Fitting It All In

Life has become so busy in the last few weeks!  With my husband working out of town during the week, two littles and a home to care for, and work in full swing it doesn't feel like there's room for much else.  Or so I thought... until I volunteered for the daycare board of directors, and started a fitness challenge at work.  Now I really think there isn't room for much more!

The fitness challenge in particular seems to have taken over my life.  It's a 100 day step count challenge, run by an external company.  And does the company ever know what they're doing!  It doesn't matter what motivates you, they have something to spur you on.  There are lifestyle scores that go up as you walk more, there are targets and challenges.  There's your team egging you on, and your personal stats versus the other 340,000 people participating, your team stats versus all other teams, or versus your organisation.  Seriously.  It's taking over my life.  All we talk about at lunch are steps.  We're all starting to move towards our target weights because we're so busy walking we don't have time to snack.  Literally, I'm usually a terrible evening snacker, and now I hardly have a bite after supper because I'm busy walking.  And walking.  And walking.  The amazing thing is that I'm much more active than I was, having nearly doubled my daily average in the last twenty days.  Hooray!  I am absolutely loving it, and feel great about my new activity levels.  I especially love that after 100 days, being active will be my new norm and I'll be able to dial it back to something a bit more sustainable but decidedly more active than my before challenge state.  It is however a bit daunting to think about how much stepping the next 80 days holds...

The thing about the fitness challenge that has been most challenging is fitting everything in.  I really want my weekends to be about family time, but Mini Muffin is too old to want to ride in a stroller for long and is too young to go any great distance on foot or bike.  Running around in the backyard or park help, but really only contribute a couple of thousand steps to the total (which doesn't get me where I need to be).  And once the kids are in bed, I have the opportunity to zip out for a walk or run leaving my hubby at home, but I also want to spend time with him.  Fitting it all in is just so tough!

Yesterday however, I came up with a master plan that did fit everything in.  My husband needed new running shoes, and the store was in an area of town we don't often go to.  We all went along, and when we got there I popped Little Smiling Man into the stroller and sent Mini Muffin into the store with Daddy.  Little Smiling Man and I spent the next half hour or so walking, and met up with Mini Muffin and Daddy at the end of a trail up the road.  We then went on a gravel, wooded path and enjoyed hearing the wind in the trees without cars around.  Mini Muffin ran ahead, looked at all sorts of things that interested her, and we all talked and enjoyed ourselves.  When she got tired, she got to ride on Daddy's shoulders.  At the end of the walk, we all piled back into the van and headed home.  So, all in all; my husband got his runners, Little Smiling Man got a stroller nap in, Mini Muffin got a nature walk, fresh air and exercise, we all got family time, and I got 6800 steps! 

It definitely took some planning, but working to fit it all in was so worthwhile!  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another couple thousand steps to get in before bed...

Ring Around the Tub Banished... Naturally!

Happy Victoria Day!  This long weekend the weather has been so summer like.  And with summer comes lots and lots of outdoor playtime, sunscreen, gardening and REALLY dirty kids!

We've been spending our weekend almost exclusively outdoors.  We've prepped and planted our flower and vegetable gardens, played in sand and water, run around for some backyard soccer rocker, and brought out all of the summer outdoor toys.  It's been fantastic, and we've all benefited from some sunshine and fresh air.  Last night both kids were fast asleep by 7:20, so my husband and I even got some time to reconnect and enjoy each other's company before it was time to turn in.

Now, to the topic of this post.  On Saturday, after gymnastics and a few errands in the morning, we spent the afternoon outside.  There was lots of sunscreen, digging in the garden, play in the sand table, and general running around in the grass and dandelions.  Both kids were dirty by dinner time.  Really dirty.  I took them straight upstairs and dumped them into the tub before dinner.  Sunday morning as I got myself ready for the day, I noticed that my previously clean tub had a pretty serious ring around it.  A brown, greasy, gungy ring of sunscreen and dirt.  I rubbed at it, and it wasn't going anywhere.  I showered and poked at it while I was in there, and it didn't budge.  Once I'd finished I took a picture of my gubby tub... as you do...

Ring around the tub

Next, I grabbed my favourite cleaning agent - plain white vinegar.  I decided to give it a go, and see how a product without the usual chemical cocktail found in most cleaning products would stand up to this mess.  I dampened a rag, then dipped it in vinegar.  I gently rubbed it along the ring the whole way around the tub.  By the time I got around the tub, I figured it probably had had enough time to do its magic so I just ran the cloth around the tub one more time.  I used medium pressure, but certainly wasn't scrubbing or working too hard.  The ring appeared to have gone, just like that!  I ran my finger along it and it was no longer grimy or greasy, and there wasn't a trace of dirt.  So, I gave it a quick rinse and was done, without touching anything but a cloth and my trusty bottle of vinegar.

After!  Sunscreen and dirt ring banished!

With summer just beginning, I'm happy to have found this solution now.  I suspect there will be many more sunscreen and dirt bathtub rings in my future!

Random Laundry Tip

Last weekend when we were out and about doing errands, when the backseat suddenly got quiet.  Both Mini Muffin and Little Smiling Man had fallen asleep in their carseats!  We continued about our errands, with either my husband or I darting into the store while the other waited in the car with our sleeping angels.  During my wait in the car, I pulled out an issue of Canadian Living I've been keeping in the center console for just such an occasion.  It was nice to just relax and read in the car for five minutes... which probably speaks to how hectic life has been lately.

Fast forward, and I'm at home desperately trying to catch up on laundry.  My laundry philosophy is quite basic - keep on top of it, and keep it simple.  My wash routine is pretty standard (e.g. laundry soap and a wash cycle appropriate for the level of dirt), and for drying I either line dry or just put the clothes straight in the dryer.  I've never been big on fabric softener, but used to use dryer sheets with every load.  I decided to stop using them in the lead up to Mini Muffin's birth; I wanted to avoid using any products that could irritate her skin, and I also wanted to reduce the chemicals she'd be exposed to.  I loved the smell dryer sheets gave my laundry, but have no idea what goes into making that nice scent... and I probably don't want to know!  As an added bonus, eliminating dryer sheets has also gotten rid of the gradual plugging of my dryer's lint trap with whatever that waxy substance on them is.        

Once I'd stopped using dryer sheets the only real differences I noticed were that our laundry now smelled like beautifully clean nothing, and at times was full of static.  I've been living with static for a few years now, but it's been getting worse lately.  I suspect my husband's new work socks are the culprit, but who knows?  So, on Sunday night as I pulled apart two pieces of clothing crackling with static, I decided to try a tip I'd read in Canadian Living.  I searched my closet and found the one wire clothes hanger I'd missed discarding last time I'd cleaned it out.  Then, I held up each piece of clothing and ran the clothes hanger up and down it.  Voila, no more static!  It's that simple.  

The clothes hanger trick is also a great tip for travelling.  I know I've often found my dress and nylons to have more attraction to each other than I'd like while staying at hotels.  I've tried to deal with it with everything from rubbing a dryer sheet on my nylons, to spritzing my legs with hairspray.  This seems like a much easier solution, contact with a strip of metal to diffuse the charge, and you're good to go... static free!

Needless to say, that wire clothes hanger is now carefully stored at the front of my closet for future static eliminating duties.  

Celebratory Sweet Potato Waffles

Today is Mini Muffin's third birthday!  Everyone says it, but while the days can be long, the years truly are short.  Suddenly my little first born baby has grown into a little girl who is more preschooler than toddler, and is absolutely beautiful both inside and out.  She makes me laugh every day and makes me want to be the best mom I can be.  She's full of love, energy, joy and wonder, and I hope those characteristics only grow stronger with age.

This morning she woke up with a big smile on her face; she's been asking if it's almost her "Happy Day" since July, so it's been a long time coming.  After I finished singing Happy Birthday, her first question was "Where's my cake?".  Luckily I'd thought ahead, and had a great alternative available for her... waffles for breakfast!

My husband makes waffles almost every weekend, usually with Mini Muffin as his helper.  His version involves stiff peaked egg whites to make them light and fluffy and oh so delicious.  While I love them, I don't love the effort and extra dishes their preparation entails.  So last night I set about making my own waffle recipe and included sweet potato.  I will admit that with my husband out of town and my mom (who was staying with us to help) having gone home yesterday, I felt like a superstar when I got the kids to bed, did all my cleaning/straightening while the sweet potato was steaming, prepped the wet and dry ingredients (so all I'd have to do was combine them and cook in the morning), and still got to bed in good time.  This morning, I got up 15 minutes early to make sure I had time to get both myself and the waffles organised before my early rising Little Smiling Man got up for the day.  It all came together perfectly, Little Smiling Man "slept in" and I managed to take the last waffle out of the iron just as Mini Muffin woke up.  Hooray!

My sweet potato waffles are quite dense and slightly sweet, and as such I found them very satisfying.  I even took a left over waffle with me to have as a snack at work - it was tasty even unheated and without toppings!  As an added bonus, the texture of these waffles stands up really well to little hands so they make a great finger food.

Sweet Potato Waffles

Staying warm in the oven until the Birthday Girl awakes!

1c mashed sweet potato
1c 2% milk
1 egg
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp melted butter (optional)
1 1/2c all purpose flour*
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch salt

1.  Peel, chop and steam sweet potato until soft.  Mash well, minimising lumps.
2.  Combine sweet potato, milk, egg, maple syrup and butter**.
3.   Blend remaining dry ingredients.
4.  Pour wet ingredients into dry and combine to form a thick batter.
5.  Grease waffle iron and cook.  I found a lower heat setting to give fully cooked and lightly browned waffles - setting 2 of 6 on my iron.
6.  Enjoy with butter and syrup, fruit and whipped cream, fruit sauce, or on their own!

Makes 6 waffles

* Whole wheat flour and a small amount of gluten flour could be substituted for white flour; I chose white flour because the sweet potato makes these waffles pretty dense as is.
** In my bleary eyed state this morning I completely forgot to add the butter I'd planned to include - the waffles turned out well without!

Mini Muffin was thrilled at surprise week day waffles!  After I topped them with butter and little bit of maple syrup, she tucked in and I held my breath hoping she wouldn't notice that they weren't "normal" waffles.  Her first response was "Mmmm... mmmm...."; music to my ears! And about four bites in she added:

Mini Muffin: "Did you put cinnamon?"
Mommy: "Yes, I did."
Mini Muffin: "Does Mommy's waffle have cinnamon?"
Mommy: "Yes, it does."
Mini Muffin: "We like cinnamon!" (smiles)

Birthday Breakfast in Progress!

Sweet success to start my Friday morning.  I am one happy momma, and aptly so since as Mini Muffin says, a birthday is a "Happy Day".

Spasagne... and life just got a bit more complicated

We just had a total whirl wind weekend - a trip to my mom's place five hours away, my sister's bridal shower, a drive home immediately afterwards so that I could get up early to run on a marathon relay team with my coworkers, and then my husband heading back down south to start a new job.  Phew!  I think we'll all be using this week to recover.

My husband's new job is a pretty exciting prospect.  It'll put him working closer to home and with shorter working hours so he'll have more family time.  And it's in a field he loves - it couldn't be better!  The tough part (which is making life a bit more complicated) is that there's a long training period which will take him away from home Monday to Friday for months.  This week my mom is visiting to help out, which is amazing.  Absolutely amazing.  But, she won't always be here, so I'm all about finding ways to simplify everyday tasks and keep myself sane.

And so, I thought I'd share the dinner I prepared tonight.  I inadvertently invented and named it a couple of years ago, and it's been making regular appearances on our menu ever since.  Yesterday I found myself officially out of meal planning ideas, and decided to throw Spasagne in the mix as an easy option for a Monday.  I prepped it while the kids were munching on cheese, crackers and fruit yesterday afternoon, and today it just needed to be popped into the oven.  It was a delicious dinner, with almost no effort! 

So, I give you...

Spasagne (hint: it's a cross between spaghetti and lasagne)

Pasta and Homemade Meat Sauce - just add cheese

1 family portion of spaghetti (cooked)
1 family portion of meat sauce
1/2 - 1 c grated mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1.  Cook spaghetti to al dente consistency.  Note that whole wheat pasta is not appropriate for this recipe, as it tends to lose texture.  We use 'Smart' brand pasta and it works well.
2.  Combine meat sauce and cooked pasta.
3.  Transfer into casserole dish and top with cheeses.
4.  Cover and bake at 350F until heated through and bubbly.  Let rest five minutes, cut into square slices and serve.

Note - To make ahead, follow steps 1-3, then refrigerate overnight. 

Hot from the oven and ready to enjoy!

And, in the spirit of keeping things simple, here's a short list of what I love about Spasagne:
1.  It's quick and easy.
2.  It incorporates the cheesy goodness of lasagne, without the fuss of layering pasta and sauce.
3.  I can make it with the homemade meat sauce that I have in my freezer, so it's a weeknight, home cooked meal ready in no time.
4.  I can sneak extra veggies into it via the sauce; kids will probably be too distracted by the cheesy goodness to even notice.
5.  My family loves it.  My mom even went back for seconds tonight, and that never happens!   

Fantastic Family Fun

Mini Muffin is a big fan of soccer.  One day last year she suddenly proclaimed "I'm a Soccer Rocker!!!" and ever since she hasn't turned down a chance to kick around a ball.  I have no idea where Soccer Rocker came from, but it's now the official name of soccer in our home.  Not surprisingly Mini Muffin started ploughing through her dinner last night, giving us "Almost there!" updates after every bite when asked if she wanted to play Soccer Rocker after supper.  We'd decided to diverge from our normal weeknight routine of dinner, a few minutes of play and then bedtime; instead having a quick dinner so we could all go play in the backyard!  Mini Muffin ended up having a pretty big dinner, and before long we were all outside playing with a regular soccer ball, a mini soccer ball and a small net.

This was one of the first times we've been able to include Little Smiling Man in outdoor play.  Previously he'd be in the carrier or stroller watching from the sidelines, but now that he's walking he wants to be in the thick of it!  He spent most of the time toddling around on the uneven ground, trying to kick the mini ball, as well as picking up, carrying and throwing it.  When he got tired, he hung out by the shed watching, occasionally coming back into the foray to try and score a goal (or steal the ball)!  Not only was the fresh air good for him, but the activities were great for his gross motor skills.  Walking on grass is a lot more difficult than a smooth indoor floor, and his balance was noticeably improving by the time we headed inside.  And of course kicking and throwing skills are also great to practice.  I also liked that he got one on one active play time with each of his parents, as well as his sister and got to watch all of us interact as we played.

Mini Muffin was all over the place and loved every minute of it.  She chased down balls, dribbled and kicked both balls and was pretty shameless with using her hands to get the ball away from Mommy or Daddy.  She loved racing to get the ball from every corner of the yard as well; there was a lot of huffing and puffing!  Towards the end, my little Soccer Rocker was pretty tired so she turned her attention to throwing and catching the mini soccer ball.  Her catching skills are getting better, and she completely cracked us up when she missed catching the ball and would laugh saying "Silly Mommy!" or "Silly Daddy!".  As if it was our throwing skills that were the only issue!

My husband and I got to take turns playing with each of the kids, and we had some of our own soccer rocker battles full of laughter.  My husband is much better at controlling the ball than I am, so really all I could hope to do was deflect the ball, or kick it away from him.  In any case, we both managed to score a goal or two on each other, which was fun!  And, it was nice for me to clear out the cobwebs after a pretty dull and sedentary day at work. 

When bedtime was approaching we headed inside to give the kids a quick bath and tucked them happily into bed.  I really do hope that this kind of family time will form some the kid's earliest memories.  All of us having fun together, laughing and being active!

My kind of Saturday morning...

This morning, we broke from our usual Saturday morning routine of waffles, play, and then Mini Muffin's gymnastics.  Instead we had breakfast and playtime, my husband started switching over to our summer tires, and then he took Mini Muffin to gymnastics solo.  Little Smiling Man and I packed up and headed to a mom to mom consignment sale instead!  Now, I've previously sung the virtues of my favourite consignment store, but now it's time to heap praise on how amazing mom to mom sales are!  I seriously recommend checking out what's available to you locally; there are great deals to be had!

The sale I attended was an annual one hosted by our local multiple births society.  The vendors aren't exclusively twin parents, but many of them are which means that there are lots of good quality items... in multiple. Last year I had some great scores on everything from potties to swim gear to sippy cups.  Pricing is often better than consignment stores since the sellers want to be sure they sell everything they've brought, and there tends to be lots of variety.  My strategy for these sales is that since you never know what you might find, go with a shopping bag ready to fill with treasures and an open mind (e.g. no shopping list). 

Little Smiling Man and I arrived to a packed parking lot about an hour after the sale had started.  Once I finally got a parking spot, I popped him in the carrier and headed in.  After my first survey of the tables I mentally sighed that you win some, you lose some.  I was not inspired.  Most tables were almost exclusively clothes, and as you might recall I really dislike sifting through second hand clothing looking for gems.  Many had the same pricing as my consignment store, so I figured I may as well sift through well organised racks at my leisure, as opposed to heaped tables in a crowded gymnasium. 

Then, I found it - the table designed just for me!  The seller must have had boy/girl twins because everything was being sold in the same sizes for boys and girls.  Her organisational scheme was fantastic; Ziploc bags with three of this, or five of that at super low prices.  I didn't get to see exactly what I was buying, but at $1 for three 4T skirts, I didn't have much to lose.  So, I stocked up on great finds for Mini Muffin this summer, and for Little Smiling Man a year or two from now.  All I can say is $29 can go a long way... and that includes the $2 entry fee.

Here's what I came home with:

• 1 pair size 9 girls rubber boots

  

  The Haul - I love a good bargain!

• 1 pair size 9 girls water shoes
• 1 pair size 4 boys sandals
• 2 insulated sippy cups
• 1 straw cup
• 1 gender neutral tshirt
• 3 size 4T skirts
• 5 size 4T girls tank tops
• 2 pairs size 4T girls pjs
• 1 size 4/5T girls Columbia brand coat
• 3 pairs size 3T boys pants
• 2 size 3T boys dress shirts
• 1 pair size 3T boys dress pants
• 6 small toy trucks

All in all, I'm feeling pretty pumped about my finds.  I love that they're all good quality, and they're all things we need and will use.  And, I love that they were a small fraction of full price.  What a great way to start the weekend!

So Long Man Cave!

Over the weekend we finally packed away Little Smiling Man's bouncer/exersaucer.  In all reality we could have done it a couple of months ago since it's been quite some time since he'd let us put him in it, but it's had a few extra uses for him so we waited.  First, since he learned to pull to standing he's enjoyed playing with the toys while standing next to it.  Second, since almost the day we brought it out he's loved playing under and behind it.  So we dubbed the bouncer Little Smiling Man's "Man Cave"! 

Often, he'd pull a few toys underneath and sit there playing, occasionally peeking out to check out what the rest of the family was doing.  Sometimes he'd just go down there to hang out and possibly to escape Mini Muffin's attentions(?).  Other times, he'd head behind the bouncer to play with whatever he'd squirrelled back there days before.  However, his favourite thing to do in his Man Cave was to play with and disassemble the foam letter tiles we had stacked behind it.  Mini Muffin even joined in at times, treating them as little puzzles.  Did you know that the outline of a foam tile 8 also makes an excellent crown?  Or that the center piece of an O makes a great play phone?

Since it's tricky for adults to manoeuvre the Man Cave, we generally just let it be, and soon there was a massive mess of foam letters back there.  Every few weeks we'd tidy them up, but generally they were just left as a jumbled pile for playing.  Below is a picture of Little Smiling Man from before Christmas playing behind his Man Cave.  The tiles had recently been straightened so there's still a semblance of a pile - picture them in their normal state, as one big mound of disassembled tiles.  Fun for kids and rather unsightly for everyone else!

Playing with letters in the Man Cave

Post Man Cave - easily accessible and untouched!

Sunday night, after the bouncer was packed away and the kids were in bed, my husband and I decided to at long last tidy up the letters.  Since every single tile had been disassembled there were quite a few to put together.  I'd find a matching pair and my husband would put them together and stack them.  We joked that it was a bit like being a Sesame Street Muppet - we had to tidy up and organise our letters before bed.  To us it sounded like a task worthy of Bert and Ernie!

Now that everyone has easy access to that corner, it seems to have lost its allure to Little Smiling Man.  The tiles have remained untouched for five whole days!  However, I suspect he'll rediscover them at some point and we'll have the same old mess; just with easier access to clean it up.  Who knows, maybe Little Smiling Man will even return to his Man Cave someday when the bouncer is returned to the corner for his future sibling.

Budget Helper - Springtime!

Spring finally made it to our part of the world!  After a sunny few days of above freezing temperatures, Mother Nature decided to end the teasing and bring back winter.  We've had a few weeks of below seasonal temperatures, and precipitation ranging from sleet to freezing rain to snow.  Everyone I know is totally over winter - even Mini Muffin was less enthusiastic to play in the snow.  Finally, this weekend the tides have turned and we're able to enjoy a sunny and unseasonably warm couple of days!  Yahoo!  I was marvelling on my run this morning that only a week ago I was having trouble navigating the ice and snow, and now the roads and bare and dry.  Fantastic!

Today also marks the seasonal return of one of my favourite budget savers - line drying!  The inaugural load is just sheets, so the photo isn't super exciting... unless you consider that those are winter sheets that are about to be packed away.  In that case, it makes it slightly more exciting I think!

A true sign of spring - sheets flapping in the breeze!

Now, let me tell you about my clothesline.  I've had it for three years now, and I love it.  It gets heavy use from late April through October, and is holding up very well.  With two young children, the laundry pile seems endless, so there are real savings there.  And, it saves heating up my house during hot weather by running the dryer. 

As you can see, it's a bit different than what most people think of when they think about clotheslines.  When I was researching them, I knew that I wanted one, but didn't want a permanent installation.  So, no strung across the yard jobbies, nor the umbrella style that my grandma used to have.  Collapsible racks to use on the deck just didn't have enough space.  And then I found this one - it's umbrella style, but also collapsible.  So, when I'm not using it, it's stored unobtrusively on the side of my deck.  And, when I am using it, it's a full sized umbrella clothesline.  Talk about perfect.  I'm glad I did some research as I certainly didn't know that this style existed, yet there it was as our local Canadian Tire! 

Here's to spring, and the return of clothes flapping in the breeze under sunny skies!   

Freezer Meals!

I've always been a planner.  My mom recently commented that I'm the same today as I was as a child - I have a plan, a backup plan, and a plan for every eventuality I can imagine. As such, it's really no surprise that I've been thinking about and planning how my household would run with two busy kids and two busy working parents.

One of my big concerns is providing healthy suppers with lots of variety, and being able to get those suppers on the table within minutes. We are, after all, a hungry tribe when we walk in the door at 5pm, and at that point it's definitely too late for a snack to get us through to dinner. And so, prior to my return to work last week, I went all Once A Month Mom and filled my freezer full of wholesome dinners that could be on the table in moments. My goal was to have two meals a week for the first two months ready to go in my freezer, so a total of 16 meals. And my window to make it happen was nap time. It was a busy week of cooking!

First, I spent some time planning. For recipes, I pulled from our favourites, got ideas from the internet, and scoured my cookbooks. I chose to freeze fully cooked meals to minimise my on the day prep time. Next up was making a list and shopping. Given more time I would have waited for meats to come on sale and worked my recipes for what was available, but in a pinch Costco is certainly a good source of high quality, competitively priced meats. Then with my fridge full of veggies and about 10 lb of meat, it was time to get cooking!

By the end of the week, my freezer happily contained:
4 meals of Meat Sauce
3 meals of Thai Coconut Chicken
2 meals of Rosemary Chicken
2 meals of Lemon Ginger Chicken
3 meals of Swiss Steak
1 meal of Meatloaf
1 meal of Sloppy Joes

Each one needs a side on the day, which will ideally be set up the night before (e.g. rice measured into the rice cooker waiting for water and power, veggies chopped and waiting in the fridge to be steamed).  Each meal, with the exception of the meatloaf, is also frozen into a large, labelled freezer bag.  So, the night before the meal can be transferred from freezer to fridge, and later poured into a pot for a quick heat before we can all dig in.

Now, here are my tips for a freezer meal cooking frenzy:

• Plan ahead - recipes, groceries, order of cooking and storage.  Bonus points if you can sequence your prep to minimize the dishes afterwards!
• Wear running shoes - unless you have a cork floor or an ergonomic mat, it's definitely worthwhile to wear supportive shoes - your back will thank you!
• Freezer bags save a tonne of space!  Lay flat to freeze and they'll stack nicely in your freezer.  Plus, removing excessive air is easy with the help of a straw.
• Label everything - it's amazing how similar things look when they're frozen.  Imagine the disappointment of defrosting what you think is chili and discovering that it's actually meat sauce.  As someone that experienced this (but didn't realise until I was at work with no other lunch options but a container of meat sauce), I can tell you it's not fun.
• Keep a tally of what's in your freezer - I put my list on my meal planning white board in my kitchen.  This way you can keep track of your meal options, and theoretically none of them will get lost in the far reaches of your deep freezer, never to be seen again.

So, how is it going so far?  We didn't use any freezer meals for my first week back.  Little Smiling Man had a fever after only one day at daycare, so I was home with him for two days, making meal prep relatively easy.  This week, we've had leftovers or cooked quick meals like stir fry each night so far.  However, tomorrow meat sauce, pasta and mozzarella are on the menu!

Tomorrow Night's Dinner (thawing in progress!)

The Guilt Trap

Tuesday was my first day back at work.  I was up and out of the house at 5:50, before the kids were up.  It was tough.  I would say even tougher than when I went back to work when Mini Muffin was one.  I missed them both terribly... like to the point that I'm seriously questioning whether or not I can actually handle this working mom gig again.  I left work a bit early and booted it across the city to pick up my loves.  Of course they'd both had wonderful days (unlike their guilt ridden mother).  Poor Little Smiling Man though, he really is a bit overwhelmed.  He looked at me, smiled, and then burst into inconsolable tears.  Poor wee mite.

By bedtime, Little Smiling Man was not smiley in the least, and had a fever.  In the morning it was a bit lower but definitely still there, so I called in and stayed home with him.  It ended up being the right decision since a) he was miserable, and b) his fever had spiked back up by 10am.  He was feverish again at bedtime, and again this morning.  And so, today is my third day of work, and also marks my second day home with a sick baby.  67% absenteeism.  Yikes! 

So, here is the guilt trap I'm stuck in.  When I leave for work, I'm full to overflowing with mommy guilt for leaving Mini Muffin and Little Smiling Man in daycare.  I'm not with them all day long, it's a busy and sometimes stressful environment, some of the kids teach them things we'd rather they not do (like Mini Muffin's new found ability to make herself belch - ugh), and I miss them terribly.  Yet, when I stay home with them I have work guilt, for being home when I'm healthy and capable of working.  I also have guilt that I love these extra stolen moments with the babes; the only reason that these moments are available is because they're sick and I desperately want them to be healthy and happy.

See my problem?  I just cannot win.  Guilt for going to work, and guilt for staying home.  Luckily though, I can see it for what it is, and since there's no winning I might as well just roll with it.  So for today, I am enjoying all of these extra Little Smiling Man cuddles while he gets better, and tomorrow I'll try once again for my second guilt ridden day at work.

End of an Era

Well, it's official.  Effective tomorrow morning, I will be back at work full time.  I'm heartbroken to be leaving these little ones for such long and regular stretches of time, and the whole thing is frankly making me anxious.  But, we'll give it a try and see how it goes.

One of the many, many things that I'll miss is making mommy-daughter handprint paintings with Mini Muffin before 7am!

Dinosaurs on the Stairs?

Mini Muffin's imagination has been flourishing lately.  She's doing really well at independent, creative play, and loves pretending to be various animals and creatures.  Frogs, puppies, tigers and dinosaurs feature heavily, as do Anna and Elsa from Frozen of course!

Her imagination has also been encroaching on dinner time recently.  One of her new dinner procrastination techniques is seeing a "scary dinosaur", and either running away, or being so distracted by it that she can't/won't eat.  I love her use of imagination and certainly don't want to interrupt it, but I also need her to eat dinner (and stop distracting her brother from his dinner with screams, roars, and the like!)... What to do?

One evening I found a solution that's working perfectly (for now) - I turned to the dinosaur and gave it a serious talk.  I explained that Mini Muffin was having dinner, and that he needed to leave her alone so she could eat her healthy supper and grow big and strong.  I told the dinosaur that if he couldn't do that, he'd have to go sit on the step. (Background: When Mini Muffin is struggling with big emotions we sit with her on the step and take deep breaths and talk until we can resume normal play.)  The dinosaur was even talking back a bit - cheeky guy! So, I sent him to the step until dinner was over. 

Can you spot the dinosaur?

Mini Muffin looked at the step regularly, and we talked about how even dinosaurs have to behave at supper time.  After dinner, the dinosaur didn't seem to be an issue anymore, though every couple of days I find myself sending some creature or another to sit on the stairs during meals, snacks or at nap time.  Things you never thought you'd find yourself doing...

Switching Places

With my health challenges in February, my husband spent a lot more time as the primary caregiver for Mini Muffin and Little Smiling Man than usual.  Don't get me wrong; he is always an involved parent, but there's a big difference between being an involved parent who leaves the home to work five days a week before the kids are up in the morning, and being a primary caregiver who spends every waking moment with the kids. 

Fairly early in the process (when I wasn't able to contribute to their care at all aside from nursing), I came downstairs for lunch one day.  All morning I'd been hearing various levels of whining, interactions between the kids, and general hoopla.  As I entered the kitchen and course corrected Mini Muffin from pushing her brother, my husband said "Welcome to my day...", thought for a second and added "Of course you might just call this an average Tuesday...".  To me, it didn't sound like an average Tuesday, but it did sound like the kids testing the boundaries to see exactly where they lay while Mama wasn't around.  And sometimes, on a not so average Tuesday, that's my experience too.  Regardless, it was nice to hear the acknowledgement that parenting is tough sometimes.  While my husband has always recognised this, sometimes it's truly powerful to experience it for yourself.

As his time at home continued, they definitely got in a groove and I was able to help more and more.  My husband started planning activities more proactively, and also became more strict about screen time, making for lots of family fun time.  I think my husband experienced some of the awesome things - the snuggles, the play, the smiles and laughs.  He also got to experience some of the tougher aspects for himself - a tough night of teething leading to both parent and baby being exhausted, and still needing to start the day with your toddler and find patience through your own exhaustion. 

Last weekend, we also did an impromptu switching of places.  We went out for a family brunch, and instead of our usual arrangement of me sitting with Little Smiling Man and him sitting with Mini Muffin, we changed it up.  I think the original arrangement was just a remnant from the early days when we couldn't get through a meal without my needing to nurse the little guy, but regardless we'd never changed it!  When Mini Muffin's meal came, I cut it up and got her going, and then turned to enjoy my own meal while my husband kept the flow of food going for Little Smiling Man.  I didn't think much of it until the end of the meal when my husband said "Well, I think I now have a bit of appreciation for what it's usually like for you when we eat out".  I had no idea what he meant until he explained to me that he was used to getting Mini Muffin set and then enjoying his own meal.  But, when we had Little Smiling Man in his charge he was constantly needing to stop eating his own meal in order to cut up fruit or toast or cheese, that his fingers were sticky from the fruit, and that there weren't nearly enough napkins.  I think I actually laughed, I'd never even thought about it, but it was all so true!  I told him to just wait until Little Smiling Man is potty training and desperately needs a washroom break just as you're picking up your knife and fork for a lovely hot meal.  It happens all the time to me with Mini Muffin!

On reflection, switching places has been really good for us.  It's helped us appreciate each others norms, and has definitely helped improve our empathy towards each other.  I know what it's like to be away from the kids for the day and only get a short time with them, and my husband knows how long a day can be with two little ones who need you for everything.  He also knows how much fun it is when you get your stride and everyone is having fun; there's truly nothing better! 

Kid's Clothes Shopping Spree for Less

Last week I realised that both kids have gone through a growth spurt.  Mini Muffin has grown 2" in the last two months and her 3T shirts are quickly becoming belly shirts.  Little Smiling Man's 12 month sized pants are looking more like capris, and he's popping snaps on his 12 month onesies.  It truly is incredible how quickly these kids grow!

As I started packing away the too small clothes, and pulling out the gifts, hand-me-downs, and previous purchases of the next sized up clothing, it quickly became apparent that neither Mini Muffin nor Little Smiling Man had nearly enough clothing for the coming weeks or months... or until the next growth spurt strikes!

So, on Friday I headed to my favourite consignment store to shore up my supplies of kid's clothes.  I can't even pretend to enjoy shopping, and the thought of consignment shopping has always sent a shiver of fear through me - wading through crowded, disorganised racks of clothing in poor condition, searching for the gems.  Thankfully, about a year ago I found my kind of consignment store.  It's well organised and spacious, and they only buy new or very gently used quality clothing. 

Little Smiling Man scoping out the toy section

They price according to type of clothing, and regularly have clearance sales to keep their store from becoming over crowded with unpopular items.  It's fantastic not having to carefully inspect each item, and the organisation and pricing scheme makes it easy to shop, and even to be picky about brands.  When I have lots of time, I almost enjoy sifting through for amazing finds from Baby Gap, Carter's and Children's Place.

Unfortunately, when I went shopping on Friday, Little Smiling Man was not in the mood to stay still, and was very much enjoying wiggling away from me, crawling around corners, down aisles, and generally keeping me nicely distracted from the task at hand.

As a result, my shop was hurried, and I was less discerning than normal so there were more "expensive" (aka $4) purchases in my pile than normal.  At the till, I had a bit of a shock when the total came to $75!!  That is, until I looked at my huge bag of purchases, all name brand, and started estimating the retail value.  I'm confident that I enjoyed massive savings, for a total of 27 high quality kid's clothing items, and was so excited I had to share!



So, for a grand total of $75, I was able to purchase the following -

Girl's 4T:

Girl's 4T

• 1 sundress
• 1 summer skirt
• 1 overall style dress
• 2 pairs of pants
• 1 fleece jacket (dressy)
• 1 sweatshirt
• 1 hat
• 6 long sleeved shirts

The highlight purchases were:

• Osh Kosh brand dress in new condition - $4
• Dressy fleece jacket from Old Navy in new condition - $4
• Big Hero 6 shirt featuring Honey Lemon - $1
• Disney brand Frozen sweatshirt for my little Frozen fiend - $2

Boy's 18-24 Months:

Boy's 18-24 Months

• 1 3pc fleece outfit
• 1 2pc outfit
• 1 spring jacket
• 1 hooded sweater
• 2 short sleeved rompers
• 2 long sleeved rompers
• 1 short sleeved shirt
• 2 long sleeved shirts
• 1 swimsuit
• 1 hat

The highlight purchases were:

• 3pc Carter's fleece outfit in new condition; we had the same one in the 12 month size and I loved it.  So happy to find another for only $4 instead of its original $20 retail price!
• Spring jacket in new condition - $3
• Brimmed summer hat with chin strap, new condition - $1

With the cheapest items likely running around $8 new, and the more expensive items being in the $20 range, I estimate that the average retail price for these items would be around $14, putting the total value of my purchases at about $380 (not including taxes) and nearly $430 including HST. 

I must say that an estimated 80%+ savings on items we need is not bad for half an hour's distracted shopping!  Next time I'll have to find time to go solo and see what finds I can find!   

Solution to the Door Dilemma

It's been a little while!  We enjoyed our long weekend, celebrating both Valentine's Day and Family Day.  We kept our weekend pretty low key; I was pretty under the weather for most of it, but certainly did enjoy some family time.

When I was thinking about what to write today, I decided to share a recent "innovation" I've had to help keep Little Smiling Man safe while keeping my sanity in check.  A few months ago, Mini Muffin learnt how to open doors.  She had been closing doors for a while, but being able to open them as well was a complete game changer!  Now, she enjoys asking for "privacy" and coming and going as she pleases.  She also loves that now that Little Smiling Man is mobile, he can follow or sometimes even chase her.  Sometimes, we close the gate at the top of the stairs, and the kids free range between the hallway and bedrooms while I do laundry, change bedding, etc.  In general it wasn't a big deal - until the door opening situation developed.  Now, it is very common for Mini Muffin to run down the hall ahead of her brother and slam her bedroom door (Mama cringes).  Twenty seconds later, the door opens so that she can check to see if her brother is at her door, and when she sees that he is, she slams the door again (Mama cringes again).  Twenty seconds later, repeat, and so on.  The door slamming has been driving me crazy.  But, beyond my nerves, I'm scared for Little Smiling Man's fingers!  I'm afraid they'll be caught in the door, or worse on the hinge side.

A quick survey of Google told me to get a pool noodle, cut it into foot long pieces with a lengthwise slit.  That way, it would fit across the top of the door, and the door would be unable to close.  Well, funnily enough, pool noodles are in pretty short supply in February. 

So, one day last week as I was folding laundry and found myself yelling that Mini Muffin needed to stop touching doors, it hit me!  An easy solution, and better yet, a solution for which I had all the required materials!  And just like that, my problem was solved.... I hung a folded hand towel in the middle of each door upstairs.  It is easy to remove, very convenient and in ready supply.  The thickness and placement on the door dictate how close to closing the door can come, and they're easy to remove when the doors do need to close (like nap time).  Mini Muffin hates this innovation since her game is ruined, Little Smiling Man has safe fingers and can get into any room he wants, and Mama no longer cringes at the sound of slamming doors.  Of course, I do spend a little more time keeping Little Smiling Man out of Mini Muffin's room when she doesn't want him there, but that seems a small price to pay. 

So here it is... my simple solution to the great door dilemma!

An easy way to keep little fingers safe!

Cutest Conversation

Mini Muffin will be two and three quarters this weekend.  Where has the time gone?  She's very talkative these days, and enjoys telling us all about the world around her in a stream of consciousness style of monologue.  Sometimes she comes out with some real gems!

As I write, she's having her nap.  We went through our normal naptime routine, but diverged slightly for a very cute conversation once the lights were out.  Normally once the light is out, she knows she needs to be still and quiet.  Today however, as we were holding hands and she was settling in to her rest, she said in a very serious voice:

"Mommy, can I talk to you for a couple of minutes?"

I felt like I was in one of those parenting videos - this would be a defining moment where my child would learn that she can always talk to me and that I'll always listen, and it would help her to grow into a confident and well adjusted kid.  Feeling like she was about to open up her little heart to me, I replied:

"Of course you can, sweetheart."
"Okay... So, how is your day going on?"
(stifling a chuckle) "I'm having a very good day, thank you.  I've been having a lot of fun with you and your brother.  How is your day going?"
"My day is good.  I got to play, and I had peanut butter bites for lunch...  How is my brother's day going on?"
"He's having a pretty good day I think.  He got to play with his baby friends this morning.  But, I think he's pretty itchy as well, so that's not great."
"He's having a rough day I think, if he's all itchy."
"I guess he is.  Now, we can talk more after your rest, it's time to be quiet and still now."
"But, we're talking about our day!"
"Yes, and I love hearing about your day, but it's time to be quiet and still for your rest.  We'll talk lots more after you wake up."

What a sweetheart!  I thought it was the sweetest thing when she wanted to ask after my day, and she did so in such a serious way; it let me know that it was important to her.  I thought it was cute that she mentioned her lunch as a highlight, since I had specially made her favourite lunch for her.  And, I thought it was so sweet that she wanted to know about Little Smiling Man's day as well. 

The whole thing was just warm and fuzzy and oh so cute.  After she finished talking, she snuggled in and drifted off for her rest.  It really was one of those parenting moments that you just want to hold onto and play back in your mind as they grow up and change.  I am so fortunate to have such a precious little daughter!

A Sprinkle of a Celebration

Over the weekend we enjoyed getting together with some good friends to play, visit and celebrate.  My two best mommy friends have daughters who are within six weeks in age to Mini Muffin, so we've always had fun getting together.  One of them also has a son who is only two weeks younger than Little Smiling Man, so we have also very much enjoyed getting the boys together and spending time together during our maternity leaves.  The third friend is due with a little boy in just a few weeks, so we will all have "matching" families!

We took some time for the girls to play (which we all wish would happen more often), and to celebrate the little man that will soon be joining us.  Since showers aren't a thing for second babies, we had a little "sprinkle" to surprise her.  We had snacks, cupcakes, lots of fun, and sent her home with meals for her freezer to help during those first few hazy weeks with a new baby.  She was surprised, and very pleased with the home cooked food she received, and, well, everyone loves cupcakes.  Especially chocolate ones with creamed cheese icing!

My original vision was a bit grander... there would be nicely decorated cupcakes (or even a cake!), the girls would do a Valentine's Day craft, and not only would I have food for my friend's freezer, but would also send her home with fresh baked muffins.  I held fast to this concept... until about 9pm Saturday.  At that point, the Thai Coconut Chicken I was making for her was about 75% complete, the cupcakes weren't started, and I had no craft planned (let alone set up).  Thinking forward, I realised that to have my husband, myself, and both kids fed and dressed, a snack set out, and the house play date ready by 10am the next morning when our guests would arrive, would be a feat in itself!  I quickly readjusted my priorities.

First, the chicken supper for my friend's freezer.  Sending her home with delicious and easy suppers was the big driver for getting everyone together.  Once it was cooked, the pot was relocated to the garage to cool overnight.  My original vision of giving the meal in a foil pan over rice was dashed when I realised that I forgot to get the pans.  However with hindsight I realised that gifting the meals in freezer bags would make for smaller storage in what would hopefully be a freezer full of good food!  And, it was super easy to finish off in the morning.  Phew!

Second, the cupcakes to celebrate with!  I used a mix (gasp!), and got them baked before bed.  Icing waited until morning, and instead of fancy piped decorations with blue tinted icing, I used some blue candies I'd picked up ahead of time just in case.  It was a super quick alternative that gave almost the same effect.  As a bonus, everyone seemed to enjoy the contrast of sour candies with sweet cake and icing.

It's a boy!  Chocolate cupcakes with creamed cheese icing... mmm...

In the end, we were ready and waiting for our guests.  The girls had a blast, and after playing in princess dresses we even had to do a thorough de-glittering of our basement (surely, that's the sign of a good party!).  We all enjoyed a healthy snack of cheese, crackers, apples, grapes and milk, and then indulged in cupcakes.  The cupcakes were definitely a hit - both of my mommy friends requested to take some home!  And, everyone left just after noon to head home for nap time. 

Looking at the morning as a whole, I think it's fair to say that it didn't match my original vision, but the most important elements were there.  Friends both little and big, fun, laughter, and a cause to celebrate.  We didn't need fancy cupcakes, structured activities, or bags and bags of food to send home with our friend.  We needed to take some time out, enjoy our children, and gift what we could to our friend in celebration of her growing family.

It really was a perfect morning to remember.

We love books!

Books have always been a huge part of my life.  My father was an elementary school resource librarian and (as you'd expect) a huge lover of books, so from a very early age I had 'appropriate literature' readily available to me at home.  As I got older, my father knew the librarians at every school I attended, so I always had dedicated and passionate resource librarians looking out for me and suggesting fantastic books for me to read.  As an adult, we regularly exchanged books as a family, reading and discussing and enjoying great literature.

Now that I'm a parent, I'm doing my best to ensure that books are a huge part of my children's lives.  My father always said that adults should read picture books too.  I never really understood it, but now appreciate that a good picture book can have strong meaning, and a well illustrated picture book has a work of art to share with every turned page.  We have books all over the house, so there's always a book close at hand.  As a result, we probably read a dozen or so books a day and cuddling up for a story is definitely one of Mini Muffin's favourite pastimes.... and favourite ways to procrastinate on actually going to bed! 

This morning, before we'd even had breakfast, Mini Muffin presented me with a pile of books to read.  As I considered the nine (yes, nine) books that needed to be read I thought to myself "Yup, we definitely have a book lover on our hands!  Success!".  We got through about half before hunger took over, and we finished the rest up after breakfast.  It made for a great start to the day!

Morning reading requests - nine books!

All of this got me to thinking.  We've been discovering so many fantastic books lately, I think that in the near future I'll start writing a few posts that share some of our favourite kid's books.  With so many books to love, and so many choices in the bookstores, I might as well put my two cents out there as to the best and brightest offerings out there!  I hope you'll enjoy the series - stay tuned!

Cutting Mama Some Slack

Monday was not a good day. 

We managed to get to play group and enjoy ourselves, but it was a battle to get out the door.  Then, it was a battle to get everyone on board with coming back home.  After lunch, Mini Muffin decided that her afternoon nap was not going to happen.  Little Smiling Man, after being awake all morning, slept less than an hour.  At 1:38, it was official.  Everyone was up, no one had any intention of sleeping, and everyone was miserable because they were tired.  As the afternoon went on my nerves got frazzled, the kids just roamed around playing at will, and my patience was soon in as short supply as structured and educational activities.  Little Smiling Man was teething hard, and becoming more distraught as the afternoon progressed due to fatigue.  Mini Muffin was sure that she wasn't tired, even though she was exhausted and irrational.  I briefly considered calling my husband and asking him to come home from work early; I felt like I was failing so badly at the whole parenting thing. 

By some wondrous occurrence of telepathy, he arrived home at 4:00; an hour and a half earlier than usual!  He found me trying to comfort Little Smiling Man in his room, and Mini Muffin in her room with pretty much every toy strewn on the floor.  I cried.  My husband jumped into action, he was amazing!  He made Mini Muffin and I a smoothie to help even us out, spent sticker time with Mini Muffin and when Little Smiling Man decided that five minute's sleep was plenty and woke up screaming he went to get him and kept him entertained.  All of this gave me a bit of time to compose myself, look around my disaster of a kitchen, and figure out what to feed the kids for supper.  Mini Muffin ended up with a peanut butter sandwich, glass of milk and an orange.  Little Smiling Man got a collection of whatever was in the fridge.  Hubby and I made due to cheese and crackers.  Thankfully everyone was asleep by 7:30, and by 7:45 the kitchen was somewhat straightened and I collapsed onto the couch with tortilla chips, salsa and a fluffy movie on Netflix.  I was in bed at 8:45, and doing a pretty good job of beating myself up over this failure of a day.  My husband, bless him, was his usual supportive self and assured me that it wasn't all that bad and that I was doing a good job.

After some rest though, I got to thinking.  Maybe he was right and it wasn't so bad after all?  In my working life, I accept that some days are better than others.  I have super productive days, and I have not so productive days.  I have days when I feel like I could conquer the world, and days when I just can't seem to win.  On the days that don't go so well, I come home, get some strength from my family, lick my wounds, and go on to face the next day.  Not the end of the world.  Yet, as a mama, I expect that every day is going to be great.  There will be smiles, fun, good memories, engaging activities.  Every day will be a win, and every day I'll conquer the mommy world.  Maybe the problem was not my bad day, maybe my expectations of myself are actually the problem.

At the end of the day, my kids still know that they're loved even if I'm short with them now and then.  They were safe.  They were dressed and fed.  Heck, they were even bathed.  I think I need to remind myself that all of those things are the most important wins on any given day, the rest is just gravy.

Tuesday was a whole new day.  I cut myself some mommy slack, and just went with it.  We had fun; we read stories, worked on puzzles and sticker activities, visited the Science Centre, and while Mini Muffin chose not to nap again (ugh), we all had a lovely afternoon.  There was playing outside, and a properly cooked dinner.  There were bedtime snuggles, and little angels tucked into their beds.  Tuesday was a day that I felt like I won.

The moral of this story?  Not every day is rosy, and that's okay.  So long as the kids have the basics and are loved, it's time for me to cut myself some slack and just go with it.  Even Mama is human and is allowed an off day every now and then, right?