Labels: Fun

Labels: DDM, Fun

Labels: Family, Fun

I am a big fan of ghost walks. I think it is the best way to see a city or town, if they are offered. In our town, they are offered every October. So a friend and I participated last night.

Labels: Fun

We are at Grandma's this week. We had Auntie Vee and Susie visiting last week from the UK. There was the beach, the parks, pools, dancing, and playing all over. There was and is no stopping.

Labels: Family, Fun

It is officially summer holidays. School is done and the Wee Ladies are home with me now full time, without breaks, every waking second, no childcare until September. I am torn. One the one hand, I am excited because we get to do lots of fun stuff. On the other hand, I think about how insanely insane I am bound to feel at times with them all running circles around me, all the time. We got our summer off to a good start today. And if we can keep the momentum, we will be fine. I know. It's only been a day. Give it time, you say. 

Labels: Family, Fun

The after-dinner roughhousing between Hubby and the Wee Ladies is always entertaining. He is like a Ninja who is fighting off the enemy. They keep coming at him, even after they have been tossed down. They get back up and come at him again with different moves from different angles. He is sometimes left vulnerable. He should be wearing armour. Or a plastic cup.

And what a workout this roughhousing is for him. He can get full strength training completed in just a few minutes. By bench pressing, doing leg lifts, core training, and bicep curls, squatting, and ham string curls, he finishes it off with some clean and presses. The Wee Ladies make for perfect free weights as they are lifted and tossed about the room.

Sometimes he gets kicked and hit in the wrong places, if you know what I mean. He gets a real beating from the three of them sometimes. He tries to keep himself safe, but it doesn't always work.

And so tonight, as they were all roughhousing, he got gas-pedaled in the you-know-where. He grimaced, rolled up into fetal position, and cried out like he would have after being kicked in the bits by a girl in grade school. I could only cringe and hold the Wee Ladies off momentarily as they snorted and dug and pounded their hoofs in, ready to go at him again full steam.

And all EvieG could say to him, obviously not knowing the reason for his painful outcry, was, "Daddy. Protect yourself!"

And all he could do was look at me and beg for mercy.

All's I'm sayin's all.

Labels: Family, Fun

For Scarlett Lounge, I am posting a simple and fun project moms can do with few supplies and little time. Making a paper bouquet is an easy craft wee ones can do with a little guidance. Here's how:

Labels: Fun

Spark Plug announced, "I love my bir-day, Mommy!" this morning while we drove EvieG to school. I'll take that as another mission accomplished. We had a birthday celebration yesterday that was certainly Estrogen-Only.

Flowers was the theme. Initially I thought tulips, but could only find flowers of all varieties. It worked well.

EvieG was at school yesterday which actually worked out well because Spark Plug and I had a lot of time together, especially when The Destroyer was napping. We prepared, played outside, read books, iced her cake, got dressed. It was really fantastic. We both enjoyed the time.

After school, another little friend came over and the party started. We had pancakes, fruit, cake, ice cream, presents, and finished it off with a trip to the back 40 where the Wee Ladies proceeded to wade through a foot of water. Ending the party with wailing due to cold water up to their knees and mega soakers, we settled them down with a warm bath and books. They needed some down time because they were wired after the sugarfest. Only an estrogen-only party would be guaranteed to end with crying and discontent.

Spark Plug had a blast. She lapped up all the attention and wishes she had a birthday everyday. It was tough to explain to the other Wee Ladies that it was Spark Plug's special day and that we had to support her and make sure she had a good time. I explained that everyone has one special day a year and it is important to be happy for that person. EvieG understood and after a couple of snits, realized the truth and helped make Spark Plug's birthday a real fun one. The Destroyer was just fine. She did run off with her new crown and princess shoes a couple of times.

You must remember my cake from EvieG's party last summer. Click here for a refresher. I made another DDM classic- a chocolate cake in the shape of a tulip. I carved out the tulip shape myself...no special pan for this one! It wasn't from a box either, but it was close. Our oven is a little inconsistent and the middle took an extra long time to bake. The outside was a little crisp. I included greens and all for special effect. Check it out....


I loved planning and executing this shin dig. It was great fun for everyone.

All's I'm sayin's all.

PS Thanks for reading! I will be back next week with more!

Labels: Family, Fun, Spark Plug

When I prepare the Wee Ladies for the bitter cold weather, I dress them appropriately. Or so I think. I've realized that I've got nothing on the layering abilities of older generations.

Have you ever noticed that when you leave your children in the capable hands of a grandparent, older aunt, uncle, or even great-grandparent, they have this inherent need to make the kids look like tightly wrapped sushi rolls? Like sausages wrapped in phyllo?

When our kids get winter-dressed by someone of an older generation, they have the following layers applied for their trip outside:

- undershirt
- long sleeve shirt
- sweater or sweatshirt
- winter jacket
- leggings
- pants
- snow pants
- 2 pairs of socks over the leggings
- scarf wrapped around 100 times so they can barely see
- hat
- ear muffs
- 2 pairs of mittens
- snow boots
- blanket wrapped around their laps if they have been put in the car

The kids can hardly walk. This is why most times they are carried from Point A to Point B. They waddle and bump into walls because they are so heavily layered, they lose their bearings and balance as they fight to maintain their center of gravity.

All of a sudden you hear the old, "Is she feeling well? Is she teething? Oh! She is cold! Look at her cheeks and nose! They are bright red! I hope she's warm enough!"

I stand there thinking, she's not cold, she has all her teeth, but she might be running a temperature. I bet she is feeling nauseous because she is overheating. Can 2 year olds get BO? Man, they have her wrapped up tighter than Fort Knox. This kid could for sure live outside in the frosty winter climate with all the crap she is wearing. She is a kid version of a layered clubhouse sandwich!

Then the crying and complaining starts. Whining in a muffled, damp, scarf voice, they say, "Mom, I'm hot! My seat belt is too tight."

I say, "Look kids! The moon is out!"

"But mom! I can't look up!"

Man. Oh. Man.

I feel like someone is going to call in and accuse me of neglect. In a hurry, I have been known to take the Wee Ladies out without a hat or mittens. Kind of by mistake. Sometimes I have evaluated the temperature and made an executive decision to take them in the car minus the snow pants. Depending on where we are going, I have even put them in their padded Crocs instead of boots. They're insulated. We're not going outside! We just have to go and get some groceries.

I don't have the patience to go overboard in the layering. I think they will survive without that extra t-shirt. I dress them how I dress when I go out in the winter. I am not walking around all Lady GaGa in nothing but some hosiery and a dress made from PVC. I think I dress for the outdoors properly.

Plus, when the Wee Ladies are out and about, they end up trying to remove most of what has been put on. Mittens always come off. I am always finding gloves and mittens in the yard, or tossed down beside the seats in the van. We have an entire winter outer wear clearance section in the van. The Destroyer takes off her boots and socks most days while we are cruising around.

I know what my elders would say right now. They would look at me over their bi-focals and state the naked truth that if I had put stockings on her in the first place and she tried to remove her socks, well then, she wouldn't be sitting in her bare feet when it's -15 degrees Celsius.

What I can do, they can do better, right?

Whatever. She'll learn won't she? She'll eventually learn that it is not a good idea to take off her socks in the winter.

That's right. Tough love.

Will I change my dressing habits? No. Will I feel guilty when I am out-dressed by the resourceful previous generations? Nah. I'll let them dress the Wee Ladies if they feel so inclined to dress them as a child should be dressed for the harsh temperatures of the wintry outdoors.

And just for the record- I would NEVER buy earmuffs.

All's I'm sayin's all.

PS February's Who's DDM? is up. Go and have a peek.

PPS I am trying to sort out having some ads placed on the site through BlogHer. One ad is a survey, but just to clarify, it is NOT for my site. It is for the BlogHer site.

Labels: DDM, Fun, Responsibility

Everywhere I go my entourage comes with me. I have them wrapped around my finger, they usually do as I ask, and go wherever I go. They also keep me on routine and will let me know if I divert from the schedule. They depend on me to keep them busy and going. I also realize and admit that I depend on them just as much. We make a great team.

The three members of my entourage play distinct roles. They all have certain jobs, some with more responsibility than others. The smallest of the group keeps my meal times on schedule. By continually going into the cupboard and bringing food to me, we keep each other full. She also keeps me spry. By threatening to destroy the place, I am always on my toes. The middle manager makes sure we are dressed and have brushed hair and teeth. She makes sure we have an appropriate amount of product applied every day. We stick to a routine that keeps us looking presentable. She always makes her demands and feelings known. She is an open communicator. The oldest of my entourage carries the brunt of the responsibility. She keeps me on schedule, she cleans up after us, and makes sure the beds are made. One day when I had an outside commitment, I came home to a tidied living area and clean dishes. The only problem was that she slightly grazed her index finger with a serrated knife while she was in a sink full of dishes. She sometimes plans events for us, like a trip to the ice cream store, or a party. She brings me flowers. She gives me the best back-scratches.

My entourage follows me everywhere I go. We are our own posse and people move to the edge of the sidewalk to let us pass. We turn heads. People notice us. I choose to think that it is not because of the loud screeching or running all over the place and that instead it is our unique and strong stage presence.

I sometimes have to get bossy as the head honcho of my entourage. I shoot my mouth off with statements like:

-Hurry up! We are going to be late!
-Did you hear what I said?
-Can you bring that to me please?
-Don't be rude to me!
-Follow my instructions and stay with me!
-Can you take this for me please?
-That is not how we behave!
-Good job!
-Don't touch!

I depend on my entourage just as much and have to perform to the best of my ability to make sure they are happy and satisfied as members of my team. They keep me in line and I do my best to meet their demands. We have an agreement in place that will last the better part of 18 years. There is some room for negotiation. I don't want any to become completely disgruntled. That would be bad and then they would become unmanageable. As stated in the contract, I am in this for the long haul.

I often here things like:

-I don't like that!
-I don't want that snack!
-I want to wear my Tinkerbells! I don't want to get dressed in that!
-I want to stay home!
-I'm ready! I want to go too!
-I'm hungry!
-JUICE!!!!
-I need to go potty!
-Get up! It's a sunny day!
-Thanks!
-That's beautiful!

Most days I love having an entourage. It is nice to be taken care of and also to ensure the satisfaction of my bunch. We are a close knit group who do everything together. We share fun times, trying times, we take pictures of monumental and important events. We keep each other on the straight and narrow. We always forgive each other for our bad moments. The put up my 'hormonal imbalances' and I with their toddler tantrums. We balance each other out.

We can't live without each other.

As the time passes, their jobs will evolve, as will mine. The next job on their list? To answer the phone and take messages for me.

But for some reason, I have a suspicious feeling that I will have to take more messages for them as they plan their time off from the entourage.

And then they will demand vacation pay.

All's I'm sayin's all.

PS February Who's DDM is written. I am having technical difficulties getting it posted. Stay tuned and check back....

Labels: DDM, EvieG, Fun, Spark Plug, The Destroyer

I don't ever remember really feeling the freezing cold when I was little. I remember being cold, but dealing with it. Kids are tough crackers and when playing in the snow, they could care less if they had frostbite. I watch the Wee Ladies play and tumble in the snowbanks without too much complaining.

We have good mittens, but not great ones. We were out the other night and Spark Plug was having a jolly time sliding and jumping around a huge snowbank wearing her not-so-wonderful fleece mittens. We have just come out of a major deep freeze in this part of the world and it was cold. It was way below zero degrees Celsius and the Wee Ladies didn't seem to care. EvieG and Spark Plug played while The Destroyer wandered around pulling the sleigh.

It was I who pulled the chute on them. Knowing that their hands were not covered in super duper snowmobile mittens, I told Hubby it was time to take them back to the van, fearing potential frostbite.
Because apparently frostbite is when you can no longer feel your fingers. There was no complaining of pain, no comments about being cold. I knew I didn't want to be that person to bring their three frostbitten Wee Ladies into the ER and then have the entire hospital staff say under their breath, "What a moron! Doesn't she know to keep her kids inside when it is Arctic like temperatures? Should we be calling CAS?"

We high-tailed it for the van. It was a horror show trying to get them in. They would not go in. As they stiffened into straight 2 by 4's, I literally had to pick them up and throw them into their car seats, breaking the boards in the mid-section, as they threw the best of the best conniption. They wanted to play outside in the snow! Didn't I see that? Awwwww, mom!!!

I remember being the same way as a kid. I know I didn't care that I had icicles hanging from my nostrils, and numb fingers and toes. I could care less that my neck-warmer was drenched in bad 10 year old hot dog breath, or that my butt was stinging from sitting in my snow pod that I had just spent a half hour making. And I even persevered through sitting with my tongue glued to the metal fence post. Remind me to tell you the story about the time I put my tongue to the safety bar on the chair lift at the ski hill. That is a good one.

We made it through and our kids will too. They will enjoy all of these experiences just like we did. They will survive the cold and come out virtually unscathed. They might have to leave a few tongue cells behind at some point, but they will have fun. And they will always remember it too.

The best part is that they will always have mom there to bring them inside to where it's warm and cozy, with a hot chocolate waiting.

Or a Little Hotties hand warmer ready to put in their mittens and boots as she sends them back out into the frosty wintry world.

All's I'm sayin's all.

Labels: Family, Fun

We have a new truck. This is the pick up that we will use until Hubby's is fixed (see post below). You should see this thing. It is massive, it gets 'er done, and it has satellite radio.

We have a shiny, black, Dodge Hemi pick up that the insurance company is paying for. Three car seats fit comfortably along the back seat, just to give you an idea of how big this machine is. As I look out the front windshield I feel like a little old lady who has trouble seeing over the dashboard. The hood is even large. There is no way you can gauge where the front bumper is. I wonder if there are any scratches on it from other drivers. I should check and just in case I bang into something, like it looks like I did with our van, I can blame it on the person who drove it before me. That at least would give me room to maneuver.

I was overjoyed when Hubby told me that we have satellite radio in this Hemi. I have never played with satellite radio. It is so cool! I love that we can pick from a variety of genres. And I am especially excited about the 80's on 8 channel and the 90's on 9 channel.

While Hubby went to verify our 26 foot U-Haul for this weekend, I sat in the Hemi with the Wee Ladies. I was singing Sunglasses at Night by Corey Hart. Click here to see that video. EvieG looked at me with a look of disgust as I sang along and then she actually had the nerve to roll her eyes at me. I called her on this and asked her what her problem was. She just said that she didn't want to sing that song. I told her she didn't have to; that no one was making her sing. She was okay with that. Eye rolling already. At the age of 5.

I then changed the channel to the 90's on 9. It is here where we heard Mr. Wendal by Arrested Development. Does anyone remember that one? I completely forgot about that song. Click here for a reminder.

We listened to the comedy channel, I skimmed past crazy Dr. Laura, and contemplated Howard Stern for a minute but then decided it was obviously too inappropriate for the delicate ears sitting in the back.

So I will go out and sit in the Hemi. I will take a beer and sit in the truck in the driveway. I am going to play with the satellite radio and kill some time. I should set up my Coleman on the back tailgate and roast some hot dogs.

It's not like I have a lot of time though. But I am very good at procrastinating.

Maybe sitting in the truck in the driveway with a beer is not such a hot idea. I don't want to be plowed into like Hubby's truck was. And then the cops will come and they will charge me for having open alcohol in the vehicle and it will be bad.

I'll just insist on driving the Hemi to our new house. That way I can have 4 hours of satellite radio listening pleasure.

All's I'm sayin's all.

Labels: DDM, EvieG, Fun

As I was packing up cookbooks in the kitchen:

DDM: (packing a box) What do we have for dinner tonight?

Hubby: I don't know. (opens fridge) Oh, there are sausages in there.

DDM: (closing box, grabbing marker to label) Oh yeah, that's right. I thought about that and then I forgot. Sausages...okay. Great.

Hubby: So...you really want some of my sausage, do you (laughing)?

DDM: (labeling while clearly getting distracted by this silly humour of Hubby's) Nice. You are hilarious. You are so predictable.

Hubby: I know you want my sausage.

DDM: (pausing and looking at the labeled box and start guffawing) Come here and look at this. Check out what I wrote on the box. It was supposed to say Kitchen Cookbooks. But I wrote Sausage Cookbooks! Look at what you made me do!

Hubby: (laughing just as hard) I guess I know what's on your mind!

DDM: I guess a box full of sausage cookbooks means we have a whole lot of ways to cook up sausage. It's always good to have some variety.

All's I'm sayin's all.

PS There are some more reviews up in the DDM's Try Ons section. Feel free to take a peek.

PPS I will post tomorrow, but will be offline from Christmas Day until Monday, the 29th.

Labels: DDM, Fun, Hubby

It is nice to have a boy in the house. And no, Hubby is not the boy I am talking about. We are looking after my pal's 8 year old son today and tomorrow. My pal is working and school is out. We love having him around. The Wee Ladies are having a ball and it adds a whole new dynamic to the house.

As I observe them all playing, there is no question that there is a different vibe; almost like a physical energy. There has been a whole lot of physical play, as they run, play hide and seek, make snow forts, and play the-running-away-from-the-giant-squid game (the giant squid is the dog). We have made and decorated gingerbread cookies too. And it is only noon. The energy this guy has!

He takes good care of the Wee Ladies. He keeps a watchful eye over them and makes sure The Destroyer doesn't take marker to the walls, furniture, and carpet in the basement. He tried to take Spark Plug for a ride on the sled, but she wouldn't have any of it. It was adorable watching him try to pick her up to put her on the toboggan.

It is a nice change, not to say I don't love having the three Wee Ladies all the time. I'm just saying it is nice to mix it up a bit sometimes. I love that they have kept each other amused all morning inventing games and making each other guffaw as they try and interpret what The Destroyer is saying.

I say it is awesome having a boy around. This boy in particular is like a big brother to the Wee Ladies. He is the perfect guy to have hanging around the girls.

It is the other guys that will be hanging around later on. I am not sure I will feel the same way about those ones.

Hubby will for sure not feel the same way about those ones.

We'll just have to keep this one around for a while longer.

All's I'm sayin's all.

Labels: Family, Fun

EvieG is growing up and her tastes are changing. She is evolving from the 'little kids' programming' to the 'bigger kids' programming'. She likes watching some of the shows on Teletoon, but only if we see it first. This new exposure not only opens up her world in terms of TV shows, but also to commercials. And the STUFF that is advertised.

We don't have a lot of the latest 'stuff'. And the kids are not ones to say, "I want, I want," regularly, except for when it comes to demanding cookies and sweets. I am curious to see what kind of impact advertising may have on the Wee Ladies. Because they make the 'stuff' look really good on TV. EvieG's eyes were like saucers when the Barbie Diamond Castle commercial came on and the Polly Pockets Hot Wheels Racing Trip to the Mall track, which apparently she had seen before at a friend's house. She never mentioned it, so at this point I am glad she doesn't pay much attention to the 'stuff'.

I however paid attention to one of the commercials. I was in the bathroom and all of a sudden I heard, "K-Tel presents Mini Pops 5! 22 of today's greatest hits!" I was all like, what was that? Did my retro loving ears just hear the word K-tel? And Mini Pops? MY Mini Pops? I ran out to the TV and was overcome with disbelief. I thought K-tel went under years ago! And then to have resurrected the Mini Pops! For a fifth time too! Where have I been? How come I did not know this? I will tell you why. Because I have been too busy watching non-commercial children's programming and also because the Mini Pops of the 80's were marketed better. I have heard nothing of these new Mini Pops. I don't even know if they are British, like the originals, or if this is an Americanized version.

I was a member of the Mini Pops fan club in 1983. I wanted to be a Mini Pop. In my head, I was a Mini Pop. I had most of their albums, even the Christmas one. I used to blast the cassettes and vinyls and dance around singing all of the latest hits. Hits like Video Killed the Radio Star and Eye of the Tiger. I remember writing to them, pleading with my everything to become one of them. I could totally see myself on the cover of an album.





And then I got the letter. I remember coming home from another typical rat tail-bad perm day in grade 3 to find a huge envelope on the counter waiting for me. I was trembling with excitement and tore it open, being careful not to rip the gigantic, fluorescent yellow Mini Pops sticker on the front. My mom stood beside me as I read the letter out loud. By the time I was finished, I was in tears. And these were not tears of happiness. I was devastated. Crushed. The Mini Pops were from foreign soil and it was too far away for me to be one. But I was most honourably declared a member of their fan club. I remember saying, "That's it? A member of the fan club? But they didn't even give me a chance! They didn't even invite me to try out!"

They promised to send me updates. They never did. I ordered a t-shirt and poster and pin. And I continued singing and dancing along with some of Britain's hottest acts.

I hit puberty and then forgot all about them. I moved on to Wham! and Culture Club, Madonna, and Cyndi Lauper. Oh, and in TV it was all about the 2 Coreys, Chad Allen, and my all time favourite, Mackenzie Astin. He was so cute! C. Thomas Howell never really did it for me. I would thumb through Teen Bop, Bop, and other magazines with 8 X 10 glossy shots of the hottest boys when I wasn't writing pen pal letters all over the world.

EvieG didn't seem overly interested by the new version of the Mini Pops. She wasn't tempted by their advertising and it didn't seem to faze her. I guess it is just 'stuff' to her. This is okay by me. She is a little bit young for it anyway. I am happy that she is interested in all day, every day Christmas tunes on the radio.

I however am tempted to check them out as I fall for the kids' 'stuff'. And EvieG knows it. Because everytime Teletoon is on and that Mini Pops commercial comes on, she yells, "Mom! Your commercial is on again! Come and see!"

All's I'm sayin's all.

Labels: DDM, EvieG, Fun

A friend sent us the coolest link for your kids, or any kid you know. It is a personalized message from Santa Claus. This not only will send them over the moon, but it can also be used for good leverage.

There was a message to all three Wee Ladies sent over the e-mail from Santa. It was personalized for each of them. When EvieG got her message, she almost burst with excitement. We thought she was going to explode. When Santa makes a connection with the kids, it's like I am sent back to childhood because I remember that same feeling. And so this particular experience was a memorable one for the Wee Ladies. I highly recommend using this Santa message for any kid you may know. Thanks to my friend for sending it our way.

At this time of year, the whole, 'Santa is watching you, so you better be good', thing is used as good leverage when it comes to proper behaviour. I know we have pulled it out and used it ourselves. Now that they have actually witnessed a personalized message from the old guy himself, it makes the leverage that much more powerful. So when Spark Plug gets sassy, or The Destroyer spits out her beans, and EvieG gives her sisters that extra push, we can say, "Remember what Santa said? You better make sure you listen because his eyes are on you!" The weeks before Christmas are pretty much guaranteed to be a little smoother in terms of sibling and potential parental conflict.

Click here for the link to the site to personalize your message from Santa. And have fun with it.

He's watching! I guess I better make sure I pay back EvieG the money I owe her piggy bank. I said I would. If I don't, I might not get any presents from Santa.

All's I'm sayin's all.

Labels: Fun

I find it hard not to get carried away with holiday baking. Since my teenage years, I have been in charge of providing the family with a plethora of holiday goodies. Squares and cookies ranging in flavours have found homes in the many Tupperware containers and tummies in our family.

For the past few years I have hosted a cookie exchange party. A few moms would come over with a few dozen of one treat and then we would exchange them and end up with a wide variety of holiday goodies. We only had to make one thing and end up with several different sweet treats. I didn't do it this year because of our move and because we wouldn't be able to get through it all. So I am back to selecting a few different recipes for this year.

A good girlfriend of mine lent me her Mrs. Fields Cookbook from 1992. It has one hundred cookie recipes in it. I have had it in safe-keeping in our cupboard since last Christmas when we made Christmas sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies. She needs it again for this year's batch and has asked for it back. Sure, no problem. I have decided I need to get myself a copy of this book because there are some recipes in there that we must have for the holiday baking.

I decided to go through my recipe file and select this year's festive goodie line-up. I sat with EvieG and we went through one at a time. She got bored after about the third recipe and left me to finish this task alone. No hard feelings. It took me about a half hour to decide what to make. There are so many good recipes to pick from!

I chose a selected assortment. Ten bucks says I will continue to find any excuse to use the old classic Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip recipe that Nenny With Twins e-mailed me.

I have decided on the following goodies for this year's festivities:

1. Cookie Cutter Sugar Cookies
2. Gingerbread Cookies
3. Classic Shortbread
4. Cranberry-White Chocolate Shortbread
5. Chocolate Cookies (using cake mix)
6. Peanut Butter Balls (with Rice Krispies)
7. Peanut Butter Cup Tarts (you stick a PB cup in the Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie dough and bake it)
8. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for Uncle Jeff

And here is what I am debating with myself- do I make Confetti Squares? The peanut butter squares with the multi-coloured marshmallows? You know the ones that were served at every bake sale, church bazaar, and holiday party or dinner?

I should have just hosted the cookie exchange party. As I look at my list, I am realizing that I may have too much stuff. It would have been easier to make one thing and then exchange with everyone else. Maybe I just need to do a short-list and ax a few of these things, like one of the shortbread recipes.

And one of the peanut butter recipes.

The kids don't even eat peanut butter.

I think that they have to experience the Confetti Squares at least once. That taste never dies.

I just hope they don't have some sort of reaction. Maybe I should do a scratch test on them first. On their forearms.

I wouldn't want to them to have ill-feelings towards the Confetti Square experience.

All's I'm sayin's all.

PS DDM's Try Ons is up and running! Head on over to check it out! More reviews are coming, so stay tuned...thanks to Brian for setting it all up!

Labels: DDM, Family, Fun, Nenny with Twins, Responsibility

For the trip away this week, my MIL handed me a little light reading. She gave me 6 magazines from years past. 4 of them are holiday baking collections and 2 are the Canadian Living Entertaining and Everyday Cookbook Special, from 1983. These magazines kept me occupied for the majority of the trip there.

After reading these, I felt inadequate as a cook. I questioned myself, my time, and my abilities to be creative and efficient in the kitchen. They made everything look so easy, but complicated. And for the record, I do not think that my MIL did this on purpose. She and I like reading through magazines. Above all, I was highly entertained and I even called Nenny with Twins for a laugh, as I shared my retro findings.

To sum up this reading experience, there are three words that come to mind:

1. titles
2. garnish
2. microwave

The titles of the recipes are hilarious, descriptive, and slightly misleading. They use words like casual, appealing, soothing, elegant, easy (clearly not in some cases), goodies, fashionable, and my personal favourite, the slightly Italian dinner. And it's not just the recipe titles themselves, but the introductory titles! A few doozies are:

Easy-on-the-hostess-menus:
-Circassian chicken
-lemon sponge squares
-sausage casserole and orange juice with cognac
-and more

I would feel no pressure with these menus...

Bridge Luncheon
-gratin of scallops and shrimp
-pears poached in red wine with mint OR orange gateau breton (they even put in the accent circumflex)
-and more

I need to learn to play bridge. Maybe I could host a card party centering around the game, Asshole.

Easy Dinner for Six
-smoked trout with capers and mayonnaise
-chicken breasts with leeks and watercress and sabayon sauce
-mixed wild and white rice
-stir fry of snow peas and red pepper strips
-tossed green salad
-french pastries

Easy should translate to, 'go to the specialty store and pick up some fresh smoked trout and then head on down to the bakery for some croissants.' They give you the sample menu, but a recipe for only one dish. I need it all! You can't just leave me hanging with only one recipe for an easy dinner for 6!

And who knew a casual supper consisted of such fare as, pate with crackers, cacciucco with parsley pesto sauce, tossed green salad, and fresh pears with gorgonzola?

This gives you an idea of what and how food was served back in the day. There are menus for before the opera, bridal showers, and progressive dinners. 'They can be fun!'

The pictures make it look so easy too. One thing I noticed was that pretty much every dish is garnished to the gills with parsley, or mint, and sometimes dill. The garnish is sometimes accompanied by flowered radishes. They use parsley to separate dishes, top dishes, and they even use it on the side. They put it in leaf form as well as sprinkle it across the top in flake form. No wonder tooth picks were so big back in the day. People were probably walking around with parsley stuck in their teeth all the time!

This was an era where microwaves were new and at their peak as far as novelty was concerned. They have special sections in the magazines specifically devoted to microwave cooking. My favourite was the, 'Give Your Party an African Theme: Put your microwave to the test at your next party. You can cook an entire meal in the microwave, even a multi-course party menu. Here are two menus guaranteed to please your guests and leave you with lots of time to enjoy your own party.' I never thought to make a banana pie, fish and groundnut stew, or bobtie in the nuker.

In these times, they always found a way to sneak a bit of booze into the recipes. Brandy, rum, cognac, and red wine were not uncommon in the titles. I bet the party tricks back then were far from few and far between. They never had to justify spiking the punch.

There were sections for bake sale recipes and skiers. There was a section devoted to organ meats. This was a journey to a time when people put their blood, sweat, and tears into making a splendid menu for guests. I wish I had some skill to replicate some of these dishes.

Maybe I will pick a few to try over the holidays. My MIL says that a lot are easy to do. I am intimidated just by reading the titles.

I am going to make a list for the grocery store. I will make sure parsley is at the top of the list. I can make a bowl of whipped potatoes in the microwave and sprinkle some parsley on top. Maybe I can have a pickle plate with parsley around the perimeter of the plate. Or maybe I should have a big bouquet of parsley as a centre piece. And then give some to everyone after dinner to refresh the palate instead of After Eights.

All's I'm sayin's all.

PS I will return on Monday! Stay tuned for more....

PPS The site has been under construction today. I apologize if you had trouble getting on.

Labels: DDM, Fun

We are home and getting over being away most of this week. We were in our new town for a couple of days and sorted out some stuff.

In a span of 48 hours we managed to see our new place, register EvieG for school, check out Hubby's office a couple of times, play in the snow, among other things, and meet some new friends.

I befriended a few people. Besides our lovely landlord, I met and chatted with the lady at the wine store at Loblaws, the manager at a local sporting goods store, a local organic farmer, a naturopathic doctor, and a couple of local business owners. Oh, and an artist.

I went for a coffee with an old friend who runs a cool shop in town. With her, I was introduced to a few people and learned some more about the area. I learned where to get my hair done, get waxed, and where you can buy really tasty chicken pot pies. I also learned that some of the young entrepreneurs hang out and do fun stuff together.

One of her friends is having a pot luck this weekend. As we were walking into the coffee shop, the girl who runs one of the hip stores was outside and greeted us on the way in. She asked my friend what she is up to this weekend. My friend replied with, "Nothing much that I can think of," and was then immediately invited to a pot luck dinner.

The community is friendly, warm, and hospitable. We have been welcomed with open arms and we haven't even officially moved yet. The young people are very involved in their community and eager for newcomers. This invitation to become a part of the local happenings has made us that much more excited.

We can't wait.

All's I'm sayin's all.

PS Thanks to Nenny with Twins for blogsitting. As always, I thank her. And I always make sure I tell her I love her.

PPS Back to real time blogging tomorrow.....

PPPS December's Who's DDM is done, but I haven't been able to get in touch with my web site administrator. I will keep you posted on that front.

Labels: Fun

I am on a mission this month. I need to find replacement lights for our tree. These are lights that I have had on many Christmas trees throughout my life. The worst part is that they have been discontinued. Probably because they are a safety hazard.

Hubby thinks I am ridiculous. He does not understand why I love these lights so much.

Here is a photo of the lights that I cannot and will not do without-

These are Bubble Lights. They were made by NOMA. These lights are long glass tubes filled with coloured liquid. When they are turned on, they warm up and start bubbling, just like a lava lamp; only the bubbles are smaller and faster. I could sit and stare at these lights for hours. I did too, I think. I would turn out all the lights in the house, except the tree, and I would sit and stare at the bubbling. Sometimes I would have the Disney Christmas record on in the background, or Alvin and the Chipmunks.

You did have to make sure that they were upright because they could get pretty hot. You didn’t want the tree to get too heated and sparky, if you know what I mean…

These lights were available at Canadian Tire up until recently when all of a sudden they were discontinued. I went for a few years without bubble lights, but would yearn for them. I would go to CT, stand in the aisle gawking at them and then with my head hanging, I would sadly turn and walk away empty-handed. They were always a bit out of my price range. It was something like $15.00 for 7 bubble lights.

Finally, I bit the bullet and decided to splurge. I bought 2 boxes. So that’s 2 strands of bubble lights, 14 lights in total, for $30.00. I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait to get them up.

They lasted well the first year. And I had so many people tell me how cool they looked. Even Uncle Jeff was taken back to the late 70’s. He didn’t know they still existed. I gleamed with pride as I happily declared Canadian Tire my new favourite store.

The next year was a bit of a different story.

I got the 2 strands out to put on the tree and noticed that 3 bubble lights had dried up over the past year. I didn’t think much of it. I knew that Canadian Tire sold the lights and their replacements. You could buy singles. I went on over and ended up scouring the holiday aisles over and over again. I couldn’t find them anywhere.

I asked a smiling employee where he was hiding the NOMA bubble lights. His happy face turned into a frown instantly as he foresaw a potential disgruntled customer. His response was, “I am sorry ma’am. They were discontinued.”

What? What? What?

I stood staring at him in silence. My face fell. I asked, “I’m sorry, but could you repeat that please?”

“They have been discontinued. We don’t carry that line anymore. They were declared unsafe.”

I scoffed. “Huh. Unsafe? They have been around forever! Those lights are the best! Canadian Tire doesn’t know! They don’t know how cool those lights are! You don’t just go around discontinuing cool looking retro bubble lights! Who does that?”

“I am sorry. I don’t know what to tell you.”

“I know what you can tell me. You can tell me where I can find more bubble lights. Because I have 3 that are dried up and all I need are some replacements.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think anyone carries those lights at all anymore.”

“This sucks…Thanks.”

And off I went. Out the store at quite a fast pace. I felt cheated and betrayed. I was let down. Destroyed and hurt that Canadian Tire took them off the shelves, I rode home thinking about where to get them. I went through that Christmas with a few dried up bubble lights. I hid them in the branches so no one could see them. The working ones were front and center for all to enjoy.

That was last year. And here we are another year later.

I am at a crossroads.

I need the replacement bubble lights. If my Canadian Tire can’t help me out, where do I turn?

I think I have the answer. eBay.

This is how I am going to get my bubble lights.

All’s I’m sayin’s all.

PS We are going away for a couple of days. I am going to try and get to a computer for tomorrow. If I cannot, we will try and post a doozy from the archives.

PPS If you are in town this Friday night, go on down to Eve's Chocolatier on King Street. She is hosting, 'Mingle Bells', a cocktail party and open house. It starts at 7:00. This place has bar none some of the best chocolate I have ever tasted. It is the perfect place for PMS or hormonal, or even pregnant people. Or anyone really. Her sweets can solve any problem.

PPPS Hubby wants you all to read his comments in reaction to this post. He felt no one would go to the comments to read it. I guess he feels strongly about this. I say, whatever. He should feel lucky that I am keeping us young.

Hubby's 2 Cents

The 80’s and 90's were cool….right? Because I just realized that my children will all be products of these decades. I originally thought DDM’s love of Madonna was cute, and then I found the collection of jean jackets consuming most of our basement closet. DDM continues to keep an assortment of circa 1992 sports garb, just in case her girls would like to see how much of an athlete their mom was (is). Then there is that damn grey Patagonia fleece pullover that she refuses to part with, the one with the burn holes in the shoulder from some gravel pit party in 1993. Recently, I walked in on a conversation DDM was having with one of her best friends. They had been debating who was the coolest musician in the band BandAid…..Was it Phil Collins, George Michael or maybe Boy George? The Tupperware, the bubble lights, the Glamour Gals? What’s next?

Hubby

Labels: Chores, DDM, Fun

I will set the stage for you. Picture this-

There is a rather slick looking, shiny black, 4 door Chev pick up filled to the brim with an old, broken dryer, a lemon yellow lounge chair cushion, and half a wooden wine rack driving to the dump. Inside sits a cool looking stud wearing a black fleece pullover, ripped jeans, and low cut hiking boots caked in mud. Beside him is a woman who is wearing the same coffee stained t-shirt she wears a couple times a week, sometimes two days in a row, dirty jeans, and boots without socks. She has her hair pulled back as usual. There is no denying that this is a cool looking couple. The coolness factor resonates from them.

In the back there are 2 girls. A 5 year old and a 1 1 /2 year old. From behind the tethers of the car seat straps you can see, along with their parents in the front, 4 bopping heads. The windows are down and their hair flies in the crisp, Ethanol scented air. They are rockin'.

They rock to the iconic band, The Beastie Boys.

DDM: Whooo hooo! Rock on!

Hubby: Look back at the girls! They are right into this!

EvieG: I know what this song is called! It's called, Hey Ladies!

DDM: That's right! Well done! Rock on, Ladies! (hands waving above her head)

Hubby: I can't believe she knows the name of this song!

DDM: It's great! It's classic!

TheD: Weeeeeeee!

EvieG: Come on everybody! Raise the ceiling!

Pause-, look back-, and stare-.

DDM: What? Did you say raise the ceiling?

EvieG: Yep. Come on!

DDM: Ok, then! Raise-the-ceiling?!! (whispering to Hubby) She means raise the roof....she just had a senior's moment! That's totally something a senior citizen would say on the dance floor, cutting some rug at somewhere like a wedding, who is among a bunch of young people, and trying to look cool. That's my girl!

We are so cool.

All's I'm sayin's all.

PS Thanks for reading and I will return on Monday....

Labels: Family, Fun

There is nothing like that look of excitement on a kid's face when you mention the word, Santa. EvieG is bursting at the seams right now. We bought our advent calendar, we have some decorations up, and we wrote her letter to Santa Claus.

I am not one to accept and encourage the, "I want, I want," during the holidays. While it is certainly acceptable to ask Santa for some things, it is not cool in my mind to write a letter and demand the gifts.

We brainstormed ideas to get her thinking about how to position herself in her letter. We thought about questions to ask and different things we could include. I guided and she dictated what to write. We attempted to make EvieG's letter sound more well rounded:

Dear Santa,

How is Rudolph doing? I hope Mrs. Claus is feeling well. I have been a good girl. I am mostly nice to my sisters and am working hard on my reading! I help mom fold the laundry and help her make cookies and muffins.

This year I wish for new plates for my toy kitchen and a princess tea set. I would also love a baby plant to take care of. And a new colouring pad.

Spark Plug is very nice. She gives me hugs and kisses all the time when I come home from school. She hopes for a new colouring pad too. She loves anything Tinkerbell. She would especially love Tinkerbell shoes.

The Destroyer is very nice too. She sometimes gets up on the table. For Christmas, she would like new cups for her orange juice and water. She might like some new books for her room. A pretend phone might be a good idea because she tries to talk on the real phones all the time!

Thank you! Have a safe trip! Be sure to try some of our cookies! We will leave out some chocolate milk and carrots for the reindeer!

Love,

The Wee Ladies

xoxo

And so you have it. The Wee Ladies in a nutshell. EvieG takes care of things, Spark Plug like to dress up, and The Destroyer destroys everything.

We will check the mailbox every day to see if a letter has arrived yet. We will count down the days until Santa comes.

I will hold on to and push the notion of the real Santa Claus for as long as I can. I will thwart and dodge any questions later on regarding its validity. I will concoct the best stories about the goings on at the North Pole and the intricacies behind how it functions. We will understand the roles everyone plays up there.

I will make sure that I will exhibit due diligence when it comes to the manufacturing of North Pole goodies. I will be the second in line at quality control, next in line after the first set of elves.

I will not allow anything to go under the tree or in a stocking that might have even the slightest link to numbers or tags. Any questions regarding names will be described as a working partnership between the companies and Santa.

It is not like I am trying to heavily promote capitalism, mergers, and good business. I just want them to believe for as long as they can. There is no harm in that, right? I will be prepared to justify my actions, when the time comes.

I know that kids spot everything. And kids will question until they are properly satisfied. Because when I was 8, Uncle Jeff pointed out the remnants of price tag goo on my jumbo size Dr. Pepper Bonne Bell lip chap. I was mortified. I ignored it, and him. For another few years.


The imagination, the wonder, the curiosity, the sneaking downstairs at 4am to see if Santa has come yet. There is nothing better than that as a kid.

We don't have to be kids either. If Tom Hanks invited me for a ride on the Polar Express, I would for sure go. And I would make sure I had pockets without holes.

All's I'm sayin's all.

Labels: Fun

You know the saying that all kids would be happy playing with the box? Well, I don't think that this is entirely true. It is to a certain point, but I think that kids are naturally attracted to the most irritating, loud, obnoxious toys if given the opportunity. Or the slimy, dirty ones out in the backyard that they rediscover after 5 long months of winter.

Do the toy companies ever ask the parents what they think or how they feel about having these annoying toys around the house singing, cackling, or crying in everyone's ears?

We have lots of dollies around. EvieG rediscovered one of them yesterday and was showing her off. This doll winces, cries, and soothes itself if given a soother. Every time I hear it, my uterus clenches and it screams out in panic. There will be no more real babies in our family. For real this time. My uterus is closed for business.

The crying! The wailing! The WAAA WAAAA! I holler over the baby's cry to EvieG and order her to stick a cork in it. She looks at me in bewilderment and I then rush over to give the baby doll a soother. Make it stop!

The Wee Ladies love these dollies. They love taking care of them. And so I cannot find it in my heart to pitch them along with the Tupperware that Hubby tried to get rid of. And so I exhibit patience. I am a mature adult who has gone through the baby stage 3 times. And so what is a toy doll? It should be nothing to me, right?

But no. I cringe when I hear it. I try to ignore it. And sometimes I do. I will slyly take the doll and turn the switch OFF and throw it in the back of the cupboard until she is discovered again. With these dolls, there is no where to turn and hide! There are crying babies all around, all the time! I have discovered that we are never truly done with the baby stage.

I ask again- do these toy companies realize what they are doing to us parents by making real life baby dolls? Do they realize that they are sending us into flashbacks of sleepless nights and hours of fussy time? Are they trying to test our psychological strengths? Our marriages?

Before they shelve the next best thing in real life baby dolls, I dare them to send the dollies my way. I will evaluate and give them true feedback. I will write to them with a million typos, or forget complete thoughts when talking to them because of my sleep deprivation.

And then when we think the baby stage is done and the dolls are no longer of interest to the Wee Ladies, there will be another doll. Only this time we will have to teach it to walk, talk, and behave properly.

Who ever thought our parenting would merge with the imaginary world?

All's I'm sayin's all.

Labels: DDM, Fun

We had a family movie night last night. The Wee Ladies had popcorn and sippy cups of water. Hubby and I had beer. Hubby chose the movie. He has also chosen the next family movie night flick for this weekend. I have to say that I am gobsmackingly impressed.

Hubby: Hey. I have the next 2 movies for family movie night.

DDM: Oh ya? Great! What did you pick? (thinking Disney cartoon or computer animated film of some sort)

Hubby: Tonight we are going to watch The Sound of Music. And this weekend we have none other than Mary Poppins.

DDM: (shock rings through my voice) You are sure you want to sit and watch musicals starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, and Dick Van Dyke? The whole way through?

Hubby: Yep. My girls will love it and I want them to enjoy it.

DDM: (to myself) Holy man! A straight guy who voluntarily wants to watch musicals. That is love.

Silence.

Hubby: What was that noise?

DDM: That was just my jaw hitting the floor.

All's I'm sayin's all.

PS Have a fab weekend! I will return on Monday with more from this zoo.

PPS I have some fun news to share with everyone on Monday! Be sure to come back then and check out the new announcement!

Labels: DDM, Family, Fun, Hubby

I am totally the opposite of a salon girl. I only go to get my hair highlighted and trimmed. That is the extent of my styling outings. I will go for a pedicure bi-annually because someone found it in their heart to donate to the DDM's Callus Cause. Hubby and I took Spark Plug and The Destroyer for their first hair cuts today. Boy howdy, did we ever see some interesting stuff.

It was 9:30 am. We got to our appointments and we put The Destroyer up on the black vinyl box first. She was squirming right from go. We gave her a sucker to silence her. This goes totally against my 'No suckers until after lunch' policy, but this event was an exception. It didn't work. Every time the hair stylist went to trim some hair, The Destroyer dodged the incoming scissors. We put her down to let her check out the premises, destroy the Christmas tree, and knock down any decorations at floor level until she was comfortable in her surroundings.

We then put Spark Plug up on the pedestal to see how she would do. She is sometimes quite hesitant in new places and in new situations. But I will say that she loves the mirror and all sorts of accessories. If she could, and she usually does, she would roam around in her purple Palmolive Madge sunglasses all day.

She ate up this time in the chair. Completely. Watching, studying, lapping it up. She was in salon, pampering heaven. She sat still and quiet. She did not move a muscle, except to beam at us. She got a trim and some shape added to her hair. The best part for her? The princess sparkles. She had that sparkle hair spray put in her hair and the stylist put it in pigtails. The pride was resonating from her. She got down from the chair, strutted around the shop, and then went straight for the suckers. She continued to strut while simultaneously dancing to Madonna's Hard Candy album.

I had some snippets of their hair put into Zip Loc Sandwich Bags. And that has got to be one of my dumber moves. Plastic bags and baby hair are not a good match. The static in the bag has resulted in the hair sticking to the sides of the bag. And it covers the sides of the bag completely. The hair is spread around like honey spread over a piece of bread. I say, smooth move, DDM. How I am going to collect it all together is a puzzle. I will put it in a drawer or a box along with all of the other stuff that has to yet be placed in some sort of baby album, waiting for the day to come when the Album Fairy comes to save me and make them for me.

When it comes to styling the hair of the Wee Ladies, I get a big, fat, bold F. I brush it and tidy it, on a good day. Usually I just clip it off to the side, or spray some detangler in it to make sure they are not wandering around with rats' nests attached to their heads. I barely do my own hair, so why would I do theirs all nice with a blow dryer and product? I don't. But I did watch the stylist put their hair in pigtails. So I can do that myself now, realizing that I will not pull their hair, or hurt them.

If I am going to start putting their hair in pigtails more often, I am going to have to go out and find some of this princess sparkle spray. Where do you get that stuff?

From this salon experience, we learned that The Destroyer is going to go to the salon because she has to. To her, it is a waste of time. And to Spark Plug, the salon experience will be a way of life.

Hubby has said that he believes he will spend his life funding EvieG's humanitarian missions as she travels the world, helping those in need. Well, now he believes he will be funding Spark Plug's salon missions.

I think The Destroyer will be happy with all access to Dare, Allen's, Cadbury, and Hershey.

All's I'm sayin's all.

Labels: Family, Fun