Movie Madness

Since all we really seem to do anymore once the kids are asleep is watch movies I thought I'd give you a quick review of a few great finds we've seen lately.

Flawless A crime/drama set in 1960 London, where a soon to retire janitor (Michael Caine) convinces a glass-ceiling constrained American executive (Demi Moore) to help him steal a handful of diamonds from their employer, the London Diamond Corporation.

The Air I breath Forever linked together by ruthless crime boss Fingers (Andy Garcia) and a series of unpredictable twists of fate, the characters of THE AIR I BREATHE weave together in an existential study in luck, both the good and bad.
The Cleaner A former cop who now earns a wage as a crime scene cleaner unknowingly participates in a cover-up at his latest job

(these previews are not written by me. I have taken all of them from other sources on the web)

All three of these movies were really well done and kept my interest for the whole duration of the shows. I would recommend all of them for you to enjoy!! Good job picking 'em hubby!!

i have been out of the blogsphere for so long now i was thinking of just killing my blog altogether but decided to give it another shot and see how i feel afterwards...
Since having baby #2 i have been in another world!! There are so many things to remember and also things to get used to when dealing with a 2nd child as well as a girl...just changing a diaper is completely different and definitely a lot harder with girls!! Chasing a 2 year old and trying to explain the need for patience and being gentle towards the baby is a challenge all on its own!! Luckily babies are a lot more resilient than we think and don't really need to be handled like china dolls all the time- and when wooden puzzles fall on their heads the bruises heal SUPER fast too!!
Recovering from the c-section has also been a lot tougher this time around. I have had numerous trips to the doctor and have been suffering the aftermath of very harsh anti-biotics, opening and resealing of the stitches and nursing an extremely hungry baby through all this. Not fun and not something i could have expected or been prepared for in the least!!
okay i have complained enough for today and i have to go take a nap as baby is sleeping and i need some rest to catch up on the sleep i've missed over the last 3 weeks....

a few things to do...

So my vacation has started...that is the 2.5 weeks i have off until the baby arrives...i have a huge TO DO list and i am just wondering how much i'm actually going to get done...most of it involves some sort of cleaning project. AND I say project because these things aren't just tidy up a shelf but involve some serious emptying, purging and tossing of LOTS of things...

Here is my list

clean out both my and hubby's closets
rearrange linen closet
clean out coat closet(AGAIN)
clean out E's closet
clean out computer room/baby room closet
get a mani/pedi/serious waxing
wash all new baby clothes (lucky there aren't THAT many)
get hair cut, color and highlights

hmmm the list doesn't seem THAT bad now that it is written down...let's see how much i actually get done. My goal is one item per day, with a few break days just for R & R...

Just a Vent...

The other day i was at the gas station filling up when a car pulled in to the pump next to mine. It was a fairly recent model Mercedes with all the trimmings, nice shiny rims, flashy skirt and modern detailing. That car cost big bucks...the only problem was the 3 year old bouncing around in back seat WITH NO CAR SEAT IN SIGHT. I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw this kid jumping around the back seat, up closer observation i realized there was no car seat installed in this car at all. I don't know if the car belonged to the kid's parents or if she was just a passenger in someone elses car but there is absolutely no excuse to risk the life of an innocent child by not restraining her in a car seat (or at the very least a booster seat).
I was so angry but I couldn't bring myself to say anything as one never knows these days who is holding what weapon or just how defensive and angry the recipient of my nasty words will get. I just let it go and drove off shaking my head in disbelief and praying that car wasn't in some horrible accident where surely that little girl would be seriously hurt...
What can you do in a situation like that? Would you have said something???

I'm back...

at least for today !! I can't believe a whole month has passed and I haven't committed to one blog entry...where does the time go??? OHHH I know...it's been so hectic with trying to get the house ready for the newest addition...our nursery is STILL an office, with just a few less books to contend with...we have no place for the baby to sleep yet- unless letting her sleep in a pack 'n play is seen as acceptable...(of course we do have a bassinet that she can use, but if she is anything like DS she won't want to stay in that for very long-he only used it for 6 weeks, glad it was a gift and we didn't fork out the $200 bucks for it!!!)

We have made some progress though, we picked out paint and a border for the room. We do know where the furniture will go, once we actually order it! and i have a couple of sleepers ready for bringing the home.
Things we still need:
crib
change table
double stroller
diapers
curtains
book shelf
...and the list goes on!!

alright maybe since i have taken today off (as a "rest" day) i should get a move on and actually work on the things that need to be done!!!

Cheers!!!

Earth Day is coming

amazing how time flies...i've been meaning to post for over 2 weeks now and just haven't had the time or energy...now all my blog ideas have passed but I will try ..

In honour of Earth Day I wanted to post about a few things I have tried recently around the house. Some have worked for me and some...well we'll just say at leave I tried.

Things I like
1) using baking soda to scrub the sinks. They really do come out shining and clean looking. Just don't use too much or you end up with a bit of a mess to contend with. I finally got the proportions right after a couple of tries.
2) hanging some laundry rather than using the dryer. I tried hanging everything but found that my underwear and socks didn't feel quite right on when they weren't dried in the dryer. They felt kind of crunchy and uncomfortable. I will continue to use the dryer for those garmets.
3) using vinager to clean the counter tops. I don't mind the smell and it basically gets things clean. If i really want to disinfect I will use a cleaning product with anti-bacterial components because I'm not sure vinigar contains any.
4) using old towels cut into smaller cloths to scrub counters and other surfaces rather than paper towels. Not only are we helping the environment but also saving $$ on paper towel.
5) walking as many places as possible rather than driving. This can be a hard one for many people as in todays world so many people live in the suburbs and driving is a neccesity but for us there are many things close by that driving seems a waste (and it can take longer to make the left hand turn onto the street in front of our house than it takes to walk to where we are going!!)This one also depends on the weather, now that it is nice out it is MUCH easier to do this..i personally can't imagine walking to the grocery store with a stroller in the disgusting snow we had this past winter!!
6) using reusable bags at the grocery store and other shopping excursions. I just don't get why more people don't do this. It just seems to make sense, yet you'd be surprised how many store clerks look at me funny when i tell them i don't need/want a bag!
7) using compact fluorescent lightbulbs. I resisted buying these for a while because they seems so pricey but after needing to replace our bedroom light bulbs more often than i felt needed we took the plunge and bought the compacts, they are great! AND I only need one verses two or two verses three as they are super bright!! Now i won't have to replace them for quite some time (I hope!!)

Things I'm not so keen on
1) I read that one can unclog a sink by pouring baking soda, followed by vinegar and boiling water down the drain...this method just isn't working for us. And now that i've been losing tonnes of hair due to pregnancy hormones the sink is seriously clogged..we need some liquid Drano to do the trick i think :(
2) reusing my dishwater. I don't actually wash dishes by hand that often but when i do I just can't imagine taking that water and going to water my plants (i should say plant-we don't do well with plants around here) SOMETIMES i do take the vegitable water I used to boil/steam vegitables and use it to water my outdoor flowers(when i have actually taken the time to plant any...none so far this year)
3) ...hmm i thought i could think of a few more things i was having trouble with but when i really think about it so much of it just seems to make sense...

what to do...

with a 21 month old on a day when there is nothing open or you don't want to go out??? Well we tried painting, that resulted in lots of screaming and lots of colors...ON THE FLOOR- luckily i bought washable paints so it wasn't such a terrible thing but painting only kept him busy for 15 minutes during an 8 hours day (my boy rarely sleeps during the day and if he does it's usually only for 20-30 minutes-if we're lucky)....on the suggestion of Karen's friend whom i ran into at the mall one day, we tried playdough. OY VEY is all i can say!! For some reason the squishing and rolling of blue playdough on my sons' high chair tray resulted in a huge fit and crying session...he just didn't like it and absolutely wouldn't TOUCH it...well that was a nice 5 minutes spent during a really really long day!!!

Any suggestion on what you would do with a bored 21 month old child ??? We really don't want him to watch more TV than he already watches (I am sad to say that he already has a grunt/word for Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora and Diego...no need to encourage more character admeration!!)
HELP!!!

Earth Hour...

seemed to be a success in our neighborhood. I looked out the window around 8:30 to see how many people had turned out the lights and my estimate would be 50%. Not bad, not amazing but a start...the only problem we had with it was there was really nothing to do as we couldn't go anywhere with sleeping boy upstair so we went to sleep too....hence my new posting at 2:15 am!!

Going to bed at 8:30/9 ish seemed like a great idea only now i am awake and I don't foresee falling asleep again until 4ish so the internet is going to be my best friend for the next couple of hours :) Oh well...at least tomorrow is Sunday and i can rest- lol...who am i kidding ??? There is no day of rest when one has an almost 2 year old to take care of and entertain for an entire day!!

sometimes...quality pays!!

After 15 years my beloved Revlon hairdryer decided to say it's final goodbyes a few weeks ago. I had bought that dryer at Shoppers Drug Mart when i was in 2nd year university. It saw me through graduation, my short hair fase, moving overseas (and yes it did come with me) moving out on my own, long hair again, getting married, having a baby and too many others to mention...
I was mid-blowdry when hubby walked in and noticed something smoking, flames coming out only inches from my head-how i didn't notice i am still not sure...but that scene started my search for a new hairdryer. Luckily i had just washed my hair so i had a few days grace before i NEEDED to get myself over to a beauty supply outlet store...(i only wash my hair once every 3 days to avoid drying it out and damaging it)
I researched a bit and shopped around before making the best purchse ever!! I got myself a Bablyiss red ceramic dryer. This thing is the best thing that has ever happened to my hair. I always thought i needed to use my chi iron everyday to flatten out my puffy hair-what i didn't know was my puffy hair was a direct result of an old, crappy hairdryer! No product or styling aid has done the things to my hair like this amazing dryer. I have been getting compliments on my hair from my coworkers for days now...i keep telling them it's the new dryer!
i just hope this dryer last me 15 years like my last one did!!

let the fun begin...

Today is day one of our hopefully 3 week renovation. We have finally, after much umming and ahhing decided that we NEEDED to have our basement made into usable, livable space. With baby #2 on its way in less than 3 months there was no way we could manage without the space this renovation is going to create.
I am so excited since we get to pick out carpet and paints, moulding and trim-something we never got to do with the purchase of this house- everything was already here (as much as i like or dislike it) -well we did pick out paint but for the basement we can do something more fun if we choose and less "functional" as i like to call our choice of colour in the rest of the house.
It is too embarassing to post before photos of the basement so i'll just try to take a few during and some definitely after shots!

Let's just hope that the 3 week time frame actually stands and we can have our house back to "guest worthy" shape in no time!!

it's a love hate thing...

I love Toronto. I can't imagine living in any other city long term. Sure we talk about how much easier life would be if we moved to a small place with cheaper real estate and slower pace of life, but i doubt we could ever actually do it (and kudos to those who have/can done it...just not for us).
With all the amazing things about Toronto, the restaurants, theaters, cultural neighborhoods etc there is one thing i can't stand...PAYING FOR PARKING. I hate hate hate having to pay for parking. It just seems as though there are fewer areas where one can actually park for free. Government wants to encourage people to take public transit but they don't expand the system enough and those areas where the subway does reach you must pay an arm and a leg to park in order to leave your car and take "the better way".
The other day i went somewhere and had to park for 1.5 hours...$7 later and i was able to get home again ARGH...had i been able to get to my car about 5 minutes faster then i would have saved $1.75 as i was dinged for the next .5 hours...it's pay per 1/2 hour and any part there of...
i know that places like New York City have even crazier parking situations than we do but it still peeves me that one must pay for parking in a RESIDENTIAL neighborhood. They have built so many condos in business areas that now one must pay to visit friends who live in these neighborhoods...they don't even have visitor parking as these spots would likely be taken by people working the area rather than for their intended use...
anyway that is my parking rant for today...

Good bye old friend

After 8 years it was time to say good-bye to a dear old friend. She just wasn't giving me what I needed anymore and our friendship was becoming more strained and stressful with each passing day. When we were first introduced we got along really well. She was so reliable and I could count on her without an issue. Her and I took many trips together. We went camping, to Montreal and even to Niagara Falls.
Unfortunately my 1997 Cavalier wasn't able to survive another winter. She just gave up the fight and we had her towed away on Monday evening. How sad to see her last triumph out of the garage hooked up to a big tow truck. We couldn't even have one last trip together before our final goodbye. It feels strange to be attached to a big hunk of metal but after so many years together I can't help feeling a little emotional and sad. She was the first car i'd ever bought with my own money. Getting her was the start of my freedom as an independant adult.
BUT on the bright side....i got a brand new car. A pretty Khaki colored Jeep Compass. I'm sure this new friend and I will have many good times together. We're already planning trips to the wild north to visit friends, camping and other trips during the summer.
To my new friend: we look forward to spending many years with you- we promise to treat you well and hope you do the same!!!

what could be better...or easier!!???

Another family favourite around here is Tuna Cassarole...here is my version- SOO simple, and SOO yummy

1 box of mac and cheese
1 can of tuna
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of frozen peas

cook mac and cheese as per box instructions. Add other ingrediants, mix well, transfer to a baking dish and bake in oven at 400 for about 20 minutes. Sometimes i sprinkle a mix of cheese and breadcrumbs on the top before baking to give it a nice crust...tastey but not neccessary :)

food is on my mind...

lately the only consistant thing around here is my need to make dinner and/or breakfast and lunch...i have kind of been wanting to turn this into a food blog anyway so here it is...

Sundays in my mind should be a day for relaxing with family, a day to enjoy a nice leisurely breakfast, read the newspaper and stay in PJ's for a better part of the morning...since I don't seem to have the luxery of relaxing, reading the paper or staying in my PJ's all day anymore I relish in my Sunday morning breakfast routine. These days it has been my need for home made pancakes and eggs...
Last week i made chocolate chip pancakes, which the boy gobbled up in just moments. Of course it was the first time he had had pancakes and the first time he had had chocolate (other than the occassional glass of chocolate milk)...Today I decided to make it a little healthier and do blueberry pancakes instead. He wasn't impressed (and neither was I for that matter-but that didn't stop me from eating 4 HUGE pancakes before i decided i didn't like them) Hubby of course ate them AND told me how good they were...ah nice hubby!!

Here is my recipe

1 and 1/4 cup pancake mix
1 cup milk (i used whole milk as it's all i had on hand)
1 egg
1 TBSP oil
pint of blueberries or cup of chocolate chips, could probably use bananas or other fruit if you wish
mix all ingrediants together

pour by spoonful into sprayed, preheated frying pan, wait for tops to bubble and turn over to brown other side.
Make sure not to use too much batter per pancake or they won't cook in the middle and might burn on the outside.
This recipe is supposed to make 12 pancakes but i always end up with about 8!

If you have a pancake recipe that you use and really like let me know! I'm open for experiments!

and the absolute best meal...

is friday nights when i don't have to cook and mom and dad do all the work!! Thank goodness for Shabbat dinners! Stress free in so many ways but oh-so-stressful in so many other ways!!

my next favourite meal...

SLOPPY JOES!!!
This has got to be the absolute easiest meal ever!!!

Take one pound of ground beef, brown in skillet, add one can of diced tomatoes, and one packet of Sloppy Joe seasonging mix, simmer for 20 minutes then serve over toast or buns (teehee)...YUMMY!!

my fave (and easiest ever) dinner

I have been on a quest to find really fast and easy dinner solutions. I don't want to get into the habit of making pre-cooked or frozen foods so i have been experimenting with a few different recipes lately...
my new favorite dinner is turkey meatloaf. This is the easiest receipes EVER!

Ingrediants:
1 can of jellied cranberry sauce
1 cup of chunky salsa (i like using medium spice)
2 tablespoons brownsugar
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 pound of ground turkey

On stovetop, in saucepan melt the can of cranberry sauce, once melted add salsa and sugar.

In bowl combine turkey, oatmeal and 1/2 cup of cranberry mixture. Shape into loaf and put in baking pan, cover with 1 cup of cranberry mixture. Bake in oven at 425 for 45 minutes.
The rest of the cranberry mixture can be frozen or kept in the fridge for another time. Serve with a salad and potatoes and viola!!
I love having the cranberry mixture in the freezer so that i have a really quick and easy meal solution for another exhausting evening!

who knew...

I have been out of the blog circuit for a little while now. Since starting a new position I haven't been online nearly as much and my blogging has nearly come to a halt...but today i decided it was time to post about some things I just find unbelievable. These things are things I have discovered since my work has taken me in direct contact with the public rather than dealing with people on the phone.
Here is my list of shocking discoveries (okay shocking to me but possibly common knowledge to many)

1. oral hygeine is not very important to quite a number of people...
2. education is not a priority to more people than i ever imagined- i have come to meet more than a few people who have not finished high school, never mind have university degrees!
3. many people think if they claim ignorance all their issues will be resolved- ie. What do you mean I had to report in every other week, and now my claim has been cancelled???
4. Almost nobody actually reads the questions they are answering and then cannot understand why they have made errors.
5. again to do with reading- SOOO MANY people do not read instructions (myself included on occassion) and then can't figure out why they aren't being allowed to progress to the next question...
6...my all time favourite- i am in total shock as to how many people DO NOT know how to use a computer!! I can understand seniors not being comfortable with this "new" technology or not knowing how to use a mouse or whatnot BUT I'm talking YOUNG-really young-(early 20's) people who cannot use computers. How do these people expect to get jobs if they don't have basic computer skills? I don't have wonderful computer skills but I can use a mouse, navigate the internet and compose a word document if i must. there are more people out there than i thought possible who are terrofied of these mean nastey machines we now encounter daily. I don't know how these people function on a daily basis without basic skills. I guess they figure if they beg someone will do the work for them...in this electronic age it is really important IMO that people get with the program and get into the 21st century!!

slowwww cookin' parts 2 & 3

I'm in love...the slow cooker i borrowed from my mom has been getting a tonne of use...more use than she ever gave it!!
Since borrowing it ( well since taking it-who are we kidding?) i have been having so much fun and saving a tonne of time cooking in the evenings. It is the easiest kitchen appliance we have to use and it takes no time at all to prep for dinner-either in the evening before bed or in the morning before i head out the door.
My second time using the slow cooker, i just dumped some cut up vegetables (carrots, potatoes and onions) in, then put in frozen chicken breasts, topped with salt, pepper and about a cup of chunky salsa, turned it on low and left for the day, We returned home to a great meal and i had time to veg on the sofa watching TV rather than making dinner...ahhh what a life...
This morning i did something similar but i cooked a whole roast. I was skeptical that it would fit in our slow cooker as it is an older model and seemed smaller than the ones i have seen in stores today BUT i was pleasantly surprised to discover that 6 diced potatoes, a cut up onion and a 4 pound roast all cooked nicely in there. All i did was add a little diet coke (it helps tenderize the meat) some onion soup mix and a tiny bit of water. The meat was so tender i was really pleased, as was hubby since not only did he enjoy a home cooked meat and potatoes dinner on a Monday night but he also gets roast beef sandwiches for the rest of the week at lunch time:) Sure beats caf food!!

Slow Cooking...

after all the hupla over on Chrissy's blog about slow cooking solutions I decided it was time to borrow my mom's slow cooker and see what all the fuss was about. So this morning i woke up a little earlier than normal (was up at 6 instead of 6:35) to prepare our dinner for this evening. Since i didn't have a recipe to follow and i just had a bunch of different vegitables in the fridge along with some cubed veal in the freezer i just chopped up potatoes, yams, green pepper, red pepper and tomatoes. I dumped it all in the crock pot along with some chicken stock, water and tomato paste...put in on low and crossed my fingers.
Hopefully we won't have to order a pizza for dinner tonight as I have no idea what is going to come of this experiment i created...
I think i might buy some of those slow cooker solutions just to have on hand and at least i know they will taste alright. Plus i'm exhausted from getting up early to prepare dinner for this evening!!!