date night

So here goes, confession time. DH's birthday is just around the corner. (So is Charlotte's 1st, and our 5th anniversary.) I have been asking him what he wants for a party, was thinking a bowling night out, since he loves bowling and we never go. He came home from work yesterday and stated that he figured out what he wanted for his birthday. Two dates with me, sans baby.

So, not a big deal, right? Kind of nice, huh? Well, my heart kind of stopped and I felt really anxious. The only place I have left Charlotte is in the nursery at church and this is under the clause of "as soon as she starts crying come and get me"! Bless the ladies who work in the nursery, because they totally respect that and don't make her "cry it out". (Which some people do, I'm not saying it's wrong, just not for us.)

Anyway....

I babysat a kid once who was 2 1/2 - 3 years old, his parents were going on a date for the first time since he was born. I think I was in uni at the time, probably 19 years old? I told myself, I would NEVER be like that, my hubby and I would be going on dates like crazy, right? I would be so comfortable leaving my baby.... because I just would!

It's not that I don't value my husband, or our marriage. Some of my most relaxing moments of the day are at 10 pm, with a small snack, curling up on the sofa to watch the latest "So you think you can dance" and snuggle for a few minutes before we both drift off.

It's just..... I value attachment parenting. For us, that means nursing Charlotte on demand. Responding to her every need as soon as she has one. Trying to respond to her toileting needs as well (which is more difficult than anticipated... another post for another time). Carrying her in a sling... a lot. Co-sleeping when necessary (usually around 4:30 - 5 in the morning). Nursing her when she wakes up in the night (usually multiple times). And not being stressed about it. Going with her flow.

My struggle is combining this type of relationship I have with my daughter with hot dates SANS daughter. And we do go on "dates". Just with her! We went out to the pub after church for lunch, just last Sunday. I thought all was well in the "date" department. Not so (according to DH). And then I watched "Do you have a date night?" by the Momversation ladies. And the guilt set in. Date night is a N-E-C-E-S-S-I-T-Y according to these ladies. And probably according to most married couples.

What do YOU do? How to reconcile babe + hot date with hubby? I need to figure this out, as I said before, DH's birthday is just around the corner and I would be nice to surprise him with a planned night out.

(pictures are pre-Charlotte, taken by our talented and wonderful friend, Shanie)

Menu Plan - July 27

This week I was a little stuck with the menu planning. I put a note on FB and got tons of responses, so I think I am going to start a little recipe exchange via FB - so fun!

Monday: BBQ sausage and cold pasta salad (tuna/cuke)
Tuesday: We are having company! Fresh cut meat to bbq from a local meat market
Pesto Potatoes (from the Sobey's flyer!!)
Garden salad
Bruschetta for an appetizer - yum!
Wednesday: Cold pasta salad with peppers and tomatoes
Thursday: Baked Haddock, peas and mashed potatoes
Friday: Leftover buffet


Here are a couple of yummy recipes to try out!

Sonya's Guacamole

2 avocado (ripe and soft)
1/2 - 1 lemon (juice only)
2 cloves of garlic (crushed or minced)
slosh of olive oil (to desired texture and taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Mash well together. If storing, put in a tall skinny glass with a squeeze of lemon on top.



Kathryn's Bruschetta

1/2 c. mayo
1 c. grated mozza cheese
2 tomatoes diced, seeded
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. basil

Mix all together

1 baguette sliced

Butter baguette and spoon mixture on. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 min. until cheese is browning.


Enjoy!

Check out Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas!

the spice drawer

One of my organizing goals for the summer was the SPICE DRAWER. It was a disaster. Before, I didn't cook very much, and therefore, did not open the spice drawer very much. And with much neglect, it ended up looking like this:very scary. I know. The organizing process was quite simple, really. I emptied everything out on the kitchen table. I scrubbed the drawer clean. I stocked up on spice bottles at Bulk Barn and cleaned those, and all of my old ones. I also gathered some jam jars to store nuts and some other things.
Then I organized and labeled and ta-da!

I can find what I'm looking for now without yelling and throwing spice bags across the room! The glad container at the back houses refills for the jars. Hurray for organized spices! Now onto the REST of the house................

pool solution

Yesterday is was HOT. Knowing that Charlotte loves the water, but trying to keep her out of the sun, I've yet to find a great solution as we down't have a wading pool yet. Charlotte has been asking to go outside (today she took her hat to the back door and cried...) and so yesterday we scoured the lawn for some shade. Discovering what we were looking for, I went inside and gathered some toys. Putting my thinking cap on, I wondered what we could use for a "pool". My first thought was her old baby bathtub, but that is being stored at Nannie and Grampie's house. My second thought was a bucket of some sort, but I couldn't come up with anything. Then....... the turkey roaster!! Perfect! It was a blast. The kitchen utensils were fun to play with too. We started out using it as a splash pool and then it was too much... she got in all by herself. I wasn't sure if she would fit, but she did it! It will do... until we get a real "pool" :)

Menu Plan - July 20

I have gotten a little slack with the menu planning lately. Partly because my EI has ended, and so have expensive trips to the grocery store. I want to be proactive and eat a few no-meat meals a week, incorporate more lentils and beans, etc. But I find I am slipping into my old habits of just picking up a few things here and there and throwing a meal together. So, here we go again! This menu planning has got to keep me on track.

Monday: BBQ Steak (DH bought on sale.... SO good) and garden salad
Tuesday: Chicken, Tomato Sauce, Veggie and Whole Wheat Pasta, all baked together in a casserole dish with some cheese sprinkled on top. (My solution for leftover cooked chicken!)
Wednesday: Chicken Nachos with homemade guacamole (my other solution for leftover chicken) and Ceasar salad (with veggies thrown in)
Thursday: Stir fry with pork and loads of veggies, over Basmati rice
Friday: leftovers or sandwiches in the car, on the way to the lake!

Okay, so meat every day...... but mostly it is the leftover cooked chicken from last week that was on sale! Next week will be better.

Oh, the Lentil Brown Rice Casserole was delicious!! I would definitely make it again, and probably double the recipe. (Add more veggies too, and we added more cheese on top.) It made the perfect lunch with a side salad.

Check out Laura's blog for more menu planning ideas!

menu plan review

So this week I dropped the ball on the menu planning! Because Kathryn and Tim were here, I used my time visiting with them, and didn't make a plan until Wednesday or so. I knew what we were going to eat while they were here, but I just didn't make it a point to write it down. So here it is!

Monday: Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Tuesday: Black Bean Quesadillas
Wednesday: BBQ burgers and raw veggies with dip
Thursday: Teriyaki Chicken Burgers with homemade fries
Friday: Chicken, Pepper, Tomato Nachos

(Boneless Skinless Chicken was on a super deal this week!)

Okay - So not the most healthy week, but OH so yummy! Thursday was supposed to be leftover night but we didn't have many leftovers as DH came home for lunch a couple days this week (a special treat that NEVER happens!) and we had hot leftover lunches. So, I looked at Laura's menu plan for inspiration and discovered the Easy Teriyaki Chicken Burgers Recipe. I decided not to use pineapple, and rather use tomato and lettuce. We threw the chicken on the bbq and it was delicious even though it had only been marinating for 30 min or so. I also love to use the whole grain flat bread buns, but we just had some regular buns that DH picked up, so I used those. Yum!

Now on to more healthy things...
Tomorrow we are having company for lunch and I am making Lentil Brown Rice Casserole with a side salad. I am also going to attempt a healthy apple muffin recipe and will post if it turns out!

One of my favorite treats these past few weeks has been homemade iced tea in the afternoon. I make a full pitcher a couple times a week! Just 3 regular black tea bags and boiling water and I let it steep for a while and then refridgerate. Since DH likes things sweeter than I do, we add our own lemon and sugar for each glass. It is so refreshing and the perfect pick-me-up on a hot afternoon. (The stemless wine glass makes it even more enjoyable!)


Check out Organizing Junkie for more ideas and inspiration!

first camping trip

Tim and I love to be outdoors. We haven't ventured on a camping trip since we got Ava and since Charlotte was born. It was about time! We were invited to my aunt and uncle's land on Grand Lake. They have over an acre, with a little camp. Although we borrowed a tent trailer from Tim's parents (we sold our tent, as we had grown out of it) it was still sort of "roughing it". There is no running water or toilet. (A lovely outhouse though!)

We had so much fun. Charlotte LOVED being outside and she explored for hours. She crawled on the pine needles (which made the ground quite soft) and touched the bark of trees. She played and played and resisted sleeping! Our patience was tested with Ava - her separation anxiety proved especially difficult at night. She was so anxious. I hung out by the bonfire for a while and visited with our family while Charlotte slept in the wrap sling, and then eventually took babe and doggie to bed. Ava did not like being separated from Tim and cried and barked at all the noises. Charlotte slept like an angel. I did not! Other than that, it was the perfect time, with perfect weather. We even went for a swim in the lake and it was beautiful!

Doing her shuffle across the ground

Exploring what bark feels like

Breakfast time!

Ava had fun with the two other dogs, Callie and Mik

Water was always handy - and sunscreen too, although there was amazing shade

from the gorgeous pine trees

the beauty of being on water

Playing beside dad

the camp

cloth diapers drying in the trees

the borrowed tent trailer, it was so perfect for us!


playing inside the trailer!

guests.family.friends.

My sister and her hubby (Tim) just left today. They arrived on Sunday for a wonderful, whirlwind two day visit. We will miss them terribly, and the hardest part is, we don't know when we will see them again. Lab city is a looong way from here, but I am hoping that sometime in the next year or two we will make it up. These pics are from Kathryn's camera, some from her previous visit and some from the most recent. Our days were filled with lots of laughs and giggles and Charlotte snuggles and the evenings were filled with intense and competitive games of Settlers. (My Tim winning each game and wishing us to "hail him the King of Catan" did not help matters any....) :) We wish you both were closer, but cherish the time we can spend together.

Our cousin Emily gave Charlotte this adorable lawn chair when we went to her grad/birthday party! so thoughtful, and SO cute!!


They were so gracious and such a help around the house. Often entertaining Charlotte, helping with cooking and Tim dish washing here!!

hummus recipe

Here is the hummus recipe, courtesy of Sue, with my own variations! I would also make some changes next time, I will indicate those below.

First, I soaked 1 cup of dried garbanzo beans (chick peas) overnight.

After soaking, I rinsed the beans thoroughly and placed in a pot to cook adding enough water to cover the beans by about 2 inches. I added a strip of Kombu (which I didn't use the second time, but next time, would use a small piece).

Once the water came to a boil, I put the heat on the lowest setting to simmer. They took about 1 hour and a half to cook.

After the chick peas were finished, I drained the pot, transferred the beans to a bowl, and added:
1 garlic clove (pressed)
5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 Tbsp tahini paste
1 lemon, juiced
pepper
1 tsp cumin

I mixed all of that with my super soup mixer, which worked way better than a blender.

I added some paprika to make it look pretty and this is how much it made!

I baked some whole wheat pita on the baking stone and cut some carrots for a delicious appetizer!

Next time I would add:
A little more lemon juice
Some extra spices for some more flavour (have to experiment with this)
Another garlic clove
Some salt
And maybe a little more olive oil to make it creamer

Menu Plan Monday

Have I mentionned how much I like menu planning? I love the structure it provides. Gone are the days of scrambling to figure out what to cook and wishing for the money to eat out to avoid both cooking and cleaning! I know what I have in the fridge and that it will be used for a specific purpose each day of the week. I am learning about myself as well.

Last week, I tried to make homemade hummus. I bought dried garbanzo beans at Bulk Barn and pre-soaked them, all ready to go. I had even bought some Kombu (a dried seaweed) from Aura, which aids in the digestion of beans. (You put it in while you are boiling the beans.) I was pretty excited until I tasted it... NOT good! I was so disappointed. (I think I should have only used a tiny piece of Kombu, and perhaps added too much garlic.) I also had another mishap with my lentil tacos, using an un-labelled spice thinking it was cumin. Nope, it was tumeric. In the end, they didn't taste too bad, and DH even enjoyed them! However, I immediately began to feel disappointed in myself, and wondering if I should even try new things at all.

I think that it's been good for me. Not everything I make is perfect, and I have been making mistakes. It is risky to try new recipes. I WANT it to be perfect. But that's not life. This cooking thing reminds me of my thoughts about creativity. It surprises me how easy it is to get caught up in the depths of perfectionism and all of a sudden wondering why I even try new things at all. I do not want to be like that. So today I am re-trying the hummus recipe. This time, with no Kombu to see if that was the flavor I did not like. I am trying TWO new recipes this week! And I am determined to like myself whether I make mistakes or not!

Here is my menu plan for the week:

Monday: Nacho salad (one of hubby's favs now, and SO easy.)

Tuesday: Homemade bbq burgers and potato salad

Wednesday: The Best Spinach Salad Ever (new recipe #1)

Thursday: Leftover Buffet

Friday: Black Bean Quesadillas (new recipe #2)

I am going to make a batch of Chicken, Sweet Potato, Carrot and Broccoli for Charlotte (last week I made a combo of prunes and pears which she loves!).


Friday's menu was taken from organizing junkie's menu plan for this week. Check out her site for more menu planning ideas.

Canada Day fun

My sister gave me this wrap baby carrier when Charlotte was born and it is my favorite way to carry Charlotte. Because the fabric is wide the weight is spread out and it is so comfy. I held her for hours on Canada day plus walked from the library to the trail pavilion on the north side and my back was not sore at all. It is wonderful! You can get many different kinds, but this one is by Treeva.