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8.26.12

Snack attack…

With Jaia off to full day school, snack time around these parts is bound to change.  But what won’t change are my attempts to make eating healthy fun and colourful.

These little muffin tins work really well because they are actually designed to cook only muffin tops so they are about half as deep as a regular tin.  I suppose you could use egg cartons (new uses for old things) or even ice cube trays, depending on the size of your snack.

The surprising end result of serving something up in a cute way is that they actually eat all the good stuff, with very few complaints.   And they sometimes ask for more.  Score.

If you’ve got littler ones, this kind of snack doubles as a lesson in colours and counting. If you are going to teach, why not make it hands on and delicious.  Double score.

Do you have any cute snack ideas you want to share?

Filed in: Daily Us | Food | Photos
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8.22.12

The other day Jaia pulled out our copy of ‘The Giving Tree’ (Thanks, Auntie Shirley) and read it to me from beginning to end.  Seeing your child suddenly able to read literally takes your breath away.  It’s a milestone I never thought would hit me that hard.

She reads All. The. Time.  And she reads well.  And there’s nobody in our house more excited about this than little brother.

Though Mama and Daddy are pretty proud, too.  Way to go, Little Lady.

Filed in: Jaia | Milestones | Photos | Wes
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August 23, 2012 - 1:52 pm

Dan - Agreed. It’s been amazing to see her go from struggling to sound out a 4 letter word, to reading full storybooks to her brother at bedtime. So proud.

August 23, 2012 - 2:48 pm

Auntie Jenny - Pretty smart little lady. Way to go Jaia 🙂

8.20.12

Jaia’s Fifth birthday

Yes, you read that right.  Months ago, I promised a proper post for Jaia’s birthday.  And, like more things than I’d like to admit to, it fell off the priority list.  But before her next birthday creeps up, I wanted to make sure I posted these beauties from her most special fifth birthday party…

The morning of.  It was like Mother Nature ordered up a pretty pink sky, in my girl’s honour…No joke, no photoshop.

The prep began to create the prettiest rainbow eats I’ve ever seen.

Party time!

Our birthday morning tradition continues…(so sleepy but…can’t…resist…a…cupcake…)

And then, not to be outdone by anyone ever, there was that wee second party with her homies back in O-town.

This little lady’s fifth birthday was the raddest around and won’t soon be forgotten.  Thanks to all for making every second of it so special.

 

Stay tuned for another exciting chapter in the Fullerton saga called ‘Better Late than Never’…

Filed in: Better Late Than Never | Birthdays | Family | Food | Jaia | Photos
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8.14.12

At the cottage…

A couple of weeks ago we headed to the cottage with two other families.  We had never done that before – an extended getaway with other kids and other parents in a small space.  I was sure we’d have a good time, positive, in fact, but this little getaway was truly unforgettable.  I was surrounded by people I’ve known since I was a teenager and our kids, spread out between the ages of almost 11 and 2, got along like PB and J.  There wasn’t one fight, one squabble or any tears from all 6 kiddos in 3 nights and 4 days.

Also, water trampolines are awesome, for kids of all ages, right Marty and Chris?

The craziest part, for me, was my absolute fearlessness.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a fairly extreme fear of swimming in lakes or any open water.  It’s not something specific I was afraid of, but I was certainly afraid.  I missed out on outing after outing, spontaneous or not, all because I didn’t like being in the water.

Early on at this cottage, I threw caution to the wind.  Part of it was not wanting to let my kids see me being afraid of something I couldn’t explain now that they are old enough to notice whether or not I take part, but also, watching everyone in the water, seemingly careless, made me want to be part of it.  Part of the memory.  Part of the fun.

So I went in.  And after a few minutes of inner panic, it just kind of melted away.  And after 3 hours on and off the water trampoline on the Saturday, the thing I was most afraid of was losing my suit during the canonball competition.  Is this seriously what I’ve been missing all along.  What a waste.

Our time at the cottage reinvigorated me.  Coffee on the dock in the morning and late nights around the fire with friends was just what I needed to get me out of my slump.  I’m so thankful we all bit the bullet and made our way out to the lake.

In pictures:

The cottage.  A place for long talks, hard laughs, stiff drinks, hot fires, yummy eats, late nights, early mornings and, most importantly, good times with great friends.  I’m already ready for next year.  You?

Filed in: Food | Friends | hatheads | Sports
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August 15, 2012 - 7:46 am

Carole - Great photos, Shan! Definitely an amazing and unforgettable weekend! Thanks for saving our summer. 🙂

August 15, 2012 - 12:24 pm

Martin Deschambault - Love the pics, Shan! Wish we were are still there. What a great weekend of absolute fun and relaxation. Cheers!

August 16, 2012 - 3:45 pm

Alicia - Awesome photos from an awesome weekend.

Good times.

August 19, 2012 - 11:20 am

Auntie Lizzie - Looks like an awesome and well deserved vacation!

8.14.12

The good, the bad and the ugly

I’m a long-time recycler and an avid composter.  Even before our city introduced a green bin program, Dan and I had one in our backyard.

Over the winter though, we got lazy.  It’s easier to just toss everything out in the trash than to cart it out to the green bin or the blue box.  Not surprisingly though, the amount of garbage being hauled out to the curb was ever increasing.  Our two bags/week turned into 4 or even 5 on the worst weeks.

So in early summer, Dan and I decided t try something novel: to actually use the bins as they were meant to be used and not just when we felt like it or when it was easy.  And the timing couldn’t be better.  Rumour has it that they are changing to bi-monthly garbage collection in our area this fall.  😐

THE GOOD:

Our little experiment has shown us just how much we can save from going in the landfill by recycling what we can, and composing almost everything.  It’s actually kind of ridiculous what you are allowed to out in the green bin…cat litter, bacon grease, floor sweepings, wooden popsicle sticks, cardboard, feathers and pet hair…. And thanks to all that, and more, our 4 bags have gone down to 2/week.  And that includes diapers.

THE BAD:

It does take extra time.  It is easier to pop everything in the garbage.

THE UGLY:

The ugly is oh, so ugly.  The use of these green bins has quadrupled x 1000 the number of flies hanging around.  Some days I feel as though all of them have congregated in my kitchen.  The buzzing drives me right around the bend.  It sounds exactly like a scene in the movie when they are about to discover the dead body…

But it’s not just the flies.  It’s the maggots.  *gag*  and the freaking HUGE spiders that are only too happy to set up shop to catch the flies and maggots. *gag*

Oh, and the smell.  On garbage day with all the green bins open at curb-side, you basically have to hold your breath as you sprint to the car or you may actually gag.

 

So there you have it.  The good definitely outweighs the bad and the ugly, in our house anyway.  And in a few months the insects will be gone again until spring, so what’s grossest about the green bins (to me) fades away in the colder months.

At least there’s that to look forward to as summer starts draws to a close.  And that may be the only thing… 🙁

 

 

Filed in: Random | Summer
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