No Excuse

Well, it is simply shameful isn't it? The length of time I leave off between posts. I wouldn't be surprised if you assumed we fell off the planet. We haven't. It has been a busy summer though.

I recently resigned from my teaching position at the hospital. It was a challenging decision because I have been there for the last 8.5 years and while the money wasn't great it was not insignificant either. It was nice to have a little bit of money trickling in every couple of weeks that I wasn't responsible for paying to myself. Does that make sense?

Anyway, why did I leave? Because I just was not comfortable continuing to have my name associated, professionally, with them any longer. They had become all about the bottom line (I always forget the hospitals are big corporations) and less about the patients. When I started there I was so proud to be a part of their health-care team and they truly exemplified what I saw to be patient-centred care. Now they are a big company looking for bigger profits and they don't seem all that bothered by how poorly it looks (or in my classes cases, how uncomfortable they were). So, while I miss the regular spurts of money into my bank account I now have a much happier heart and I have been able to show my children that they need to LOVE what they do in this life. (Leading by example!!)

With the weather we haven't been having (not summery anyway) we haven't been planning any of our usual summer activities. We did manage to get to Canada's Wonderland for a full day before the public schools let out though. Doug and the boys had a great time on the rides (although Fergus is quickly learning he isn't the "ride warrior" he wants to be) while I had fun sitting and reading my book in the sunshine. I am perfectly happy going to the amusement park like that and they had such a great time that it was perfect for all of us.


Last weekend we spent a great deal of time in Toronto with friends who have just moved into a penthouse at the Harbourfront in Toronto. Paul (the dad in that family) had borrowed a Mercedes McLaren SLR (correct me if I have that wrong) and so Doug was taking pictures of Paul with it. Paul took each of us out for a ride in it too and so the boys were VERY excited about their luck.

Fergus has just received a brand new dirt biking helmet and Doug has the two boys registered for "Junior Red Riders" this September. It is a weekend dirt biking class to make sure they learn some of the safety information they also need in order to be safe while riding. Quinn has yet to ride on his own but he is eager to be a rider with Fergus and we have promised him a new helmet too if he decides, once he has tried it once or twice, that he loves it.

This coming weekend is our annual trip to the Rowe Family Cottage. Last year it ended up being a day trip for me but if my client (due last Friday) gives birth before the weekend then we can all travel up there together. It is just east of Peterborough on a fair-sized lake. We always have a wonderful time and I can hardly wait to get up there and spend the weekend relaxing.

Today I was blessed with a visit from my friends Patty and Teresa. Patty and her partner, Mark, live in Phoenix. They were in Buffalo for a family wedding last weekend and decided, since they were traveling northeast, they might as well tour around. They visited friends of Mark's in Maine and came along through Montreal and stopped here today before heading back to Niagara Falls and Buffalo to head home. It was GREAT to see her again and to meet Mark. And it was PERFECT to have a chance to see Teresa. You would think that I would see her lots when she only lives 40 minutes away, but we are both so busy that it doesn't seem to happen anywhere nearly as often as it should.

August promises to be busy too. My cousin Rob is getting married in North Bay and so we will go to attend the nuptials and hope to have a day or so to come home through Ottawa - just for fun. My sister-in-law is coming to visit for 10 days (or longer if we can trap her here) through the middle of the month too!

We are also going to be getting the boys ready for school. Both have elected to try school for a year and are extremely excited about it. We are planning to enroll them in the Halton Waldorf School in Burlington and they will get a chance to take a school bus everyday and everything! Here's hoping their enthusiasm lasts until next June at least.

Okay, I am being summoned to help my boys prepare birthday cards for their father! Doug's birthday is this Thursday and I think he will be very happy with the cards the boys are creating for him!!

Quinn is now 8!

Somehow, with the passage of time and the turning of days into weeks into months, Quinn has become an 8 year old wonder boy! This year, as with all years, he celebrated his birthday around the long weekend in May and again this year we decided to host his party on the holiday Monday.

We talked about doing a variety of different activities for his birthday but when it came right down to it, there were a few key elements which he LOVES to include every year and they are best done at home. So, with 5 of his closest friends, he had a treasure hunt and a pinata.

Anyone who has seen the pictures from Quinn's last birthday may remember that we decorated T-shirts instead of giving "loot bags." That seemed to be a big success (in fact on of the children attending this year mentioned to her mother that she hoped we would be having a pinata, treasure hunt and decorating T-shirts again). This year it was library book bags.

Many of you know that I have a friend and business partner who has another business (in fact babyREADY is really her side business) where she creates cakes. Her cake company is: Cake or Death (a la Eddie Izzard). She is the womyn who created Fergus' Wii cake last year and Sony PSP cake this year. She was glad when Quinn asked for something a little less "boxy." He decided a Star Wars Storm Trooper would be perfect!

The cake she designed and created was "life sized" in that we could have, conceivably, hollowed the cake out of the inside of the fondant and worn the shell as a helmet. (No, one wanted to, because her cakes are SO tasty) but we **could** have if we had so chosen. Isn't that cool???

The Saturday night before the actual birthday (May 19) and while we could have some time together as a family, the four of us went to see the new Star Trek. Seems we may just have some up-and-coming Trekkies on our hands now. It isn't usually my kind of movie but as my boys get older -- and more and more like their father -- it appears I will have to suck-it-up sometimes if I want to share their fun. And don't tell anyone, but I kind of liked the movie. Made me jump more than I am usually fond of but otherwise . . .

We had a surprise visit from my parents yesterday to help us continue to birthday festivities. They knew they would see Fergus at Easter after his special day but we have no idea when Doug, the boys (and maybe I) will get up to Elmwood again, with babies due, so they come to us. It was PERFECT!! A nice relaxed evening and Quinn was able to know they made the special trip just for him. He was pretty excited!!

Now, 4 of my clients delivered between May 13 and 23 so I have been rather busy. I didn't get to all of the births (one was a caesarean because mom wasn't going into labour and was having liver issues that resulted in the baby needing to be born) but the visits afterwards kept me quite busy. Now, today, I am going to relax (a little) and spend some time with my boys before the chaos of the week settles in.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Quinnster-man

April, in a nut shell . . .

Well, so much for my professions of writing to update everyone regularly. I barely get it together enough to write once a month-ish. So, where has April gone?

After the sun set on Fergus' birthday WEEK (how did that happen BTW?) we moved towards the dawning of April and the month of meetings for me. That's okay. The meetings I have been to have been mostly with clients I have already signed and we have been making our arrangements for their births. I have also had some time to enjoy helping mother/baby dyads with breastfeeding too. Must say, I still love my work after all of these years although I would really love to find a way to expand on the services I offer so that I can say different words from time to time.

Before going to Elmwood, ON on the Saturday of Easter weekend, I spent Good Friday with a client who was labouring and giving birth to her second daughter. Doug and the boys traveled north to my parents' house. It was to be a weekend of working around their place and giving them a hand where they needed it but many of you know my father and by the time the help finally completely arrived, there was precious little to be done.

Instead of working most everyone took turns playing Guitar Hero and catching up. My parents had returned from a Texas/Mexico trip only a few days earlier and had gifts for the boys and stories to share.

What many of you may know is that we are a family of VW drivers. Doug and I have our third and fourth VWs now (navy Jetta Wagon and a navy Rabbit). My parents have a VW camper van (not shown), a VW truck, an old Passat and a new Jetta and my sister and Chris have a silver Jetta. There isn't a shortage of German engineering in our family. Since we were all together at my parents and all vehicles, except the van, were also at their place, my dad asked Doug to take some pictures of all of them together. It was pretty neat and a fun way to finish off group family time at mom and dad's.

Doug and I are trying to take advantage of the fact that his office is slow right now (where isn't in the auto/transportation industry?) and he is working fewer hours. We started this on Sunday the 19th by arranging to use some of Doug's accumulated points to cover our stay at Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls. Believe it or not this non-amusement park kind of gal actually had some fun!

The place was PACKED because we hadn't factored in the reality that many of the northern US states were enjoying their spring-break. It didn't matter that the lines were long and the place was loud. We had a blast.

Now, there were a few times when I had to sit out and rest because Friday the 17th I managed to fall off of my shovel. How, you may ask, does one fall off their shovel hard enough to impact when and how long they can ride water rides at an indoor amusement park. Very good question. Let me just tell you.

That Friday dawned beautiful and warm. It was the kind of spring day I had been waiting for and so I planned to take full advantage of the heat and sunshine and get out into my gardens to Spring-ify them! I grabbed my shovel and decided to start with the wee perennial bed around the base of the Manitoba Maple in the front garden.

You know how those small, tree-surround types of beds have to be edged every year to keep the grass out? Well, that is what the shovel was for. I started on the side closest to the driveway and put my spade into the ground. I pushed down on the spade by jumping up on the top of the blade to cut the root systems of the grass and create a little trench all around the edge. It was looking lovely. Then, when I got to the swing side of the garden I put the tip of the shovel into the ground, made to jump up, hit a root from the tree, lost my balance, twisted my presenting ankle on the way down and landed on my butt in the grass. Because I was beside the swing I knew there was a chance to receive a piece of swinging wood in the side of my head so I threw my head and shoulders back, until I could catch the swing in my hand and, in trying to keep from slamming said head into the ground, I seized up all of the muscles in my neck, shoulders and shoulder blades.

Doesn't that sound like a GREAT time???

Anyway, the resulting discomfort made for fun, medication-riddled teaching on the 18th and 19th too. It will be fine, especially after my osteo appointment this evening.

So, this past weekend included some more merriment! R & C (my sister and BIL) asked, last month or something, when they could have my children for a night. We don't usually give the boys away for any length of time since we tend to like being with them but this time we decided a night alone might be fun. We arranged that it would be this past Saturday night. While I taught on Saturday, Doug met C in Toronto and the deal was made. They belonged to someone other than us for 24 hours!!

Friends of ours, P & E, have a "company condo" at 1 King West in Toronto. They knew that we were childless for the night, invited us into Toronto for an evening of fine dining (Hy's Steakhouse on Adelaide), drinks (@ Beaconsfield and later @ Hotel) and racing around city street in a Ferrari (similar to the one in the picture but not the same). Who could say no? We couldn't.

We met them in town and had a wonderful time with them and then alone together. Our schedules have been so busy lately that we often fail to take time to really dialogue WITH one another about the important events going on in our lives. It was a great time! We were able to relax enough too that the tough stuff to talk about ($$, etc.) was able to be discussed in a calm fashion without tempers flaring. It was AWESOME!!

This weekend I am working again and I have to say that it is going to be weird for the boys. They will be home all weekend. Well, I guess there are a few things to remember. Quinn has a birthday party for Shelby to attend on Saturday and Fergus has Makiah's birthday to go to on Sunday. (All of the coordinating is making me glad I have to work.)

Anyway, that is the last few weeks, in a rather large nutshell! Tell me, what's new with you???

Too long . . . I know . . . sorry

I have been writing blog entries recently, just not here. They have been for babyREADY and they have actually been generating some great traffic on our web site. In any case the writing and research I have been doing there has upended the time I would normally like to spend writing here.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. Funny, as I wrote that a BIG, blustery gust of wind rattled the windows in the house, as if emphasizing all that has happened in the last couple of weeks.

SIL, Jen, arrived on Thursday, March 26th! It was GREAT. We hadn't seen her since Christmas and this time she was planning to stay for longer than normal. All of us were very excited. Something seemed different to me this time and I wonder if it had to do with the length of the visit. It just felt "right" to have her here with us. It didn't feel so much like a visit.



Friday my parents dropped my brother off for a visit and to hang out for the night while they were passing through on their way to Texas. They decided to drive down there to visit some friends and celebrate mom's 60th birthday while they were away.



My sister, Rhonda (Noni) and her husband, Chris, joined us Friday evening for dinner and an evening of pre-birthday celebrations for Fergus. Can you believe that my eldest child is now 11???? I can't!!!

Because the weekend was expected to be quite busy because the majority of the extended family was at our house AND because the birthday boy was bursting at the proverbial seams we decided to make the Friday night is pseudo-birthday night so that he could have his gifts and celebrate with all of us together. He loves the "Spore" game he got from Noni and Chris and has spent MANY hours since then playing it. The evening was lost to Guitar Hero though. Daddy and mommy got him Guitar Hero and and extra guitar so that two people can play at a time. Everyone too a turn passing through our room, standing on our bed (this is where the PS3 is hooked up) rocking out to GH "Legends of Rock." Ahhh, Heart would be proud of the way the boys tackled Barracuda.

Saturday was the day all of us were waiting anxiously for though. We dropped Nathan off at the subway with the promise of his return the following weekend. Jen was going to be joining us in Toronto at the Skydome (or whatever it is called these days) and Fergus was bringing his friend Makiah with him as the six of us set off for Supercross. This is a huge dirt bike competition and it was AWESOME! I didn't think it would be much fun but Paul and Ela (the friends we were dirt biking with in the fall) invited us to join them at the Sightlines Restaurant where we would be able to eat and drink to our hearts content while taking in the show. It was GREAT!!

Paul made sure to explain to Jennifer and I just what we were watching and what parts of it were the most important or critical. I can away feeling like something of a dirt bike hag and thinking that was pretty cool. Still not sure that I am going to race onto the dirt bike but I have a greater appreciation of the skill required to ride like they do.

Makiah spent the night and was able to be at our place ALL day on the 29th which was when we had invited some of Fergus' other friends over to have a party. Everyone was asked to bring their Nerf guns and a battle royale unfolded in the school-yard behind our house. They would have stayed out all afternoon but when it began pouring rain I decided to call them in to dry out. I didn't want to be responsible for sickly children.

Fergus had elected for pizza to be the snack of choice at his party and he asked me to contact my friend Christy for her whole wheat pizza dough recipe. I had taken the time to pre-cut, slice, chop and grate toppings ahead of time so it was easy to make 7 personalized little pizzas.

And then there was CAKE!!!! I am sure you have heard me go on and on about the cakes Kristin makes. Well, now she has a wonderful and full-fledged web site with her works of art on it (including Rhonda and Chris' wedding cake and Fergus' Wii birthday cake from last year). You HAVE to check it out!!!!

Monday, the actual birthday day, we had a quiet evening of the four of us off to see the movie, "Monsters vs. Aliens." It was time for the four of us before the continued chaos of the week progressed.

Thursday was the first chance I had to make the special birthday dinner that Fergus requested. We made a trip into Toronto to have lunch with Noni AND to visit the St. Lawrence Market. There aren't any local fish mongers and I just don't like the idea of buying mussels and squid at the local grocery store. So, we picked up a couple of wee squid and a couple of dozen mussels and I made him the seafood pasta dinner that he wanted. (Anyone else know an 11 year old who would make that request for his birthday dinner???)

This past weekend Douglas took Nathan back to Elmwood and I drove Jen to the airport. It was time for our extended family to leave and for us to try to get used to life here without them around every day. How does that sadness present itself?? As snow!! It is colder and yuckier here today and yesterday than it has been in weeks. Oh well, we should be finished our mourning period in time for the long weekend to arrive.

I am waiting for a client to go into labour before I make any plans. Doug and the boys will head to Elmwood on Friday (either with or without me). The boys are excited. We don't celebrate Easter but Nani and Papa do so there is the promise of chocolate on Sunday morning if they make the trip there (not to mention that they love to see their grandparents).

Have a lovely weekend all!

Two recipes I have been asked about

I have been asked, on a number of occasions, for my recipe for both my Gluten-Free Shortbread cookies and the Apple Cheddar Soup (the version I have noted here is also Gluten Free but you don't have to make it that way) I like to make. For no reason I can think of, I have decided to post them here for all to enjoy.
If you happen to try either of these then let me know how they turn out for you.

GLUTEN-FREE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

½ cup GF corn starch
½ cup GF icing sugar
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix
¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Mix dry ingredients together well. Using knives or a fork cut the butter into the dry ingredients and blend until dough is soft and smooth. Put the entire lot into the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes. (This is essential for GF Shortbread cookies.)
Remove and rapidly roll (it is important for the dough to stay cool/cold) into 1 inch balls. DO NOT FLATEN!
You can add chopped cherries or nuts to the top if you would like. We usually don't.
Return unused dough to refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
Bake in a 300F oven (150C) for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown.
Cool on cookie sheet for 2-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

GF COOKIES are VERY fragile.

These taste like old fashioned-gluten filled shortbread cookies. I promise!


CHEDDAR AND APPLE SOUP

INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 small apples – peeled, cored and chopped
1 large leek – whites only, sliced
1 large carrot – chopped
1 stalk of celery – chopped
¼ cup of flour (I use Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix)
2 ½ cups chicken stock
1 ½ cups apple cider or juice
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
pinch of hot pepper flakes
8 oz. (225 gm.) pkg aged cheddar (shredded)
1 cup grated Parmesean cheese
white pepper
chopped parsley/chives

DIRECTIONS:
Using a large, heavy dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add apples, leek, carrot and celery stirring often, and cook until soft.
Sprinkle in the flour to coat the vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken stock, apple juice/cider, curry, cumin and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes – lid off.
Puree
**You can prepare to this point and then freeze to store for use at a later date or keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.**
Return soup to low and heat well, though don’t bring it to a boil.
Gradually whisk in the cheese and continue to heat until the cheese melts.
Garnish with white pepper and parsley/chives.

Long time no contact

Good afternoon

As I sit and watch the snowflakes lazily drift to the ground I realize it has been a LONG time since I last wrote an update for my personal blog. I have been busy writing blog entries but they have been for the babyREADY site and I guess that is where all of the time and writing prowess has gone. Sorry for that.

In any case, I am here now, the lasagne is in the oven and my boys are hanging out together and I have some tidbits to share from the past month or so.

Most of January passed in the snow-filled flurry. The boys and I made almost daily trips into Mississauga to the home of my first business partner, Kristin. I say first because Kristin and I have recently asked Tara to join us and with a little luck Kristin will be able to get Tara's information onto the babyREADY site soon for all to see. The three of us have been discussing the possibility of expanding babyREADY into a retail store (selling the 10 Essential Items from the article I wrote and, I think, posted before). Who knows if it will happen? It is fun to think about though.

Valentine's Day dawned beautifully around here. The boys presented Doug and I with a picture frame (one that Fergus and his Chris built last year) containing a sweet picture of our boys in High Park, Toronto. LOVE the picture and the frame. It was SO sweet of them to do that for us.

Before going to friends, Karen and Larry, for dinner on Saturday evening we learned the devastating news that my SIL had been told by her vet that her cat/daughter of the past 17+ years had a fatal respiratory illness. Jen made the excruciating decision to aide in Louie's passing before Louie suffered any more pain from her disease. It was painful beyond any understanding. It is times like this that we are starkly aware of the physical distance in the family. Thank goodness for Blackberries, email, telephones and postal services. At least we have been able to be in contact that way.

This past Sunday Doug and I took his mom and the boys up to Collingwood for a whirlwind visit. The first place Doug and I lived together was a basement apartment in Collingwood a house belonging to our friends Matt and Mandy. This same couple moved away about 10 years ago and while we have emailed and sent holiday cards, we haven't seen them since they left. Well, they are back for a visit with their two boys. They are staying with Deanna, Mandy's sister, and when we saw that the weather forecast was clear we leapt at the opportunity to go up and catch up.

We offered Doug's mom a ride for the day because she doesn't often get a chance to go and see her sister, Louise. It wasn't until we were in the car and on our way that we learned Louise was in hospital as a result of her chemotherapy treatment. We ended up dropping MIL off at the Collingwood G&M to let her visit for a while.

Before we saw Matt and Mandy though, we went to the home of Doug's best man, Geoff and his wife Wendy. We haven't seen them in about a year and a half so there was lots to catch up on over a beer Sunday afternoon. My boys were extra happy because Geoff and Wendy have an ice rink in their back yard so we had skates with us for them to use.

I am off with a homeschooling friend to listen to Alfie Kohn lecture tonight in Oakville. I must remember to pack some cough candies so that I don't still the thunder away from the key-note address.

Take care, stay warm and enjoy the short month!

Imbolc/Brigid 2009

Today is the day that those who follow my faith-path (in the northern hemisphere) celebrate the return of the sun's powers. We cherish the fact that the days are getting longer and, in some areas, we begin to see the first signs of spring. Not so here today but we DID enjoy some time outside without blisteringly cold temperatures and we took part in the most Canadian of activities.



















We played pick-up hockey on a frozen pond. If that doesn't scream "winter in Canada" then I don't know what does. It made me feel very "Le Chandail de Hockey/The Hockey Sweater" a la Roch Carrier. It was a FABULOUS/FANTASTIC/WONDERFUL day!!!








Here are some of the pictures we took to capture the afternoon. We are usually indoors on Monday afternoons but who could resist the pull of the ice, the firepit and the hot chocolate? You can't create days like this. They just happen!