seafood greek

I made up this Greek salad the other day as part of my healthy eating plan. It was so yummy I had to share:

2 cups shredded Romaine lettuce

1/2 cup grape tomatoes

1/4 cup green pepper, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1/4 cup red pepper, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1/2 cup cucumber, cut into 3/4 inch chunks

2 Tbsp. red onion, diced

1/2 can chunk light tuna in water, drained

1/4 cup Kraft feta cheese crumbles (I used the one with oregano, sundried tomatoes and cracked peppercorns)

3 Tbsp Renees Mediterranean Greek dressing

Layer in order and enjoy! Approximately 450 Calories and it’s a huge salad!

journal time

Sorry guys… you’re gonna be hearing a lot more about weight loss. It’s something I’m really determined to do this time, especially since my family’s genetics dictate weight problems later in life. Since I’m only a couple years away from 30, I figure this would be a great time to nip that one in the bud.

I found the greatest tool to help me, the calorie counter journal. For one thing, I generally have no idea what’s in the food I’m eating (calories, etc) so I snack mindlessly all day. For another thing, I can also track my water intake and activity levels. I’m just so enthused about this whole thing… and I’m really hoping that I don’t fall off the wagon too badly the 10 days we’re gone. It’s so hard to watch what you’re eating when you’re dining out or at someone else’s place. I’m hoping to still get some workout time, whether at a Curves or even just some power walks.

Spring is a great time to get moving!

curvaceous

Okay, so I know I’m not obese. In fact I know I’m not considered overweight even, but I’m not happy with my fitness level. Or my energy level for that matter. So I did it - I signed back up with Curves! It’s been a year since I quit and I have to admit, I really missed it. It’s like a family there, you work out with the same people and you get to know them and form a sort of bond… we’re in this together… yada yada yada… And now I’m back and I have a goal in mind! If you scroll down to bottom of the page you’ll notice I added a weight loss ticker that will be tracking my journey. I’m great at procrastination, and I figured that if I made it public it would make me more accountable. So you guys have to hang in there and keep me going, okay?

Thanks. I knew you would.

kids can cook

My boys could easily be budding chefs. I’ve suspected this for awhile, but haven’t encouraged it a whole lot. Maybe because I’m always in such a hurry when I’m cooking. “It’s 5:30 and daddy’s gonna be home soon – could you guys go play downstairs until supper’s ready, please?” Or maybe sometimes I don’t say please. It’s possible.

Anyway, Buster and Noodle have always made a beeline for toy kitchens when they see them and they’re always trying to “help” in the kitchen so I’ve started getting them to shred the cheese for me, etc. It actually is a big help, even if it takes a little longer.

Yesterday on Simple Mom I read this article on how to “thrive in the kitchen with kids”. I thought it was a great inspiration and I wanted to share it with my readers. The article was written by Aimée, who blogs over at Under the High Chair. I’ve read her blog for awhile and love it! So if you think you can’t get cooking help out of your preschoolers? You’d probably be surprised!

sick

I have to admit that my boys have been pretty healthy. Buster had a lot of ear infections in the first 3 years of his life, but we had tubes put in and it made all the difference… no more antibiotics, no more screaming ear pain… Buster was also the one that ended up in the hospital with RSV when he was 4 months old, but Noodle has had almost no health problems (unless you include 7 months of colic!) to speak of.

This morning when Noodle came padding into my bedroom wanting to “sleep with you, Mommy” like he always does, his hands and feet felt like they were on fire. I took his temp and it was 102.3F. This is a kid that never ever has a temp over 101 at the very highest and that’s even pretty rare. Even with teething and after shots it never got over 99. His cheeks were so flushed and he was just listless and lying there. Nothing pulls at a mother’s heartstrings like a sick child. I gave him some water, a Tylenol and put a damp washcloth on his forehead. And true to Noodle form, 30 minutes later he was begging to get dressed and go play.

The resilience of 3-year-old kids!

soft

Being a mom has made me soft. I cry so easily… especially when I hear of kids sick or in pain, suffering… Today 2 young women rang my doorbell. They were raising money for a medical missions trip and asked if I’d like to buy a tub of cookie dough. Of course I was delighted to help the cause, but when Buster asked me why they were there… I got the hugest lump in my throat. I’m a mom, and I cry easily. And you know what? I’m proud of that!

on the road again…

…or rather, in the air! Yes, we are planning a trip. A business trip, of course, but we’ve managed to tuck in some pleasure time too! We leave Tuesday, March 24 – the lovely red-eye flight leaving Calgary at 12:45 am and arriving in London, Ontario at 6:15. Arrrgghhh! And yes, if you’ll recall, that is the same flight we did last July and vowed never to do again with preschoolers. But I digress…

Tech Guy and his dad, on top of their many wonderful talents, also occasionally install sound systems in churches. And that is what they’re doing in Ontario, only this time we get to tag along! We have so many great friends out there so it’s pretty exciting for the boys and me. We plan to drive across the border down to friends in Ohio as well – probably the best friends we’ve ever had, but haven’t seen for 2.5 years. We haven’t seen each others’ youngest kids so it’s way overdue!

We’ll be arriving back home on April 2, late in the evening so I’m sure you won’t be hearing a lot from me in that time period! But we’ll be having a blast and I’m sure there will be lots to talk about when we get back!

working mom

I’ve been so blessed and so thankful that I can be a stay-at-home mom. I never wanted anything else for my boys, and finances – so far – have permitted it. But once in a blue moon, I’m needed at the office and today is one of those days. Tech Guy’s technician quit about a week ago so he’s been doing the work of 2 men again lately… the secretary is a lifesaver and takes a good portion of the load off, dealing with the paperwork and phone call end of things. A couple of weeks ago, she let us in on her big news… she’s pregnant! So happy for her, but a little apprehensive of where this will leave us. She’s determined to come back after mat leave – she loves her job! – but for now there’s appointment days, etc. that I will have to fill in for her. So yesterday I spent all afternoon at the office learning the ropes from her, and this afternoon I’m on my own! Sort of intimidating because I am, after all, a SAHM and don’t use my brain or people (read: adult) skills a whole lot! But I’m enthused about it and looking forward to getting out of the house sans kids once in awhile. So I’m gonna go out there and rock it today… pretend I’m the worldly wise working mom who heads out the door to the office every day!!

the lion sleeps tonight

This is completely random and off topic (if there were a topic, that is…) but my boys love this video. It’s so completely cool – I love the way the hippo is so mortified by the dog’s antics. And yes, I realize you’ve seen this a million times already, but as I said, it’s a hit around here and I’m all about what makes the kiddos smile!

hope ahead

 

Tonight

• -24°C

Thu

• -2°C

Fri

• 9°C
• -12°C

Info found here.

crayon physics

One of my daily challenges includes finding ways to keep my 5 year old busy and happy. No, I don’t have the cure-all for that, but every little thing along the way helps! I don’t like to let him play on the computer or Nintendo DS all day but sometimes I do resort to that because he’s driving everyone crazy! Tech Guy found a really cool game the other that Buster is now addicted to. It’s called Crayon Physics and you can find it here. As they put it on the website, Crayon Physics is a 2D physics puzzle / sandbox game, in which you get to experience what it would be like if your drawings would be magically transformed into real physical objects. Solve puzzles with your artistic vision and creative use of physics. You can play the demo version for free (fine for a 5 year old) or download the full game for $20 from their website.

I have not been paid to advertise for them, they absolutely have no clue who I am. I’m just a mom who found a temporary solution for temporary insanity. Thank you.

love from hungary

One thing I love about blogging is the friends I’ve made from around the world. One of these dear people is Julie Anderson over at My Life With Boys. She and her husband do an amazing work in student ministry in Hungary and they have 2 little boys similar in age to ours. Recently we decided to send each other care packages and we got ours today. It was like Christmas! The boys were so excited and wanted to eat all the chocolate! There was also some hot and spicy paprika, a vegetable seasoning and a gorgeous homemade necklace for me. Thanks so much, Jules – it totally made our day!!

And while we’re talking about the Andersons… please keep them in their prayers. Pray for healing for Eli, and for courage & strength for Zach and Julie. You can read all about the sickness on their blog. It’s been extremely draining for all of them.

progress

I know I’ve been talking way too much about our basement project, but that is, after all, our focus these days so you can just accept that you’ll be hearing more on that topic. Anyway, here’s the proof that the framers have spent 1 whole day and 1 whole evening hard at work:

And yes, that is a lawn mower in the back room (future office) because we have a tiny single-car garage and no garden shed. The room with the step ladder will become the bathroom and the room to the left of that will be the boys’ huge bedroom. (So looking forward to that!)

The guys we hired to help with framing are both good friends of ours, so tonight a wife came along. And bless her heart, she washed all my dishes. My dishwasher has been out of commission for 2 weeks and I was drowning in dishes. No lie. They just kept piling up and I got more and more depressed every time I walked through the kitchen. I thanked Em profusely tonight and she said, “Isn’t that what friends are for?” Indeed… I’m the girl that only recently has been able to have my very best friend over without quickly sweeping and frantically cleaning up. I’m learning to “keep it real”, and to just be me. Even when my perfectionist side wants to rear its ugly head. It’s progress.

what every mom should know

I have this quote framed and hanging on my kitchen wall. I think it pretty much covers what we need to teach our kids…

Kindness in words creates confidence.

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.

Kindness in giving creates love.

-Tao Te Ching

how much i hate winter right now

I think this is officially the longest winter ever! I’m so tired of the cold and snow and miss those warm summer days when you can get the whole family out to the car in under a minute… no hats, mitts, socks, boots, etc to struggle onto small clumsy bodies…

Yesterday was shaping up to be a beautiful spring-like day – even though it started out around –20, it warmed up to above freezing and the guys couldn’t even play hockey because the outdoor rink was slush! Work was being done on our basement and we needed to make a quick trip in to the city to get supplies, e.g. shower, sinks, toilet so we can complete framing on Monday.

So we dropped the boys off at a friend’s and took the seats out of our van, with Home Depot and Rona at the top of our list of destinations. Found everything we needed and had a quick supper, drove through the car wash, and would you know, it was a white world. Once again. The snow was coming down so thick and fast, and yet it had been basically clear when we entered the car wash! We had another quick stop at Superstore, about 20 minutes, and by the time we emerged it was a full-blown blizzard with probably close to 2 inches already on our van and visibility next to nothing.

We started inching our way home… normally a 40-minute drive… and we could see basically nothing! We tried to turn around and get a motel but we couldn’t see enough to even turn around. Not to mention the hazard we would’ve been to the other drivers creeping along behind us. Our average speed was 40 km/hour (25 mph) and everyone had their flashers on. For the first 45 minutes it was probably about that intense, and then it let up a little closer to home. Our 40 minute drive turned into an hour and 15 minutes. And boy, were we glad to be home! Here’s a link to CTV’s coverage of the storm.

Some days I wish we lived in Florida.

But then we’d have hurricanes.

love the one you’re with

I was reading MckMama’s blog today and honestly, I could have written her post myself. I’ve put a lot of thought into the subject of marriage lately, and although I’m obviously not an authority on this subject, I have been married for 8.5 years. That’s got to count for something!

Anyway, having grown up in a culture where divorce is basically unheard of, it’s been really hard watching 2 of our best friends fighting it out and eventually separated. They have 2 small kids and things don’t seem to be working out the best for them. We pray and plead and cry, because we love them and we know they were happy once - and can be again. And other friends have dealt with affairs and infidelities and the life-long consequences brought on by their choices. So much heartache!

Love the One You’re With. For us, divorce is not an option. In fact, the word ‘divorce’ is not an option. Once those vows are said, you have pledged your life, your love, your allegiance to one person, as long as you both live. Life is not easy. In fact it can be hard. But moving on to another partner has never fixed anything… and I don’t just mean physically. Letting your mind go where it should not go, wondering how it would’ve been with someone else? Believe me, it can make life a miserable place to be. Loving you partner means more than just ‘sticking it out’. Marriage is a calling… together we face the forces that threaten and together we are victorious!!

I don’t think we’ll ever be done learning or trying to improve our marriages. It takes work and patience and a huge dose of unconditional love. And when I look at what Tech Guy and I have been through together, I am so thankful to God for who he picked for me. It’s a perfect fit, an incredible match. And I’m truly learning what it means to love the one I’m with.

use me

Sometimes we just do not understand why life is turning out the way it is… why do I have to go through yet another low point, climb yet another steep mountain. Why do I have to face this hard thing, the thing I’ve feared my whole life? And then, something comes up and you realize that God is using you, in your weakness, to help someone else. You who have fallen, again and again, who have felt worthless and helpless and not sure where you belong… God chose you to help someone else. Why? Because you understand! You know how it feels to be in that position. You have empathy, and your words are not empty. You actually love that person with your whole heart and their pain touches you. This is what happened to me lately and I’m so thankful to God that he could find some use in me, but I feel so unworthy. My heart is just full today, it’s a good thing!