funny thing is, he says the same thing to them, “don’t be like your mother.” It’s not that we think we are perfect, we just maybe don’t see our own faults, all the times. I think we kind of know our own strengths, and our own weaknesses. It is just easier to see bad points and personality flaws of others.
The other day I had lunch with a friend who has twin girls. She told me that they are pretty similar in a lot of things, but they are also very different. She also said that she just recently found out that her daughter Ella did really well in art class, and that her daughter Maya was more of the gymnast. She had no idea. We don’t see our kids at school; we only see them at home. Apparently, they are quite different under the regime of teachers and I say thank God for that.lol.
In life, we expect our children to look like us, act like us, and do well in areas that we do well in. They are a product of us, so that must mean that they will have similarities to us. We seem to forget that they are their own people. We forget that they become and evolve into their own minds and bodies from their own nature and nurture. Our children are who they are, because that is who they want to be. They may have our eyes, our hair and our feet, but they are who they are... period.
We can feel proud when they do well, we can feel disappointed when they don’t. We look forward to seeing their report cards and witnessing them score the winning goal in the hockey game, but we have to remember that we should be proud for just being them. We can joke and tease our spouses when they excel in things that we do well in, and we can be pleased when our daughters’ teacher tells us that she is bubbly, easy to get along with, and a very bright student. We can tell the teacher in the parent interview the explanation is very simple, “I know why she does so well with others and in school; she gets that from me.”
That’s my peace today!
today's recipe is not Italian, I am posting it because it is absolutely delicious and perfect for entertaining this time of year, I got it from my friend last year and have made it tons of times. Many of you have already asked me for it..so here it is...
Tuna ball rolled with walnuts
1 large can of tuna or 2 small cans
1 package of softened philly cream cheese
1 tablespoon of mayo
2 stems of finely chopped chive onion
3 tablespoons of Lea and Perrins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
In a bowl mix all the ingredients except the nuts. Make sure it is well blended. Roll into a ball and cover with saran wrap, refridgerate overnight. In the morning remove from wrap and roll into walnuts. Serve with crackers.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
They will still love you
If you are anything like me then right about now you are scouring the stores high and low to find exactly what is on our children’s wish list. Things that are big, small, tacky and just plain messy. We do our best to find what they want; at any cost. We are parents of the millennium, we want to please them and make them happy. My question to you is; do we do it because we want them to have it? Or do we buy it for them because we don’t want to hear them whine about it?
3 nights ago I was at a local children’s store with my 5 year old daughter. The story (to back track) is that she does not like her snow suit from last year because it is purple and too puffy. The whole winter last year she drove me nuts every morning because she was refusing to put this darn jacket in the morning. When I realized this year it still fit her, I reminded her that she had this perfectly new snowsuit and she starting whining. I figured ok, I made her wear it last year, so this year we will buy her a new one. Anyway, we went looking around to find her a new winter jacket. She found me on a good night because I was patient and willing to amuse her little request of finding EXACTLY what she wanted. So we end up at this store where she just fell IN LOVE with a jacket that happened to be a little tight on her. The saleswoman was telling me she couldn’t possibly wear it because she looked ridiculous in it. I was trying to convince her that we would find another one bla bla bla. Well there happened to be a mother from her school there buying something for her son. After a while (lets’ say 15 minutes) of my daughter battling with me, I FINALLY put my foot down and said, “That is it, it doesn’t fit you, find something else or we are leaving with NOTHING!” Well, this mother just turned to me and said, “You’re pretty good, I would have thrown her in the car a long time ago.” I laughed the insult off (because let’s face it, she insulted my parenting) and I got what I had to get, saluted her and left.
I was wrong and I knew it. We are the parents, it is our job to control EVERY situation with them. I don’t care if it is for a jacket, boots, or to stay up late, we are the boss. Sometimes we don’t want to disappoint them and make them upset, and that is ok, but they should know we rule the home; not them. Children try to battle for power; some win, some never do. I think that if you are a parent, it is your job to discipline and guide your children. We cannot possibly give them everything they want because not only are we creating spoiled, ungrateful children, then we are actually ruining their view on what life is all about.
Children need to know that in life if you want something you have to work hard at it. My children are given a weekly allowance. They must complete daily jobs around the house in order to earn their pay. At the end of the week they have the choice to spend it, or save it for something they really want. Dr. Phil once said that spoiling your children, is a form of child abuse. Although this may sound extreme to you, I actually agree. We are setting our children up for disappointment in life if we do everything they ask of us. How will they feel when they want to befriend someone that doesn’t want to befriend them? They will expect to have anything or anyone, and won’t you feel sorry for them then, when they will not get everything they want.
My parents raised us well. They bought us all the necessaties of life, rewarded us when they saw fit, and we NEVER lacked anything. My mother tells me all the time that our generation is ruining our children. Then she asked me if I ever really hated her? I thought about it (besides some Friday nights in my teenage years, I never hated my mother). She told me this, “When I would punish you, or not get you something you really wanted, I would feel bad but I never went back on my word..if it was no, it stayed no.” I thought about it and realized she was right. She didn’t raise spoiled children; we all turned out well, so she must have known what she was doing.
We love our kids, and we want the best of everything for them. We want our kids to never want, but maybe sometimes they should want something badly. Maybe sometimes they should know that they just can’t get something, for whatever reason. Try it out and you will see that they won’t hate you for putting your foot down, they will still want you as their parent; and they most definitely will still love you.
That’s my peace today!
Italian Panettone French Toast
This is a great Italian version of french toast
1 Panettone loaf (Pandora is best)
4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp butter for frying
Maple syrup or icing sugar and sliced fruit for topping
Slice the panettone into thick slices that resemble toast bread. Beat eggs and milk, add cinnamon. Dip each slice into mixture coating both sides. Place in heated pan with butter and fry each side for about 4 minutes. Place in a plate and sprinkle icing sugar or maple syrup and sliced fruit.
3 nights ago I was at a local children’s store with my 5 year old daughter. The story (to back track) is that she does not like her snow suit from last year because it is purple and too puffy. The whole winter last year she drove me nuts every morning because she was refusing to put this darn jacket in the morning. When I realized this year it still fit her, I reminded her that she had this perfectly new snowsuit and she starting whining. I figured ok, I made her wear it last year, so this year we will buy her a new one. Anyway, we went looking around to find her a new winter jacket. She found me on a good night because I was patient and willing to amuse her little request of finding EXACTLY what she wanted. So we end up at this store where she just fell IN LOVE with a jacket that happened to be a little tight on her. The saleswoman was telling me she couldn’t possibly wear it because she looked ridiculous in it. I was trying to convince her that we would find another one bla bla bla. Well there happened to be a mother from her school there buying something for her son. After a while (lets’ say 15 minutes) of my daughter battling with me, I FINALLY put my foot down and said, “That is it, it doesn’t fit you, find something else or we are leaving with NOTHING!” Well, this mother just turned to me and said, “You’re pretty good, I would have thrown her in the car a long time ago.” I laughed the insult off (because let’s face it, she insulted my parenting) and I got what I had to get, saluted her and left.
I was wrong and I knew it. We are the parents, it is our job to control EVERY situation with them. I don’t care if it is for a jacket, boots, or to stay up late, we are the boss. Sometimes we don’t want to disappoint them and make them upset, and that is ok, but they should know we rule the home; not them. Children try to battle for power; some win, some never do. I think that if you are a parent, it is your job to discipline and guide your children. We cannot possibly give them everything they want because not only are we creating spoiled, ungrateful children, then we are actually ruining their view on what life is all about.
Children need to know that in life if you want something you have to work hard at it. My children are given a weekly allowance. They must complete daily jobs around the house in order to earn their pay. At the end of the week they have the choice to spend it, or save it for something they really want. Dr. Phil once said that spoiling your children, is a form of child abuse. Although this may sound extreme to you, I actually agree. We are setting our children up for disappointment in life if we do everything they ask of us. How will they feel when they want to befriend someone that doesn’t want to befriend them? They will expect to have anything or anyone, and won’t you feel sorry for them then, when they will not get everything they want.
My parents raised us well. They bought us all the necessaties of life, rewarded us when they saw fit, and we NEVER lacked anything. My mother tells me all the time that our generation is ruining our children. Then she asked me if I ever really hated her? I thought about it (besides some Friday nights in my teenage years, I never hated my mother). She told me this, “When I would punish you, or not get you something you really wanted, I would feel bad but I never went back on my word..if it was no, it stayed no.” I thought about it and realized she was right. She didn’t raise spoiled children; we all turned out well, so she must have known what she was doing.
We love our kids, and we want the best of everything for them. We want our kids to never want, but maybe sometimes they should want something badly. Maybe sometimes they should know that they just can’t get something, for whatever reason. Try it out and you will see that they won’t hate you for putting your foot down, they will still want you as their parent; and they most definitely will still love you.
That’s my peace today!
Italian Panettone French Toast
This is a great Italian version of french toast
1 Panettone loaf (Pandora is best)
4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp butter for frying
Maple syrup or icing sugar and sliced fruit for topping
Slice the panettone into thick slices that resemble toast bread. Beat eggs and milk, add cinnamon. Dip each slice into mixture coating both sides. Place in heated pan with butter and fry each side for about 4 minutes. Place in a plate and sprinkle icing sugar or maple syrup and sliced fruit.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Every step of the way
This past weekend I experienced life with loved ones. On Friday night, my husband and I joined some good friends for a late night pizza. Saturday afternoon, my bestest friend came by for a quick coffee, because she happened to be in the neighbourhood. Saturday night was a night of festivities at my sisters’ house, where I got to spend time with my 3 sisters, my husband and their husbands. Sunday me, my husband and my 4 little children visited my cousin and his family. There my kids got to enjoy an afternoon of fun and games with the next generation of Colosimo kids, while the adults enjoyed some wine and great food.
I am a very lucky person. I say it, and I know it. What would life be like if we didn’t have people we love surround our everyday life? I have a few very good friends (you know who you are), 3 wonderful sisters (you know who you are..lol), 2 great parents (you know who you are), and a very amazing extended family. I remember growing up, my parents would always entertain. Neighbours were like family, family were like siblings. This is what life was about. Gatherings of people that got along, played, chatted, ate and drank. During these times together, we (the kids) bonded with other children our age, and memories were made.
Pictures help capture these fun times and memories that are made. They are placed in albums, stored in our computers and shared on Face book. Some make us laugh and some make us question what the hell we were thinking at the time. Gatherings are times that are cherished and treasured for a lifetime. Life is all about people, and times shared with them.
As we age, we meet new people that we connect with, and former people we re-connect with. Stories are shared, advice is exchanged and opinions are listened too. We are human beings, travelling through the journey of life. I have many friends and cousins that are experiencing the trials and tribulations of parenthood, alongside me. These are people that knew me when I was young, naive and silly. These are the people that knew me when I didn’t even know how to write my name. We grew up together, and now our own children are able to do the same thing, together.
Our parents continue to get together with people that they shared their journey of life with. Some they lost touch with, and some they kept a connection with. Yesterday my cousin and I were talking about how great it will be when we our kids grow and we will be able to travel with our spouses. We laughed and thought about our own parents, and then we stopped and realized that when this happens, as our children grow, so will we. We will no longer be young, fresh parents. We will be veterans, grandparents, and in a new stage of life.
I have many important people in my life. Over the years, I have made some real friends. Friends of quality, loyalty, and of true friendship. I am reminded of this every once in a while, when we get together, or when I am just having a bad day. My children will always be the most important people in my life, but when they are all grown up and begin their own adult life, I will want to know that they made these special bonds that I have made over the years. I will want to know that I had a part of the relationships they have secured, because I knew that it was important to connect with friends, and connect with family on a regular basis. This is something that cannot be replaced by anything. We all need each other in one way, or another. I am proud of the bonds I have made. I know that when I am old and grey and wrinkly (lol), I will be able to remember the times that I shared in my life with the people that were there with me every step of the way.
That’s my peace today!
I stole today's recipe from Sylvia because it was just tooo delicious...thanks Syl I hope I got it right..lol!
Zucchini stuffed with goat cheese
6 zucchini
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Canadian goat cheese
grated parmesan (optional)
Cut the zucchini in half and scoop of the insides. Fill with the goat cheese, sprinkle with the breadcumbs (generously) you can also sprinkle grated parmesan
Place in baking pan and cook for about 20 minutes at 385 degrees.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
I am a very lucky person. I say it, and I know it. What would life be like if we didn’t have people we love surround our everyday life? I have a few very good friends (you know who you are), 3 wonderful sisters (you know who you are..lol), 2 great parents (you know who you are), and a very amazing extended family. I remember growing up, my parents would always entertain. Neighbours were like family, family were like siblings. This is what life was about. Gatherings of people that got along, played, chatted, ate and drank. During these times together, we (the kids) bonded with other children our age, and memories were made.
Pictures help capture these fun times and memories that are made. They are placed in albums, stored in our computers and shared on Face book. Some make us laugh and some make us question what the hell we were thinking at the time. Gatherings are times that are cherished and treasured for a lifetime. Life is all about people, and times shared with them.
As we age, we meet new people that we connect with, and former people we re-connect with. Stories are shared, advice is exchanged and opinions are listened too. We are human beings, travelling through the journey of life. I have many friends and cousins that are experiencing the trials and tribulations of parenthood, alongside me. These are people that knew me when I was young, naive and silly. These are the people that knew me when I didn’t even know how to write my name. We grew up together, and now our own children are able to do the same thing, together.
Our parents continue to get together with people that they shared their journey of life with. Some they lost touch with, and some they kept a connection with. Yesterday my cousin and I were talking about how great it will be when we our kids grow and we will be able to travel with our spouses. We laughed and thought about our own parents, and then we stopped and realized that when this happens, as our children grow, so will we. We will no longer be young, fresh parents. We will be veterans, grandparents, and in a new stage of life.
I have many important people in my life. Over the years, I have made some real friends. Friends of quality, loyalty, and of true friendship. I am reminded of this every once in a while, when we get together, or when I am just having a bad day. My children will always be the most important people in my life, but when they are all grown up and begin their own adult life, I will want to know that they made these special bonds that I have made over the years. I will want to know that I had a part of the relationships they have secured, because I knew that it was important to connect with friends, and connect with family on a regular basis. This is something that cannot be replaced by anything. We all need each other in one way, or another. I am proud of the bonds I have made. I know that when I am old and grey and wrinkly (lol), I will be able to remember the times that I shared in my life with the people that were there with me every step of the way.
That’s my peace today!
I stole today's recipe from Sylvia because it was just tooo delicious...thanks Syl I hope I got it right..lol!
Zucchini stuffed with goat cheese
6 zucchini
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Canadian goat cheese
grated parmesan (optional)
Cut the zucchini in half and scoop of the insides. Fill with the goat cheese, sprinkle with the breadcumbs (generously) you can also sprinkle grated parmesan
Place in baking pan and cook for about 20 minutes at 385 degrees.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Friday, November 27, 2009
Are all these yours???
Yesterday I was in line at the cash at Fortino’s without my kids and there was a man standing behind me, all at once he said to me, “Boy you must have a lot of kids!” I looked to him and the cashier (whom I know) said “Yes, she has 4.” He replied, “Wow, well either she has a lot of kids or she is pulling a scam with the government.” I looked with confusion, and then he explained to me that he noticed all the Health Cards in a row, in my wallet. I laughed, took my groceries and left.
Now a days having more than 2 children is not really the norm. Couples have 1 because they want to experience parenthood, then they have their second to give their first a sibling, and many of the times the family is complete. When couples go for a third, people assume they are doing it because they want either a boy or a girl, it cannot possibly be because they would actually want to bring another child in this nasty world. 2 children make a family a comfy 4. No need for a new car, a new house or a new kitchen table. Everything is set for 4. Boxes of dinner plates, boxes of glasses and restaurants have tables for 4 set up.
I remember growing up in the 80’s and all most of my friends had at least 5 people in the family. There were also the families of 6 and the occasional family of 7. Nobody questioned why the parents had another one, it was just common sense; you get married and have as many kids as you want. As you all know, I have 4 children. Many people say to me, “Oh you didn’t really want 4, it just happened because you had twins.” Our plan may not have been to have 4 kids, but I never once questioned why I was given my “bonus” child. (Ok maybe sometimes when I am on the brink of wanting to swallow some Drano..lol) My point is, I have 4 beautiful, healthy children, and yes it is a lot, but they are my responsibility to raise and feed, nobody else’s.
I sometimes attempt to go out with all 4, ok I attempt it many times..lol. Every Saturday me and my 4 kids go to Chapters and Starbucks so mommy can get her latte and the kiddies can run around and pretend they enjoy reading..lol. I cannot explain to you the looks that are on the faces of the people I encounter. You have to be with me to believe it. Some smile, and say “OMG ,look at all those kids.” Some say “Oh God bless you honey, you certainly have your hands full” and then there are the ones that ask me very abruptly “Are they all yours????” and I answer very proudly “Yes they are”.
I am proud of my little rugrats. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to raise all these little people into adults. It makes me humble to know that I am allowed the privilege to be a mother, especially to 4 children. We live in a world where people would give anything to become parents. They adopt, they take fertility drugs and they do in-vitro, all in the hopes that they will be blessed with even 1 child. There is not one day that goes by that I don’t realize how lucky I am. I tell my children all the time. Sometimes my over-indulged children ask me “Mommy are we rich?” and I say “Very; we have a beautiful family and no money in the world can replace that.” It got to the point where Joseph says, “Mommy don’t tell me we are rich because we have a healthy family, I want to know if we have a healthy bank account”..lol.
I was once encountered in Starbucks by a woman who saw my 2 little twins and I was floored when she said this to me “Oh you have twins..my condolences.” She went on to say, “Oh I have twins so that’s why I can say that.” Suffice to say, I gave her a piece of my mind (everyone who knows me can only imagine what I said to her..lol)
There are people who actually criticize and talk about couples when they want more than 2 children. My question to these people..”Why do you care how many kids other people have?”
It is very difficult having children. I believe the more you have, the harder it is. There are more mouths to feed, more clothes to buy and more bodies to tuck in at night. The world has not changed as much as we think. I don’t believe it was any easier for our parents to raise kids, than it is for us. The only difference maybe, is that when someone walked down the street with more than 2 kids, strangers did not flinch, get bothered or asked very boldly, “Are all these 4 yours???” They all had their own multiple children to take care of too.
That’s my peace today!
Cheese Tortellini Soup
Home made chicken broth or 1 box store bought
1 pack cheese tortellini
1 bunch chopped spinach (optional)
chopped parsley for garnish
Pour broth in a saucepan, bring to boil. Add tortellini (if you are adding spinach at same time). Boil for as long as directed on package. Garnish with parsley.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Now a days having more than 2 children is not really the norm. Couples have 1 because they want to experience parenthood, then they have their second to give their first a sibling, and many of the times the family is complete. When couples go for a third, people assume they are doing it because they want either a boy or a girl, it cannot possibly be because they would actually want to bring another child in this nasty world. 2 children make a family a comfy 4. No need for a new car, a new house or a new kitchen table. Everything is set for 4. Boxes of dinner plates, boxes of glasses and restaurants have tables for 4 set up.
I remember growing up in the 80’s and all most of my friends had at least 5 people in the family. There were also the families of 6 and the occasional family of 7. Nobody questioned why the parents had another one, it was just common sense; you get married and have as many kids as you want. As you all know, I have 4 children. Many people say to me, “Oh you didn’t really want 4, it just happened because you had twins.” Our plan may not have been to have 4 kids, but I never once questioned why I was given my “bonus” child. (Ok maybe sometimes when I am on the brink of wanting to swallow some Drano..lol) My point is, I have 4 beautiful, healthy children, and yes it is a lot, but they are my responsibility to raise and feed, nobody else’s.
I sometimes attempt to go out with all 4, ok I attempt it many times..lol. Every Saturday me and my 4 kids go to Chapters and Starbucks so mommy can get her latte and the kiddies can run around and pretend they enjoy reading..lol. I cannot explain to you the looks that are on the faces of the people I encounter. You have to be with me to believe it. Some smile, and say “OMG ,look at all those kids.” Some say “Oh God bless you honey, you certainly have your hands full” and then there are the ones that ask me very abruptly “Are they all yours????” and I answer very proudly “Yes they are”.
I am proud of my little rugrats. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to raise all these little people into adults. It makes me humble to know that I am allowed the privilege to be a mother, especially to 4 children. We live in a world where people would give anything to become parents. They adopt, they take fertility drugs and they do in-vitro, all in the hopes that they will be blessed with even 1 child. There is not one day that goes by that I don’t realize how lucky I am. I tell my children all the time. Sometimes my over-indulged children ask me “Mommy are we rich?” and I say “Very; we have a beautiful family and no money in the world can replace that.” It got to the point where Joseph says, “Mommy don’t tell me we are rich because we have a healthy family, I want to know if we have a healthy bank account”..lol.
I was once encountered in Starbucks by a woman who saw my 2 little twins and I was floored when she said this to me “Oh you have twins..my condolences.” She went on to say, “Oh I have twins so that’s why I can say that.” Suffice to say, I gave her a piece of my mind (everyone who knows me can only imagine what I said to her..lol)
There are people who actually criticize and talk about couples when they want more than 2 children. My question to these people..”Why do you care how many kids other people have?”
It is very difficult having children. I believe the more you have, the harder it is. There are more mouths to feed, more clothes to buy and more bodies to tuck in at night. The world has not changed as much as we think. I don’t believe it was any easier for our parents to raise kids, than it is for us. The only difference maybe, is that when someone walked down the street with more than 2 kids, strangers did not flinch, get bothered or asked very boldly, “Are all these 4 yours???” They all had their own multiple children to take care of too.
That’s my peace today!
Cheese Tortellini Soup
Home made chicken broth or 1 box store bought
1 pack cheese tortellini
1 bunch chopped spinach (optional)
chopped parsley for garnish
Pour broth in a saucepan, bring to boil. Add tortellini (if you are adding spinach at same time). Boil for as long as directed on package. Garnish with parsley.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Thursday, November 26, 2009
What dreams are made of
Every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday people purchase lottery tickets in the hope of being the next multi millionaire. They place the purchased ticket in a secure place and they dream of what life will be like if they win. For 6 hours (before the results are revealed) people believe they may be the next big winner. This is something we call hope. They rely on the fact that they may win; this is why they buy the ticket in the first place.
We have hope in everything we do. It is a part of our daily function. We hope we arrive safely, we hope we enjoy our lunch; we hope the kids behave, and we hope we can get a good nights’ sleep because we hope our babies will sleep through the night.
I looked up the definition of the word HOPE and it means: “the general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled” It doesn’t mean it will be fulfilled, it just means they want, for it to be fulfilled. I think that is absolutely amazing. It is amazing that we can live life hoping that things we want will come our way. I don’t see it as being naive or desperate or being a dreamer. I see it as, a chance to believe that things may possibly go the way we want it to.
What would life be like if we didn’t hope for things? To have hope is to have expectations, optimism and something to look forward to. Every Christmas our children write a list to Santa because they believe, they wish, and they trust that he will deliver what they asked for. Imagine if we took that away? Imagine if we tell them that they should not assume or expect anything? That would crush the belief that their wish may come true.
Hospitals are full every day, all year long, with people that are hopeful. They believe that they will be saved, helped and cured. They make plans for the future because they hope they will make it to share it with loved ones. Would you ever have the courage to tell someone that is fighting for their life that they should not expect or hope for anything? Instead we tell them, “We hope for the best.” This means we don’t know for sure, but we can only wish that it all works out.
As parents we hope. We hope we make the right decisions; we hope that we didn’t give the wrong advice; we hope that our kids don’t make the same mistakes we did; we hope that they know we love them every day when they walk out the door; we hope that we raised them well; we hope that life will be full of luck, health and happiness for them; we hope they marry for the right reasons and; we hope they never stop dreaming, hoping and expecting all the things that they aspire to have, and aspire to be. Life is filled with people hoping, wishing and believing, in fact, that’s what dreams are made of.
That’s my peace today!
Spagetti all vongole
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cans minced clams, with juice
1 pack spaghetti
2 tbsp grated Romano cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, brown garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Stir in butter or margarine and seasonings until butter or margarine is melted. Add clams with some of their liquid; heat through.
Drain pasta. Toss spaghetti with clam sauce, and top with grated Romano cheese.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
We have hope in everything we do. It is a part of our daily function. We hope we arrive safely, we hope we enjoy our lunch; we hope the kids behave, and we hope we can get a good nights’ sleep because we hope our babies will sleep through the night.
I looked up the definition of the word HOPE and it means: “the general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled” It doesn’t mean it will be fulfilled, it just means they want, for it to be fulfilled. I think that is absolutely amazing. It is amazing that we can live life hoping that things we want will come our way. I don’t see it as being naive or desperate or being a dreamer. I see it as, a chance to believe that things may possibly go the way we want it to.
What would life be like if we didn’t hope for things? To have hope is to have expectations, optimism and something to look forward to. Every Christmas our children write a list to Santa because they believe, they wish, and they trust that he will deliver what they asked for. Imagine if we took that away? Imagine if we tell them that they should not assume or expect anything? That would crush the belief that their wish may come true.
Hospitals are full every day, all year long, with people that are hopeful. They believe that they will be saved, helped and cured. They make plans for the future because they hope they will make it to share it with loved ones. Would you ever have the courage to tell someone that is fighting for their life that they should not expect or hope for anything? Instead we tell them, “We hope for the best.” This means we don’t know for sure, but we can only wish that it all works out.
As parents we hope. We hope we make the right decisions; we hope that we didn’t give the wrong advice; we hope that our kids don’t make the same mistakes we did; we hope that they know we love them every day when they walk out the door; we hope that we raised them well; we hope that life will be full of luck, health and happiness for them; we hope they marry for the right reasons and; we hope they never stop dreaming, hoping and expecting all the things that they aspire to have, and aspire to be. Life is filled with people hoping, wishing and believing, in fact, that’s what dreams are made of.
That’s my peace today!
Spagetti all vongole
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cans minced clams, with juice
1 pack spaghetti
2 tbsp grated Romano cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, brown garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Stir in butter or margarine and seasonings until butter or margarine is melted. Add clams with some of their liquid; heat through.
Drain pasta. Toss spaghetti with clam sauce, and top with grated Romano cheese.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Now that I am older I learned...
Now that I am older I learned that patience is indeed a virtue
Now that I am older I learned that men do not put the toilet seat down
Now that I am older I learned that children do follow by example
Now that I am older I learned we all turn into our mothers
Now that I am older I learned you can’t always get everything you want
Now that I am older I learned the older we get, the more funerals we attend
Now that I am older I learned sometimes it is better to take a sip of your coffee in the morning before you speak to your kids and your husband
Now that I am older I learned sometimes we want to sweat the small stuff; it makes us feel better
Now that I am older I learned we all have choices in life
Now that I am older I learned you may not use the Algebra you learned in school, but there was a purpose to it..I am still trying to figure it out
Now that I am older I learned breakfast is the most important meal of the day
Now that I am older I learned you need 1 black dress, fish net stay-ups, and a pair of very comfortable fuzzy slippers
Now that I am older I learned a robe is really nice to have
Now that I am older I learned control top was a great invention
Now that I am older I learned there were always younger women and older women competing for the same man
Now that I am older I learned its ok to cry to a Hallmark commercial
Now that I am older I learned its ok to laugh at our bodies sometimes
Now that I am older I learned taupe nylons are never OK
Now that I am older I learned children bring us joy and laughter when we least expect it
Now that I am older I learned a dozen roses will make us hate them a little less
Now that I am older I learned saying sorry means a lot
Now that I am older I learned time heals, but it does not erase
Now that I am older I learned life experiences make you who you are
Now that I am older I learned a woman needs a good friend, a good book, and a good man
Now that I am older I learned keys are always in the last place you look
Now that I am older I learned chocolate does make things feel better, and so does a glass of Merlot
Now that I am older I learned my mother does know best
Now that I am older I learned children make us better people
Now that I am older I learned what you do may come back to haunt you
Now that I am older I learned success is measured by yourself and no one else
Now that I am older I learned that I learn something new everyday
Now that I am older I learned to never worry about money because you can always make more of it
Now that I am older I learned it is not always easy to accept the things we cannot change but we can accept that we cannot change them
Now that I am older I learned sisters are special
Now that I am older I learned everyone has a fear
Now that I am older I learned many people’s guilty pleasure is blasting Air Supply’s “All out of Love” on the radio
Now that I am older I learned its ok to make mistakes; it teaches us to do it right the next time
Now that I am older I learned life is beautiful, difficult and challenging and as long as you wake up with your 2 feet touching the floor it will be a good day; an opportunity to live to our fullest potential, and another day to love, learn and laugh with anyone we want to
That’s my peace today!
Pan fried Cod
4 pieces of fresh cod
1/2 cup flour seasoned salt and pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg beated
oil for frying
Flour cod, dip in egg and then press in bread crumbs. Heat pan with oil, fry each side until golden brown (8 minutes in all).
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Now that I am older I learned that men do not put the toilet seat down
Now that I am older I learned that children do follow by example
Now that I am older I learned we all turn into our mothers
Now that I am older I learned you can’t always get everything you want
Now that I am older I learned the older we get, the more funerals we attend
Now that I am older I learned sometimes it is better to take a sip of your coffee in the morning before you speak to your kids and your husband
Now that I am older I learned sometimes we want to sweat the small stuff; it makes us feel better
Now that I am older I learned we all have choices in life
Now that I am older I learned you may not use the Algebra you learned in school, but there was a purpose to it..I am still trying to figure it out
Now that I am older I learned breakfast is the most important meal of the day
Now that I am older I learned you need 1 black dress, fish net stay-ups, and a pair of very comfortable fuzzy slippers
Now that I am older I learned a robe is really nice to have
Now that I am older I learned control top was a great invention
Now that I am older I learned there were always younger women and older women competing for the same man
Now that I am older I learned its ok to cry to a Hallmark commercial
Now that I am older I learned its ok to laugh at our bodies sometimes
Now that I am older I learned taupe nylons are never OK
Now that I am older I learned children bring us joy and laughter when we least expect it
Now that I am older I learned a dozen roses will make us hate them a little less
Now that I am older I learned saying sorry means a lot
Now that I am older I learned time heals, but it does not erase
Now that I am older I learned life experiences make you who you are
Now that I am older I learned a woman needs a good friend, a good book, and a good man
Now that I am older I learned keys are always in the last place you look
Now that I am older I learned chocolate does make things feel better, and so does a glass of Merlot
Now that I am older I learned my mother does know best
Now that I am older I learned children make us better people
Now that I am older I learned what you do may come back to haunt you
Now that I am older I learned success is measured by yourself and no one else
Now that I am older I learned that I learn something new everyday
Now that I am older I learned to never worry about money because you can always make more of it
Now that I am older I learned it is not always easy to accept the things we cannot change but we can accept that we cannot change them
Now that I am older I learned sisters are special
Now that I am older I learned everyone has a fear
Now that I am older I learned many people’s guilty pleasure is blasting Air Supply’s “All out of Love” on the radio
Now that I am older I learned its ok to make mistakes; it teaches us to do it right the next time
Now that I am older I learned life is beautiful, difficult and challenging and as long as you wake up with your 2 feet touching the floor it will be a good day; an opportunity to live to our fullest potential, and another day to love, learn and laugh with anyone we want to
That’s my peace today!
Pan fried Cod
4 pieces of fresh cod
1/2 cup flour seasoned salt and pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg beated
oil for frying
Flour cod, dip in egg and then press in bread crumbs. Heat pan with oil, fry each side until golden brown (8 minutes in all).
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Life after the honeymoon
Did you ever look at the face of a couple that just got married? I am sure you have. They have that same look of “Oh I am in sooo in love and my life will be perfect forever and ever.”..lol. This is the look you should have when you get married because this is why you did it in the first place. You go on your honeymoon and you can’t wait to come home and begin your perfect little life with your perfect new spouse.
If you have ever spoken to women who are about to get married they will all tell you the same thing. “Oh my husband is not going to be like yours, mine is going to help me cook, and clean, and he is going to cuddle with me all night long.” You laugh and say, “Yes, this is what we all thought, but let me give you this one piece of advice...expect nothing and you will not be disappointed.” I don’t say this to be rude or mean, I say it because I speak the truth. Of course some men do help cook and clean but they are not really happy doing it and I don’t care what their wives CLAIM. At night when they are sleeping, these men think of ways to accidentally poison their “equal” opportunity wives..lol.. this is the truth, trust me.
When a woman first gets married she wants her husband home with her all day and all night. She wants to talk and hug and hang out. She doesn’t mind if she can’t make it out for girls’ night because she is just so content being home with her perfect husband. She asks him to not hang out with the boys, and to miss his hockey game, just so they can be together. The man listens because as the saying goes, “A happy wife is a happy life”, and he slowly gives up his friends, his hockey games and his poker night with the boys.
So days go by, weeks go by, months go by, and years go by. Well that look of “I have the perfect man and I love every little inch of him” fades, and it fades, and it fades. All that remains is your husband who is not so perfect anymore right beside you on the couch asking you “What’s for dinner?” You want to add some rat poison in his meal but you realize that you really do love him; he can just be a little annoying at times. So you continue in your daily routine and just keep what you are doing to keep a calm home.
Your friends call and they want to hang out and gossip about the new mother at school. You tell them you have to see if your husband will be home and stay with the kids. Sure enough, he is there, on the same spot where you left him, eating from the same bowl of chips that he was eating from before. You ask, “Honey, are you going to be home? The girls are going for coffee and I was thinking of joining them.” They look at you with this fear..”Um, sure but I can change the channel if you don’t like what I am watching or I will go to get us a movie if you want.” Now you feel bad because you know he wants you home and he doesn’t want to be alone. So you decide to stay home and hang out with your lonely man.
We did it to them. We are the ones that wanted to stay home with them before we had kids, before we were busy, and before we knew that hanging out with our girlfriends is a complete neccessity.
We didn’t realize then, that one day life would somehow take a turn. We didn’t realize that fresh new car smell wouldn’t last forever, and that maybe we should not have pushed our husbands to give up on their friends or hobbies. We didn’t realize then, that we would become independent, strong women who will need some time away, some time alone, and some time to adjust to life after the honeymoon. We didn’t realize that both men and women sometimes need their space; their own friends; and their Friday poker nights.... away from home.
That’s my peace today!
Chicken Cutlets stuffed with Spinach and Prosciutto
6 chicken cutlets pounded thin
6 slices of Parma prosciutto
1 package of cooked spinach (salted)
olive oil for browning
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbs lemon juice
1/4 grated parmesan
Lay cutlets out flat, place a layer of prosciutto and handful of season and cooked spinach (make sure there is no water left in spinach), sprinkle with cheese. Roll cutlet and secure with toothpick. Place in heated pan with oil, brown each side. After browned add broth and lemon juice. Cook for about 10 minutes on med-high (make sure no longer pink). Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 min. Remove from pan place in plate and pour remaining juices on top of chicken.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
If you have ever spoken to women who are about to get married they will all tell you the same thing. “Oh my husband is not going to be like yours, mine is going to help me cook, and clean, and he is going to cuddle with me all night long.” You laugh and say, “Yes, this is what we all thought, but let me give you this one piece of advice...expect nothing and you will not be disappointed.” I don’t say this to be rude or mean, I say it because I speak the truth. Of course some men do help cook and clean but they are not really happy doing it and I don’t care what their wives CLAIM. At night when they are sleeping, these men think of ways to accidentally poison their “equal” opportunity wives..lol.. this is the truth, trust me.
When a woman first gets married she wants her husband home with her all day and all night. She wants to talk and hug and hang out. She doesn’t mind if she can’t make it out for girls’ night because she is just so content being home with her perfect husband. She asks him to not hang out with the boys, and to miss his hockey game, just so they can be together. The man listens because as the saying goes, “A happy wife is a happy life”, and he slowly gives up his friends, his hockey games and his poker night with the boys.
So days go by, weeks go by, months go by, and years go by. Well that look of “I have the perfect man and I love every little inch of him” fades, and it fades, and it fades. All that remains is your husband who is not so perfect anymore right beside you on the couch asking you “What’s for dinner?” You want to add some rat poison in his meal but you realize that you really do love him; he can just be a little annoying at times. So you continue in your daily routine and just keep what you are doing to keep a calm home.
Your friends call and they want to hang out and gossip about the new mother at school. You tell them you have to see if your husband will be home and stay with the kids. Sure enough, he is there, on the same spot where you left him, eating from the same bowl of chips that he was eating from before. You ask, “Honey, are you going to be home? The girls are going for coffee and I was thinking of joining them.” They look at you with this fear..”Um, sure but I can change the channel if you don’t like what I am watching or I will go to get us a movie if you want.” Now you feel bad because you know he wants you home and he doesn’t want to be alone. So you decide to stay home and hang out with your lonely man.
We did it to them. We are the ones that wanted to stay home with them before we had kids, before we were busy, and before we knew that hanging out with our girlfriends is a complete neccessity.
We didn’t realize then, that one day life would somehow take a turn. We didn’t realize that fresh new car smell wouldn’t last forever, and that maybe we should not have pushed our husbands to give up on their friends or hobbies. We didn’t realize then, that we would become independent, strong women who will need some time away, some time alone, and some time to adjust to life after the honeymoon. We didn’t realize that both men and women sometimes need their space; their own friends; and their Friday poker nights.... away from home.
That’s my peace today!
Chicken Cutlets stuffed with Spinach and Prosciutto
6 chicken cutlets pounded thin
6 slices of Parma prosciutto
1 package of cooked spinach (salted)
olive oil for browning
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbs lemon juice
1/4 grated parmesan
Lay cutlets out flat, place a layer of prosciutto and handful of season and cooked spinach (make sure there is no water left in spinach), sprinkle with cheese. Roll cutlet and secure with toothpick. Place in heated pan with oil, brown each side. After browned add broth and lemon juice. Cook for about 10 minutes on med-high (make sure no longer pink). Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 min. Remove from pan place in plate and pour remaining juices on top of chicken.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Monday, November 23, 2009
The 1 hour look
Mothers go out. We grocery shop, we shop for shoes, clothes and house apparels. We go to places like Stylesense, HomeSense, and Michaels. We go to these places because we have to. There is a reason we go and get what we need. Some of the times we actually go without our kids. We feel a certain freedom when we shop without them.
During the holidays we sometimes have no choice not to take our kids because we have to shop for gifts, some being “Santa” gifts. We want our kids to know that little elves made their gift, not Costco. So we go alone. While we are shopping we see other mothers without their kids doing the same thing we are doing. They are looking at their lists, and checking it off.
When you see mothers shopping at these places, we most always have a coffee in our hands, and we are enjoying every sip of it. We know we don’t have to share it, drop it or down it. We do however, all have the same look of our face. It is a look of “I better hurry up because the house may be falling apart “look””..lol. When a mother leaves the house without her kids, she knows that when she gets back, the house will NOT be in the same condition she left it.
Men go out, and when they do, they just go out. They don’t have to warn us a few days in advance, in fact they don’t have to warn us at all. They basically wake up, shower, come down and say, “I am going to Home Depot.” That’s it, that’s all. They grab their keys, and they leave. They don’t have to fight kids off their legs, or pretend they are taking the garbage out, they are leaving and the kids just wave goodbye. Mothers on the other hand, have to make preparations for our 1 hour away time. We leave instructions detail by detail. We leave our cell phones on, and then there is a race for time.
When we are doing our errands we feel a stress come over us. Even when we go out with our girlfriends, we constantly look at our watch. We call home, make sure our cell phone is on and charged and that we are available to run home, if we have too. Before we leave, we make sure the kids are in their pj’s, teeth brushed and the little ones..tucked in bed. Not only do we have to prepare before we go out, we also have to prepare for it the whole day. We make sure they don’t nap too late because it will ruin their bedtime for our husbands, and we make sure they eat well because we know that junk will be in the diet with their daddies.
I love going out. I love to hang out with my friends, and I love to go grocery shopping with my coffee in hand and nothing else. It is just the freedom that we don’t always get to experience. We may be a little stressed, on our toes, and waiting for a call at any moment and hearing, “When are you coming home?” but it all seems worth it at the time.
We have full time jobs as mothers and we knew that we signed up for it. We are not men, we never will be. We will never be able to shower and just leave the house, that is not the way it works. We will never be able to just pick up and go anywhere; it just comes with the territory. We don’t really mind though, as long as we can occasionally escape from the chaos, grab a nice cup of coffee and stroll around town, even if we have the noticeably obvious “I escaped from my home for 1 hour “look””, at least we made it out...even if it’s just for a bit
That’s my peace today!
Fresh Pesto Sauce
2 cups basil
1/2 cup romano grated cheese
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
In a food processor put basil, pine nuts and pulse. Add garlic and pulse again. Stream in the oil pulsing each time. Add cheese, salt and pepper and pulse again.
You can serve with pasta or add on chicken or pizza.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
During the holidays we sometimes have no choice not to take our kids because we have to shop for gifts, some being “Santa” gifts. We want our kids to know that little elves made their gift, not Costco. So we go alone. While we are shopping we see other mothers without their kids doing the same thing we are doing. They are looking at their lists, and checking it off.
When you see mothers shopping at these places, we most always have a coffee in our hands, and we are enjoying every sip of it. We know we don’t have to share it, drop it or down it. We do however, all have the same look of our face. It is a look of “I better hurry up because the house may be falling apart “look””..lol. When a mother leaves the house without her kids, she knows that when she gets back, the house will NOT be in the same condition she left it.
Men go out, and when they do, they just go out. They don’t have to warn us a few days in advance, in fact they don’t have to warn us at all. They basically wake up, shower, come down and say, “I am going to Home Depot.” That’s it, that’s all. They grab their keys, and they leave. They don’t have to fight kids off their legs, or pretend they are taking the garbage out, they are leaving and the kids just wave goodbye. Mothers on the other hand, have to make preparations for our 1 hour away time. We leave instructions detail by detail. We leave our cell phones on, and then there is a race for time.
When we are doing our errands we feel a stress come over us. Even when we go out with our girlfriends, we constantly look at our watch. We call home, make sure our cell phone is on and charged and that we are available to run home, if we have too. Before we leave, we make sure the kids are in their pj’s, teeth brushed and the little ones..tucked in bed. Not only do we have to prepare before we go out, we also have to prepare for it the whole day. We make sure they don’t nap too late because it will ruin their bedtime for our husbands, and we make sure they eat well because we know that junk will be in the diet with their daddies.
I love going out. I love to hang out with my friends, and I love to go grocery shopping with my coffee in hand and nothing else. It is just the freedom that we don’t always get to experience. We may be a little stressed, on our toes, and waiting for a call at any moment and hearing, “When are you coming home?” but it all seems worth it at the time.
We have full time jobs as mothers and we knew that we signed up for it. We are not men, we never will be. We will never be able to shower and just leave the house, that is not the way it works. We will never be able to just pick up and go anywhere; it just comes with the territory. We don’t really mind though, as long as we can occasionally escape from the chaos, grab a nice cup of coffee and stroll around town, even if we have the noticeably obvious “I escaped from my home for 1 hour “look””, at least we made it out...even if it’s just for a bit
That’s my peace today!
Fresh Pesto Sauce
2 cups basil
1/2 cup romano grated cheese
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
In a food processor put basil, pine nuts and pulse. Add garlic and pulse again. Stream in the oil pulsing each time. Add cheese, salt and pepper and pulse again.
You can serve with pasta or add on chicken or pizza.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Friday, November 20, 2009
The Mommy Files
I think women are just amazing. Yes I know, I am biased..lol, but seriously, how awesome are we? We are strong in mind and in body. We can cry at the drop of a hat, and we can move the stove to get the marble that rolled back there. We can unclog a toilet, and we can bake apple pie from scratch. We can give advice to our best friend because she asked, and we can discipline our kids for using bad language. We may be slightly complex but that is not because we are hard to read, it is because we have a lot of knowledge.
I say it quite often; a mother’s job is the hardest in the world. We make decisions on a minute by minute basis, some being very important life decisions. We are the foundation that secures the home. We are the shoulders, the ears and the hearts for both our children and our men. We are passionate about EVERYTHING. We can be passionate about the great sale that is taking place at Home Sense, just as much as we can be passionate about our decisions whether to vaccinate or not. We know what we want, and we will stop at nothing to get it.
We take days off work to attend our children’s day trips at school. We anxiously wait to hear the score our children received on their math test. We have a million thoughts going on in our heads at once. We make time to fill in our kid’s baby books, and we make time to take them to get their pictures done with Santa. We send their Christmas lists to the North Pole, to ensure that Santa really does exist. We put money in their pillow from the tooth fairy, and we scare away all the “monsters” that are hiding under the bed.
Mothers are superheros. We don’t have time to do everything we want in one day, but we guarantee it will get done. We are people of our words. We make promises to our children that we know we can keep, because we know a promise is a promise. We know what our kids want for their birthdays, we know what size their shoes are, and we know what their favourite colour is.
All information is important to us and gets filed away in our brains, in case we need it one day. We keep our Mother’s Day cards, and the not so nice vase that they made us for Christmas. We store their cutest baby clothes, and their baby bassinettes, in case they want it when they have their own kids. We know the day, month, year, minute and second when ALL our children were born. We know the month they began talking, walking and saying “ma ma.”
Mothers are extraordinary people. Our husbands do realize that we do a great job, and they know that our children need us. They appreciate the fact that we love our kids and them. They may not always tell us, but trust me, they do appreciate it. They appreciate the fact that we know what “normal” body temperature is, and what is clinically a fever. They appreciate the fact that we know how to clean our children’s cuts; braid our daughter’s hair; and lace up our son’s skates. They know that we would run around the world for our family, if that is what was needed of us. They know that we remember everything important and everything essential. They know we won’t forget to bring the snacks and toys for the road trips. They know that we are mothers, we are women and we are great. They know that we know EVERYTHING about our families. They know that if one day, our kids don’t remember a small detail about their life growing up, then they need not to worry…we will. We will just get it out of the “mommy files” in our brains and tell them detail by detail whatever they want to know.
That’s my peace today!
This recipe is perfect for this time of year...I make it almost everyday during the holidays because it is easy, healthy and a delicious snack.
Stuffed Dried Figs with Walnuts
1 pack of dried figs
1/4 cup walnut halves
Cut open the figs and open like a book, place a walnut piece and close. Repeat until all figs are stuffed. Place on a baking sheet and bake in oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes (make sure not to blacken or burn too much). The colour should be golden and the fig should be soft.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
I say it quite often; a mother’s job is the hardest in the world. We make decisions on a minute by minute basis, some being very important life decisions. We are the foundation that secures the home. We are the shoulders, the ears and the hearts for both our children and our men. We are passionate about EVERYTHING. We can be passionate about the great sale that is taking place at Home Sense, just as much as we can be passionate about our decisions whether to vaccinate or not. We know what we want, and we will stop at nothing to get it.
We take days off work to attend our children’s day trips at school. We anxiously wait to hear the score our children received on their math test. We have a million thoughts going on in our heads at once. We make time to fill in our kid’s baby books, and we make time to take them to get their pictures done with Santa. We send their Christmas lists to the North Pole, to ensure that Santa really does exist. We put money in their pillow from the tooth fairy, and we scare away all the “monsters” that are hiding under the bed.
Mothers are superheros. We don’t have time to do everything we want in one day, but we guarantee it will get done. We are people of our words. We make promises to our children that we know we can keep, because we know a promise is a promise. We know what our kids want for their birthdays, we know what size their shoes are, and we know what their favourite colour is.
All information is important to us and gets filed away in our brains, in case we need it one day. We keep our Mother’s Day cards, and the not so nice vase that they made us for Christmas. We store their cutest baby clothes, and their baby bassinettes, in case they want it when they have their own kids. We know the day, month, year, minute and second when ALL our children were born. We know the month they began talking, walking and saying “ma ma.”
Mothers are extraordinary people. Our husbands do realize that we do a great job, and they know that our children need us. They appreciate the fact that we love our kids and them. They may not always tell us, but trust me, they do appreciate it. They appreciate the fact that we know what “normal” body temperature is, and what is clinically a fever. They appreciate the fact that we know how to clean our children’s cuts; braid our daughter’s hair; and lace up our son’s skates. They know that we would run around the world for our family, if that is what was needed of us. They know that we remember everything important and everything essential. They know we won’t forget to bring the snacks and toys for the road trips. They know that we are mothers, we are women and we are great. They know that we know EVERYTHING about our families. They know that if one day, our kids don’t remember a small detail about their life growing up, then they need not to worry…we will. We will just get it out of the “mommy files” in our brains and tell them detail by detail whatever they want to know.
That’s my peace today!
This recipe is perfect for this time of year...I make it almost everyday during the holidays because it is easy, healthy and a delicious snack.
Stuffed Dried Figs with Walnuts
1 pack of dried figs
1/4 cup walnut halves
Cut open the figs and open like a book, place a walnut piece and close. Repeat until all figs are stuffed. Place on a baking sheet and bake in oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes (make sure not to blacken or burn too much). The colour should be golden and the fig should be soft.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Thursday, November 19, 2009
In the blink of an eye
Life is very precious, we all know this and we should all remember this. Yesterday, I had one of the biggest scares of my life. It was dinner time and we were eating at the dinner table (as usual). I made a nice meal (as usual..lol), and we (meaning my kids, my husband and I) were enjoying it. I made lots of things, one thing being breaded veal cutlets. I cut the pieces up small for my older kids (as usual) and we began eating. In an instant my heart stopped.
My daughter began making a noise that did not sound to good or common. She was choking. I immediately grabbed her and began doing what I learned to do in CPR class. I gave her hymlic (did not work), I did the old hook in the throat (did not work), and then I did the hard tap from the bottom of the back moving towards the top of the back, and voila..the piece of veal that was stuck in her throat, popped out. It all happened in 1 minute; 60 long seconds. My husband was coaching me, “Diana you know how to do it, come on!” I had Joseph just staring at me, and my daughter just choking while having this desperate look of HELP.
You learn CPR, hoping you will never have to use it, and when you do have to use it (especially on your own child) it is the most nerve racking experience. After it was all said and done and she began breathing again, I needed a minute. Ok, I need 10 minutes. I sat there with tears, trembling over the moment that just took place in my kitchen. Just like that, I was in survival mode. In a blink of an eye, I almost lost my daughter.
That night, I couldn’t help get the thought and the vision of what happened at dinner time out of my head. I was cringing at the thought of what may have happened if what I did, did not work. I had to stop thinking about it because it was horrifying. At that moment when I was trying to get that piece of meat out, all I was thinking about was “How am I going to get this thing out of her throat??” That was my mission, and I had to do it. You go into a feeling that you cannot explain; it needs to get done and you don’t care what you have to do to get it out.
We say it all the time; life can change in a matter of minutes. We do our best as parents to protect our children from harm, from diseases and from things that can happen outside the home. We never want to think about these incidents that can happen right in front of our eyes. We plan and we prepare for all the things we are ready for, until it actually happens.
Life is full of experiences, and I am lucky that I will be able to tell my daughter in years to come, that she almost choked on a piece of veal when she was just 5 years old. I thanked God that night when I went to sleep for 2 things. First, that he didn’t take my baby from me, and second that I was able to save her from choking. After it was all over, my 8 year old son said this to me, “Mommy, you should be a nurse or an ambulance driver.” I tried not to giggle because of his naivety, and I proceeded to ask him why, and he said, “Because you saved Maria-Alicia’s life.” All I can answer to my little innocent son was this, “No, Joseph, I did not only save her life, I saved mine too; all in the blink of an eye.”
That’s my peace today!
Pasta al Forno
1 pack of Rigitoni
1/2 pound minced meat
1 jar cooked sauce
1/4 cup chopped white onion
2 cups shredded mozzarella
In a skillet heat oil, add onion and meat. Saute until meat is cooked. Add cooked meat in a bowl, add sauce and mix. Cook pasta 3 minutes less than as directed on package, once cooked drain in strainer combine pasta with sauce. In a baking dish pour pasta and sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella, cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees (until cheese melts)
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
My daughter began making a noise that did not sound to good or common. She was choking. I immediately grabbed her and began doing what I learned to do in CPR class. I gave her hymlic (did not work), I did the old hook in the throat (did not work), and then I did the hard tap from the bottom of the back moving towards the top of the back, and voila..the piece of veal that was stuck in her throat, popped out. It all happened in 1 minute; 60 long seconds. My husband was coaching me, “Diana you know how to do it, come on!” I had Joseph just staring at me, and my daughter just choking while having this desperate look of HELP.
You learn CPR, hoping you will never have to use it, and when you do have to use it (especially on your own child) it is the most nerve racking experience. After it was all said and done and she began breathing again, I needed a minute. Ok, I need 10 minutes. I sat there with tears, trembling over the moment that just took place in my kitchen. Just like that, I was in survival mode. In a blink of an eye, I almost lost my daughter.
That night, I couldn’t help get the thought and the vision of what happened at dinner time out of my head. I was cringing at the thought of what may have happened if what I did, did not work. I had to stop thinking about it because it was horrifying. At that moment when I was trying to get that piece of meat out, all I was thinking about was “How am I going to get this thing out of her throat??” That was my mission, and I had to do it. You go into a feeling that you cannot explain; it needs to get done and you don’t care what you have to do to get it out.
We say it all the time; life can change in a matter of minutes. We do our best as parents to protect our children from harm, from diseases and from things that can happen outside the home. We never want to think about these incidents that can happen right in front of our eyes. We plan and we prepare for all the things we are ready for, until it actually happens.
Life is full of experiences, and I am lucky that I will be able to tell my daughter in years to come, that she almost choked on a piece of veal when she was just 5 years old. I thanked God that night when I went to sleep for 2 things. First, that he didn’t take my baby from me, and second that I was able to save her from choking. After it was all over, my 8 year old son said this to me, “Mommy, you should be a nurse or an ambulance driver.” I tried not to giggle because of his naivety, and I proceeded to ask him why, and he said, “Because you saved Maria-Alicia’s life.” All I can answer to my little innocent son was this, “No, Joseph, I did not only save her life, I saved mine too; all in the blink of an eye.”
That’s my peace today!
Pasta al Forno
1 pack of Rigitoni
1/2 pound minced meat
1 jar cooked sauce
1/4 cup chopped white onion
2 cups shredded mozzarella
In a skillet heat oil, add onion and meat. Saute until meat is cooked. Add cooked meat in a bowl, add sauce and mix. Cook pasta 3 minutes less than as directed on package, once cooked drain in strainer combine pasta with sauce. In a baking dish pour pasta and sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella, cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees (until cheese melts)
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
There is one small difference
There is less than 6 weeks until Christmas. People have already begun their shopping in the malls and yesterday, I already saw Santa Clause taking pictures with waiting children. This is the time of year where you try to prepare for the joy and cheer of Christmas day. Buying gifts for people that you love. We search and hunt for the perfect gift, in every store. Christmas music is heard over the intercom and decorations surround the malls. Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, it changes people’s mood, and it brings a smile to almost everyone.
The days before the holidays just fly by. Every day we are on a special mission to find what we are looking for. We know exactly what to buy, when we see it. We have parent gifts, teacher gifts, friend gifts, Santa gifts, stocking stuffers; we have to cover it all. If you are anything like me, than you will probably wait for the last minute to finish your list. Budgets go out the window, and money just seems to decrease in our accounts, by the second. These are the holidays, oh joy, oh bliss.
Every year, I like to choose 1 charity that I like to donate too. One year I purchased groceries, toys and clothes for a single mother and her 9 year old son that suffers from epilepsy. I was told that when she saw all the things I bought for her, she was beside herself. She was a new immigrant to the country and she was not used to this kind of human spirit. I can tell you that it made me feel better knowing I brought a smile to her face; way more than it made her feel receiving it. As the old saying goes, “It is better to give than to receive.”
This time of year, there are many charities you can donate to. There are hospitals, food banks, The Salvation Army, homes for battered women; I can go on and on. I know many people that feel the same way I do. I know many people that love to give to others. I know many people that try not to forget the less fortunate people in our communities.
Sometimes we need to look at the lives of other people to realize all the wonderful things we have. My kids are asking Santa for things that are feasible for me to get. We are very fortunate to be able to fill their desires. It breaks my heart to know that there are some children that don’t get even get 1 thing on their wish list. How does a parent explain to their child that Santa could not get them the gift they asked for? I don’t know, and I don’t ever want to know.
I am grateful for my life. I am grateful for all the things I have. I am grateful that I have the luxury to shop for gifts for my family members, for my children and for others. I am grateful that I can feel the real spirit of Christmas. I wish I can help everyone who needs it, but we all know that is not possible. If we all do our own part (which I know we do), then we can add more jingles in the lives of the less fortunate. Please join me in the spirit of humanity; please continue to help those who need it most.
Christmas 2009 will soon come and go faster than we can imagine. The gifts will all be unwrapped, the food will be eaten, and the peels from the clementines and chestnuts will be in the garbage. We will then prepare for our New Year’s festivities. Let’s try to remember the people that will not experience what we get to experience year after year. Just like us, they want to have a tree with lights, they want to have a 10 pound turkey on the table, and they want to unwrap the new Hannah Montana Barbie doll. They are just like us; the only small difference is....they just can’t.
That’s my peace today!
Stracatella Soup
1 whole chicken leg (back attached)
salt to taste
1 egg
1 package of pastina
parsley for garnish
Wash and boil chicken until cooked, about 1 hour. Add salt to boiling water. Remove chicken and use for something else or discard. In a separate pot, cook pastina as directed. Bring broth to a medium boil, add pastina. Whisk egg in a bowl and add to boiling broth. Use parsley to garnish in individual bowl.
check out www.yummymummyclub.com
The days before the holidays just fly by. Every day we are on a special mission to find what we are looking for. We know exactly what to buy, when we see it. We have parent gifts, teacher gifts, friend gifts, Santa gifts, stocking stuffers; we have to cover it all. If you are anything like me, than you will probably wait for the last minute to finish your list. Budgets go out the window, and money just seems to decrease in our accounts, by the second. These are the holidays, oh joy, oh bliss.
Every year, I like to choose 1 charity that I like to donate too. One year I purchased groceries, toys and clothes for a single mother and her 9 year old son that suffers from epilepsy. I was told that when she saw all the things I bought for her, she was beside herself. She was a new immigrant to the country and she was not used to this kind of human spirit. I can tell you that it made me feel better knowing I brought a smile to her face; way more than it made her feel receiving it. As the old saying goes, “It is better to give than to receive.”
This time of year, there are many charities you can donate to. There are hospitals, food banks, The Salvation Army, homes for battered women; I can go on and on. I know many people that feel the same way I do. I know many people that love to give to others. I know many people that try not to forget the less fortunate people in our communities.
Sometimes we need to look at the lives of other people to realize all the wonderful things we have. My kids are asking Santa for things that are feasible for me to get. We are very fortunate to be able to fill their desires. It breaks my heart to know that there are some children that don’t get even get 1 thing on their wish list. How does a parent explain to their child that Santa could not get them the gift they asked for? I don’t know, and I don’t ever want to know.
I am grateful for my life. I am grateful for all the things I have. I am grateful that I have the luxury to shop for gifts for my family members, for my children and for others. I am grateful that I can feel the real spirit of Christmas. I wish I can help everyone who needs it, but we all know that is not possible. If we all do our own part (which I know we do), then we can add more jingles in the lives of the less fortunate. Please join me in the spirit of humanity; please continue to help those who need it most.
Christmas 2009 will soon come and go faster than we can imagine. The gifts will all be unwrapped, the food will be eaten, and the peels from the clementines and chestnuts will be in the garbage. We will then prepare for our New Year’s festivities. Let’s try to remember the people that will not experience what we get to experience year after year. Just like us, they want to have a tree with lights, they want to have a 10 pound turkey on the table, and they want to unwrap the new Hannah Montana Barbie doll. They are just like us; the only small difference is....they just can’t.
That’s my peace today!
Stracatella Soup
1 whole chicken leg (back attached)
salt to taste
1 egg
1 package of pastina
parsley for garnish
Wash and boil chicken until cooked, about 1 hour. Add salt to boiling water. Remove chicken and use for something else or discard. In a separate pot, cook pastina as directed. Bring broth to a medium boil, add pastina. Whisk egg in a bowl and add to boiling broth. Use parsley to garnish in individual bowl.
check out www.yummymummyclub.com
Monday, November 16, 2009
We look just like you
People tend to think that mothers do not have things to do. They think we just sit around all day long, watching soaps and sniffing Lysol wipes.lol. There is a lot more to it than cleaning dirty bums, and serving jarred baby food. We have doctor appointments, dentist appointments and extra curricular activities. We have kids’ birthday parties, and play dates to attend. I know that doesn’t sound like to fun to some people, and sometimes it is not so fun for us, but it is a part of our life.
We may not have plans to go “drinking” or “hooking” up on a Friday night. We may not have plans to go shopping for “weekend” club clothes, and we may not have plans to meet up at someone’s house for a pre party. It also doesn’t mean that we are not “cool” people. We are just as fun to hang out with, as single people. We have lots to say and we have lots of advice for issues, besides family planning. We are full of knowledge and information that is not necessarily about kids and pregnancy. If you take the time to hang out with us you will see that.
We like to drink wine and vodka, we like to listen to the latest songs that are playing in the clubs, and we like to talk about the new hot guy in the gym. We are women, we are modern. We may drive mini-vans or SUV’s, but we do care how we look. We don’t always want to be messy in our mommy clothes; we do like to dress up too.
Next time you decide to make plans with all your single friends, you may want to call us too. You will realize that we have a lot to offer for the party. You will realize that we started off, just like you did. You will realize that we are not that different than you. We can hate men too, (married women do that best..lol) and we can criticize that chick that stole your ex, with you. We are fun and we are cool. We are not old and wrinkly, we are young and vibrant.
Moms have a bad rap. Other people think we are geeks, nerds, and social degenerates. The truth is we can put away our aprons and slippers, we can park our min-vans in the garage, and we can be right beside you on that dance floor, downing those vodka shots. We go out with our other mother friends and we have just as much fun as the women who are scouting for men. We don’t have to scout. We are actually out, because we want to get away. We want to feel normal and we want to be amused. Our intentions are not for anything but that. Our intentions are because we are fed up of cleaning vomit off the rugs, and picking up our pots and pans that have somehow ended up all over our kitchen floor. We just want to go out, unwind and be adults.
Our lives may be different than single women, but it doesn’t mean we don’t have one. We may not be as spontaneous and liberated, and you may need to give us a week’s notice for a night out, but it doesn’t mean we won’t go out. Our lives are full from 7am – 8pm with children duties, but we can clock out after that, and be part of the crowds. We don’t just sit around watch Tree house and listen to Hannah Montana tunes (which we secretly enjoy by the way..lol). We are not cougars, we are lions. We are kings of our domain and we want to be respected as that. If you don’t call us to come, it doesn’t mean we won’t see you there. We will just be at a different table than you. There will be no label on our foreheads saying “WE ARE MOMS AND WE DRIVE MINI-VANS”, we will blend in the crowd, and look just like you.
That’s my peace today!
Seafood Pasta
1 pack frozen mixed seafood
1 pack baby shrimp
1 jar tomato sauce
1 pack pasta
1/4 c olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 pack spagetti or linguini
In a saucepan add oil, garlic and heat. Add all the seafood, wine and parsley. Cook for about 7 minutes. Add the sauce and salt. You can add some water because it should be a thin sauce. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Cook your spagetti as directed. Pour sauce over cooked spagetti.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
We may not have plans to go “drinking” or “hooking” up on a Friday night. We may not have plans to go shopping for “weekend” club clothes, and we may not have plans to meet up at someone’s house for a pre party. It also doesn’t mean that we are not “cool” people. We are just as fun to hang out with, as single people. We have lots to say and we have lots of advice for issues, besides family planning. We are full of knowledge and information that is not necessarily about kids and pregnancy. If you take the time to hang out with us you will see that.
We like to drink wine and vodka, we like to listen to the latest songs that are playing in the clubs, and we like to talk about the new hot guy in the gym. We are women, we are modern. We may drive mini-vans or SUV’s, but we do care how we look. We don’t always want to be messy in our mommy clothes; we do like to dress up too.
Next time you decide to make plans with all your single friends, you may want to call us too. You will realize that we have a lot to offer for the party. You will realize that we started off, just like you did. You will realize that we are not that different than you. We can hate men too, (married women do that best..lol) and we can criticize that chick that stole your ex, with you. We are fun and we are cool. We are not old and wrinkly, we are young and vibrant.
Moms have a bad rap. Other people think we are geeks, nerds, and social degenerates. The truth is we can put away our aprons and slippers, we can park our min-vans in the garage, and we can be right beside you on that dance floor, downing those vodka shots. We go out with our other mother friends and we have just as much fun as the women who are scouting for men. We don’t have to scout. We are actually out, because we want to get away. We want to feel normal and we want to be amused. Our intentions are not for anything but that. Our intentions are because we are fed up of cleaning vomit off the rugs, and picking up our pots and pans that have somehow ended up all over our kitchen floor. We just want to go out, unwind and be adults.
Our lives may be different than single women, but it doesn’t mean we don’t have one. We may not be as spontaneous and liberated, and you may need to give us a week’s notice for a night out, but it doesn’t mean we won’t go out. Our lives are full from 7am – 8pm with children duties, but we can clock out after that, and be part of the crowds. We don’t just sit around watch Tree house and listen to Hannah Montana tunes (which we secretly enjoy by the way..lol). We are not cougars, we are lions. We are kings of our domain and we want to be respected as that. If you don’t call us to come, it doesn’t mean we won’t see you there. We will just be at a different table than you. There will be no label on our foreheads saying “WE ARE MOMS AND WE DRIVE MINI-VANS”, we will blend in the crowd, and look just like you.
That’s my peace today!
Seafood Pasta
1 pack frozen mixed seafood
1 pack baby shrimp
1 jar tomato sauce
1 pack pasta
1/4 c olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 pack spagetti or linguini
In a saucepan add oil, garlic and heat. Add all the seafood, wine and parsley. Cook for about 7 minutes. Add the sauce and salt. You can add some water because it should be a thin sauce. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Cook your spagetti as directed. Pour sauce over cooked spagetti.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Friday, November 13, 2009
I am someone's little girl
Today my dad turned 70 years old. I cannot believe it. When I look at him, he still looks so young to me. My father is one of the strongest people I know. He never complains about anything, or anyone. If you know my dad, then you will know that he is always happy, and optimistic about everything in life. Life is always half full for him.
My father has 4 daughters that he loves and adores. He would run the world for us. He would fight demons off for us. He would defend any words said, about any one of us. He made us the people we are today. For some reason, when I was growing up I was never really upset at him. My mother, well that’s another story. She always pissed me off, for one reason or another. She would look at me the wrong way, and I didn’t like her..lol. This did not happen with my father. I had a different kind of respect for him. Even though I feared him, I also didn’t want to ever disappoint him. A girl just is softer for her father, it is human nature.
I remember when I brought my husband home for the first time. My father was pretty sceptical, especially because my husband is from the same area of Montreal where my father grew up. He was the same kind of “guy” he was. My father always said this line to all 4 of us, “Girls, I know what happens in the clubs, and I don’t want you there.” Another famous line he used was, “Be home early because I remember the types of girls that were out after 1am, and they were not the good ones.”..lol. You have to laugh now. He was worried, we were his young daughters and he wanted so badly to protect us from everyone and everything out there. It was hard raising 4 girls, in any era.
A father and a daughter have a special bond. They set an example of what men are, from early on in our lives. When a woman gets married, she expects her husband to be exactly like her father.
Well I am sure you can ALL agree, that definitly does not happen.lol. My father was famous for running to the store whenever we were hanging with friends and we wanted something. He was already in the store before I finished my list. Once I tried that with my husband..lol..he looked at me and said, “Diana, I am not your father, I am not leaving at 10:30 at night to go get you a coffee.”..lol.. I tried.
No man in life can ever replace your father. No man in your life can ever compare to your father. He is the one man that will always love you unconditionally. He is the only man that will never judge you. He is the only man who will truly want the best for you. A husband loves you, but not like your father. A son will love you, but not like your father. I feel very blessed today that I have my father in my life. I feel very blessed to be able to celebrate his 70th birthday on this earth. I feel very blessed that I am still someone’s little girl, and that someone is my father.
Happy Birthday Dad!
That’s my peace today!
Sausage and Potaoes
6 italian sausages
7 potatoes cut in large chunks
1/4 olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Place sausages and potatoes in a roasting pan. Oil and salt and pepper potatoes only. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour and half at 400 degrees.
check out www.yummymummyclub.com
My father has 4 daughters that he loves and adores. He would run the world for us. He would fight demons off for us. He would defend any words said, about any one of us. He made us the people we are today. For some reason, when I was growing up I was never really upset at him. My mother, well that’s another story. She always pissed me off, for one reason or another. She would look at me the wrong way, and I didn’t like her..lol. This did not happen with my father. I had a different kind of respect for him. Even though I feared him, I also didn’t want to ever disappoint him. A girl just is softer for her father, it is human nature.
I remember when I brought my husband home for the first time. My father was pretty sceptical, especially because my husband is from the same area of Montreal where my father grew up. He was the same kind of “guy” he was. My father always said this line to all 4 of us, “Girls, I know what happens in the clubs, and I don’t want you there.” Another famous line he used was, “Be home early because I remember the types of girls that were out after 1am, and they were not the good ones.”..lol. You have to laugh now. He was worried, we were his young daughters and he wanted so badly to protect us from everyone and everything out there. It was hard raising 4 girls, in any era.
A father and a daughter have a special bond. They set an example of what men are, from early on in our lives. When a woman gets married, she expects her husband to be exactly like her father.
Well I am sure you can ALL agree, that definitly does not happen.lol. My father was famous for running to the store whenever we were hanging with friends and we wanted something. He was already in the store before I finished my list. Once I tried that with my husband..lol..he looked at me and said, “Diana, I am not your father, I am not leaving at 10:30 at night to go get you a coffee.”..lol.. I tried.
No man in life can ever replace your father. No man in your life can ever compare to your father. He is the one man that will always love you unconditionally. He is the only man that will never judge you. He is the only man who will truly want the best for you. A husband loves you, but not like your father. A son will love you, but not like your father. I feel very blessed today that I have my father in my life. I feel very blessed to be able to celebrate his 70th birthday on this earth. I feel very blessed that I am still someone’s little girl, and that someone is my father.
Happy Birthday Dad!
That’s my peace today!
Sausage and Potaoes
6 italian sausages
7 potatoes cut in large chunks
1/4 olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Place sausages and potatoes in a roasting pan. Oil and salt and pepper potatoes only. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour and half at 400 degrees.
check out www.yummymummyclub.com
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Free time;me time
Where does time go? Days, weeks, and months just pass. 2009 is coming to an end soon; we will be in the end of the first decade of the millennium. Wow, already. I remember Y2K like it was just yesterday.
Life just flies by, time goes so quickly. My days are always full of things to do. I work 4 days a week, I am home by 3:30p, and then part 2 of my day begins. Life is not always easy for anyone. No matter if you have children or not, our days are always hectic and full of things to do. Sometimes my husband and I just look at each other with a helpless glare. We just laugh at the chaos going on around us, we breathe, and we pick up where we left off.
There are many days that I feel stressed and frustrated. Everything we do in life is most always for someone else. Our children and their needs come first. We barely sit on our bums in the chair when we are eating dinner, because one of my twins wants to pull my plate off the table, or they want to sip my water from my glass. After dinner, clearing the table is just as fun. They climb on top, try to drink the remaining fluids in the glasses, the crumbs left on the table, and the peels of the fruit, left in the plates.
Life with children is a full life. When I say full, I mean..full. My 1 day off a week, and my weekends are supposed to be for relaxing. That never happens. Recently my husband and I booked a trip to New York City for our 10 year Anniversary. We cancelled because of the flu going around. My daughter fell ill, the exact weekend we were to be in NY so we would not have been able to go anyway. Mother’s intuition or just the laws of attraction?
We give up things we want to do when we are parents. Gym memberships, outings with our adult friends, and weekends away with our spouses. When you have young children, our priority is them. I say it all the time, sacrificing is all a part of parenthood. Yes it sucks sometimes, but it is all part of the trials and tribulations. Our children will get older, and eventually they will need us, a little less. These young years of their lives ware us out, tire us out, and suck every fibre of strength out of us. We try to smile, when we feel like crying.
This time is only temporary, and things do get easier, and better. At least this is what I am told..lol. So I am looking forward to that. I am looking forward to a weekend at the spa, or a dinner with some friends, and a trip to NYC. When you are a mother or father to small children, there is no such thing as free time. Child time trumps our time, every time. Eventually we will get to experience life a little less hectic. Eventually our free time will really become what it was meant to be; me time.
That’s my peace today!
Chick pea salad
1 can chick peas
1/2 container cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 red pepper, diced
6 small bocconcini, sliced
1/2 cup diced anise
salt, pepper, oregano
1/2 c olive oil
2 tbsp balsamiv vinigar
2 tbsp lemon juice
In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Add oil, vinegar, lemon juice. Salt, pepper and oregano and mix. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before eating.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Life just flies by, time goes so quickly. My days are always full of things to do. I work 4 days a week, I am home by 3:30p, and then part 2 of my day begins. Life is not always easy for anyone. No matter if you have children or not, our days are always hectic and full of things to do. Sometimes my husband and I just look at each other with a helpless glare. We just laugh at the chaos going on around us, we breathe, and we pick up where we left off.
There are many days that I feel stressed and frustrated. Everything we do in life is most always for someone else. Our children and their needs come first. We barely sit on our bums in the chair when we are eating dinner, because one of my twins wants to pull my plate off the table, or they want to sip my water from my glass. After dinner, clearing the table is just as fun. They climb on top, try to drink the remaining fluids in the glasses, the crumbs left on the table, and the peels of the fruit, left in the plates.
Life with children is a full life. When I say full, I mean..full. My 1 day off a week, and my weekends are supposed to be for relaxing. That never happens. Recently my husband and I booked a trip to New York City for our 10 year Anniversary. We cancelled because of the flu going around. My daughter fell ill, the exact weekend we were to be in NY so we would not have been able to go anyway. Mother’s intuition or just the laws of attraction?
We give up things we want to do when we are parents. Gym memberships, outings with our adult friends, and weekends away with our spouses. When you have young children, our priority is them. I say it all the time, sacrificing is all a part of parenthood. Yes it sucks sometimes, but it is all part of the trials and tribulations. Our children will get older, and eventually they will need us, a little less. These young years of their lives ware us out, tire us out, and suck every fibre of strength out of us. We try to smile, when we feel like crying.
This time is only temporary, and things do get easier, and better. At least this is what I am told..lol. So I am looking forward to that. I am looking forward to a weekend at the spa, or a dinner with some friends, and a trip to NYC. When you are a mother or father to small children, there is no such thing as free time. Child time trumps our time, every time. Eventually we will get to experience life a little less hectic. Eventually our free time will really become what it was meant to be; me time.
That’s my peace today!
Chick pea salad
1 can chick peas
1/2 container cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 red pepper, diced
6 small bocconcini, sliced
1/2 cup diced anise
salt, pepper, oregano
1/2 c olive oil
2 tbsp balsamiv vinigar
2 tbsp lemon juice
In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Add oil, vinegar, lemon juice. Salt, pepper and oregano and mix. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before eating.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Snuffleupagus does exist
So today marks the 40th Anniversary for Sesame Street. I can’t believe that it has been around that long, and it still is airing today. When I was little, I just loved watching Sesame Street. It was actually the highlight of my day. My favourite character was Oscar the Grouch. He reminded me of myself..lol. He was always pissed off at everyone, but deep down he really cared about his Sesame friends.
If you think about it, life is like Sesame Street, but in a childproof version. There are characters like The Count, Elmo, Oscar, Big Bird, and Snuffy. In the real world, there is the mean person, the happy friendly person, the one that only cares about how many “numbers’ you have, the one that nobody believes, and the one that does really exist to some people.
We learn very early on, that life is full of different people. People that are kind, giving, and people that are not so nice and giving. As a child, watching these characters interact in their neighbourhood brought me pleasure, knowledge, and life lessons. There is always a lesson to be learned when you watch Sesame Street. These fluffy characters try to teach us things about life that we may not yet understand.
Children are very naive people. They see things from a different perspective than us. They think that their problems are very large and important. Today my son could not go to school because he is sick. He was upset, not because he is sick, but because he was supposed to trade hockey cards with his friend Daniel. This was a very big problem for him. For me, he not trading his hockey cards is not a problem at all.
As adults we have “more important” things to think of and worry about. We pay mortgages, we pay bills, and we take on life insurance policies. These things are our “problems”. I remember when I was little; I would watch my mom paying bills. She would gather all the envelopes, sort them out, take out her check book, put a stamp on the them, and get ready to mail them out. I was only 10, and it looked like so much fun to me. To my mother, it was just another month filled with bills.
In life, it is all about perspective. How things are viewed. We cannot make someone see something the way we see it. Everyone thinks that their problems, issues, and worries are important to them. We learn early on, that life is filled with different people, and that there are different life lessons that must be learned.
When we watched Sesame Street, we would see Big Bird talking to his furry friend. Day after day, Snuff would drop in and chat with him, and would leave before anyone could see him. Big Bird was strong enough and confident enough to believe that he saw him and talked to him every day. He knew that Snuff existed, at that is all that was important to him. He gave up caring what people thought, and what they saw, and what they didn’t see. Sesame Street should teach us all that we shouldn’t care what other people believe. Life is seen through our own perspective, our own view, and our own eyes and that should be the only important thing.
That’s my peace today!
Pizza Roll
1 pizza dough
2 cups cooked sauce
1/2 cup pepperoni or italian salami
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup cooked sliced mushrooms
oil for brushing
Roll out dough, spread sauce, pepperoni or salami, mushrooms, and sprinkle mozzarella. Beginning from one end, roll tightly into a log. Brush with olive oil, place on baking sheet in oven at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. Make sure it is not burning at top or bottom.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
If you think about it, life is like Sesame Street, but in a childproof version. There are characters like The Count, Elmo, Oscar, Big Bird, and Snuffy. In the real world, there is the mean person, the happy friendly person, the one that only cares about how many “numbers’ you have, the one that nobody believes, and the one that does really exist to some people.
We learn very early on, that life is full of different people. People that are kind, giving, and people that are not so nice and giving. As a child, watching these characters interact in their neighbourhood brought me pleasure, knowledge, and life lessons. There is always a lesson to be learned when you watch Sesame Street. These fluffy characters try to teach us things about life that we may not yet understand.
Children are very naive people. They see things from a different perspective than us. They think that their problems are very large and important. Today my son could not go to school because he is sick. He was upset, not because he is sick, but because he was supposed to trade hockey cards with his friend Daniel. This was a very big problem for him. For me, he not trading his hockey cards is not a problem at all.
As adults we have “more important” things to think of and worry about. We pay mortgages, we pay bills, and we take on life insurance policies. These things are our “problems”. I remember when I was little; I would watch my mom paying bills. She would gather all the envelopes, sort them out, take out her check book, put a stamp on the them, and get ready to mail them out. I was only 10, and it looked like so much fun to me. To my mother, it was just another month filled with bills.
In life, it is all about perspective. How things are viewed. We cannot make someone see something the way we see it. Everyone thinks that their problems, issues, and worries are important to them. We learn early on, that life is filled with different people, and that there are different life lessons that must be learned.
When we watched Sesame Street, we would see Big Bird talking to his furry friend. Day after day, Snuff would drop in and chat with him, and would leave before anyone could see him. Big Bird was strong enough and confident enough to believe that he saw him and talked to him every day. He knew that Snuff existed, at that is all that was important to him. He gave up caring what people thought, and what they saw, and what they didn’t see. Sesame Street should teach us all that we shouldn’t care what other people believe. Life is seen through our own perspective, our own view, and our own eyes and that should be the only important thing.
That’s my peace today!
Pizza Roll
1 pizza dough
2 cups cooked sauce
1/2 cup pepperoni or italian salami
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup cooked sliced mushrooms
oil for brushing
Roll out dough, spread sauce, pepperoni or salami, mushrooms, and sprinkle mozzarella. Beginning from one end, roll tightly into a log. Brush with olive oil, place on baking sheet in oven at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. Make sure it is not burning at top or bottom.
check out www.yummymummyclub.ca
Monday, November 9, 2009
The little life inside
Pregnancy is one of the biggest miracles of life. 2 people have the ability to create another human being. How amazing is the idea that we can conceive a child and be able to feel that baby grow in our own bodies. 9 months of growth and development of a fetus, that turns into a baby.
Many women love being pregnant, while others don’t enjoy it. Some get nausea, headaches, and heartburn. It feels like the baby is never arriving and all we do is wait...for 40 weeks. We have morning craving, night cravings and Taco Bell cravings..lol. Our husbands do their best to help us out, cater to our desires, and some even gain weight with us..lol.
We are so lucky to be women. Men don’t have to get internal exams, or stretch marks, or hemroids, or stitches, or episiotemies; we do. Men also don’t get to feel the little flutters, the little kicks, and the little turns, like we do. They feel our bellies move with their hands, but they don’t know what it’s like to actually “feel” the bumps.
We go through 9 long months of sacrificing. Stay away from seafood, no herbal teas, no alcohol, no sushi, no sauna’s, no roller coasters. Everything is don’t do this, don’t eat that, don’t drink that. We want to make sure we play by the rules, for the sake of our growing baby.
When a woman gets pregnant we become professional OBGYN’s. We go on websites that provide us with day by day, week by week, and minute by minute changes of this little miracle. We know when the arms grow, the feet grow and when it goes from a “grain of rice”, to a “kidney bean”. We prepare the nursery, the car, and the entire house. A once prestine home set with candles, white couches, and glass tables, now will be replaced with baby swings, exer-saucers, and bassinettes. We throw away the Victoria Secret Magazines for Today’s Parent. We stock up on baby name books, and “What to Expect when you are Expecting”, and of course “Chicken Soup for the Expentant Mother’s Soul.” We keep a pregnancy diary, all our ultrasound photo’s and all our doctor appointment schedules.
Pregnancy is a blessing, a privilege, and a sheer out miracle. When I was in Grade 11 we saw a movie called “The Miracle of Life”. I am almost positive all of you have seen it..lol. It shows us a detail look at pregnancy and child birth. I think it took me 10 years to recover from what I saw..lol. (Especially because waxing obviously was not popular back then..lol) I think that is when I realized that there are no storks involved in the baby making process. I think the boys never knew that babies were born from “there”.
Once you give birth, and become a mother; Whether you have a C-section, vaginal, epidural, or not, it is something you cannot “prepare” for. Pregnancy is unpredictable, and so is birth. We can go to Lamaze, or pre-natal classes, but I do not think anything can prepare you for the job ahead. There is a saying, “Nothing worth having, comes easy.” That is a true understated statement. We grow fat, change our shapes (I don’t care how great you look after you have kids, your body is NEVER the same again..lol), and we open up areas we never thought opened that wide, all for the sake of our children. People that have never had children sometimes ask, “What does child birth feel like?” and any mother will answer the same, “It hurts like hell, but I don’t really remember what the pain felt like.” That is because as soon as we see the little miracles of life plopped right there on our bellies, the pain goes away. The 9 months of sacrifices, cravings, vomiting, and heartburn are a thing of the past. We forget all the pain of labour, and the sting of the epidural, because we got our prize in our arms.
My little sister is now expecting her first child. She is 8 years younger than me, and she seems so “little” to be having a baby..lol. I see her excitement, her glow, and her anxiousness for her baby coming in May. I look at her and see her happiness and her growing belly. She now knows what it is like to be preparing for motherhood, she now knows the joy of pregnancy, and she now knows how great it is to have that little life inside of her. A feeling that cannot be duplicated, explained, or ever replaced..by anything!
That’s my peace today!
Breaded Chicken Cutlets
6 thinly sliced chicken
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 cup or so olive or grape seed oil for frying
Whisk egg in a bowl. In a seperate shallow baking dish put breadcrumbs and chopped parsley. Dip chicken in egg, remove and allow egg to drip off before placing in breadcrumbs. Bread and fry in olive oil 6 minutes each side. (You can bake in oven at 400 degrees for 15 min, turning once. Drizzle oil on top of chicken for added crispy)
Many women love being pregnant, while others don’t enjoy it. Some get nausea, headaches, and heartburn. It feels like the baby is never arriving and all we do is wait...for 40 weeks. We have morning craving, night cravings and Taco Bell cravings..lol. Our husbands do their best to help us out, cater to our desires, and some even gain weight with us..lol.
We are so lucky to be women. Men don’t have to get internal exams, or stretch marks, or hemroids, or stitches, or episiotemies; we do. Men also don’t get to feel the little flutters, the little kicks, and the little turns, like we do. They feel our bellies move with their hands, but they don’t know what it’s like to actually “feel” the bumps.
We go through 9 long months of sacrificing. Stay away from seafood, no herbal teas, no alcohol, no sushi, no sauna’s, no roller coasters. Everything is don’t do this, don’t eat that, don’t drink that. We want to make sure we play by the rules, for the sake of our growing baby.
When a woman gets pregnant we become professional OBGYN’s. We go on websites that provide us with day by day, week by week, and minute by minute changes of this little miracle. We know when the arms grow, the feet grow and when it goes from a “grain of rice”, to a “kidney bean”. We prepare the nursery, the car, and the entire house. A once prestine home set with candles, white couches, and glass tables, now will be replaced with baby swings, exer-saucers, and bassinettes. We throw away the Victoria Secret Magazines for Today’s Parent. We stock up on baby name books, and “What to Expect when you are Expecting”, and of course “Chicken Soup for the Expentant Mother’s Soul.” We keep a pregnancy diary, all our ultrasound photo’s and all our doctor appointment schedules.
Pregnancy is a blessing, a privilege, and a sheer out miracle. When I was in Grade 11 we saw a movie called “The Miracle of Life”. I am almost positive all of you have seen it..lol. It shows us a detail look at pregnancy and child birth. I think it took me 10 years to recover from what I saw..lol. (Especially because waxing obviously was not popular back then..lol) I think that is when I realized that there are no storks involved in the baby making process. I think the boys never knew that babies were born from “there”.
Once you give birth, and become a mother; Whether you have a C-section, vaginal, epidural, or not, it is something you cannot “prepare” for. Pregnancy is unpredictable, and so is birth. We can go to Lamaze, or pre-natal classes, but I do not think anything can prepare you for the job ahead. There is a saying, “Nothing worth having, comes easy.” That is a true understated statement. We grow fat, change our shapes (I don’t care how great you look after you have kids, your body is NEVER the same again..lol), and we open up areas we never thought opened that wide, all for the sake of our children. People that have never had children sometimes ask, “What does child birth feel like?” and any mother will answer the same, “It hurts like hell, but I don’t really remember what the pain felt like.” That is because as soon as we see the little miracles of life plopped right there on our bellies, the pain goes away. The 9 months of sacrifices, cravings, vomiting, and heartburn are a thing of the past. We forget all the pain of labour, and the sting of the epidural, because we got our prize in our arms.
My little sister is now expecting her first child. She is 8 years younger than me, and she seems so “little” to be having a baby..lol. I see her excitement, her glow, and her anxiousness for her baby coming in May. I look at her and see her happiness and her growing belly. She now knows what it is like to be preparing for motherhood, she now knows the joy of pregnancy, and she now knows how great it is to have that little life inside of her. A feeling that cannot be duplicated, explained, or ever replaced..by anything!
That’s my peace today!
Breaded Chicken Cutlets
6 thinly sliced chicken
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 cup or so olive or grape seed oil for frying
Whisk egg in a bowl. In a seperate shallow baking dish put breadcrumbs and chopped parsley. Dip chicken in egg, remove and allow egg to drip off before placing in breadcrumbs. Bread and fry in olive oil 6 minutes each side. (You can bake in oven at 400 degrees for 15 min, turning once. Drizzle oil on top of chicken for added crispy)
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