Smoothie recipes

Lately I've been really into having smoothies for breakfast, and I wanted to share some of the recipes with you.  I've been trying to add more fruits and vegetables into my diet, so I've mostly been looking for "green" smoothie recipes (aka smoothies with veggies like spinach in them).  My first reaction to the idea of drinking spinach was "won't that be gross??", but you really don't taste it.  Just make sure you blend it really well, so you don't have any spinach chunks.  Also, I've found that the longer the smoothie sits, the more prominent the spinach smell gets, so you'll want to drink it right away.

Green Monster Spinach Smoothie
from Iowa Girl Eats (click the link to see her original recipe - below is my version with some small changes)

Ingredients:
1 frozen sliced banana (tip: peel and slice the banana before freezing to make blending easier)
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 cup yogurt (you can use regular yogurt, any flavor, or Greek yogurt for extra protein)
1 cup skim milk
4 cups baby spinach (or more or less - if you're a little unsure about having spinach in a smoothie, start with 1 cup and work your way up)
1 spoonful of ground chia seeds (chia is chock-ful of wonderful stuff like Omega-3, fiber and antioxidants)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Makes 1 very large smoothie.

I really like this smoothie and all you taste is the banana and peanut butter.  I've even made it with blueberry yogurt and still all I tasted was banana and peanut butter.  The only thing I don't like about the peanut butter is that Emmett can't eat it yet, so I can't share it with him (which makes him very upset if he sees me having it).  Maybe I'll try making it without the peanut butter once, so he can have some.  Otherwise it's great - even Annika tried it.  Just a side note, though - it is very green in color (especially if you use the full 4 cups of spinach).  If you're making this for your kids and you think they may be turned off by the color, here's a tip I got from a friend - get your kid a special "smoothie cup" which is not see-through (and has a lid), so they won't be able to see the color.  Oh, and make sure they don't see you making it!

Berry Spinach Smoothie
from Yummy Mummy (click the link to see her original recipe [and much prettier pictures!!] - below is my version with some small changes)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
2-3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 frozen sliced banana
1/2 cup yogurt (regular or Greek)
1 spoonful ground chia seeds (I don't measure too carefully, just throw a bunch in)

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Makes 1 large smoothie.


At first I wasn't crazy about the taste of this smoothie, but it sort of grew on me.  Maybe it was the pomegranate juice.  I might try it with milk instead next time.  I made a few changes from the original recipe - I put in more spinach, and added the yogurt and chia seeds.  The kids both tried it and they liked it.  It has a really nice color, even with the spinach.


Next up I want to try a strawberry banana smoothie - a little bit boring and traditional, but it was Annika's request.  She wants a "red" smoothie, so I'm not sure I'll be able to sneak any spinach in there.  Maybe just a little. ;)  I also found a recipe on Pinterest that I want to try - it uses kale instead of spinach, so it will have to wait until I go grocery shopping next week.  I also want to make smoothie "freezer packs" (another idea from Pinterest) - you put a sliced banana and a cup of fruit (blueberries, strawberries, whatever) into small ziploc bags, and put them in the freezer, so they're ready to go when you want to make a smoothie - just add the liquid/yogurt and whatever "extras" you like.  I think that's a great idea, because I hate measuring stuff out, especially first thing in the morning.  That's the great thing about smoothies, though - you don't have to be too exact and they're pretty hard to mess up!

Anyone else have any favorite smoothie recipes to pass along?

Yum

My mouth was watering after reading this post about Garrett's popcorn last week.  However, as luck would have it, yesterday my sister-in-law came home from her vacation and happened to be flying through Chicago.  So she picked us up a bag!

Craving satisfied. :)

I love them

Lent: week 5

Here's my crowning achievement for this week.  It's a small change, but it makes me feel so good.  :)  First, here are some "before" pictures.  This is my bathroom organizer (thanks Ikea).  I've had it for several years, and I absolutely love it.  It takes up quite a bit of counter space, but it keeps my make up, jewelery, hair stuff, nail clippers, small random things, etc, all organized and out of sight (or mostly just out of sight).

This is my problem, though - it's horrible for my necklaces.

Doesn't that look terrible?  What a mess.  I usually only wear one or two different necklaces, because I don't want to bother trying to untangle them all to get a different necklace out.  I needed a better system, but I was drawing a blank as to what to do (despite seeing a bunch of different ideas on Pinterest).  Then Carey came up with a brilliant solution (that's what I married him for, right? ;) ).  He suggested putting little hooks on the inside of our medicine cabinet door and hanging the necklaces up in there.

Isn't that AMAZING?!?!?! 

So much better!!  And I even did it myself.  I used little 3M adhesive hooks, which are removeable (without damage) in case I want to change things around or take them down.  I love it.  I just need to remember to open the door slowly, otherwise they all fly around. :P

Here's how I'm doing on my list:

• Recipe binder
• Office
  • Kids' craft stuff
  • Drawers
  • Filing cabinet
  • Bookshelf
• Laundry room
• Email inbox
• Annika's closet
• Emmett's closet
• Our closet
• Our bathroom
• Kids' bathroom
• Main floor bathroom
• Front closet
• Back closet
• Upstairs storage closet
• Kitchen cabinets/drawers
• Pantry
• Fridge
• Freezer
• PVR
• Kids' toys
• Guitar music binder
• Sewing stuff

Not a lot accomplished this week, but I'm still making small steps, and even small changes can make a big difference (like my necklaces).  I need to get Canadian Diabetes or someone like that to come by soon and pick up a bunch of stuff that I've designated as giveaway.  Once I get that stuff out of the closets, I'll be a lot closer to actually crossing them off.  I've actually done quite a bit of work in our back closet and our walk-in closet, but they're not to the point yet where I can actually cross them off the list or share pictures of them.

Why I don't like Fancy Nancy

I mentioned yesterday that I don't like Fancy Nancy books, so here's my reason why.

First of all, for those of you who aren't familiar with Fancy Nancy, she is a little girl (maybe about 6?) that loves to dress up and make things "fancy" (hence the name).  I actually really like how the books are written as the author puts in big "fancy" words, and then explains them (e.g., she'll use the word "bouquet" and say that it's a fancy word for a bunch of a flowers).  So they're good for expanding vocabulary (that's how Annika learned the word unique) and the stories are usually good too - usually Fancy Nancy learns a lesson in each one. And the illustrations are quite good as well - lots of vivid detail and color. 

Here's what I don't like - the overall message that Annika has picked up from these books is that looks matter most.  Fancy Nancy talks a lot about what is fancy and what is plain, and she wants everything to be fancy (because fancy is better).  Annika loves dressing up and wearing nice clothes, so she immediately latched onto this concept.  In fact, one day she even told me that she didn't like me, because I was wearing plain clothes.  Not that she didn't like my clothes - she said she didn't like me.  Yikes.  I tried to explain to her that we shouldn't judge people on what they wear, and that that was not a very nice thing to say to someone, and there's much more to people than what they're wearing, etc.  I'm hoping the message got through.  Since then, we've put away the Fancy Nancy books and have stopped borrowing them from the library.  I figure that she'll be bombarded with society's messages to look good, be thin, wear the right clothes, etc, soon enough - we don't need to be dealing with that kind of stuff already.  She still likes to wear her fancy clothes (she wears skirts and dresses almost every day and wearing a pair of jeans is a punishment to her), and she'll often ask me "don't I look fancy?"  I'll usually tell her, "yes, you look very nice", but try not to focus on it for too long.  And I also try to tell her things like she's smart, creative, funny, silly, etc as well, to try to balance things out.  We also talk about things like being a good friend, and why we like people and why people like us.  Hopefully the message is getting through that although it is fun to be fancy and look nice, there's a lot more to people than just what's on the outside.

U is for unique

Since the beginning of the new year, Annika's preschool class has been going through the alphabet, focusing on a different letter each day.  The kids are encouraged to bring an item starting with that letter for show and tell.  First of all, I have to say, I'm so impressed by her teachers that every single item that she's brought to school has come back home.  I thought for sure she'd lose some along the way, but the teachers are very good at making sure that the kids keep track of their items and that they put them back in their backpacks each day to take home.  That must be no small task, so kudos to you teachers.

We're now onto letter U and I have to say, I'm glad that the alphabet is almost over.  It's been a bit of a challenge for us (or perhaps just me), remembering which letter it is each day and finding something to take along.  As we've been going through the alphabet, I've discovered something about Annika, something that is actually very cool - she has a strong desire to be unique.  She learned that word from a Fancy Nancy book, and while I don't really like Fancy Nancy books in general (I'll save that rant for another day), I like that Annika has learned that word and that she understands the concept.  She doesn't want to be like everyone else, and she definitely doesn't want to bring the same thing for show and tell as everyone else.  I remember on "O" day when I was trying to get her to bring a toy octopus, she told me, "I don't want to bring an octopus, EVERYONE will bring an octopus" (and she was right - there were quite a few octopuses that day).  I think that was right around the time when she learned the word unique and decided that her show and tell should be unique each day.  Which is great, but also a lot more challenging!  (By the way, she ended up bringing some fake orchid flowers for "O" day, and was quite satisfied that no one else had brought flowers - although I'm pretty sure she mispronounced "orchids" every time she said it).

Last night we were trying to think of "U" words for today - umbrella was definitely too common, we didn't have a unicorn or a ukelele, and we decided it would be inappropriate to bring underwear to school (wearing it is okay, showing it is not).  I told Annika she should just bring herself, and tell everyone that she's a "U" word - unique.  She wasn't too impressed with that (and I thought I was being so creative!), so I googled "U words", and came up with "ultrasound".  So today she took in her ultrasound picture, from when I was pregnant with her.  I made sure that she understood that it was a picture of her, so that nobody would think that she was making any announcements (hopefully no more of those kind of announcements around here - I'm done!!).  :P  She thought it was quite unique and that made her quite happy.

As for her wanting to be unique, I think that's great (even if it's sometimes more of a challenge, and who knows what she'll want to do to be "unique" as she grows up!!), and I try to tell her every day that she is unique and special, no matter what she's wearing or what she brings to show and tell, because God made her.  :)

Sometimes the prettiest flowers...

... don't come from a florist's shop, or even a garden.

Sometimes they are made of twigs, tissue paper and twist ties (and a whole lot of patience for crafting with an almost 4 year old).

PS. we got the idea from Annika's "High Five" magazine (it's like "Highlights for Children", but for preschoolers).  It's a great magazine for young kids - it's got stories, poems, picture searches, craft ideas, snack ideas, etc.  I really recommend it.

Lent: week 4

Still struggling.  I'm having a hard time getting back the momentum and excitement that I had at the beginning of Lent.  I'm still decluttering, but it's going slower and it feels harder to do.  Perhaps it's because I've finished off a lot of the smaller (aka easier) areas and now what's left are the larger, daunting, untamed areas like closets or kitchen cabinets.  And I'm having a hard time keeping new clutter at bay.  Mail and papers are starting to pile up again.  Clean laundry is left sitting in baskets (or even still in the dryer!).  There's a few large empty cardboard boxes that have been sitting in the back hall for almost a week (they just need to be broken down and carried out to the garage, but somehow it just never gets done).  I'm tired of looking at organizational blogs and articles.  I'm tired of seeing pictures of other people's perfect pantries and closets, with everything in matching containers with cute labels. 

It's tough-going right now, but I will try to persevere.

My list:

• Recipe binder
• Office
  • Kids' craft stuff
  • Drawers
  • Filing cabinet
  • Bookshelf
• Laundry room
• Email inbox
• Annika's closet
• Emmett's closet
• Our closet
• Our bathroom
• Kids' bathroom
• Main floor bathroom
• Front closet
• Back closet
• Upstairs storage closet
• Kitchen cabinets/drawers
• Pantry
• Fridge
• Freezer
• PVR
• Kids' toys
• Guitar music binder
• Sewing stuff

Last ballet class

Yesterday was Annika's last ballet class, and they "performed" a little routine that they had been working on for the past few weeks.  I taped it with my camera (Annika didn't want me to bring the videocamera along - apparently I embarrass her already :P), but I was unable to figure out how to get it posted here.  So here's a picture of her after class instead.

Now that ballet is done we have a few weeks off and then swimming starts.  I wasn't able to get the kids into the classes that I wanted (a morning class), but I was at least able to get them into classes at the same time, so that's a minor victory.  The downside is that the classes are from 7:00-7:30 on Wednesday evenings.  Annika already has school on Wednesday afternoons, so I guess we'll have to see if she still has any energy left for swimming by the time evening comes.

PS. if anyone is looking to buy used ballet slippers, let me know!  Annika has pretty much grown out of these ones - I think they're a size 8 or 8.5.

Coffee anyone?

We got a new coffee maker yesterday - isn't she pretty?

Our old one, which we got as a wedding present 8 years ago, was close to giving up the ghost.  It would chug along quite loudly and s-l-o-w-l-y produce a pot of coffee, so we thought it was time to replace it before it quit working altogether.  I would've loved to get one of those single-serving machines, like a Tassimo or a Keurig, but it just wouldn't have been practical for what we need.  We usually make a full pot (or close to it) on the weekends, so we still would've needed a regular coffee maker in addition to the single-serve.  What I like about this one is that it has a built-in hot water dispenser, so I can put away my kettle and have one less thing sitting on the counter (I like to have tea or hot chocolate or instant cappuccino in the afternoon when the kids have snack).

When we took it out of the box yesterday, Annika took advantage of it sitting on the counter (before we plugged it in), and played "Starbucks" for a while.

Setting up shop

Caramel macchiato anyone?

She took our orders and brought us drink after drink last night. :)  I love this girl's imagination.  She can spend hours playing like this, making up stories and characters, etc.  I hardly ever hear her say "I'm bored" because she is very good at entertaining herself.  And she almost never asks to watch TV.  She gets to watch TV after lunch, for an hour when Emmett is sleeping (sometimes an hour and a half, if I let her watch a movie).  She knows when it's TV time and she sometimes gets very impatient when she knows it's time and I'm being slow, but other than that, she doesn't pester me to watch TV, which I'm very grateful for.

Anyways, back to the coffeemaker - Annika found one more thing to play with this morning, after I had told her she couldn't play with the machine anymore.

Can't let a good box (and a good hiding spot) go to waste, right?

So who wants to come over for coffee? :)

I guess I'm not a diva...

*** Warning to any male readers - this post is about lady business (aka menstruation).  You may want to skip this one.**

Yes, that's right - it's time for TMI.  Today I'm going to be talking about menstruation.  Normally that's something I wouldn't feel the need to discuss on my blog, so don't worry, this won't be a regular occurrence.  You can actually blame it on my decluttering....

The other day I was cleaning out my bathroom, and I came across the DivaCup that I had purchased quite a while ago.  Purchased, but never, ever used.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the DivaCup, here's some info from their website:

The DivaCup is a non-absorbent menstrual cup that simply collects menstrual flow. It is inserted in the vagina and sits at the lower base of the vaginal canal. It is worn internally, yet because it is soft and smooth, it cannot be felt nor will it leak when inserted properly.

The DivaCup is the most clean and convenient method of feminine hygiene protection. No need to touch the flow. It is worn low in the vagina, not near the cervix, so it is easy to remove. No mess!

The DivaCup ends hassles with unreliable disposables in endless absorbencies, shapes and styles. It is perfect for all activities – giving women true freedom without the worry, guessing and unreliability that disposable feminine hygiene products pose.

The DivaCup can be worn for up to 12 hours before emptying, washing and reinserting for use for another 12 hours. It can be used for light or moderate flows and is emptied more often to accommodate heavy flows. Perfect for overnight use.

The DivaCup’s expert, proprietary, patent-pending features make it comfortable and assures ease of use and reliability. Perfect for traveling, running, biking, hiking, dancing, camping, swimming, diving, scuba, yoga, extreme sports and more...

I bought it quite a while ago (probably almost a year ago) because I'd heard about it from other people (who really love it) and it sounded like a really great alternative to constantly buying pads and tampons.  Save money, save the earth - great, right?  Except here's the thing - I'm too chicken to try it.  I just can't do it.  I'm really scared that I won't be able to put it in right or it's going to get stuck or lost in there!  It's just been sitting in my bathroom drawer, out of the package but never used.  Every now and then I take a look at it, but I just can't bring myself to try it out.  So that's why I'm writing about it now...

It's time to get rid of this thing.  However, it's not really the kind of thing you sell on Kijiji or donate to goodwill.  And throwing it in the garbage seems like quite a waste, given that it's still brand new.  So I was wondering if there was anyone out there who would want to buy it off me?  Preferably someone local, so I don't have to mail it (unless you want to pay for shipping).  I think they normally retail for about $40, but I paid about $20 for this one (I got it from a deal website) and I also have the "DivaWash" for cleaning it, which I would include with it.  It's a size 2 (click here to see the sizing info).  Like I said - it's out of the package, but it's never been used (I promise, you have my word).  I have no idea how much to ask for it - if there's anyone actually interested, just make me an offer.  If you're interested and don't want to leave a public comment, you can email me at pamcakes14 at hotmail dot com.

Anyone willing to give it a shot?

Miss Independent... sometimes

"I can do it BY MYSELF!!!!"

How many times have I heard that phrase come out of Annika's mouth (usually with quite the "tone" to it)??  She definitely has an independent streak... now if only it was consistent.

Let me backtrack a little bit to give you some context for this post.  When we were on vacation in Flordia (about a month ago), we didn't bring along Annika's "OK to Wake" alarm clock, so she was getting up (and out of her room) a lot earlier than we would've liked (especially since we were on vacation).  So, after a few days of her getting up and coming into our room and us telling her to go back to her room for a little while longer, she started going to the bathroom and getting herself dressed by herself, instead of bothering us.  She decided to do it on her own - it wasn't something we asked her to do (maybe she got bored waiting for us to get up or maybe she had to pee really badly one morning??).  We always pick out her outfit for the next day before going to bed, so all she had to do was go to the bathroom, take off her jammies and put on the clothes laid out for her - pretty simple.  It was great that she was doing this on her own (especially since it meant a little more sleep for us!), and on her own initiative.  An independent step in the right direction.

When we got home from Florida, I thought it would be great if she could keep getting ready by herself in the morning.  It makes things a lot easier for me with getting Emmett ready, and I figured, if this is something she likes to do and wants to do (and is able to do), that's great!  However, something is different between Florida and home.  She DOES NOT want to get ready by herself anymore.  I'm not sure what exactly is making the difference, but it's a struggle almost every morning.  Some mornings it takes her 30-45 minutes to get ready (and that's just getting dressed, not counting eating breakfast), with all her dawdling and fussing (and sometimes tantruming).  Luckily we only have 2 mornings a week where we actually have to be somewhere at a specific time. 

I thought that maybe we'd have a week or so adjustment period when we got home from vacation and then she'd get used to the new routine, but it's a month later, and it's still quite a challenge.  However, I really don't want to back down on this one and start helping her again.  For one, she is perfectly capable of doing these things on her own (other than the occasional button or zipper) - she's proven that.  I read somewhere that once a child is capable of doing a skill or task, they should be allowed (or perhaps, made) to do it on their own, even though it may take waaaayyyyy longer than if you helped them.  I'm not sure I agree with that in all cases, but I do think an important part of parenting is teaching children to be independent, so there definitely is a time to step back and let them do it their way.  The other reason why I don't want to start helping her again is that getting her ready is one of the most frustrating tasks in my day.  Usually when I try to help her get ready (like on mornings when we're in a rush), she repeatedly tells me (or yells at me), "no mommy, I can do it by myself."  Sometimes she even tells me that she doesn't want me to watch her get ready.  So what am I supposed to be doing???  That's why it's so baffling to me that she doesn't want to get ready on her own -- whenever I'm there, she just pushes me away.  Also, if Emmett is around while she's trying to get ready, he is a major distraction to her and she wants to play with him instead of focusing on the task at hand.

Since Annika is a lover of stickers and charts and stuff like that, I found this behavior chart on this website that I'm hoping will make a difference:

 

I know it's too small to read properly (go to the website if you want to see the full size version), but it has 4 things on it - dress myself, go to bed nicely, pick up my toys and share my things.  I'm hoping it will provide her with some incentive in the morning, and I think the other 3 things are also good things to focus on at this age (sort of a precursor to having chores).  And I like that it has pictures, as well as words, so she can understand what it means.  I haven't decided yet what the reward will be at the end (or how many spots she'll need to fill to get a reward), but there probably will be some little reward to go with it (any suggestions??).  I'm also thinking about making a chart or poster of Annika's morning routine, with actual photos of her doing the different tasks.  I think she might like that too.  I'm really hoping these things will make a difference and we'll start having happier, more independent mornings again.

Lent: week 3

This week was more difficult than the first two weeks.  And it may seem sort of strange to say, but I was almost glad that I was finding it more difficult - after all, this is Lent!  I'm supposed to be making a sacrifice, right?  Giving something up?  It didn't feel like much of a sacrifice when it felt so good and was so easy.  ;)

So why was this week more difficult?  Well, for one, I've had a few bad nights of sleep (and not even due to the kids), so I've been tired, which doesn't lend itself well to productivity.  Those days I didn't feel like doing much, so I chose small, relatively simple projects, like organizing my guitar music binder or my recipe binder (the recipe binder is still a work in progress though - but I'll write more about that in another post).  Unfortunately, there were a few days when clean laundry was left sitting in the basket for a day (or 3), papers were left on the counter and my daily cleaning tasks didn't get accomplished.

One thing that I did do this week was start getting some of the boxes and bags of stuff that I had sorted through out of the house.  I brought 2 bags of stuff back to my mom and 1 bag of stuff to church (it was papers and stuff from when I helped out with the church receipting, so it really belonged back at the church).  I read somewhere that this step (actually getting rid of the stuff "to donate", or "to throw away", etc) was almost important as doing the sorting itself.  After all, you don't want a bunch of boxes and bags sitting around in the basement or by your back door for weeks and weeks.  I think it actually recommended getting the stuff out of your house within 24-48 hours of sorting through it.  I wasn't quite that good, and I still have a bunch of stuff that needs to go to the thrift shop and a bunch of stuff I'm saving to sell, but it sure was nice to get those 3 big bags out of our back closet.

So, it wasn't a great week, compared to my first two, but I think I'm still on the right track, and I'm not going to let a bad week derail or discourage me.  My goals for this next week are to go through the front closet and the downstairs bathroom, and to continue working on our closets upstairs (which I started doing this past week).

Here's how I'm doing on my decluttering list:

• Recipe binder
• Office
  • Kids' craft stuff
  • Drawers
  • Filing cabinet
  • Bookshelf
• Laundry room
• Email inbox
• Annika's closet
• Emmett's closet
• Our closet
• Our bathroom
• Kids' bathroom
• Main floor bathroom
• Front closet
• Back closet
• Upstairs storage closet
• Kitchen cabinets/drawers
• Pantry
• Fridge
• Freezer
• PVR
• Kids' toys
• Guitar music binder
• Sewing stuff

Spring-time activities

It's that time of year again - time to register for spring-time activities.  The time of year that fills me with anticipation and fear.  I look forward to having new activities begin, but I hate the process of trying to decide what to do, when to do it, and then the whole registration process... don't even get me started on that.  The city has taken steps to improve their online registration system, so I guess we'll see next week whether it actually makes a difference. :P

Annika and Emmett will both be taking swimming lessons this spring (fingers crossed that I can get them both in at the same time!).  This will be Annika's third time in her level, and Emmett's first time taking swimming lessons.  I'm actually looking forward to starting swimming with Emmett, because he loves the water and I think it will be fun to actually do something with him (poor second child, he didn't get to go to any of the "mommy-and-baby" classes that I did with Annika).  As for Annika, I'm hoping that she'll be able to master the skills needed, and get the confidence too, to finally move up from this "transitional" level.  It feels a bit frustrating to be putting her in the same level again, but the instructor last fall didn't feel she was quite ready to move on.  I've briefly contemplated private lessons for her, just so she can get a bit more one-on-one time and instruction (how much do the kids really learn when they spend about 1/2 the lesson just standing with their butts against the wall??), but we're going to try the regular lessons one more time.

I'm hoping to get the kids into Thursday morning swimming classes, because I think that would work best with our schedule.  I've looked at the schedules for our nearest pool, and most of the times when they offer both classes at the same time are at 6:00pm or 6:30pm, which means we would have to rush supper (we usually eat at 6:00).  There was a day that had the classes both at 7:00pm, but I'm wondering whether that would be a little late for the kids.  They only go to bed at 8:00, but we've been finding with Annika's current ballet class (which goes from 6:45-7:30) that she often seems very tired and uninterested by then (even though she'll be excited about it earlier in the day).  Often it looks like she's not having much fun and not paying attention very well (although, I think the teachers are not as good as the ones she had last spring, which also makes a difference).  It makes me question whether it's worth it to put her in activities in the evening, if that's how she's going to be.

Which brings me to my other dilemma when registering for activities - how do you choose what to put your kid in?  Annika has lots of interests, and we could probably register her for a different activity every day, but there's a limit to what you can all do (time-, energy-, and money-wise).  Also, there are things that she's not too interested in, but I wonder if we should try some of those activities, just to give her an opportunity to try it out and possibly develop an interest?  Growing up, I didn't play sports.  I didn't like sports.  I had a bad experience with playing soccer when I was little (got hit in the face with a ball) and to this day, I'm still not a huge fan of playing sports (although I do enjoy volleyball and tennis, every now and then).  However, I often wonder, if I had been given more opportunities when I was younger, would I have overcome that fear and learned to enjoy sports?  But as a parent, how do you know when to push your child, and when to back off?  (I'm not blaming my parents for the choices they made for me, just "thinking" out loud.  I'm actually very grateful to my parents for all the time and money they invested in my musical education, which is still an important part of me). 

A friend of mine has told me about a book called "The Hurried Child" which is apparently about letting kids be kids - not overscheduling them, or pushing them to grow up too fast.  I want to read it soon.  I agree with the idea that kids need to have time to just be kids.  They need time to just play in the backyard or dawdle over supper or go for bike rides around the neighbourhood.  As much as I want to encourage my kids' interests and skills through different activities and programs, I also want to remember to give them time to just play.  After all, there's still plenty of time for all that other stuff, right?

Yummy cheeseburger pasta

Last night I made this delicious cheeseburger pasta and even the kids ate it (a small miracle)!!  I found the recipe on this website, but it's originally from the Taste of Home website.  I recommend you give it a try - it's simple to make and so good!  It really tastes like a burger (at least as much as something that's not a burger can taste like a burger!).


Family Favorite Cheeseburger Pasta

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne pasta (all I had was regular macaroni, so I used that)
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) no-salt-added diced tomatoes (I used crushed tomatoes, so there wouldn't be big chunks of tomatoes - I'm not a huge tomato fan.  It was also nice and saucy with the crushed tomatoes).
• 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 teaspoon steak seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt (I didn't know what the difference between steak seasoning and seasoned salt was, so I just used Hy's seasoning salt for both)
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (I probably used more than this - we like cheese)
• Chopped green onions, optional (I don't like green onions, so I didn't include these)

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Drain pasta; add to meat mixture.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, relish, mustard, ketchup, steak seasoning and seasoned salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand until cheese is melted. Garnish with green onions if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Enjoy!

Thanks!

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who took the time to comment on my blogoversary post!  You really made my day with your encouraging words.  :)  I know everyone who read it didn't comment (Blogger keeps track of pageviews, and it was viewed a lot more than 12 times - which was the number of comments), so there's still some "lurkers" out there.  That's okay.  I was a blog lurker for a long time too (always read but never commented).  I still really appreciate that you take the time to read my blog, even if you don't comment.  Maybe one day... 
;)

Happy blogoversary to me!

One year ago today I started this blog with this post.  So how am I celebrating my "blogoversary"?  Well, I'm sorry to say that there's no giveaway or anything special for you, the readers.  Instead, I'd like you to give me a little something (it is my blogoversary, after all). ;)  It won't cost you anything but a minute or two of your time - I'd like everyone who reads this post to leave me a comment. 

Like most bloggers, I love getting comments and I really appreciate those who take the time to comment on a regular basis.  But I know there are a lot of people out there who read and never comment.  So, take the plunge today and do it!  And please, comment here and not on Facebook (not that I don't appreciate the FB comments as well, but I prefer having comments on the blog, so I can look back and read them together).  So what should you say in your comment?  Well, you can just say hi, or if you're really adventurous, I'd love it if you told me how long you've been reading my blog and how you came across it.  If you've never commented before and you're not sure how to do it, here's how...

At the bottom of this post, click on the link to "comments" (it may say "post a comment" or "2 comments" or something like that).  A pop-up window will appear.  Type your comment in the box where it says "leave your comment".  Beneath that it says "choose an identity".  You can sign in with a Google or OpenID account if you have one, or you can just leave your name/URL (don't worry if you don't have a URL, you can just leave your name).  You could also select "anonymous" and include your name in the comment box (please leave a name!).  After you put in your name, you can click preview or publish.  After that you may have to prove you're a human by typing some letters into a box (I can't recall whether I have that function on or not), and that's it! 

"Easy peasy" as Annika would say. :)

Lent: week 2

I've had another good week of giving up clutter.  It feels so good to be getting rid of the "unimportant" (aka clutter and garbage) from our home, and getting things put into their proper places.  It's slow, but I'm working steadily, so I feel like I'm making good progress, even though most of it is visible to only me.  Improvement in this one area has also encouraged me to make improvements in other areas of my life - I'm doing general cleaning more regularly, I've baked 3 times this past week (I try to aim for once a week, and usually fail), and I've been feeling good mentally and spiritually.  I've been setting aside time each day for Bible/devotional reading and prayer, something that has gotten sorely neglected in the past, I'm sad to say.  However, now I've been using some of my "quiet" time in the afternoons (after I've finished my decluttering time but before checking email/Facebook) to be with God.  I'll be honest, it's not an automatic habit yet.  My first inclination is still to just veg out in front of the TV or computer.  However, that's part of my Lenten journey - to break old habits and create new ones.  It just takes time.

I've also been feeling pretty good physically, as I try to wear my "new-to-me" shape-up sneakers (I got them at a clothing exchange) while I do my cleaning and decluttering.  They're like the Sketchers shoes with the unbalanced bottom, but they're not actually Sketchers brand.  They make my legs work a little harder when otherwise they wouldn't be doing much (dusting doesn't tax your legs much!), and I'll admit, I had sore muscles after the first few times I wore them.  I also ran on the treadmill the other day, which I haven't done for some time.

So here's how I'm doing on my decluttering list:

• Recipe binder (it's a disaster! I'd like to get it all organized and come up with a system for meal planning)
• Office
  • Kids' craft stuff
  • Drawers
  • Filing cabinet
  • Bookshelf
• Laundry room
• Email inbox
• Annika's closet
• Emmett's closet
• Our closet
• Our bathroom
• Kids' bathroom
• Front closet
• Back closet
• Upstairs closet
• Kitchen cabinets/drawers
• Pantry
• Fridge
• PVR (need to delete some old shows)

And here's a few more to add to the list:

• Kids' toys (this is a BIG one - how could I forget it on the first list??)
• Guitar music binder
• Sewing stuff
• Freezer
• Main floor bathroom

My main project from the past week was the bookshelf in the office (which also doubles as a craft/play room for the kids - Annika calls it her office).  I should've taken a "before" picture - it was a disaster.  It's not completely finished yet (still a few things to sort and put away), but it's a hundred times better than before, and I can live with what's left.  If you're wondering why there are so many empty shelves, it's because I really can't put anything small or light on the bottom 2 rows of shelves, thanks to curious little hands (and I just discovered that Emmett can pull things off the next row up as well, so we'll see how long before all the books are on the floor).  So that's another reason why I'm not too concerned about it being perfect - I know it won't stay that way for long. :P  I need to finish Emmett's "first year" picture frame (I'm still missing the last 3 months) and then I want to hang both of the kids' frames upstairs by their rooms.  Also, the large basket is filled with stuff that Carey will need to sort through at some point.

If you're thinking "wow, she only got one bookshelf sorted in a whole week - how slow is she?", you should know that I'm very disorganized when it comes to organizing.  I do a little here, a little there, I go to a different room to put something away and get side-tracked by a project in there.  So, I am making progress, but it's slow and it's a little all over the place.  Not everything is ready to be photographed and shared yet.  But it's happening.

Oh, and my organized laundry room from last week?  It's still organized!  Yay!!

All about Emmett

This post is all about Emmett, because he's awesome and he's been changing so much in the past month.  His little personality is really coming out, he's learning new things every day and it's so fun to see.  He'll be 15 months old tomorrow.

Walking
Emmett took his first steps a week ago, and then decided never to do it again. ;)  Seriously, I still don't have a picture or video of him walking.  He did it a few times and then wouldn't do it anymore.  Just spaghetti legs.  Yesterday and today he's taken a few steps again, so maybe he's decided that it's not so bad.

Reading
Emmett has suddenly developed a love of books (why couldn't this have happened before our plane rides??).  Up until lately he had very little use for books, other than to chew on them.  However, now he loves looking at the pictures, and he loves to be read to.  He'll even crawl into your lap with a book and snuggle in to listen (sometimes - there are times when he still can't sit still).  He always has to have a book to look at during diaper changes, and he's very particular about which book.  If I give him the wrong book, he'll scream and point until I get the right one.  Same with before bed.

Growing
He hasn't gained much weight (only about a pound in the last 3 months), but he's definitely getting bigger.  I haven't measured him lately (maybe I'll do that when he wakes up from his nap), but I can tell from his clothes. Shirts are getting tight, pants are getting short and it's a good thing that winter is almost over because he'll soon be too big for his one-piece snowsuit.  I'm thinking this growth spurt is perhaps why he's been taking 3-hour naps lately (not that I'm complaining!).

Teething
Emmett's teeth have been very slow to come in. Until this past week he only had 2 teeth on the bottom and 4 teeth on the top. However, now his top molars have just started coming through and it looks like the bottom ones won't be too far behind (his gums are pretty swollen-looking).  Fortunately teething has been relatively kind to him.  Other than the fact that he usually gets a runny nose just before a tooth comes in, things have been fairly decent (although I hesitate to say that - am I jinxing it??). ;)

Learning and exploring
It seems like he's learned so much lately.  He can wave goodbye (that he learned a while ago), blow a kiss, and point to his nose, toes, hair and belly button.  The belly button one is really cute, because if he's wearing a onesie and can't lift up his shirt, he'll put out his hands, palms up, like he's saying - "where'd it go???"  He also loves to climb - one of his favorite spots is the ottoman next to the window.  We originally put it there to block the floor vent, when he was constantly pulling them open and trying to put things down there, but now he likes to climb up there and look out the window.  He's only fallen off once. ;)  He also loves to do stairs - he's pretty good with going up, but down is a bit shaky.  I still keep the stairs gated.

First words
He says a couple words, but they don't quite sound like the real words yet.  However, I'm going to count them as his first words, because he uses them consistently and correctly.  He says "bye" (it comes out "bah") and "book" (it comes out "buh" - a subtle difference, but it's there).  He can say "mum-mum" and "da-da", but I think those are still just babble noises, rather than real words, because he doesn't seem to connect them to us or use them consistently.  Mostly he still just grunts and points.

Personality
Emmett seems to be more outgoing than Annika ever was (or is).  He loves to flirt with old ladies especially.  It's quite funny sometimes.  When we were in Florida, having breakfast at Denny's, he yelled (yes, literally yelled) at a table of old ladies a few tables down from us until he got their attention and they started waving and smiling at him.  And of course, he returned the smiles and waves. :)  He also has his favorite Sunday school teacher, and he loves giving high-fives and "knuckles" to all our friends at church.  The last time we left him at home with one of his aunties, he had no problem with saying goodbye to us (not a tear - he actually looked quite happy to see us go), although he will still cry occasionally when I leave him in the nursery at Y Neighbours.  I think seeing his personality develop is perhaps the most exciting thing of all.  He's really becoming a little person, and not just a blob that eats, sleeps, cries and poops.  I love this stage. :)