Weekend Recap

We had a fun mix of winter and spring fun this weekend, as one does in Southern Ontario in early March.  On Friday night we had a feed of tacos (Q had five!!), and then watched some of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  

We were ready to go to the ski hill on Saturday morning instead of Sunday this week.  It was the last week of lessons but since E had a birthday party to attend on Sunday, we decided to skip his last lesson and go on Saturday instead to use our tubing passes while we put Q in a morning lesson.  We all got 5 tubing passes with our skiing season passes but haven't had the opportunity to use them yet.

Q is maxin' and relaxin' in the backseat on the way up.

I love this barn and field but it was hard to grab a picture on the way by.

Suited up for his last lesson of the year.

And the rest of us headed over to the tube park.  We put the Go Pro on E's helmet.  I have never been tubing on a big hill like this before, it was so much fun, but scary at first!!

It was such a beautiful day, I enjoyed the sun while we waited for a few more tube runs to open. 

We all got to go down together by holding onto each others' tubes.

When we were done we had about 45 minutes before Q's lesson was over so we all put our skis on and did a few runs.  Then after lunch we took Q with us too.  This is Dave skiing down with Q between his legs, bless him!

It was getting warm and it was also crowded so we decided to go back to the tube park for some donuts and so Q could do a few runs on the little kids hill (he's too short for the big runs).

Warm cinnamon sugar donuts and hot chocolate, mmm.

Pulling Q up the hill.

Then we drove home and had some meatballs on garlic toast, and then watched the curling.  

On Sunday morning we had waffles and sausages. 

And then Q and I went to church, first time in 2020.  Enjoying his juice and cookie after the service. 

And colouring Jesus all in yellow.

Meanwhile E was at a birthday party at iFly for indoor skydiving. 

I took Q to the grocery store with me after lunch and then we just relaxed at home until the boys got back.  Q watched Paw Patrol and I watched curling.   

Then we all went out for a walk.  I told Q he could wear his vest and a long sleeved shirt and he was excited about that, but then also thought he needed to wear his jacket. He was wearing more clothes that afternoon than he would wear in the winter. 

We started out for a walk, but then E wanted to go back and get his bike so then Q wanted to get his bike. On our way back to the house we ran into our neighbours and they got their bikes out too. 

At the end, Q just carried his bike back across the parking lot.

E went for an actual bike ride with the other kids while we went home to make supper (BBQ burgers!). E's friend came over to eat supper with us, but we made them practice their spelling words before we ate.

Then it was another night of curling - we were happy to see Brad Gushue (Team NL) win!  

Not Just a Mom Link Up - Self Care

Linking up with these ladies for the Not Just a Mom link up today.  Today we are talking about Self Care.  I actually wrote about this topic two years ago here. A few things have changed since then - the kids are a little older and I take the subway to work now.  Where I used to carve out some time to read at home (my favourite version of self care), I get time to read each day on my way to work.  It is a real treat.  So aside from reading, a few other things are:

Floss my teeth - it took me many years to figure out I need to floss my teeth.  I was the person that only flossed before going to my dentist appointment, but now I floss pretty much every night.  It does make my teeth better and I always get a (figurative) gold star when I go to the dentist now, which is always nice.  Floss your teeth kids!

Wash my face - I was not consistent about washing my face before bed, but now I am pretty good at doing it.  I have the Norwex clothes that do a good job of removing my make up without soap.  And once a week I do a microdermabrasion and once a week I use a mask.  I don't think they actually do too much but it makes my feel nice. 

Use the nice moisturizer - I know i could probably find cheaper face cream, but I love the stuff from Kiehls and I think I deserve using something nice :)

Stop thinking - This can be easier said than done but there are times when I'm supposed to enjoying something or trying to get back to sleep, and then I start running through all of the lists and plans in my head.  I've been getting better at putting those thoughts out of my mind, knowing I will always have time to think about those things later, and I can be more presence (or fall asleep).

Work from home (sometimes) - It is easier to work from home now with my lap top and Microsoft Teams so when I need to, like if I have an appointment or something, then I can easily work from home. It is nice to be able to do that from time to time, still being productive, but wearing my comfy clothes and being able to get a few extra things done around the house (while still actually working). 

Looking forward to reading other posts for some more ideas!

Morning Glory Muffin Recipe (Grain Free)

I've been eating according to our reset plan for the past few weeks (with a few exceptions, ahem, beers at the Raptors game), and so I was looking for a grain free muffin recipe, and bingo, I found this one!  I have made it a couple of times so I can stand behind it. And even if you're not grain-free, it works for anyone.  It's also dairy and oil free if that piques your interest.  The only downfall is that they are not safe for school.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1/3 coconut sugar

1 cup grated apple 

1 cup grated carrot

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups finely ground almond flour

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Please ignore the oil included in this photo, I forgot the recipe didn't call for it.  And I did forget to include the cinnamon in the photo.  I ran out of walnuts so I topped it up with sliced almonds, and also ran out of raisins so added some dried cranberries.  I'm sure you could do any sort of mix and matching with what you've got in your cupboard.  You could also use zucchini in place of the carrot. 

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 12 hole muffin tin with papers or lightly spray with oil.

2. Add first five ingredients (eggs, sugar, apple, carrot, vanilla) in a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.  

3. Add the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and stir until well combined. 

4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined.

5. Spoon into muffin tin. 

6. Bake for about 30 minutes until muffins and golden brown. 

Q was my helper but he didn't want me to take his photo mixing up the ingredients. I managed to sneak this photo as he helped me open the oven to put them in.

Enjoy with your morning coffee :)

International Women's Day

Rather than write an essay about the significance of International Women's Day (coming up on March 8th), because honestly I don't think I could come up with anything interesting that I haven't already said (past commentary here - 2015 and 2017), I'm instead linking to some pretty great women that inspire me on a regular basis.   

Sarah Landry - You can follow her @thebirdspapaya on Instagram, she is all about creating positivity around your body and mental health.  She shares messages that should be mainstream but are actually fairly unique.  

Jessica Mulroney - This woman is all about that hustle and I love her for it.  She always has a new project on the go and her style is inspired. Someday we will be friends, right? Haha.

My instructors at Well and Tight - Each one has a unique quality that creates a challenging and inspired atmosphere for not just working out but for being present.  I've been going to these classes for a few years now and they have definitely shifted my perspective on a number of things. 

Kelsey McEwen from CTV's Your Morning - If you follow her on Twitter you know she gets the most terrible messages and comments about her appearance and she sometimes responds in a respectful way.  It's such a shame that people can't keep their opinions to themselves, let alone hold these opinions in the first place.  She is just doing her job, and doing it well, and she has to deal with the worst side of humanity on a regular basis. 

Taylor Swift - Whenever I see what she is up to, I am always amazed by her.  We watched her doc on Netflix, Ms. Americana, and thought it was great.  She is so talented.  Her new video The Man is great commentary of gender differences. 

Serena Williams - I also love this woman; she is the best tennis player and deserves all of the accolades.  Ironically she is often looked down upon because she has yelled at umpires and thrown her racquet, but part of that criticism wouldn't be the same if she was a man.  

The Queen of England - I know this is kind of random, but I am in awe of her.  She has tirelessly served the Commonwealth since she was a young woman and she seems unstoppable. 

The common denominator is that these women own who they are and they work hard.  Everyone  is so different but they are genuine about who they are.

And of course the many lovely women in my personal life :)

Weekend Recap

I had an exciting Friday night, first I had dinner with my friend Janna at Cafe Landwer.  We both had good meals and caught up.

Then I walked down to the Raptors game.  My seat was in a Gondola Box, and I was a guest of my office building's property management company.  We were high!

I was full from supper which was probably good since there was a lot of food that I didn't really need to eat, but I did enjoy a few Coors Banquets, popcorn, and some shrimp. 

The Raptors lost but it was still fun to be at the game!  While I was gone, E went to a friend's house to play and Dave and Q watched Frozen.

On Saturday morning, Dave took E to his t-ball assessment.  It's not tryouts since he will be on a team, but they want to sort out the skill level of the players so the teams aren't stacked.  Meanwhile I took Q out to shop.  First stop was Sweet Potato for a few speciality items like soba noodles and spelt bread.  Q enjoyed the free apple :)  We saw a neighbour there and then a friend of Q's from daycare at Loblaws.

In the afternoon we went out sledding.

And it was pretty successful until the last run when our polar bear ran over some sharp ice and popped :(

Hot chocolates and coffees when we got home

(and curling in the background)

Chess for Dave and E

And Q was playing and then just passed out on the chair like this

I made this yummy salad for supper - roasted brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes, quinoa, lettuce, feta, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds.

We went for a walk after supper to enjoy the evening light (however short-lived).

We watched some Harry Potter before the kids went to bed.

I liked these guys creeping in the background.

On Sunday we went skiing, it was such a beautiful day.  Lots of fresh snow and the sun was out making it wasn't that cold.

Hashtag skiing!

Q was at the top coming down on his own at his lesson.  He had such a good morning. 

Then we all went up on the chairlift together.

It was so busy so we decided to leave instead of doing a few terrain park runs with our friends like we usually do.  Donuts on the way home :)

We got home, unpacked the car, had supper (baked beans and crusty bread), E had some friends over, and we watched the Raptors game and the curling.  

Taking Photos

A few weeks ago I read this article about taking photos of your kids.  I think it errs on the side of not taking photos and instead putting away your phone/camera altogether.  Now, as a blogger who needs content I can't always put away the phone, and nor do I want to since I would want to capture certain moments even if I wasn't posting about it.  But I am usually conscious of the photos I am taking and once I've got a few shots I will put my phone away and just enjoy the activity.

Sometimes a simple photo while eating a snack is fine too.

We got this photo when we all went on the lift for the first time, and therefore I don't need to get one every week of the same thing :)

A couple of photos at the beginning of a walk and then my phone can go away.

 It's actually hard to take a photo in motion, would have been better off to put the camera down and just cheer him on!

Like the articles says, I often see people who have their camera constantly clicking, and taking video after video, and I wonder what they are going to do with all of that material.  When I want to take a video I usually try to have a reason for it, like showing family members or showing E or Q whatever they were doing.  And even if that is the reason, I remember that I only need one or two of that thing.

Quick photo and then time to hunt for a Christmas tree (Q didn't want to participate in a photo).

So this is just a reminder that although of course it is fine to take photos and videos of your kids and your activities, try putting your phone away once you've got the shots.  Your brain will keep those memories too even if you don't have a photo, and if you're like our family, it's hard to get a perfect photo anyway, so don't worry about it too much.

Set up for requisite marshmallow roasting photo