Christmas Cookie Countdown

I love baking Christmas cookies. A couple weeks ago the boys and I surfed the Calgary Public Library website and we placed holds on all the cookbooks with yummy-looking cookies on their covers. One of the best books I found is titled FamilyFun's Cookies for Christmas. Between its pages I discovered a great kids' craft idea --- an advent calender made of cookies!

Over the past couple of days my boys and I made our own Christmas cookie calendar. We rolled dough, cut out stars, baked, and liberally decorated our cookies with colourful candies. I wrapped the star cookies in plastic and tied them with ribbons. We've displayed the cookies in tidy rows on a bulletin board.

My boys are very excited by the prospect of eating one cookie every day until Christmas. (I am slightly less excited about the potential sugar crashes, but it's the Christmas season so I'm willing to bend ;-).

As we decorated our cookies yesterday, I had the following conversation with my nearly-four-year-old son:

"Our advent calendar will help us count down the days until Jesus' birthday," I explained, "We will eat one cookie every day. When all the cookies are gone we know it is time for Christmas to come!"

My son's face fell and his bottom lip began to quiver. I was momentarily confused by his reaction. "But Mommy," he cried, "It won't be time for Christmas ... It will be time to make more cookies!"




Here is a copy of the recipe I used to make our advent cookie calendar. This dough is wonderful to work with. Enjoy!

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

3 1/2 C. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 C. sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour and salt. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, stir in the egg, then the corn syrup and vanilla extract. One third at a time, add the flour mixture until thoroughly mixed. Pat the dough into two disks, wrap them in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or until firm enough to roll. If the dough is too firm, soften at room temperature for about 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper and cut out the cookies with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer the shapes to an ungreased baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between the cookies. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies start to brown lightly around the edges.

Set the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool for about 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month and for up to 3 days at room temperature before you frost them. Makes 12 to 50 cookies, depending on their size.

Hungry Man

"Would you like some more orange juice?" I asked my preschooler this morning.

"Sure!" he said.

"You've gotta wash down all those eggs you ate," I commented.

"Yup," he replied.

My son smiled, "I've got to wash them right down ... into my leg!"

(My son is tall, thin and hungry all the time. We often tease him about his "hollow leg".)

The Continuing Saga ...

Our kiddies are all still sick. :-(

I took my two-year-old to the walk-in clinic last night. The doctor looked in my little guy's ears and winced. He had a bad infection in each one. The banana medicine seems to be working today, though. He has been more lively and happy. Hopefully. my little sunshine will be back to normal tomorrow.

My preschooler started out happy in the morning, but he got progressively grumpier as the day progressed. He needed a nap! He had a wicked cough this evening.

Baby Girl is doing pretty well. She still has a runny nose and cough, but she's perky and cute. She was very smiley and snuggly today.

The kids and I usually volunteer at preschool drop-in gym at the YMCA on Wednesdays. We skipped out today. We missed last week as well, and I am starting to feel a bit out of the loop. I sure hope everyone is healthy by this time next week!

At least tomorrow the cold snap will end. The temperature might even go above zero. It would love to take the kids outside.

Update On the Sickies

Our family has been battling a pesky virus for eight days now. I am feeling much better after my painful bout of mouth sores. Unfortunately, all three of our kids are still sick with wicked colds.

Our preschooler is the healthiest of the bunch. He has a runny nose and "barky" cough, but is basically fine. He's been running through the house and building spaceships all day. Nothing unusual there!

Baby Girl has been sick for a whole week already. She also has a runny nose and stubborn cough. She has not been running a fever, and is sleeping and eating normally. She continues to be smiley and happy through it all.

Our two-year-old seems to have a weaker immune system than his siblings. He always seems to get the worst of the germs in our family. He's got a horrible cold, his face is pale, he's coughing, and he's had a fever the past couple of days. He is not sleeping well at night. Last night he threw up in his bed twice, poor guy. Our little toddler is usually a bright and sunny boy, and he's trying so hard to have a good attitude. He will be singing and dancing one minute, and then start crying and need "suggles" the next.

I've been reluctant to take our two-year-old to the doctor. I don't like to give my kids unnecessary antibiotics. However, I think my little guy might be fighting a secondary infection because he's developed a fever and is uncharacteristically listless. I think it's time to have him checked out.

All in all, this has been a difficult week. We've been housebound by germs and frigid weather. Ben and I are getting sleep deprived. I'm ready for some sunshine in my life, Lord!

Winter Getaway

It is -30C outside tonight. Tahiti sounds nice right about now...

Curious?

I had a revelation, of sorts, this afternoon. It happened as I sat on my son's bed, reading Curious George and the Puppies aloud to my two-year-old.

I realized that George has no tail.

Curious George is always described as a "very curious little monkey". If George is sans tail, he cannot be a monkey. Technically, he must be classified as an ape. Curious George is probably a young chimpanzee.

A profound thought for a frosty Sunday night ...

Why We Don't Own a TV

I am glad our family doesn't have a TV. We have two computers and a WiFi network instead. Our kids watch their fair share of DVDs, but we have never owned a television.

Today I realized one big bonus of not owning a TV: Our kids do not watch commercials. We stay out of the malls at this time of year, and our children are quite sheltered from Christmas consumer panic. They don't have a clue about which toys are "cool". I don't think they realize that Christmas could involve getting lots of expensive presents.

My's son's innocence was reinforced today when someone asked what he would like to receive for Christmas.

"I'd like this game," he said, "You know what it is? It's called trekkers."

"Trekkers? I don't think I've heard of that game."

"Oh, " my three-year-old explained, "It's a game you play with black circles and red circles, and they jump over each other."

"You mean checkers?"

"Yeah! That's what I want for Christmas."

Ben and I had decided to start a tradition at Christmas this year. We want to buy one new board game as a group gift for our family each year. For this Christmas I bought a nice set of dominoes. I love classic games that have stood the test of time.

If my little boy would like a set of checkers too, I think I might have to make another trip to the store. :-)

DVD Review:

Over the Hedge

Looking for an entertaining, family-focused show? Need a good belly laugh? Into lovable, fuzzy, cute and cuddly critters? You might enjoy Over the Hedge as much as I did.

I'll admit, I've become a bit jaded towards Dreamworks' films. Shrek was hilarious, but the humour was too rude for my impressionable little guys. I thought Shark Tale was too adult, and some scenes in Madagascar were too intense.

I believe Over the Hedge strikes the perfect balance between kid-friendly fun and clever humour aimed at adults. The casting is terrific. I especially liked Vern the turtle and Hammy the manic squirrel.

Over the Hedge's story centres around the meaning of family. Courageous critters repeatedly put themselves in danger to rescue other family members. The movie also explores themes of forgiveness, teamwork, leadership and contentment.

I actually viewed this DVD twice in one day, I liked it so much. I watched the movie with my kids in the afternoon, and again in the evening with Ben. I love the way Over the Hedge lampoons our consumeristic suburban lifestyle. R.J. the Racoon's "food" sequence is particularly hilarious.

This film does earn its PG rating, with several scenes of intense (cartoonish) action and a few strong words such as "stupid". It is not suitable for very young children, but my three-year-old loved the show.

With so few good children's movies available, Over the Hedge is a DVD I may consider buying for our own home library.

Last Legs

I thought I might have to plan a funeral this afternoon.

No, no. Not for me! (I'm feeling much better, by the way.) The funeral would be for my computer.

Alas, my trusty little notebook appears to be nearing the end of its life. Ben, geeky hero, has backed up and reinstalled its operating system countless times. He's opened it up, removed faulty RAM, unclogged goobers from the fan, and installed a new OS called Ubuntu.

But the video card on the machine is flaky and one of the hinges is broken. Worst of all, today I received a distressing hard disk error when I tried to boot up.

My little friend is showing it's age. It's almost ready to be put out to pasture is that great, big, grassy technological wasteland known as ... my furnace room. It's a good thing we all aren't forced into retirement at the ripe old age of four. (I know I don't like to spend extended periods of time keeping company with my furnace. I'd rather be working on interesting stuff --- like my blog.)

Which brings me to my next dilemma: I will require a new computer soon. I have my eye on a few models, but I think I might splurge. I'd love to get my hands on an iFruit.

Ben's notebook needs a delicious girlfriend ...

Techno Kid

He is his father's son ...

I'd like to know when my three-year-old learned to drag and drop using the track pad on my notebook. Are all the children of this generation born with innate technical knowledge?

For the past couple of days I have allowed my son to play games on the CBC Kids site. He especially loves "The Art Machine". He probably spent thirty minutes painting rainbow turkeys today. My child is developing computer skills.

.........

Our two-year-old, however, is not so ready to explore the wonders of computer technology.

I left him alone with my notebook for three minutes this afternoon while I changed Baby Girl's diaper. He quietly played downstairs for a short time and then wandered up to find me.

"Mommy, Mommy. I got a button," he called out.

My sweet boy found me in the bedroom. He reached out his chubby, little hand and dropped a small piece of black plastic into my outstretched palm.

It was the letter G.

From my keyboard.

Good thing I've gained a little technical savvy along the way. Long ago I learned to communicate in the language of love --- geek-speak. I choose to own my family's geekiness. (Hey, it's in the genes.)

Woe is Me

I've had a tough go of it the past few days. My body has a weird flu bug or something. I've had a fever for the past three nights and the crazy part is, my mouth is full of sores.

I went to see the doctor this morning. He couldn't pinpoint anything, but at least he doesn't think I'm contagious. He prescribed some medicine for my mouth. Hopefully the sores will start to heal soon.

I've been communicating a lot through gestures today, as it hurts too much to talk or smile. My poor tummy is growling away because it's hard to eat. (Moan, moan, complain, complain.)

It took me a looong time to eat my sandwich for lunch, so I've put on a big pot of soup for supper.

I don't think I'll be up for eating a piano any time soon ;-).

Babies, Babies

Yesterday I hostessed a baby shower for my friend. I must be in the "baby" stage of life --- most of my friends are either pregnant or have young babies. Three cute little babies attended yesterday's party.

Growing up, I was never very interested in babies. I was not much of a "girly" girl. I liked dolls, but my sister and I mostly played Barbies. I did some babysitting as a teenager, but I didn't babysit any small babies. I could count on one hand the number of times I'd held a baby before my own first son was born.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I love babies. I love being pregnant, giving birth, breastfeeding, snuggling and loving little babies. Of course, I think my own babies are the cutest in the world. I'm happy to cuddle any baby, though.

When my children are older and I am able to work again, I think I'd like to do something with mothers and babies. I'd be interested in teaching childbirth education classes or becoming a lactation consultant. I'm very interested in midwifery, but I know myself too well. I couldn't keep the hours required of a midwife!

My own baby girl is growing by leaps and bounds. She turned five months old last week, and she weighs 16 1/2 lbs. now. I wish I could keep her small forever. This stage of babyhood is my favourite of all. Babies are wonderful. Lord willing, our family will be blessed with at least one or two more.

Craft

I wish Craft magazine had existed when I was in art school. It makes creative crafting hip, cool and modern. These are not your grandma's knitting projects!

Check out the Craftzine blog here.

Spec-tacular!

Last night I accompanied my two-year-old during his swimming lesson. Usually Ben takes the kids in the pool, but I was feeling a bit left out yesterday. I donned my bathing suit and we had great fun dunking and splashing.

The thing is, my eyesight is poor. I am pretty helpless without my glasses. Whenever I swim I am faced with one of two choices:

1. Go without my glasses and use echolocation to feel my way around.

2. Wear my glasses in the water and endure splashes and speckles on my lenses.

Last night I chose to wear my glasses. (It wouldn't be prudent to loose sight of my active toddler in an enormous pool of water!)

When I went to bed late in the evening, I was dismayed to find the arms of my glasses were faded and discoloured. I've worn various styles of funky plastic frames for a few years. Over time, the plastic tends to scratch and fade a bit. Unfortunately, I think the pool chemicals hastened the aging process. My trendy glasses looked gross.

I went to bed feeling disgruntled. My glasses are a necessary wardrobe accessory. I wear them all day, every day.

I woke up this morning with a brilliant plan. My plastic frames looked dry and gray. I decided to try rubbing Blistex lip balm into the plastic. Hey, it moistens my lips. Why not use it on my glasses?

Eureka! Success! My experiment actually worked. My frames look decent once again. Who knew lip balm had so many uses?

Next time I venture into the pool I definitely plan to wear my old, already-worn-out glasses.

What's in a Name?

My husband downloaded a silly song from iTunes this week. It's called Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by the group They Might Be Giants.

The song has a line that goes: "Even Old New York was once New Amsterdam..."

My three-year-old son sang this song to me as he ate his lunch this afternoon. I was impressed that he knew most of the lyrics. I did chuckle, though, when he sang:

"Even Old New York was once New Hamsterland..."

Organic Panic

I made pot roast for supper tonight. When I put the meat in the oven this afternoon, I realized that I had no potatoes for our meal. "No worries," I thought, "My grocery order from Spuds is due to arrive today. Surely it'll be here before supper time."

Five o'clock rolled around. No groceries. I called Ben and asked him to pick up a few potatoes on his way home from work. (His office is only five minutes away.)

At a quarter past six my dear husband came waltzing through the door, potatoes in hand and a sheepish look on his face.

Our groceries finally arrived at seven.

(Sigh.)

I do like getting our fruits and vegetables delivered by Spuds. Over the past week we have eaten considerably more produce than usual. This can only be a good thing. We've been eating fresh, organic fruits and veggies. Our bodies are loving it!

I see at least two added advantages to buying my groceries through Spuds:

1. I only need to shop at Superstore once every two weeks, rather than every week. This gives me an extra night to work out at the gym (or do other stuff I enjoy).

2. One of my sons has some serious bowel issues. We removed dairy from his diet several months ago. The Spuds website has an entire section devoted to dairy-free products. (We have discovered that almond milk is quite tasty.) With the combination of his dairy-free diet and lots of fresh fruits and veggies, my little guy's bowels are at their best ever!

I just may become an organic-evangelist. (Orvangelist?) Nothing beats fresh and delicious, real food.

The Hiding Place

This morning I was in a rush. I planned to take the kids on the bus to preschool gym at the Y.

We left the house in a flurry of coats, toques, mitts, boots, bags and kids ... all crammed into my faithful double stroller. We ran out the door and arrived at the bus stop just in the nick of time. My boys kept up a steady stream of dialogue throughout the entire trip. Who knew taking the bus could be such a fascinating experience?

After a quick dash to the library, a snack for Baby Girl and a trip to the babysitting room, the boys and I finally arrived at the gym doors. We were late. (Story of my life these days.) I volunteer to run preschool gym on Wednesday mornings, so I felt hot and flustered.

"Quick guys!" I said, "Take off your coats and boots so we can go in. We have to hurry!"

I unzipped my two-year-old's coat and tugged at his left boot. The boot was stuck. I gave his foot a good yank. A small, white piece of plastic went sailing through the air. It skidded along the polished tile floor and came to rest in front of the gym doors.

It was a Lego man.

My toddler had kept a Lego storm trooper carefully concealed in the bottom of his boot for the better part of an hour.

You know the lyrics to the old song "these boots were made for walkin'"? I suppose my son had a different purpose for his boots this morning. That little boy didn't do much walkin'. He sat back and enjoyed the scenery from his comfy, cozy stroller seat.

While the Lego man stayed toasty warm in his secret hiding place.

I've Been Chastised

I received a stern lecture from my mother over the phone this evening.

"I was worried about you. Have you been sick?" she asked, "You didn't post anything on your blog yesterday."

"Gee, Mom. Cut me some slack! I only missed one day!"

"Have you decided to cut back on your writing or something, dear?"

No, I still plan to post on my blog at least once a day. I wish I had an imaginative excuse for missing yesterday's post --- something like this:

My kids ate too much blue food colouring yesterday and went berserk, pulled the chandelier off the ceiling, fell and bumped their heads, so we spent seventeen hours in emergency getting their noggins sutured, and Baby Girl received the most stitches of the lot because she's such a little monkey, and we had a rotten night because we didn't get home until after two in the morning ...

Here's the truth: My piano lesson went longer than normal last night I and got home late. I was too tired to boot up my computer before I fell into bed.

I'm sorry my life is not more exciting.

To make up for my lazy blogging habits, I spent a few minutes editing my previous post on Life of Pi. The writing felt too self-important and rough around the edges. I hope the new version sounds a little better.

Book Review:

Life of Pi
Yann Martel

I finished reading Life of Pi this weekend. For several days I have struggled with whether I should post a review on my blog. In good conscience, this is not a book I can freely recommend to Christian readers. At the same time, it is an absolutely brilliant work of fiction and fully deserving of the critical acclaim it has received.

Life of Pi chronicles the journey of a young castaway, Picine Molitor Patel. Pi is marooned in the middle of the Pacific --- stranded on a lifeboat in the company of a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra and a Bengal tiger. Against all odds, Pi survives his ordeal. Though the premise of the book seems completely unbelievable, the story is amazing because of its plausibility. Through intelligent narrative and attentive description Yann Martel skillfully weaves the details of the plot (but not necessarily in sequence).

Life of Pi is constructed of many layers. It is a book that begs to be discussed. This novel is perfect fodder for a book club or university class. I was grateful that Ben finished reading Pi a few days before I did. The book provided fuel for several engaging conversations (and debates) this weekend.

Unfortunately, Yann Martel's masterful story is tainted by several truly gruesome scenes. The first of these disturbing sections occurs about a third of the way into the story, shortly after Pi becomes shipwrecked. I had greatly enjoyed the novel up to this point, but I very nearly put the book away unfinished. I am not accustomed to exposing myself to such terrible imagery and it was a shock to my system. The most horrific scene comes at the end of the novel.

Savagery is one of the central threads of Pi. Can Pi Patel survive and yet resist becoming a savage? Does Pi retain his humanity? Is he any less an animal than Richard Parker? As much a I hate to admit, Life of Pi would not be as believable without its accounts of extreme depravity. Pi must journey to the outer limits of savagery in order to test his own humanity.

Life of Pi also explores themes of religion and a belief in God. Pi Patel longs for relationship with God, so much so that he resorts to worshiping multiple gods. Christ, Allah, Vishnu ... all are worthy of respect and adoration according to Pi. He hungers for redemption and divine connection. Where my Christian beliefs cause me to fill my spiritual hunger with faith in Christ, Pi turns to multiple religions and expressions of faith. Because he survives his horrific ordeal, it appears that Pi had exceptional divine protection. He believed in many gods and therefore kept all his bases covered. I do not agree with this presumption.

I am glad I read Life of Pi. I do believe that, as a Christian, I should not be afraid to engage popular culture. Pi is a brilliant piece of Canadian fiction, without question. When I choose to read such a book, I pray for discernment and the mind of Christ, guarding my heart and emotions. Life of Pi is not what I would consider "entertainment reading". It is not the type of novel I feel safe escaping into. However, it is an engaging story and worthy of careful thought and discussion.

Lego Kid

My son has been building space ships with Lego all morning. This is nothing unusual --- he loves Lego. He builds things all day long. Do you know what he's working on right now?

An original creation called THE BATTLE SNAIL.

Lego is awesome! It's not hard to guess what our imaginative son will be receiving from Daddy and Mommy this Christmas.

The Big Brother

I have uploaded some photos of our oldest son. I can hardly believe he is nearing his fourth birthday. As he often reminds me, our son is becoming a very "big boy"!

Master Yoda displays his great skills of concentration.

The spiky hair dude.

Movie Review:
Flushed Away

This evening my husband and I (attempted) to go out on a date. We made it about halfway through the movie before our babysitter called us home. To be honest, I wasn't terribly disappointed to leave the theatre. Flushed Away was not as good as I had expected. (The theatre manager was also kind enough to refund our tickets, so the night was not a total loss.)

I very much enjoy movies by Aardman Entertainment. I think Wallace and Gromit films are brilliant. The Curse of the Ware-Rabbit was a terrific movie. I enjoy British humour, and appreciate the artistic skill and dedication to detail displayed in Aardman's claymation pictures.

Flushed Away did not meet my expectations. Admittedly, I was not able to view the entire movie, and perhaps this fact coloured my perception of the film. At the same time, I believe Flushed Away had several factors working against it.

Flushed Away was jointly produced by Aardman Entertainment and Dreamworks Studios. I hate to say it, but I think the involvement of an American studio was not beneficial to the project. The humour of the movie held none of Aardman's characteristic British charm. The jokes were often crude and obvious. (Perhaps potty humour is unavoidable in a film titled Flushed Away?).

As well, Flushed Away is a CGI film. I believe Wallace and Gromit movies are appealing because of the human touch evident in claymation productions. The animation in Flushed Away is too polished, too American. Yes, the characters still possess round "Aardman eyes" and wide, expressive mouths. However, they lack the soft touchability of plasticine models. They are artificially generated, and therefore less believable.

All in all, Flushed Away was nothing special. It was not a movie I would like my children to see. I am glad the theatre refunded our money. At least we did not lose $20 in viewing a lack-lustre film.

Mmmmm ... Bacon

"When's Daddy coming home?" my son asked late this afternoon.

"Soon, Buddy," I replied, "He'll be home at supper time."

"What's he doing?" he asked.

"Well, he's working. Daddy's bringing home the bacon," I explained, "That's what Daddies do. They work hard to provide for their families."

"Oh ..." my son said as the light of understanding dawned, "So, are we having eggs for supper too?"

Going Organic

I think I may have caught "organic fever". It seems that organics and natural products are the latest consumer fad. My local Superstore has even been redesigned to include an entirely new section for organic products.

I've been experimenting a bit over the past few weeks and our family has tried some new foods. Last week I bought organic chocolate animal cookies and shredded wheat cereal. (My boys thought both were very yummy!) I also purchased organic broccoli, grapes and tomatoes from the grocery store.

My greatest foray into the organic jungle arrived on my doorstep this afternoon. I placed an order with spud.ca. (S.P.U.D. stands for Small Potatoes Urban Delivery). I purchased a bin filled with fresh organic fruits and veggies. I also bought some special non-dairy products for my son and a tin of sinfully delicious organic dark hot chocolate. My entire order came to about $50. (Delivery is free on orders over $35).

The prices at spud.ca are slightly higher than at the grocery store for most things. However, you can't beat the convenience of having groceries delivered right to your door. I also like shopping from the comfort of my living room couch! I plan to give spud.ca a try for a few weeks. If I can have items like produce and milk delivered to my door, I might reduce my trips to Superstore to once every two or three weeks. I'm likely to save money by staying out of the store! I won't be tempted by impulse purchases.

I also like the idea of buying organic products --- especially fresh produce. I would like our kids to eat wholesome, nutritious, real food. I don't mind paying a bit more for quality, chemical-free produce. Maybe I'm biased, but the organic foods we've tried so far really do taste better!

PDA

Mommy and Daddy were feeling silly at the supper table --- lots of teasing, giggling and stolen kisses. Their young sons quietly ate and were entertained by their parents' antics. At one point, Daddy created a shield with his hands and gave Mommy a long kiss.

"Hey you guys!" the three-year-old exclaimed, "I know what you're doing. You're kissin' ... like mammals!"

The Sponge

My three-year-old son has a memory like an elephant. He loves reading books, "hacking" things (i.e. taking things apart to see how they work), and building space ships with Lego. This evening he had quite an extraordinary conversation with my husband ...

Preschooler: Daddy, you know Mars?

Daddy: You mean the planet?

Preschooler: Yes. It's a dead planet, you know.

Daddy: Yes it is. Nothing lives on Mars.

Preschooler: Yeah. And when a planet dies, is explodes into a tiny ball and becomes a dwarf star.

Daddy: Well, no, not exactly. When a star is dying it becomes a dwarf star.

Preschooler: But Daddy, Pluto is a dwarf planet.

Daddy: Oh, yes. That is true.

Preschooler: So, will Mars come back to life again?

Daddy: No, I don't think so.

Preschooler: Well, you know, Jesus came back to life again!

Daddy: Yes, but Jesus is not a planet ...

Balding

I enjoy being pregnant. I've been blessed with three normal, easy pregnancies. (I also have three beautiful kids as a result!) One great benefit of being pregnant is that my hair grows strong, healthy and thick. I shed far less hair than usual.

Here's the problem ... a few months after Baby is born my long, lustrous hair starts to fall out. Heaps of it. Great big gobs of it. I find long, brown hairs everywhere --- clinging to my sweater, tangled in my zipper, wrapped around my baby's fingers, on my pillow, in my cereal. I don't even want to talk about my disgusting, hairy bathroom.

Last night my sister helped me give Baby Girl a bath. I stepped into the bathroom and reached for the faucet, intending to start the water. A scummy, cold puddle greeted me from the bottom of the tub. It was the water from my morning shower. The drain was completely clogged.

Ben pried the drain cover off with a screw driver, and I boldly reached inside the hole. My fingers met a slimy, tangled mass. Hair. Long, brown, soapy hair. I pulled more hair out from my drain than Ben has on his entire head. Small wonder the drain was clogged!

This morning I diligently cleaned the upper level of our home. As I vacuumed the hallway carpet I caught a whiff of something burning. It smelled hot, like electrical fire. I vacuumed for a few more seconds before I realized my vacuum was overheating.

I quickly flicked the off switch and pulled the plug from the wall. I flipped the vacuum over and examined its rotating brushes. I wondered if something had become tangled in the mechanism. I was shocked to discover hair --- great, long gobs of the stuff --- tangled all through the vacuum brushes.

At the rate my hair is falling out, I may be bald within a couple more weeks! I don't know if I can handle many more disgusting hair encounters. Oh well ... at least if I am balding, my husband will have some company.

My Birthday Boy

This evening we celebrated our son's second birthday. We invited about a dozen family members over for a wild party! Our little guy was so excited about the festivities. He danced, played, ate lots of food, and was all-around adorable. I believe his favourite part of the party was blowing out the candles on his Bob the Builder birthday cake!

The birthday boy received an awesome concrete mixer from his godfather.

The boys look handsome in their party hats.

Baby Girl snuggles with her uncle.

Our two-year-old reads a birthday card with Daddy.

Party Pics

It seems this is the weekend for parties. Our family is looking forward to our two-year-old son's birthday party tomorrow. Yesterday we also enjoyed a low-key kiddie party for one of our son's friends. Here are some cute photos from yesterday's birthday bash...

Whoops

Guess I wasn't paying close enough attention...

As I waxed eloquent and worked on my previous post, my preschool-aged son quietly played with his craft supplies.

"Look Mommy, look!" he exclaimed, "My glue stick sticks to the fridge!"

Sure enough, it did.

"Soul Mates"

I have a decidedly unromantic statement to share: My husband and I are not soul mates. Fate did not decide that we were "meant to be". Our lives were not preordained to intertwine.

Don't get me wrong, Ben and I share a terrific marriage. We love one another fully and plan to stay married for a very long time. ('Til death do us part.) However, we talk about our relationship quite often and have concluded that we would each be equally satisfied being married to other people. Do you know why? It's because we've decided to make love a choice.

If Ben had gone to a different high school, or we had been different ages, or I had not moved to Calgary, chances are Ben and I would have not formed a relationship. We would have met other people, may have married different partners, had children and formed different families. Our lives could have taken divergent paths.

I am truly glad we did meet and were attracted to one another. But do you know what I am even more thankful for? I am grateful that Ben comes from a good family, he serves God, he's loving and caring, he enjoys being with children, and he takes the responsibility of providing for us seriously.

The thing is ... if I had met someone with the same character qualities as Ben, I think I could have been equally happy being married to that man. Why? Because I would choose to love him.

Yes, when Ben and I started dating as teenagers I was totally infatuated with him. We were "madly in love". The sight of him made my heart flip flop and turned my knees to jello. I though he was the cutest boy in the school. (And I know I wasn't the only one!) I could hardly wait to become his wife.

But the rush of first love does fade over time. Daily life begins to take over. A truly strong marriage isn't built upon the foundation of intense emotions. "Falling in love" is fun and pleasurable, but the feelings don't last forever. Hollywood would like us to believe that "love conquers all when two hearts are meant to be joined as one". (But we all know how long Hollywood marriages last...)

Ben and I have a solid, loving marriage because we try to put God first, we have compatible personalities, and we share common values and beliefs. Sure, it doesn't hurt that we are physically attracted to one another. Let's be honest, though --- I weigh twenty pounds more than I did on my wedding day, and Ben has a lot less hair! We choose to love one another despite our shortcomings.

Yes, I believe it was God's will that Ben and I marry. But God's will is not a mysterious thing. I believe the Lord presents us with many choices in life. It's just a matter of following the guidelines He's given us through in the Bible. It could have easily been God's will for me to marry another man instead.

But you know, I'm glad that the man I did marry is named Benjamin Inkster.

... and the sight of him still gives me butterflies in my stomach. :-)

Finished

It took a few hours, but I've finally finished applying category labels to all my archived posts. Hooray! Hopefully, the new labels will make it easier to search through my blog.

I like the labels because now I have a better understanding of where my areas of interest lie. My blog contains lots of posts on homemaking and parenting, but not many regarding travel or media & culture.

I'm completely set up on Bogger Beta now!

Birthday Boy!

Our little guy turned two years old today. He celebrated the day with a trip to the dentist, an extra-long nap in the afternoon, a roast beef dinner, and pumpkin cake complete with birthday candles. (I think the birthday candles were his favourite part of the whole day.) We have invited our extended family over for a big birthday bash on Sunday.

Our little man also enjoyed opening his presents after supper. He received a new outfit (pants and a shirt with trucks on it) and the Curious George DVD. He loves the movie. Ben and the children all snuggled together on the couch and watched part of it tonight. (I really enjoy the music on Curious George.)

I can hardly believe my baby boy is already two years old. Where has the time gone? Before I know it he'll be going off to school!

Costume Carnival

This evening our family went to church. However, the church looked...a little different. Bouncy houses and mini golf stations filled the sanctuary. Video game consoles dominated the foyer. Miniature jeeps and rocking horses roamed the Sunday school hallways. A heady mixture of popcorn and cotton candy perfumed the air.

The building was overrun with tiny, rambunctious, costumed people. Lions and tigers, dinosaurs, pirates, doctors and super heroes. I think every little girl was dressed as a princess. I even saw Dorothy and her three companions from Oz.

Our family chose to dress as Star Wars characters. (Shocking, I know.) Our preschooler was a Jedi. He wore a fashionable green bathrobe and wielded a toy light sabre. Our toddler dressed as an Ewok (or reasonable facsimile). He wore a fuzzy panda bear costume, my brown fleece vest, and had a belt cinched around his waist. He also carried a light sabre. (I don't think Ewoks use light sabres, but no matter.) My husband looked stylin' in his gray bathrobe and a beige fleece vest. I used brown yarn to make a "Jedi braid" for his hair.

Baby Girl was the cutest Jedi of all. She dressed as none other than...Master Yoda. This afternoon my friend, Lacey, brought over a Yoda costume. Lacey did not realize we were planning to dress as Star Wars characters for our party, but her gift was perfect! Baby Girl looked adorable sporting pointy, green ears.

Our family chooses not to celebrate Halloween, so we are thankful our church provides a fun alternative to trick-or-treating. The kids had a blast at the party. They were candy-powered for most of the night.

(You know the irony? We all have dentist appointments first thing tomorrow morning!)

"Get It Right, Dad!"

We were in a rush --- late for supper with the grandparents. Baby Girl cried inconsolably, the boys ran around the house like maniacs, Ben tried to brush his teeth and change clothes, and I vainly attempted to rein in the chaos.

In the midst of it all, the phone rang.

The caller was one of my husband's long-time business clients, a chatty and personable woman. Ben cradled the phone to his ear while he fended off snuggle attacks from the boys. Our eldest son hung off his daddy's back like a crazed monkey.

"Yes, you caught us at a busy moment," I heard my husband say, "Mmm-hmm. We have a house full of kids these days."

He paused in the conversation. "No, actually, there are three of them," Ben explained, "Two little boys and a baby girl."

At this point, our three-year-old could not contain himself. A little boy? Certainly not! He felt compelled to interject, "Daddy!! One BIG boy, one little boy and one baby girl!"

You can be sure Daddy won't be making that mistake again any time soon!

A New Look

Welcome to my new site! I've made the switch to Blogger's beta version and I chose a new template. (Thank you, Benjie, for cleaning up my code. My HTML skills are more than a little shaky...)

New features of Blogger Beta include instant publishing, simple template changes, and categorical post labels. My task for the coming week will be to assign labels to my archived posts. I love sorting and organizing, so in a geeky way I am looking forward to this chore.

I also joined the Christian Women Online webring. (See sidebar.) I'm looking forward to connecting with other Christian women who love to blog!

Honey Mustard Chicken

You know, I love the recipes on the back of Campbell's soup cans. They are often simple and tasty. I found this recipe on a can of cream of chicken soup. Our family enjoyed it for supper tonight and it was delicious! I served the chicken with brown rice, green peas and steamed cauliflower.

Honey Mustard Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 can 1/2 fat cream of chicken soup
1/2 C. water
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. dijon mustard

Heat oil in a large skillet. Brown chicken breasts at medium heat, about 8 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a clean plate. Cook onion in skillet until softened, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to the pan. Combine soup, water, garlic powder, honey and mustard, and pour over chicken breasts. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serves 4.

It Doesn't Have to Make Sense ...

My preschool-aged son was, shall we say, a wee bit emotional today. I don't know what it was, but he cried and whined through most of the afternoon.

I was out of the house for a good chunk of the day. Ben stayed home with the children, and by four in the afternoon my dear husband had reached his limit. I offered to take the boys out for a drive to give Ben a break.

I wrestled my preschooler into the van and tried to buckle his seat belt. He looked at me with sorrowful eyes and moaned, "I don't liiiike the word zip!"

I wasn't comprehending the problem. "What's wrong with zip?" I asked.

"It's a baaaaaaad word!" he wailed.

"Okay," I shrugged, and shut the van door.

I hope I successfully muffled my laughter. Who ever said three-year-old logic had to make sense?

Pride and Prejudice

I went out to "girl's night" at my friend's house this evening. (Got to take advantage of the extra hour of sleep tonight!) We watched the ever-wonderful Pride and Prejudice. (It was the new version starring Kiera Knightley). This is another DVD I would like to add to my Christmas wish list ...

Expanding My Little Universe

I am learning that I have a lot to learn about blogging. This evening I have been surfing the web, trying to figure out how to get my blog onto a Christian blog ring. I've found a few promising places, including Christian Women Online. We'll see what I can figure out...

I did discover a cute little tool for my blog --- Scripture Tags!

Book Review:

I Love You More
Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott

This evening I stopped to pick up a few groceries on my way to the Y. When I returned home, Ben helped me carry my shopping bags from the van to the house. He snooped through my purchases and groaned when he saw flavoured rice cakes instead of potato chips.

"Why can't you ever buy junk food?" he complained.

"Because I love you, honey," I replied.

This afternoon I finished reading I Love You More, and I learned that married people tend to live longer and are generally healthier than their unmarried counterparts. This is true partly because spouses encourage one another to adopt healthy habits. When I nag Ben about eating too many greasy hamburgers, I am actually fulfilling my duty as his wife!

I Love You More is an interesting and enlightening read. Ben is halfway through the book himself. I did not buy this book expecting him to read it too, but our reading has already sparked some interesting conversations. Ben and I feel we have a great relationship on many levels. However, we've already begun identifying areas of our marriage that could use some work. We think it's healthy to evaluate and talk about our relationship. I'm pretty blessed to have a husband who actually enjoys talking about marriage!

Because of my reading, I have also been pondering how my views of marriage have been affected by my upbringing. I'm learning that every person (often unknowingly) brings biases to the marriage relationship. My family of origin is very different from my husband's. Where his parents are high-energy and gregarious, my parents are quiet and like to hang out at home. Wouldn't you know, Ben and I are reflections of our parents. Ben tends to be more outgoing, and I am quite a home-body.

When we got married and I moved out of my parent's home, I learned that some people do things differently than my family did. (Shocking, I know. It was a revelation to me, anyway.) Here's a small sampling of the things I discovered as a young bride:

- Canned soup comes in more varieties than mushroom and tomato.
- The dishes will not self-destruct if they aren't washed immediately after supper.
- Most people are allowed to eat their dessert without having a piece of fruit first.
- Some families do more than just eat at the dinner table --- they have loooong conversations too.

All in all, Ben and I are very much enjoying I Love You More. At the book's suggestion, we've made one new goal for our marriage. We would like to start a new hobby together. In the early years of our relationship, Ben and I played music together on the church worship team. We stopped playing music when we had children. (Funny how that happens). Ben and I would like to start a shared activity again. It might not be musical, but it will be something we can do as a couple without our kids. We'll see what happens!

Family Photos

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! IT'S LEGO STARS WARS TWO THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY!!!!!"

Magnificent Hair Food for the follicly challenged...

Totally cool biker dude.

Baby Girl with Great-Grandpa George.

I'm Too Lazy

They say confession is good for the soul. That being the case, I have something I would like to confess.

I have fallen off the bandwagon. I've lost my discipline. I have become l-a-z-y.

I haven't worked out at the gym for three whole weeks, and I can't say I have a good excuse for it.

I could give lots of reasons for my absence --- we went out of town, Ben was sick, I've had several meetings, I've been doing my music homework, we've had lots of company, I fell down some stairs and have a sore back ... blah, blah, blah. The ugly truth is, I've just gotten out of the routine.

I used to go to the gym every Monday and Thursday night after the kids went to sleep. I also take a pilates class on Saturday morning, so I figured my fitness routine was decent enough for a tired mother-of-three.

Unfortunately, I started to miss a night here, skip a workout there ... and suddenly I'm not going anymore. I need to hop back on the treadmill! Step out on the track! Pump some iron!

I like going to the gym. A good workout always feels great. These days I just like to sit on the couch more, I suppose.

So by virtue of my public confession, I am now accountable. I will make an effort to go to the gym two times this week. Hey, even one workout is better than none at all.

There is a great irony to this post, however. I've stayed home from the gym tonight to sit on the couch and ... you guessed it ... work on my blog.

A Special Day

Our precious baby girl is already four months old. Where has the time gone? Before we know it she will be going off to kindergarten, dating boys, getting married, and having babies of her own. (Though not all at the same time, I hope.)

In church this morning we dedicated our sweet little girl to the Lord. Our family and many friends gathered around us. Ben and I are blessed to have all our immediate family living close to us. God has also given us numerous trustworthy, Christian friends. We were so pleased to have the support of our family and friends in this morning's church service.

Ben and I pray every day that our children will grow to love the Lord, and will want to serve Him. We pray that God will help us to be good parents to the little souls He has entrusted to our care. You know, I didn't pray as much as I should have before I became a mother. Now that I have children, I need to pray all the time. Our babies are too precious for me not to lift them up to God every day.

My sweet baby girl, Daddy and I love you very much. You are so special to us ...

I love all of you!
Your eyes, your cheeks,
Your sweet little nose,
Your knees, your feet,
Your stubby pink toes.

I love all of you!
Your dimples, your grin,
Your tummy, your chin,
Your ears, your hair,
Your lips, your skin.

Now, how did we get started?
How did we begin?
Oh, yes, I love all of you --
From beginning to end.

(Poem by Annie Dougherty)

Splash, Crash and All That Jazz

Boom! Boom! Fizz. Crackle crackle, pop. Ka-pow!

Hear that sound? It's the fireworks, don't you know. I'm having a bicentennial celebration in honour of my 200th blog post.

So crack open a bottle of sparkling cider and pull up a chair. If you're reading this post, you've already joined the party!

Dealing With Difficult Situations

This has been a crazy-busy day --- pilates, chores, grumpy kiddies, grocery shopping, a birthday bash, and preparing for an onslaught of guests tomorrow. In the middle of it all, I attended a volunteer training session at the YMCA this afternoon.

The session was called "Dealing With Difficult Situations". To tell the truth, I approached the training as an obligation I just had to get through. I wasn't expecting to learn much. In the midst of my hectic day, a volunteer training session was pretty much the last place I wanted to be.

Guess what? I actually did learn something in the meeting. We watched a great little video called The Difficult Guest. I also learned a handy pneumonic I can use when I deal with troublesome people:

L isten
A pologise
S olve
T hank

The goal of customer service is to make the relationship with a guest last. I should make people feel special and cared for. Isn't that the case in all relationships, though? I enjoyed my volunteer training session because I learned skills that I can apply every day. The concepts are transferable to my routine interactions.

In the end, I am glad I attended the meeting at the Y. I nearly skipped out when I learned how busy this weekend would be. Just goes to show, you never know when you'll learn something new.

Frustration

You know, I've been in a truly foul mood all evening. I've been picking on Ben, nagging my son, grumbling, stewing and playing the martyr. I just feel like ripping somebody's head off.

And I don't really have a good reason for it all.

Would you like to know the irony of the situation? Tonight I put the kids to bed and went grocery shopping. (Great way to spend a Friday night, eh?) I had a long list, and a million chores waiting for me at home, but I couldn't help but get sidetracked in the cheap books aisle.

Would you like to know what book I brought home with my groceries?

I Love You More by Les and Leslie Parrott. The Parrotts are Christian marriage counselors. Their book purports to help couples "turn (their) marriage's prickly issues into opportunities to love each other more..."

(Arrg! I think Ben is intentionally pushing my buttons now. He knows I'm trying to get my blog finished before bed time, so he's decided to watch annoying podcasts right beside me.)

I need to go to sleep. And read my Bible. At least the Apostle Paul understands my struggle. Oh yeah, and I suppose God does too.

"I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing."
(Romans 7:18-19)

Meal Planning (4)
Breakfast, Lunch and Snacktime

Supper is definitely the most labour-intensive meal of the day. Breakfast, lunch and snacks are easy to plan and prepare.

In our home, I usually serve cold cereal and fruit for breakfast. My kids love Honey Nut Cheerios at the moment. The also enjoy Fibre 1 cereal, surprisingly enough. I try to avoid overly sugary cereals. Too much sugar for breakfast practically guarantees a meltdown before lunch!

My boys also like toast with jam or peanutbutter, scrambled eggs, "toads in the hole", pancakes, cream of wheat porridge, and Red River hot cereal. Most of the time I serve calcium-enriched orange juice to drink, along with fresh fruit such as bananas or grapes.

We often have sandwiches for lunch. My kids favourites include peanutbutter and honey, tuna fish, or ham with cheese and cucumber on brown bread. I like to make homemade bread in my bread machine, but I mostly cave in to buying whole wheat Wonderbread at the supermarket. We also frequently eat leftovers from the previous day's supper for lunch.

Snacktime hits at four o'clock every afternoon. If I don't get a snack into my kids they are usually grumpy and ill-mannered by five o'clock. I always try to feed my children some fruit at snacktime. We avoid sugary, empty foods. Here's a selection of my favourite snack choices:

Apple slices with peanutbutter
Orange wedges
Grapes
Canned peaches or pears
Melon chunks
Bananas
Homemade muffins
Homemade banana bread
Fruit strips
Dried cranberries or raisins
Arrowroot biscuits
Teddy graham cookies
Pretzels
Crackers and cheese

My mom recently gave me a very handy gadget from The Pampered Chef. It is an apple corer and slicer. This little tool cuts up an apple in two seconds flat. I love it! My boys and I have been eating plenty of apples this week.

Meal Planning (3)

I tend to plan four or five supper menus each week. We usually have leftovers for a couple of nights, and will eat at our parents' or out at a restaurant.

I used to feel guilty if I did not cook a delicious meal "from scratch" every evening for supper. I've learned that it is okay to have convenience foods every now and then. I keep frozen pizza and chicken nuggets in the freezer for nights when it is difficult to cook. Convenience food are more expensive, but they still cost less than eating out. In fact, it is easier to pop a frozen pizza in the oven than to load up all the kids and go somewhere like Wendy's.

When I plan menus I also try to "reinvent" the leftovers from one meal as something else. For example, when we have roasted chicken I can use the bones and leftover meat to make yummy homemade soup for later in the week. If I'm really on the ball, I could cook two chickens and freeze the extra meat or use it in casseroles.

Here's a sample of my menus for the coming week:

1. Pot roast
Mashed potatoes
Gravy
Peas and carrots
Green beans

2. Shepherd's pie
Coleslaw
Steamed cauliflower

3. Cheesy tuna casserole
Coleslaw

4. Chili with beans
Cornmeal muffins
Mixed green salad

5. Pork chops in mushroom sauce
Brown rice
Mixed green salad
Peas

Meal Planning (2)

French bean casserole was an unexpected hit when I served it to my family last week. It is incredibly easy to prepare. I like this casserole because it reminds me of homey 1950s comfort food.

French Beans Amandine

2, 398mL cans french beans
1, 284mL can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 tbsp. slivered almonds

Put drained beans in a 1.5L casserole dish. Spoon soup over top. Lift lightly with a fork to mix. Smooth top. Sprinkle almonds over top. Cover. Heat in 350F oven for 20 to 30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Use more almonds throughout if you like. Serves 6 to 8.

Meal Planning

I've been working on building up my repertoire of easy meals. My goal is to have several weeks worth of menus planned out. This makes my grocery shopping much easier. It also helps to know in advance what we are having for supper every evening. It makes the "crazy hour" of five o'clock more manageable!

Here is my menu for the last week. Most meals will stretch for two days in our family, or will make enough if we have unexpected guests for supper.

1. Roasted chicken
Mashed potatoes
French bean casserole
Corn

2. Chicken and rice soup
Homemade bread

3. Beef stew
Popovers
Cucumber and tomato salad

4. Chicken and Broccoli Divan
Brown rice
Mixed green salad

The Automatic Millionaire

Ben likes to read books about business and financial planning. I prefer to read about homemaking and family management. Our marriage is good because we each have different areas of expertise and responsibility, and we are learning to recognize our own strengths and weaknesses.

In terms of finances, this year Ben and I have made it a goal to build up our savings accounts. We would like to have a comfortable buffer of savings. Our financial planner suggests we save enough to cover three months of living expenses. Because Ben is self-employed, this makes a great deal of sense. His business has been doing very well lately, but if our savings account is healthy we do not have to worry when a slow month comes along. (And they always do.)

Ben and I have discovered a (well-known) secret for achieving our financial goals: we set up automatic withdrawals from our chequing account into savings. We opened a high-interest savings account and every week we transfer some funds. We pay ourselves, just like we would pay any other bill. It is amazing how quickly the savings can add up!

We like the automatic withdrawals because we don't have to think about them. The money comes out and we hardly miss it. If money is sitting in our chequing account we will spend it. The automatic withdrawals force us to be disciplined.

We also have started the habit of depositing any "extra" money into our savings account --- money we receive for gifts or unexpected tax credits. We figure those "extra" funds were never included in our budget anyway, so we won't miss them if they go into savings.

It's kind of fun to watch our small nest egg grow. A little bit here, a little bit there. Now that we have some momentum going, it is easier to envision our financial goals becoming a reality. Maybe some day our tiny nest egg hatch a giant dinosaur!

Chocolate

Last week we bought Larryboy and the Bad Apple for our children. The movie teaches kids about fleeing temptation. At one point, Larryboy overindulges in chocolate and suffers from a "sugar crash and a bellyache". His faithful butler, Alfred, offers Larryboy these sage words: "With great chocolate comes great responsibility."

Our kids must have watched Larryboy and the Bad Apple about eight times in the van on our trip to Saskatchewan last weekend.

On Wednesday night last week I served a special treat for dessert ... chocolate pudding. My preschooler dug into his bowl of pudding with great relish. He suddenly paused, his spoon poised in mid-air, and looked at me with solemn eyes.

"Mommy," he said, "This is a big bowl of responsibility."

Soft and Cozy

I love soft and cozy quilts and blankets. Nothing is better than snuggling down under a warm blanket on a cold winter night. And homemade quilts and blankets are even more special.

I'm continuing to work on my first major knitting project --- a textured afghan for our couch. The going is slow, but I believe that's kind of the point of knitting. I very much enjoy sitting down for an hour in the evening work with the yarn. So far I have completed one and a half squares of my afghan. I figure I'll do well to finish the project by spring!

On a related note, tonight I bought a very cute quilt for my daughter's bed. (Yes, she is just a baby and still sleeps in her crib. My sons will be getting bunk beds for Christmas, so my eldest's twin bed will reside in Baby Girl's room. She'll stay in her crib until she's big enough for the bed.) I had in mind to find a homey-looking quilt to match her Noah's Ark wallpaper border. I wasn't intentionally looking, but today I spotted the perfect quilt on sale at Quilts Etc. I am so pleased!

The quilt is a log cabin pattern with flowers around the border. Its colours are dusty pinks, blues, purples and greens. It came with a matching pillow sham as well. The comforter and sham were on sale for $39, and the store had about a dozen other designs to choose from. I am tempted to go back and buy another quilt for our own bed. (The queen-sized quilts were also only $39.) We are planning to decorate our master bedroom in a "contemporary urban cowboy" type of look, and a new quilt would suit it wonderfully.

This is the afghan I'm making...

Germaphobe?

Our family made it through the week. Neither I nor the children have been felled by Ben's vicious stomach flu. For this I am supremely grateful. I've been walking on eggshells for the past four days, waiting and praying, hoping that the kids and I would stay well. I've scoured the bathroom several times, and washed all the sheets and towels in bleach. I (hope) I can safely say that we are now in the clear.

This week I've often asked myself, "Am I worrying too much about this? Am I being germaphobic?" I would like to think that all my praying and cleaning is simply prudent. After all, I am a mom of three young children. It is the beginning of cold / flu season, and I would like my kids to be as healthy as possible. I understand that some germs are practically unavoidable. However, I aim to protect my family from as many nasties as humanly possible.

I bought a handy little product called Purell Hand Sanitizer Moisture Therapy. I like it because it smells nice and is packaged in a spill-proof tube. I keep a tube in my diaper bag. This lotion is great for times when I'm out with the children and can't wash hands with soap and water.

This evening I was glad to have my little bottle of hand sanitizer with me. Our family went to a birthday at a "hampster land" play place. It was pure preschooler pandemonium, let me tell you. One little girl peed her pants at the top of the slide. A toddler made a game of putting gooey half-eaten nacho chips back in the bowl. The birthday boy threw up all over the floor.

My boys were gleefully oblivious to these disgusting occurrences. They had a blast and played in the hampster tubes non-stop for two hours. Occasionally, one of the boys would stop to grab a few bites of pizza or cake. I cringed every time their grubby hands came near their mouths. Ugg.

My kids were forced to endure several trips to the bathroom to wash their hands. I was forced to endure the scorn of my dear husband. "Don't you think your overreacting, just a little, honey?" he gently scolded. Nope. I scrubbed the boys' hands with sanitizing lotion once we were safely back at our van.

And you can bet our kids had a thorough bath when we got home. I sure won't let those nasty germs get the upper hand in our family!

My Book Shelf

With the return of cool fall weather, I find myself longing to curl up under a warm blanket with a thick novel every evening. (I think my husband is jealous.) Okay, okay. If I am honest, I like to get into a good book any day of the year. Sadly, I don't have nearly as much time to read as I would like. I suppose I must settle for stolen moments here and there...

Today I finally finished Grace in Thine Eyes by Liz Curtis Higgs. It was a thoroughly satisfying read, as all her books are. Be sure to read the first three books in her Scottish historical series before tackling this one. Grace in Thine Eyes is based on the Biblical account of Dinah and the Shechemites (Genesis 34).

I'm now torn between starting two novels: Yann Martel's The Life of Pi and Angela Hunt's Magdalene. I'll likely end up reading both at the same time, depending on my mood. (I must confess that I am already taken with Pi, and I've only just read the author's notes).

I have several other titles on hold at the library. They all must be popular reads. I am number 268 in the queue for one of the books! Here's a list of the novels I am anxiously waiting for:

Found, Karen Kingsbury
Divine, Karen Kingsbury
Even Now, Karen Kingsbury
The Birth House, Ami McKay
Baby Proof, Emily Griffin

(You know, I really must be a geek. I have the bar code on the back of my library card memorized because I log onto the CPL website so often.)

Pumpkin Crunch

I received this recipe through the "Living on a Dime" e-newsletter. I thought it looked yummy and saved it on my computer. Coincidentally, my aunt made the same pumpkin cake for dessert this past weekend. Her version of the recipe turned out great.

This recipe seems easy to make, and it tastes delicious. It is a terrific substitute for traditional pumpkin pie.

1 package yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) solid pack pumpkin
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup nuts
1 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 350°F. Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Pour into a greased 9"x13" pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Then sprinkle with nuts. Drizzle with butter. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Cool, served chilled.

Serve with whipped topping.

Thankful to Be Home

We arrived home from Assiniboia last night. Our family had a great trip. The kids were terrific, we had a nice time visiting my relatives, and we enjoyed lots of good food. I was somewhat apprehensive about the seven-hour drive to Saskatchewan, but our kids were amazing in the car ---- until the last hour of the drive home yesterday.

Unfortunately, we brought home some unwelcome guests ---- stomach bugs. My cousins came down with the flu while we were visiting with them. My husband started feeling sick on the way home last night. Normally, Ben will always drive on long road trips. You have to know he was feeling rotten when he asked me to drive from Medicine Hat to Calgary.

I don't mind driving, but I have awful night vision. (To tell the truth, my vision is not stellar at the best of times.) I drove west, straight into the setting sun, through dusk and into the night.

Our children had been angels the entire trip, but they finally decided they were tired and bored when we hit Brooks. Baby Girl started screaming, my toddler cried, and our preschooler began to whine. My husband was curled up in the passenger seat, valiantly trying to hold out for the bathroom.

I gripped the steering wheel and prayed all the while. I could barely see the road. I was terrified of a deer jumping out of the ditch. (We'd seen dozens on our drive out.) I have never been so thankful to pull safely into our driveway!

Ben was sick all through the night. Poor guy. He hardly ever gets stomach bugs. Thankfully, the children all seem fine at this point. I've been scrubbing the bathroom with bleach, and have done endless loads of laundry all day. I'm hyper-vigilant about washing hands with soap. I figure that if no one else gets sick tonight, we should be in the clear.

But I have to admit ... over the last hour I've grown increasingly nauseous. I pray that I'm not getting sick. It's not so much that I dread throwing up (a night of vomiting kind of pales in comparison to three months of morning sickness). But if I get sick then the germs will continue to live in our house. There will be a greater chance of the kids getting sick too. I really don't want that to happen.

We'll wait and see, I guess. It's silly, but this evening I've been hurrying to finish all my jobs --- folding the laundry, unloading the dishwasher, watering my plants. If I'm to be out of commission for a couple of days, at least the house will be in order. This evening I even ran out to Sobeys and bought a big tub of Clorox wipes (for me), and Imodium and soda crackers (for Ben).

I'm praying that we'll all be fine. At least Ben is feeling much better now. And you know, I am thankful that our family is healthy (for the most part!). If the occasional stomach bug is all we have to deal with, we're doing okay.

Unplugged

Tomorrow morning our family is off to Saskatchewan for the Thanksgiving long weekend. We'll be visiting my extended family --- grandma and grandpa, aunts and uncles.

I will be away from an internet connection for the next four days. I always feel a bit naked without easy access to the web. Ten years ago I didn't even know how to use e-mail. Isn't it amazing how technology infiltrates our daily lives?

I hope you have an enjoyable Thanksgiving :-).

What Would You Do?

This evening I made a quick trip to Superstore. Because Ben has moved his office out of the house, I can't use our van to go shopping during the day. I've decided to try shopping in the evening after the kids are in bed. It is easier to get groceries without three little ones in tow.

Tonight I only had a few items to pick up at the store. I found a fleecy snowsuit for my baby, some milk, cereal, juice and crackers. I was looking for celery in the produce section when a young man approached me.

He was probably about twenty and, I have to admit, pretty cute. My first thought was, "He must be one of Matt's friends." (Matt is my brother-in-law). Why else would a cute young guy want to talk to me in Superstore?

(Then things got really awkward.)

"Hi!" he said, "Me and my buddy have a little bet going ..."

"Ummm, yes," I stammered, grasping the true situation. I'm sure I turned a million shades of red.

"Yeah, well, we need a female opinion. Who do you think lies more, men or women?"

I was totally tongue-tied. I frantically searched for a witty comeback, but all I could think was, "Do you know who you're talking to? I have a husband and THREE children waiting for me at home. I can't believe this is happening!"

I'm afraid the best response I could muster was, "I suppose I would choose men."

"Ah, come on," he egged me, "Men can't be that bad. We're not all liars."

"True enough," I thought, "But here you are feeding me cheesy lines. How much can I trust you?"

I finally gave up on playing the game and said, "Look, I don't know what the answer is. Maybe you will just have to ask my husband."

Now it was the guy's turn to feel flustered.

"Well, gee, it was only a question, " he huffed, and he beat a hasty retreat.

I breathed out a HUGE sigh of relief and turned back to my celery. When was the last time I had a guy hit on me? It's been a very, very looooooong time.

(I have to admit, it kind of gave my post-pregnancy, sleep-deprived, preschooler-chasing, wiping-spit-up-off-the-floor ego a nice little boost!)

Feelin' Crafty

Last night I had the opportunity to spend an hour browsing through Michaels. My baby daughter came with me and we had "girl time" together. I slowly pushed her stroller up and down every single aisle in the store, ooohing and aaahing over the cool crafting supplies. (Yes, I know I'm a geek. I'm okay with that.)

I bought yarn for my newest knitting project --- an afghan for our couch. The afghan is quite simple, and I love the design because it is a grid. I can't wait to get started on it.

I also found a neat product called Royal E-Z Rub-On Transfers. They are basically stickers, but more permanent. I have a white ceramic jug in my kitchen that I use to store cooking utensils. I bought a sheet of flower transfers, and I used some of them to decorate the jug. It turned out great! The rub-on transfers look quite professional, and I think they would be wonderful for scrapbooking.

Baby Girl and I had a fantastic time browsing through Michaels yesterday. (My husband calls Michaels the Home Depot for girls.) It felt good to get out of the house and enjoy some "me time". I think Baby Girl enjoyed herself too. She cooed and smiled the entire time we were in the store. That's my girl!

Point / Counterpoint

I have been taking counterpoint classes in music for a month now. These classes are a requirement for my ARCT diploma in piano. My goal is to take my Grade 4 Counterpoint exam in May (if I can be ready in time).

The thing is, I'm learning that I have a lot to learn. It has been ten years since I took my last music theory class. Though I have a solid foundational knowledge of theory, I have forgotten the more advanced principals of music harmony. This is a problem! I understand intuitively how to complete my counterpoint exercises (I know what sounds and looks right) but I don't comprehend why I should do things a certain way. I need to review the basics.

My teacher is a real mover --- she likes to press forward and cover a ton of material each class. I need to slow her down! I understand what she is teaching, but she's going too fast! This week I decided not to do the exercises she assigned to me. Instead, I am reviewing music harmony. It makes no sense for me to learn new material if I don't remember the foundational theory on which it is based.

So for the rest of tonight I will be slogging through my harmony workbook. Hopefully, my rusty brain will remember some of this stuff!

Run, Run, Run!
(All for a Good Cause)

A couple months ago a catchy pink brochure caught my eye at the gym. It boldly asked "Who are you running for?". The leaflet contained a registration form for the CIBC Run for the Cure. I took one of the brochures, put it in my pocket, and called my mom and sister the next day.

Today we participated in the 5km run / walk, along with an estimated 5,000 other runners and walkers. Baby Girl came too, snuggly swaddled in her stroller. It was a neat way for the women (and future women) of our family to support a worthy cause.

The weather was horrible --- rain and cold wind. Everyone was soaked to the skin, except for Baby safely sheltered under her plastic rain cover. Many of the race participants wore crazy pink costumes and wigs. Several houses along the route were decorated to display their support.

Highlights included the "Pink Teddy Bear's Picnic" house, and the evergreen trees sporting gigantic pink brassieres. The men's team with t-shirts proclaiming "We Love Breasts" was also hilarious. Maybe the best part of all was the female bonding time with my mom, sister and daughter. :-)

So, who was I running for? I walked for the memory of my Grandma Cristo, who lost her battle with cancer five years ago. Also, for my Auntie Lorna who bravely fought and is winning.

Several times every day I sit down and breastfeed my baby girl. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to lose my breasts to cancer, and the thought almost reduces me to tears. I pray that I, and the women in my family, will never have to live through such a tragedy.