Highlights

We've had an uneventful, homebody kind of (two) week.
(Besides W's lone quest to find me one evening...that not included!)


Without a vehicle, our schedule dramatically changed. In some ways for the better. I actually quite liked not having to be at appointments, school, gymnastics, etc. This home bound state also brought about feeling a part of our little community...small townish...which was lovely. Walking to the chiropractor...and being oh so proud of my boys as they adapted well to a new Dr. Chiro & especially W who vowed to take care of me & held my hand & toes during the adjustment while R laid his little face by mine almost crying, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy".

Walking with the wagon for groceries, a visit to the dollar store for a treat, the movie store, and at every spare patch of snow W would drop to make a snow angel. Cutie! And frustrating...cause it slowed us down! Come on, I'm not that kind of mom who only noticed the sweetness and not the slowness....you all know me better than that! My point after all this rambling is....it was nice to walk, enjoy our "towne", be on our own schedule and feel like we live in a community.



There was definitely some cabin fever about. The boys & mine.
I also discovered that Bup is absolutely, without a doubt, 2.
Two!
Into everything.
Sassy...."No!" "Go way!"
Running away laughing when it's diaper time...which is cute the first time only!
Loves to "cook"...especially in the pantry. And I can trust him in there...so far...as he can't open lids yet. However! Mr.W can and will do so willingly. While preparing dinner, I could hear the quiet, then the two of them laughing and what do I find? The little cookers in the pantry, smelling very spicy, and R with an auburn head that smelled strongly of cinnamon with W laughing..."Look at Bup's hair!!" A whole bottle of cinnamon dumped on R's head! (Which reminded me of another two brothers...in which the elder dumped 20 cups of flour on the other's head....my mom has a 10x13 pic of that framed on her wall!) Poor FH almost had his nostrils burned out after sniffing R's head! I thought I had brushed most of it away. Oops! Well, its off to choir practice for me, leaving FH to bathe the boys and fight with Bup to wash his cinnaminny hair. He hates that!!
The other pantry escapade? Bup peeing on top of the garbage can. Yup. Nice! At least it was the garbage can and not the lazy susan or spice rack or...a plethora of other places. Can you believe I admit these things?

Highlight recap:
Walk about "towne". Snow angels left like urban Inukshuks.
Bottle of cinnamon dumped on Bup's head.
Bup peeing on the garbage can.


We're all class here. All class.....


What was the highlight of your week?

A Sweet Little Babe

This little girly was a lovely babe to photograph.

Loopy Lucy

Remind me to never again take cough medicine immediately following ingesting muscle relaxants!
It's no secret that I have back challenges. Especially since having my first born. When he was three months of age I was completely bedridden for a week or so and couldn't even pick my little "chunk of love" up. Since then there have been moments of pain and a lot of chiropractic care, massage therapy, yoga and some physio therapy.
I've been slack over the past two years. Doing very little to care for my back or prevent this from happening again.
It's got to stop! I cannot keep doing this. I want a different life for myself and for my boys. I want them to have a mom that can play and function on a daily basis. Having a weak back is absolutely debilitating. My pain level is probably at a 10. Seriously. Nothing touches it. Even the freaky combination of Robaxacet & Benylyn DM. Which was an accident. I took the B-DM for this never ending cough & chest congestion...and wuhoooohooo the room is spinny, nothing was really in focus and it was better if I didn't operate SAHM machinery....like the blender for our morning smoothie, and god forbid I go near the glue gun for Christmas gifts!
What to do? What to do?
Well, my favorite chiropractor is miles & miles away. And I'm without a vehicle. (Another PLOM story. )
So, I'm about to embark on a new chiro journey and physio to train my muscles to hold my bones in place and I've got to get yoga in there somewhere and guess what else? Yeah, you know it. Lose weight. It's inevitable. Cause really all the therapies in the world won't provide long term help if el poucho tummo is still in existence.
So, God help me. Here I go. Loopy Lucy is aspiring to become Lean'n'healthy Lucy!

(Can I whine any louder? Probably! Stay tuned to find out! Just wait until I get into the Diet Coke & Special K topic...which comes with thoughts on weight loss.)

Kitchen Cooking Saturday Night

Oh, I have been so negligent in the cooking-baking-creation arena so it actually feels great to be at it again.

As we're going to friends for Grey Cup tomorrow my contribution is a desert that everyone...meaning even our W....can eat. Hmmm....so many options!

W and I whipped up a batch of Double Carob Muffins before dinner. Then I carried on with super easy super yummy Fresh Raspberry Jam and finally I think I'll make a Pumpkin Pie & possibly a loaf or two of bread...just cause I'm finally on a roll!

The jam is not to share. How selfish hey? It's been impossible to find store bought jam that's appropriate for our family. Even ED Smith no sugar added has dye and chemical sweeteners in it. So, if you're up for a quick jam option, try this. It's super!

Fresh Raspberry Jam - 7 Secrets Cookbook

2 cups frozen raspberries (1 cup thawed) - can use other berries

1 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed

2 Tbsp honey - I used Agave Nectar

2 Tbsp Instant Clear Jel - I used an envelope of pectin & used the apple juice to dissolve it.

1. Place all ingredients in blender in order given. Add Clear Jel carefully so it doesn't stick to the sides of the blender.

2. Cover & blend on low for 3 sec - just enough for everything to go through the blades & mix in the jel. Too much blending makes the berry seeds separate and doesn't look as nice.

3. Remove to container & chill. It will get thicker as it sits.

See? Super easy!

Clear Jel, pectin, etc. True vegans would never use pectin. I'm not true. Not even vegetarian. Another choice is 2.5 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in a small amount of apple juice. Add the rest of the apple juice & juice drained from the thawed berries. Bring the juice to a boil while stirring. Cool in fridge for an hour 7 then stir in berries. Works wonderfully. My way is quicker.

Double Carob Muffins - Eating for Autism

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup sorghum flour

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup carob or cocoa

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup agave nectar or honey

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp guar or xanthan gum

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup carob chips or GFCF semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat over to 350. Place muffin liners in muffin tins.

In a mixing bowl, combine brown rice flour, sorghum flour, and oil. Mix well. Add the remaining ingredients, except chips and mix well. Better will thicken as it is beaten. Fold in the chips.

Divide batter among 12 liners. Bake for approximately 17-21 minutes, unti a toothpick inserted in the middle tests clean.

The pumpkin pie....hmmm....there are so many options but I think I'll attempt the one from the 7 Secrets Cookbook that takes coconut milk, dates, maple flavouring and coriander. A little different. The coconut milk has me completely intrigued!

Now, what about pickles? Another one of W's favorites and another difficult store bought option except for a Kosher brand found in the refrigerator section that is $5 per jar. So, there must be a way to replicate. Right? Well, I'm bound to find out and will let you know if it's a bust or not. Please keep in mind that I am not a canner...preserver. Nope. That fading art is too much work for me. I'm all about easy. Easy-peasy-puddin'& pie.

What about you? What's on your family's plate these days?

Christmas with Bup

Bup and I enjoyed some much loved alone time yesterday in which we played with Christmas themed gels on the window. He was too cute. Just loving it! His little feet were going double time as I peeled the gels off the package for him to place on the window. Ah...the spirit of a child!
Much, much later he shows up in his brother's bedroom with a gel snowman to play with ( uh....decapitate!) while laying in his brother's bed.
It was everything we could do to get him out of "Norner"s bed and up to his own. On the way, I made a stop in the kitchen for a bottle of milk and what did I find?
A clear window. All the Snowmen had disappeared. Bup!
And reappeared stuck to the side of the roll top desk. The little re-decorator.
The whole Christmas season is going to be so fun with the boys this year. I can't wait for tomorrow morning when we really start decorating! This is what it's all about.
What seasonal crafts will you be doing with your kiddos? Santa's beard from cotton balls on paper plates? A seasonal village atop of a coffee table? Baking?
Do share!

Lost & Found

Can't sleep.

Should be sleeping.

The evening's events keep rolling through my mind.

I know I'm not the only parent to experience a missing child and thankfully mine came home. Some don't.

But....to find your 4 yr old missing is one of those things that no parent should experience. The fear and sadness grip you. Even after he is returned home safe and sound....which may be why I can't sleep.

Tonight B and I were frantically searching for W. I was on the phone with 911, a neighbor was helping too, when a fellow co-worker came around the bend, in the dark, with our little boy running barefoot in front of him, wearing an adults hoody over his little shirt and underwear....no shoes, no socks, no pants. To see that very sad little boy running towards me....well, oh! the relief!

What happened was... while B was tucking R in to bed and I was out enjoying some girl time at the spa, W got lonely and went to look for me. (Apparently he forgot where his dad and brother were)

So when I arrived home to an open door and empty house I was fairly panicked.

Thankfully, all is well. I am ever so grateful that W was found by a safe person and brought safely home. Thank you, thank you, thank you. There is something or someone greater than us looking our for our little man. There has to be! An angel on his shoulder.

A dear friend gave us this book when W was born. The first several times I read it, there were always tears in my eyes & a lump in my throat. If you're looking for a sweet read for your kiddos and one that tugs at your heart, this is it. Canadian author too! Alberta author even!

Now that I've got this off my heart, I'll check on my boys one more time and go snuggle up to my favorite husband for a deep, short sleep.

Hug your little people too. Be glad they're home, safe & sound.

The Spirit is Coming

We're starting to get into the Christmas groove here.

Even though the decorating has not begun. Two felted cone trees do not count as decorating! We'll get there....hopefully this Sunday will bring the festive decor to our home. W is pretty excited to do so. B not so much!:) Yes, it's Grey Cup Sunday...but neither of our teams are playing. So, decorating it will be.

Today, after several days of being housebound with colds, we revved up a little bit by having a picnic on the living room floor, complete with dinosaur shaped sandwiches, grapes and Kidz Christmas Music courtesy of AOL music. The boys loved it! All of it. The dino "samwhich" was devoured and it soon became a Christmas dance party with both boys dancing about; W in his underwear shaking his booty while Bup rested his head on the edge of the couch to get a good booty shaking groove on.

W votes for the Christmas Song by Alvin & the Chipmunks as the best dance tune.

I vote Hurray! for happier, less sicky, boys today! And for The Little Drummer Boy by the Jackson 5....cause I'm so tired of singing "Pum" myself at bedtime!

Dino-Knits

Currently I'm working on an Amy Swenson design, Urbanity. A versatile little vest. However, mine is fuchsia...Mai Tai to be exact. Now, what was I thinking?!?

Why would I not pick a nice earthy tone or black...something neutral?

Nope.

I go straight for over the top with Mai Tai. Typical me. Sometimes I scare me. Am I a little more like my mother than I realize? If you see me pairing the Mai Tai Urbanity Vest with matching, elastic waist, fortrel pants...well, lock me up and take away the knitting sticks!

This vest is taking me far too long. Partly because I'm not knitting everyday and partly because when I do attempt to get a row or two completed while the boys are awake, this is what happens....knitting with the dinosaurs. By the way, the brachiosaurous always wins over the T-Rex, even if T-Rex is a "meateater"....no match for the tail of a "long-neck"!

How to Survive the Cold & Flu Season

This is not a post on avoiding the C&F because, really, let's face it, unless you live in a bubble...home school, work from home, have groceries delivered and the like then it is impossible to avoid it altogether.

How do we catch this year's cold or flu? Well, there are probably a top 5 such as avoiding hand washing, eat a diet of mainly junk food, go out in public and hang out with us. This gal says it the best.

So....back to survival.

No, vaccinations aren't on the top of my list. This has become such a controversial and emotional topic. All I will say is this, you must make a decision that you can live with...whether you choose to vaccinate or not. The end.

We have been sick with one type of flu or another since mid October. We can't catch a break! It all started after an emotionally stressful week...lack of sleep...and whamo! There we are sick with the stomach flu. Except I presented with a bronchial cold...so typical of me, which by the way I blame on growing up with a chain smoking father. Since mid Oct it's been cyclical...cough, fever, flu. NO H1N1. There's been runny noses & sneezing which is not indicative of the "hiny".

Thank goodness for the Internet, DVD'S, cozy lounge pants, bleach, Lysol, diet coke, juices, rum, homeopathic remedies, OTC pain relief, tissues, sleep, snuggles on the couch, laughs, a hot bath, and even a mid night rendezvous at Emerg which gave me an awareness & gratitude that we aren't as ill as others. Without these and more, I would be stir crazy...batty...half a bubble off a level...and just plain mean! Crazy is more like it...especially tonight. After getting one boy bathed, number two is in the tub when his toots are more than he bargained for and there he is with brown, lumpy water!! Ugh! And now, now all is clean and I am out of bleach! Just another day in the life of a mom of small children I guess. But I really didn't bargain for pooper-scooping after my son.

As I write this, W is cozied up beside me on the couch, coughing and dripping away while watching Ratatouille, Bup is tucked in his bed with just the odd cough to be heard, and FH is still at work. W's got the worst of it at the moment. Yesterday he barely left the couch, which is worth a 911 call in itself! Poor fella. It's truly sad to see him in this state. (Even if I secretly have moments of enjoying the lack of energy! Oops! Did I write that? Say that out loud!?)

Here's to a short C&F season, a night filled with sleep, and an ice cold diet coke in the morning to get me through the day!