Friday Favourites

It's Easter weekend! Eester is my favourite holiday.  That said, I haven't been able to get any decorations out yet, but I suppose technically Easter season doesn't really start until Sunday so I have time!  If you want to attend a Good Friday and Easter Sunday church service, you can join our church via the YouTube channel (you can find information on the website).  We will be there in person on Sunday and I may stop by today, depending on how the day is going.

Parents are now allowed back inside the school for drop off and pick up from the YMCA.  It was kind of nice before where it was like a "kid valet", you drop your child at the door and they are delivered back out at the end of the day with all of their things, but I do like going inside now.  I walked by Q's classroom after dropping him off and found his portrait of me.  I was pleased to see he chose the adjective "intelligente" for me as I see others chose "belle" and "drole".  For reference, I'm including the photo that he used for inspiration for this drawing. 

Our Google Home display shows photos, and the kids love to look at them.  I like when it shows photos from 7 years ago of little E and Q won't believe that they are photos of E, he think they are of himself.  Anyway, Q made this tower and asked me to take a photo, and is now waiting at the Google Home for that photo to show up on the display.

Dave got some dirt delivered this week so he could start the grass seed process.  He put down a few wheelbarrows yesterday.  Q came out to check on the progress.

I didn't have any photos of E so I made him stop for one. 

Have a great weekend, we are looking forward to some great food and some outdoor time.  I'll be back on Tuesday. 

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

Let's Look - Date Night

 

Hi! I'm linking up with Shay and Erika for their Let's Look link up.  This month the topic is Date Night.  For the record, I do not care for the term Date Night (sorry everyone).  I am not dating my husband, we are married and going out somewhere, but I don't care for the term "date".  

Dave and I spend a fair amount of time together as it is, we watch TV together every night, we watch sports together on the weekends, we do lots of things as a family.  We don't deliberately plan nights out on our own, things tend to happen organically.  Certainly over the past couple of years, opportunities to go out at all, let alone without the kids, were few and far between. We do try to get out if our parents are in town, and we do get a babysitter when we need one, but we don't have a regular sitter.  Often in the summer, Dave's parents take the kids for a few days back to their place and we get to golf together, go out for dinner, and maybe grab a Blue Jays game.  Throughout the rest of the year, we will meet for lunch during the week while the kids are at school, meet friends for dinner, or attend a work event where spouses are invited.  We rarely go to the movies, it's usually dinner or a sporting event.  We have also been lucky to take some trips by ourselves - Lisbon and Barcelona and Hawaii.  We do love travelling with the kids too, but it is nice to have an adult only trip. 

I know that our kids will grow up soon enough and then we will be able to go out all of the time without any thought of a babysitter.  I know we didn't appreciate our time before kids, and we often wonder what we did with our time because we certainly weren't using it to its full potential. We do enjoy each other's company and there is no shortage of places to go in Toronto!

See my previous posts here:

January - New Year's Organization

February - What I eat in a week

March - High School Favourites

Weekend Recap

On Friday morning I got up early and went for a run before work.  It was so lovely to be out in the Spring air.  I put together a yummy smoothie when I got back, which turned out in a sort of brown/grey colour, but it was still good!

The Masters was on in the background all day.  We ordered Thai food for supper.  I love getting takeout  after a long week.  As usual we ordered too much. 

On Saturday morning Q had skating so I took him to that.  Then Dave and E rented an aerator to do the lawns.  Dave did our lawn and then a few neighbours got in on the action too.  Pretty exciting stuff, haha.

After lunch I went to Costco and then questioned my life choices.  Often I don't really mind going, but a Saturday afternoon was a mistake. Dave said he wanted more grass seed and since we also needed gas for the car I thought I'd take a run down and pick up several hundred dollars of other things.

When I got back I tackled the toys.  I posted about this on my Instagram stories and said I was playing with fire since the kids were home. They were downstairs with friends and so they were well occupied. I managed to get it all sorted and I put different sets/kits into bags and made sure I had all of the parts for certain things.  This stuff is now hiding under a sheet in the corner of the living room.  I've made no progress with figuring out where to donate some things but I've sent some emails!

On Saturday night we watched Ghostbusters: Afterlife that was really good!  We all laughed and I thought it would be too scary for Q, but he was fine with it. 

On Sunday morning we were up early to watch the Australia Grand Prix and then the boys and I went to church in person.  We finally went back because in-person Sunday School has started and singing is allowed now.  

The boys joined the Palm Sunday Procession.  It was nice to be back. 

I went to the grocery store when we got home because I didn't spend enough money at Costco the day before.  When I got home I found this tired guy on the couch. 

I was clearly still in the organizing spirit from the day before with the toys, so I took apart the boys' dressers and took out the too small clothes and did some switching around.   Q is in great shape for clothes, but E needs new pants and shorts.

Then the boys went out with some friends to a playground. 

We watched the rest of the golf and ate supper, the boys had showers, and we played some Mario Kart before bed.  

Not Just a Mom - What's for Lunch

Hi Friends!  I hope you all had a lovely weekend!  Today on the Not Just A Mom Link Up we are talking about one of my favourite things, what's for lunch!  I am one of those people who is always thinking about their next meal.  Sometimes Dave will be so busy at work he forgets to eat lunch, I am not like that! I have been so busy before that I've had to wait to eat lunch, but I always make time for it!

I prefer a hot lunch when I can get one, and even if I'm having a sandwich, I like to at least toast the bread or bagel so I can have it a bit on the warm side.   I don't mind eating a cold salad, but it's not my first choice.  I go into the office three times per week and when we have leftovers I try to bring those with me, but I also like to buy something and since I work in downtown Toronto, I have many many choices.  I also quick to abandon my packed lunch if someone suggests going out!

Here is what I typically eat for lunch:

At Home

Leftovers

Bagel Sandwich (with meat, cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickle) (below)

Egg Salad Sandwich

Chicken Fingers

Samosas or Pierogies (procured from up the street when I've run some errands at lunch)

At Work

Chicken Shawarma from Sultan's Mediterranean Grill

Sandwich and Salads from Pumpernickels

Basil Box

iQ

Jerk Chicken from Roywoods

Soup and Bagel from one of the spots in the Path

Golden Curry (below) or Oaxaca Bowl from Kupfert and Kim

If you've written about this today, link up with us below! And check out what other people have posted by clicking on the links below. 

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Friday Favourites

Hi Friends! I'm back!  We are all feeling better after all getting COVID last week.  In terms of symptoms, all were pretty mild, all in all.  Q had a cough and runny nose, E had a sore throat and runny nose, Dave had a sore throat, and I had stuffy head and headache.  I probably had it the worst of everyone, which is good I guess since I'm the toughest :) #woman

Not too many exciting Friday Favourites to share but I did want to check in with a few things.   

To start though, my God, the devastation and tragedy in Ukraine just continues!  I watched President Zelensky's address to the UN Security council and watched the horrific video that accompanied it.  It was probably the worst thing I've ever seen in my life.  I don't know what is going to happen, and if anything from can come from outside Ukraine that is going to make a difference.  I looked back at Rwanda and what happened in that genocide (forgive me for not really knowing the full story, I was 12 at the time) and Wikipedia tells me that the outside world did nothing (despite our Canadian man on the ground Romeo Dallaire sounding the alarm bells) so it appears nothing will happen here either.  I know it is difficult to hear and read the news but you are a citizen of this world and you need to know what is happening.  

*Getting down off of my soapbox*

Now onto some trivial items:

I had not hopped on the Wordle train, and am definitely rolling my eyes at the constant sharing of Wordle scores on Facebook and Twitter (sorry guys), but E's class does it every day along with Globle which is a guessing game for countries.  So when he was home from school this week, we did them together and now that he's back I have been doing it myself so I can compare with how they did in class.  I do like a puzzle, but don't think I'll be sharing anytime soon ;)

I love Chip and Joanna Gains and I was lamenting earlier this week that they have their own network now so I'm not going to be able to see them on HGTV anymore, but then (!) I learned that the DIY Network has been rebranded as their Magnolia Network in Canada and we actually have the DIY Network so now I get to see them.  I love Fixer Upper but there are many other great shows too (all in the evenings, it seems regular DIY Network stuff is still on during the day).  

I had a can of jackfruit in the cupboard for a few months now and I wasn't sure when I was going to use it, then Lauren posted this recipe for "pulled pork" style sandwiches.  I made them last night and we liked them.  Q didn't like his (but this is not unusual) but E was glad to eat a second helping.  I mean, it's a good vegan substitute for pulled pork but since we aren't vegan and we don't eat pulled pork anyway, then we don't need to make it again. An easy recipe though if you want to try something new!  (I made half of the recipe for only four servings.)

Dave and I joined a golf pool for the Masters weekend.  We had to pick six players with players given a "salary" and we had a cap to stay within.  I chose: Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Corey Connors, Lee Westwood, and Tiger Woods.  I'm doing okay after the first day (Dave is not).  We like the Masters anyway but I like having this additional reason to watch and track my players.

 

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

Down and Out

COVID finally got our family this week putting a pause on all of our activities for a few days.  Nothing to report here other than we are all experiencing minor symptoms and most of us are on the mend now.  I'll be back later this week when we are back in the world.  I am glad that when we finally did get COVID that we are only subject to the five day isolation period and that we have many at home antigen tests.  

Monthly Musings

 

1. Do you celebrated Easter, Passover or another holiday?

We celebrate Easter, it's my favourite holiday.

2. Do you decorate your home for spring?

Yes, we do an Easter tree and other spring type decorations. 

3.  Favourite spring meal?

I like this pasta salad I make with asparagus, bacon, and homemade ranch dressing.  And we like to make ribs for Easter Dinner. 

4.  Is your Spring Break in April or March?

It's in March and we always refer to it as March Break as it is never really spring in March. 

5.  Favourite spring/Easter tradition or activity?

Our Easter morning involves an egg hunt, an eggy breakfast, and some small Easter baskets.  We go to church where we get to hear the Hallelujah Chorus.  As for Spring, I love getting the bikes out for the first ride, cleaning up the yard and visiting the garden centre. 

6.  What are you most looking forward to this spring?

Seeing friends and family.  We were in various stages of lockdown in 2020 and 2021 where visiting people was discouraged.  No such rules exist now, pending everyone remaining healthy!

7.  Favourite spring fashion items?

A trench coat, sunglasses, and casual sneakers.

8.  Do you transition your wardrobe from winter to spring?

Yes, I get out my sneakers and sweatshirts, instead of boots and jackets.  

9.  Does the Easter bunny visit your house?

Yes he does.  He hides eggs for us all over the house. 

10.  Any traditions or activities coming back post Covid?

See above #6.  Our church will also be open for in person service this year so I will look forward to getting back there.  And we are even allowed to sing now!