CIBC's Run for the Cure, Sudbury, Ontario

As far as "races" go this is about as non competitive as you can get. It is all about the fund raising, and the PINK. In Sudbury, we had a gorgeous, sunny day for this run. It was a little chilly this morning, frost on the windshield, but perfect running weather.

I was surprised there were not more people dressed up. There was a face painting booth, but makeup does not look that great when it is streaming down your face. I saw some people dressed up like Marie Antionette, and company. Otherwise, it was a group of people looking for a short 5km run/walk to help raise funds for breast cancer research.

This was my first "race". I have been running for years, but the past two summers, it has become a daily activity. I upped my distance this year to around 6km, which I finish anywhere between 38 to 35 minutes. I have been told you run faster in races. Probably trying to keep pace with other runners, or overtake some, or catch up to those who pass you. I ended up with an annoying cramp about halfway through; my right rib was killing me. I managed to breathe through it, but I do not normally get cramps while running.

I also do not normally run at the pace I ran. The route had some tiny hills, but enough to slow me down a bit. My regular running route is flat. No extra stress at all. I was passed by a few people, and I also passed some runners. The fastest runners were already at the front of the pack when the race started. The fastest male did it in 16 minutes. The fastest female in 21 minutes. The fastest three under 12 kids all came in before me. I came in just over 25 minutes. I probably could have pushed a bit harder. It kind of makes me want to try some other races. No wonder people keep doing this. It's addicting.

My biggest issue was probably not having my iPod with me. I was also running faster than usual, and I did not feel as though I could stop, even though I desperately wanted to when my cramp was at its worst. It was only 5km, and I run more than that daily. I would have felt like a failure had I stopped for a break.

I was running with my friend Theresa's team (Women In Science and Engineering, WISE). Everyone did awesome, and I think everyone ran faster than they expected to run. We also raised a fair bit of money, considering we didn't do hardcore active canvasing for money.

Best part? Finishing. Oh, and the chocolate covered strawberries.

I think I might need new runners though. Just bought these ones last August. Dangnabbit!

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Two Good Cauliflower Recipes

I bought a head of cauliflower the other day when we had cheese fondue. It was good dipped in cheese, however, my husband is not a huge fan of cauliflower. I had almost a head left over, and I needed to find some way to use it up. I found a couple of recipes that generated compliments.

The first is a modified version of Whole Wheat Couscous with Cauliflower and Almonds, from Mark Bitman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. I didn't have any couscous, so I substituted quinoa. I also used a regular onion (instead of a shallot, or red onion) without issue. I used a combination of wine and stock to give 1 1/2 cups.

Quinoa with Cauliflower and Almonds

Ingredients:1/2 cup almonds, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 large shallot or small red onion, chopped, 1 small cauliflower, chopped (about 3 cups), Salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1 cup quinoa, 1 teaspoon smoked or hot paprika, 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock, white or rosé wine, water, or a combination, 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, Freshly grated manchego or other semihard sheep’s milk cheese for garnish (optional)

1. Put the almonds in a deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until toasted and fragrant, just a couple of minutes. Remove them from the pan and set aside to cool.

2. Return the pan to the heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to color, about 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it is coated with the oil and starts to soften and turn golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the quinoa and keep stirring until it too is coated with oil and begins to toast, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Sprinkle the mixture with paprika and stir to combine. Stir in the stock and bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat to low. Let rest, undisturbed, until the liquid is all absorbed. Chop the almonds as finely as you can. Add them along with the parsley and fluff gently with a fork. Serve immediately, garnished with grated cheese if you like, or let cool and serve at room temperature, up to an hour or so later.

Cauliflower with Coconut Milk

Ingredients: Cauliflower, 3 cups, Thick Coconut Milk – 400 mL, Tomatoes – 2 large ripe, Green Chilli – 6 (optional), Onion – 1 large, Garlic – 3 cloves, Water – 150ml, Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp, Turmeric – ½ tsp, Salt – to taste

1. Cut the caulifower from stalk and break them with your fingers into small florets. Wash and drain. Slice the green chilies and tomatoes lengthwise. Roughly chop garlic and onion.

2. While you are heating a non-stick pan, make a paste of garlic, onion, cumin seeds and tumeric.

3. Heat Oil. Add the ground paste, stir for 1 minute. Do not allow to brown. As soon you smell the spices, lower heat.

4. Add tomatoes, chilies, cauliflower, water, and salt. Cover and bring to boil on high heat. Cook for 12 minutes.

5. Lower heat, add the coconut milk, and simmer for 2 minutes. Only simmer on low heat.

Serve with rice, or naan.

 

 

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Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Cupcakes

For my husband's birthday today I made him cupcakes. I was going to make him a version of the peanut butter monkey cake he had at The Fish Bowl restaurant, but he was convinced I would modify the ingredients so much it would not taste the same. Plus, I always find having a cake in our home very intimidating, and we get tired of it quickly.

Cake is meant to be eaten by a lot of people in one sitting, not by two people over the span of a couple weeks. Cupcakes, somehow, feel more inviting. Of course, you are likely to eat more than one during the day, so they might worse for your health. My kids find cupcakes easier to eat than a piece of cake, and they usually help us finish this dessert faster.

What I decided to do was take the idea of a triple layer cake, with frosting, and do it as a cupcake. I put banana cake batter on the bottom, sprinkled a few Reeses Pieces on top, and poured the chocolate cake batter over the candies. I baked these, and when the cupcakes cooled, I frosted them with peanut butter icing.

Here's the recipe. I modified it from the one at the Betty Crocker website. http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/chocolate-banana-peanut-butter-delight/61b6f853-56de-403e-adc0-9d8a77957217

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line two 12 cup cupcake trays with paper liners.

Banana Cake

Ingredients: 1/2 cup (125mL) sugar. 1/2 cup (125mL) butter, softened. 1 egg. 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla. 2 bananas, mashed. 1/4 cup (60mL) greek yoghurt. 1 cup (250mL) flour. 1/2 tsp (2mL) baking soda. 1/2 tsp (2mL) baking powder. 1/4 tsp (1mL) salt.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, banana, and yoghurt, and beat until fully incorporated. Beat in the remaining ingredients.

Chocolate Cake ( I cheated, and used a cake mix, but here's a decent from scratch recipe)

Ingredients: 1/4 cup (60mL) butter, softened. 1/2 cup (125mL) sugar. 1 egg. 1 1/2 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate, melted. 2/3 cup (80mL) buttermilk. 1/2 tsp (5mL) vanilla. 1 cup (250mL) flour. 1/2 tsp (2mL) baking soda. 1/4 tsp (1mL) salt. 1/4 cup (60mL) greek yoghurt

Cream together butter and sugar . Beat in the egg. Beat in chocolate, milk and vanilla. Beat in remaining cake ingredients.

Fill the cupcakes 1/3 full with banana cake batter. Sprinkle a few chocolate covered peanut butter candies on top. Fill to about 2/3 full with chocolate cake batter. Bake cupcakes in oven at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes. They are done when a toothpick inserted, comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes on a rack for an hour. Ice the cakes with Peanut Butter Frosting, and top with a candy.

I used leftover buttercream icing (standard recipe with butter, icing sugar, and milk), and added peanut butter to taste, but you can follow the recipe from the Betty Crocker website.

In medium bowl, beat 1 cup butter with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in 1cup creamy (or crunchy) peanut butter, 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Gradually beat in remaining 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, beating after each addition until smooth.

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Cooking with Kids

Today was all about exposing my son to cooking, and baking with Mom. We started off the day with a trip to our local grocery store where our wonderful playgroup (Our Children Our Future) was hosting a program called Kids in the Kitchen. They had launched this program in the summer, with great success, so I thought I would try it out. There is a class size limit, and unfortunately, three kids (and presumedly their parents) did not show up. Other people could have taken advantage of this program, had they known there was space.

Kim did a fantastic job of introducing our simple recipe. Fruit salad with yoghurt. She had laminated photos of each fruit going into the salad, as well as its name in French, and English. Each child was given a page with the food item they were going to pick up in the grocery store. We went around the store, and selected the best fruit for our salad, and some Minigos (in place of yoghurt). Then, we went to the cashier, and bought our groceries before heading back to the kitchen.

It was interesting because we had to modify our list to compensate for ripeness, quantity, and possibly price. I am not sure how much the kids noticed this, but I think it is important to take our children grocery shopping in order for them to understand a little about finances, and wholesome eating. It is also a starting point to talk about where our food comes from.

Of late, my five year-old daughter has been asking me who kills the meat we eat. This question is usually followed by the statement that whichever animal it was does not like to be dead. Right you are. Here's a transcript of our most recent meat discussion, translated from French.

"What kind of meat is this?"

"Chicken."

"Who killed the chicken?"

"The farmer."

"Why did the farmer kill the chicken?"

"For us to eat. You know, it's like how the lion eats a gazelle, except we get the farmer to chase the chicken, and kill it for us."

Pause from my daughter. "No, lions eat zebras, Mom. Cheetahs eats gazelles."

Anyway, my son is now starting to ask these questions, but not really understand what he is asking. He's three, and mimicking his older sister. My daughter is sort of comprehending the idea that some animals eat other animals. Although, both of them think those animals (carnivores) are mean. They often use the term mean to describe dinosaurs with sharp teeth. Or, sharks. It is hard to explain to three and five year-olds that most animals are not mean or nice per se.

Back to the cooking session. The kids each made an individual fruit salad. They cut their fruit, with plastic knives, on flexible cutting boards. They helped Kim pour some of the fruit juice from the canned fruit over their own cut up fruit. Finally, they scooped out the Minigo on top of their salad. Of course, cleanliness is important, so they had washed their hands before starting, and were wearing aprons. At the end of the session, they were allowed to eat their creations. I think an hour might be too short for all the steps of this program, but otherwise, it was a great success. Then, I was able to pick up a few groceries for ourselves when it was finished.

We arrived home before 11am, which meant I had a lot of time before lunch, and nap. so, I decided to make another school-friendly baked good for my daughter's lunch. I measured out all the ingredients, and had my son help out with smashing the banana, adding ingredients, and mixing the batter. The only problem was he kept eating my banana, and I was in short supply. Otherwise, he did a bang up job of mixing the wet ingredients, and mixing the dry ingredients. To incorporate everything together, I helped him out.

This was another recipe from Boîte à Lunch Santé, by Geneviève O'Gleman. The yellow zucchini loaves were well received, so I am hoping these Cranberry Fairy Fingers will be eaten as well. The recipe, and pictures follow.

All of this cooking, and baking inspired me, so I signed my kids up for a session at the Real Canadian Superstore, on Lasalle. They have a program for kids aged 3 to 5. Perfect for our family this year. I did it once when my daughter was three, and she always remembers when we go to the RCSS. I was describing the cooking classes, and birthday parties to my friends in Winnipeg, and the Loblaws stores in Manitoba do not have these programs. If you live in Alberta, on the East Coast, Ontario, and Québec, you are in luck. Also, they have a cooking session on Wednesdays, at noon, and the last Monday of the month at 6:30pm, for adults. It costs $10, but you get a $10 card for the grocery store, so it's essentially free. Gotta love it!

www.pccookingschool.ca


 

Cranberry Fairy Fingers (makes about 25)

2 ripe bananas, mashed. 1 egg. 1/4c. (60mL) margarine. 1/2c. (125mL) brown sugar. 1/2c. (125mL) milk. 2tsp (10mL) vanilla. 1c. (250mL) whole wheat flour. 3c. (750mL) oats. 2tsp (10mL) cinnamon. 1tsp (5mL) baking soda. 1c. (250mL) cranberries.

Preheat the oven to 350F (180°C). In a lage bowl, mix bananas, egg, margarine, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients except the cranberries. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Incorporate with a fork. Add the cranberries, and mix until they are well distributed. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, drop two tablespoons of the dough, and use your fingers to shape into long, finger-like cookies. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. They can be frozen.

 

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Mundane dreams

My dreams of late have been about everyday life. Kind of boring, but confusing too. I do not know if certain things I am remembering actually happened, or if I dreamed they happened. My husband says I am going crazy.

For instance, I do not remember if my daughter told me about some fake fish, and a fake aquarium in her class, or if I dreamed she told me. Her teacher has been using various reward, and discipline techniques with the students, often using symbols. If the children are doing well, they are on the green traffic light, for example. They also have a bee hive which fills with checkmarks when they are caught doing something good. The class theme is Bees. I do not know if these fake fish are another form of reward.

The reason I am concerned about this is because we just had a meet and greet with the teacher a few days ago, and I forgot to ask about the fish. I do not recall seeing fish images in the class, but I was not thinking about them at the time, so I was not keyed into seeing them. My conversation with my daughter came back to me the next day, but now I am questioning whether she told me about these fish, or did I dream she told me?

Maybe I am going crazy? I suppose I could just ask her if they were learning about fish. I need to get some more exciting dreams! Although, I have been dreaming about wrestlers lately. Not sure if that is more exciting, or, if I should stop watching wrestling with my husband. Unfortunately, this is all he likes to watch on tv, and if I want to spend time with him, after the kids have gone to sleep, we end up watching wrestling together.

I really need better dreams!

 

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What do you want to be when you grow up?

What were your hopes, and dreams as a child or teenager? What did you think your life would look like? Did it turn out the way you expected? Did you find something else along the way that excited you, and became your new passion? Does it did matter if you followed your dream?

I do not remember what I wanted to be when I was little. I probably said I wanted to be a nurse because my mom was a nurse. This quickly changed when I would be apprehensive, in swimming lessons, about learning artificial respiration. I nixed the medical profession, as a career, early on. I enjoyed playing my clarinet, and being part of Concert Band, and Community Band in high school, but my father discouraged a musical career/education, and I did not push it. For a while, I fantasized about being a professional photographer, but that was more of a dream of glamour.

A few years back, I thought if I could do it all over again, I would have trained to be a jazz singer. I was taking a singing course at the time, and felt inspired. Also, there were several women with science or engineering degrees who were making livings as singers. Every now and again I think, maybe I could write some quirky children's songs, like They Might Be Giants, but in French. I have no song writing experience though.

I enjoyed university, eventually. I started off in engineering, but realized it was not for me. I liked my biology courses, but only found my stride after I graduated with my science degree, and came back for an unclassified semester. I did well in Forestry, but there were few job opportunities when I completed that degree. I enjoy being a teacher too, but cannot seem to find permanent work. If I could teach a group of highly motivated, hard-working students, I think it would be my dream job, but a class like that is hard to find nowadays.

So, I struggle to find something satisfying to do with my life. I enjoy cooking, and nutrition, but would these be a career path? Would working with food destroy my love of it? I suposse the same could be said about many passions. I love being a mother to my children, despite how infuriating it can be at times, but my son will be starting school soon. Then, what do I do? My current irrational work fantasy is being a chocolatière, with quirky combinations in my truffles, and locally sourced ingredients. I need to come up with something I can actually do.

 

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Brrrr, It's Cold

September 18, and I finally turned the heat back on. We had a few warm days so far this month, but Fall is really digging in its heels. I don't think we broke 6°C today. I sent my daughter to school inadequately dressed for the weather. We didn't realize how cold it was until we were running to catch her bus. I probably wasn't the only parent guilty of this. The weather report said it was going to be warmer, but it was downright miserable out there.

Tonight it is supposed drop down to around 0°C. We've already had frost (Sept. 10), but with all the rain, I am worried we might get ice. Seriously, snow could have been a possibility, if it weren't supposed to clear up. A month ago we were still in the sweltering heat of summer. September comes around, and it's all over so suddenly.

We rarely get to experience the gradual cooling off period of a temperate autumn. I loved Septembers in Vancouver. It was usually one of the best months of the year. The rainy weather had not yet socked in. We still had sunny, somewhat warm days. I used to go camping, or on kayak trips in September in B.C. We were spoiled last year in Sudbury, with an unusually warm ninth month. Not so much this year. Fall is here, and Winter is just around the corner.

Any bets on whether this is going to be a mild winter, or a cold one? You'd think having grown up in Manitoba, I'd be used to bitter, cold winters. My biggest problem is that I have Reynaud's. My hands go bone white, and lose circulation when I get cold. It takes a lot of movement to get blood flow back into my digits. Winter is not my favourite season. I am going to have to start wearing mitts soon.

Oh well, only six more months until Spring. Three more months until the days start getting longer, and then we start all over again.

 

 

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Becoming Famous, in a very slow way.

I was listening to the first episode of the new season of Spark on CBC this Wednesday, and Michelle Parise read my Facebook comment aloud, on the air! My name was mentioned, and finally, my words sounded somewhat intelligent. You see, this is not the first time I have had an email read on CBC. It is all part of my master plan to become famous by having CBC hosts read my comments on air.

The last time was a few years ago on a program called Freestyle. They must not have had many people write in because my email was not very good. It was too long, and rambling. No one bothered to edit it before it was read. I cringed, as I heard it come over the airwaves. In this particular email, I was reminiscing about the 90s. Kelly Ryan read it during the afternoon radio program. Maybe it was picked because I mentioned yet another CBC program called Realtime, with Leora Kornfeld.

Realtime was this amazing show from the mid 90s. They would often ask opinions, or have polls, and listeners could call in, or email their answers. This was when all I used was my university email account, before Hotmail and the other web-based email formats. I used to participate quite regularly. It was kind of like posting a comment on someone's Facebook status, or tweeting a reply, but in this case, the question would be asked over the air, via radio, and the comment would be the email. In fact, when I finally called into the show, they recognized my name from my weekly responses.

Once again, 15 years later, I heard my name mentioned on a national CBC radio program. It is fitting because Spark is all about technology, and society, and what's on the cutting edge, and Realtime was a pioneer for using Internet chat, and email to interact with the listeners. Now, I just have to keep up the regular comments to Spark, to continue getting noticed.

http://www.cbc.ca/spark/

http://www.cbc.ca/spark/episodes/2012/09/07/188-gentrification-communication-restoration/

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Movie remakes

I guess we've run out of original ideas. Really, there are a finite number of stories to be told. Romeo and Juliet has been remade, and reimagined upteen times. Pride and Prejudice appeared as Bridget Jones' Diary, and was given a Bollywood twist in Bride and Prejudice. We need to rely on Woody Allen to come up with an original screenplay, and in the end, he is probably telling his same story over, and over.

I just watched Death at a Funeral. The original is a British film, but it was redone recently by Chris Rock. I have not seen the remake. I do not understand why people remake films in the same language. Maybe it is different for Canadian culture versus American culture because we have sensibilites closer to the British. Do Americans really not get British humour? When is the American version of Love Actually coming out? Or, was that Valentine's Day?

Reading reviews, most preferred the first Death at a Funeral, but some liked the second better. Maybe it is "demo"itis. You know, the phenomenon when you like the thing you see or hear first. I am a bit of a snob that way. I often try to watch the original, and tend to prefer it. I especially dislike American remakes of French films. I preferred La Femme Nikita to Point of No Return. Three Men and a Cradle was infinitely better than Three Men and a Baby. I did, however, only see the American version of A Dinner for Schmucks. Maybe I will like it better than the French film, since I saw it first.

I understand why Americans remake foreign films, though. They are trying to make the film more accessible to their audience. The majority of North American movie goers do not like to read subtitles. Most dubbed films are horrible, so redoing the foreign film in English is the next step. Plus, people are more likely to see the movie if it is starring famous Hollywood actors. Like I said, I prefer to see the original film, but I know I am probably losing some of the nuances in the text translation, and missing some of the visuals while reading.

And, why are older films being redone? It is a similar problem, but instead of cultural differences between countries, we are dealing with cultural differences between generations. The Russians are no longer a threat to us, so why would anyone relate to the original Red Dawn. Of course, we all fear the North Koreans are going to take over our country. Hmm, bad example. The thing is, the film makers needed to pick an enemy they did not think would truly be capable of harming our country. Considering the reactions in the Middle East this week, they were probably safe in picking North Korea as the Big Bad in Red Dawn redux.

Why was Total Recall remade? Colin Farrel is better looking than Arnie? Special FX technology is superior now, and the movie can be a lot prettier. Maybe it is such a good story, it needed to be told again. How many other 80s movies should they remake? Goonies? Back to the Future, where they go back to Back to the Future? That could get a little confusing. The Breakfast Club! I guarantee you someone is out there pitching these old stories to movie executives. They'll hire Judd Nelson as the principal.

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Making their own friends

My daughter has just started SK (Senior Kindergarden). This is her second year of full time school. She seems to be doing well so far, and has not forgotten everything she learned last year. She goes to a small school, but it is getting bigger. This year there are two Junior Kindergarden classes. Because of increased enrollment in her school, there are also two SK classes. They mixed up the two JK classes from last year to make the two new SK classes. A lot of the students she played with last year, ended up in the other class. In fact, everyone she invited to her birthday party at the end of August are in the other class.

I remember reflecting last year on how she is making her own friends. Before, her friends came out of circumstance. They are the children of my friends, or people we met through playgroup. When she started school, she began meeting children without their parents present. She chose who she would play with. Often she would get off the bus, and ask to go to this girls' house. Sorry, but mommy does not know your friend's last name, phone number or address. We did not get around to making a playdate.

All summer, she never saw her "best friend" from school. I even sent an email, but did not get a reply. The girl is in her class again this year, thankfully. My daughter has been playing with her often. But, there are "new" children in her class now. I do not know if her friend already knows some of these new kids. There is always the chance other friendships will develop throughout the year. This could be true of my daughter as well. The dynamics of school relationships are tricky, and I worry about my daughter. Often friends come about through seating arrangements, locker placements, or whose class you are in.

I did not have one best friend throughout my school years. I had some good friends, and maybe a best friend for a year or two, but things changed, and people grow apart. I was younger than most of my classmates, and had friends in the lower grades. In grade 4, I lived in France for a year. I had a best friend there, but when I came back, all the girls in my class were in their cliques, and I had a tough time fitting in. My younger friends had also moved on. I did not enjoy school in grade 5 or 6.

In grade 7, we were in junior high, and the kids from the other elementary school were in our classes, so I met some new people. I had a best friend in grade 7, 8, and 9, but she moved to Australia, and dumped me a several weeks before she left. Moving to Australia made her cool, and I was not part of the cool group. The remainder of my school years, I had a group of friends, but not one "go to" person. However, I am still in touch with that group of women, and we see each other almost every year.

I actually have a lot of close friends. They are usually people I lived with during university, or when working abroad. Unfortunately, because I moved around in my youth, many of my dear friends do not live near me. The invention of instant messaging, and now Facebook, has enabled me to stay in touch with most of my friends, and we are able to pick up where we left off whenever we see each other. It will be interesting to see how my daughter develops friendships over the years. One of my closest friends, I call her my best friend, I have known since Kindergarden, but our friendship developed the year after we graduated high school.

I know there is not much we can do for our kids at school. I hope my daughter is well liked, and not as shy or introverted as I was. In the end, I turned out to be a fairly good egg. I am sure my daughter will have trials, and tribulations. She will come home crying about how she hates her friends. But, I need to give her the strength to move on, and keep going. Or, it could be smooth sailing for her for the next 11 years. You never know.

 

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My Summer Garden

After seven years of trying to grow tomatoes, I think I have found what works in my yard. This year, I planted cherry tomatoes, and regular tomatoes in large, plastic storage bins (like Rubbermaids) full of topsoil. They actually thrived. The two plants in my flowerbed were not happy this year. I had to pull one out early July, and the remaining one gave me one tomato.

It probably did not help that we were away more than three weeks over the course of the summer. It rained during our August absence. We also left the beginning of July, during a heat wave. My whole garden was just starting to bloom, and look great when we left, but it turned into a scragly mess. My coneflowers were tall, and skinny. Many of my plants did not survive this week of neglect. My peas all fried, just as they were starting to produce pods. This was the first year I planted the peas early. In fact, I was almost too early as we had frost at the beginning of June.

My bin tomatoes were another story. They were doing fine, and by mid August, I had more tomatoes than I had ever seen in my garden. Unfortunately, just as the cherry tomatoes were starting to ripen, we were leaving home for another two weeks. I offered up my garden to friends, but most people have tomatoes of their own, with much better harvest yields.

Imagine my surprise when most of the cherry tomatoes were still on the plant, and looking great. Keep in mind, August was a cooler and wetter month. However, neglect appears to have worked this year. My regular tomatoes are not as large as my mother in laws'. She could feed two families with one of her tomatoes. But, mine are a nice red, blemish free, and very tasty. The cherry tomatoes were super sweet. I am the only family member who eats tomatoes raw, so I got to enjoy all of them. Yum!

Maybe next year, I will be a little kinder to my garden, and hire someone to water it while we are away. My mom used to have a massive vegetable garden when we lived in Manitoba, and we often took long summer vacations. She must have asked the neighbours to water her plants. I guess we need to get to know our neighbours, but that is another post!

After two weeks of neglect

Now that September has arrived, I have to worry about frost again. We had frost last night, but I think my bins are in a location where I do not have to worry. At least, they looked okay this afternoon. I really hope there is not a second frost tonight, but looking at the clear sky, the temperature is probably going to drop. Ugh! Barely three months of a growing season.

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Facebook spam pictures

Is anyone else getting sick, and tired of the picture memes circulating Facebook pages? They are as bad as those chain emails we used to receive 10 years ago telling you to forward to all your friends to get great luck, otherwise, certain doom will come your way. These pictures, however, ask you to "like" if you think the picture is heart warming, or if you think the baby is cute.

Most of these images are probably manipulated, or taken out of context. Who started them, and how do we know the story is real? If I do not "like" the picture does this make me a miserable person? I am leary to "like" something if I do not know the source. My friends may have "liked" the image, but it is unlikely that they created it.

I do not really see the point to these images. Are they a part of a fundraising campaign? If so, I do not know how the money is being raised. Are they increasing awareness of something? Usually no names are mentioned. Is the point to see how many likes they can get on their picture? A friend of mine "liked" the facebook page "R.I.P. Morgan Freeman". The man is still alive. In fact, the page even said he is alive, but most people probably didn't go beyound the initial view of the newsfeed.

Please, stop randomly liking all of these images. It makes visiting Facebook visually painful. I need to scroll through all this junk mail before I find out what my friends are actually up to. I realize we are not the clients of Facebook, but the products. Are these images a clever advertizing scheme? Is this why they are so prevalent? Maybe they have paid Facebook premium ad money to show up everywhere. Now, to figure out what they are selling?

"like" if you agree with this post.

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Nostalgic for my 80's toys

When I was at my parents' house this summer, I decided to take out some of my old Strawberry Shortcake figurines for my kids to play with. The actual dolls had been given away long ago, but somehow I managed to hold on to these.

They still had their scents. Huckleberry Finn, Strawberry Shortcake, and Apple Blossom. I have the turtle pet for my Apple Blossom doll as well, but no more dolls. My daughter recognized them, even though her figurines are quite different looking.

My Strawberry Shortcake figurines are the frumpy, country cousins, whereas hers are the hip, cute, city girls. I included a picture of a recent Smurf figurine because it does not seem to have changed much.

I have no idea who the orange one is. I might have gotten it in France. Another toy I got in France was a Monchichi, but since I bought it in France it was called a Kiki. My son thinks the orange Smurf is a Santa Smurf. Actually, he calls it Père Noël Citronphe because he cannot pronounce schtroumpfs (the French word for Smurfs).

I also found some Muppet Baby figurines.

I assume Gonzo had some sort of vehicle, but I could not find it. I remember waking up early on a Saturday morning to sneak downstairs, and watch Saturday morning cartoons. Muppet Babies was one of the shows I watched, as well as The Snorks (Smurfs underwater). I did not like the actual Smurfs, for some reason.

Now, kids can watch cartoons, and kids shows any time of the day with channels devoted solely to these genres. We can even relive our childhood with retro cartoon channels. No more anticipation for the weekend. We definitely live in a society of immediate gratification.

What are your childhood toy, and tv memories? What things are you nostalgic for?

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People behaving badly.

Why is life so complicated and political? I ask this question from a place of privilege, and comfort. If I were poor, and homeless, I might be asking where my next meal is coming from, or where am I going to sleep tonight? I am not poor, so I ask the question I have the luxury to ask, considering my current circumstances. Even in this relatively civilized world of The West, in 2012, people are still power hungry. People still bash others for being different. People are still in it for themselves. 

The Partie Québecois won a minority government yesterday, and someone went on a shooting rampage in revenge of English speaking people, allegedly. There is talk of Separatism, again, in Canada. I love French. I love languages. I love experiencing different cultures. This is what makes the world fantastic. People have managed to evolve, and adapt to so many different environments on this planet, and we have all done it very differently. I understand how people want to perserve certain cultural heritages, and protect language rights. My family, and I struggle with this everyday. I do not understand why it requires violence, or even political pressures, and threats of leaving our country.

There is violence in the name of religion, race, culture, language, money, land, food... The list goes on. You can say it is in our nature to fight. Survival of the fittest, right? We are the most intelligent living organisms on the planet. Humans have a conscience. We should have a sense of morality and ethics. Yet, we continue to hurt each other on a large scale, and on a small scale. What for? Sometimes it is just for the smallest of things. Why can't we all just get along?

I suppose life would be boring, if there were no conflict. Adversity leads to innovations, and improvements. Dissention brings change. I wish the change could come about peacefully. We can all agree to disagree; don't take it so personally. It should not be the end of the world if someone does not like the same things as you.

I make it my responsibility to educate my children about their culture. I try to expose them to as much French as possible. There will come a point in their lives when they will probably decide it is easier to express themselves in English. With the base I have provided them, I hope they will feel comfortable communicating with other Francophones in French. It is up to individuals to maintain a culture, and it can be done peacefully, and quietly. We need to teach the value of our culture. You can be proud without having to impose your beliefs on everyone else. Be polite, be courteous. Yes, you can have a difference of opinion, but in the end, that is all it should be. A difference of opinion. It should not be an excuse to behave badly.

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Day one down

Our bus arrived on time this morning. Unfortunately, because of a major early morning accident, some buses were delayed over half an hour. I assume my daughter arrived a little late for school because the accident happened in between our house and her school. We didn't know which side of the road to stand on to wait for the bus because we didn't know where it was coming from. Another family was also waiting at our corner for a different bus. They waited on the opposite side of the road. Turns out we were both wrong. Now we know for tomorrow.

I felt bad for my tiny daughter because I sent her off with her backpack overloaded with supplies, plus an extra bag for her change of clothes, paint smock, and whatever didn't fit in her backpack. She was tipping over when she had it on. Poor wee thing. Also, we are dealing with those warm late summer days that start off cool. We had to go back to the house for a jacket I knew she would not wear the rest of the day. Thank goodness for observant seatmates realizing she left it behind.

My daughter is still of the age when I send her to school with a task, I never know if it will be accomplished. We managed to get most of our thank you notes for her birthday party delivered. At least, I assume they were delivered since they did not come home with her. Now that she has her agenda, communication between the school/teacher and ourselves should be fairly easy. We also have to get used to a new teacher. It is not just my daughter who has an adjustment period to deal with.

Ah, the lunch. I sent her to school with cheese curds, breads sticks, and raspberries for the first nutrition break. She had a wrap with hummus, and shredded cheese, plus pineapple chunks and red peppers for the second break. Today she was lucky, and got a juice box. Normally, she has a thermos of water to drink. It appears all she ate at school was the wrap, and the cheese curds. Sometimes, the school provides additional food for the kids, but I never know when, or what. Often, I am left thinking she has barely eaten all day. Fortunately, she'll usually finish off her food when she gets home, or for supper (which is what happened today).

I made yellow zucchini loaves today. We shall see if she like them. My homemade muffins, and pretzels usually go over well, but this requires baking up a batch once a week or so. Sometimes I make enough to freeze, and they will last a couple of weeks. I am not overly confident about the loaves, but if they are buttered...everything is better with butter :).

 

Any inspiring ideas for school lunches?

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End of summer

What a wonderful way to end our summer. We spent it pretty much the same way we started it, with a visit to Bell Park. As predicted, the Labour Day Family Fun Fest was quite busy. We arrived from the lakeside, having parked by the canoe club. I think we timed it fairly well. I had hoped to arrive a little earlier, but we left home at 10am.

The line ups for the bouncers were not too long for my kids, and they were able to jump in the castle as long as they pleased, or until someone landed on them, and they left crying. We got two new firefighter hats, to replace the broken one at home. We went for food at the perfect time. It was close to noon, so the kds were ready to eat, and the line hadn't gotten too long yet. On our way back to get cotton candy, it had doubled in length.

As added bonus, while waiting for cotton candy, they handed out free ice cream sundae cups. Messy, but yummy. Lots of sugar for the kids, but we were heading back to the van with a stop at the play structure by the main beach. The kids burnt off the sugar, and played just long enough to wear them out slightly. When I suggested it was time to head home, there were few arguments. The kids were hot, and in need of a rest.

Tomorrow is the first day of school. I have to make sure my daughter has everything from her list in her school bag. And, I have to start thinking about the dreaded lunches. Just a few more hours of summer, please.

 

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September

I always have bittersweet feelings about September. For most of my years, September means the start of school. I can think of only three or four years when I was not returning to school in some capacity. I would often have nervous sleeps before the start of school. Anxiety at starting something new. Getting back into the swing of things, the routine of waking up and preparing for class.

September also brings back joyful things. Seeing your friends again, and spending all your time with them. Many of the extracurricular activities would begin anew. Plus, learning wasn't such a bad thing. I became a better student as the years went on. Listening to the undergraduate, and graduate opportunities out there right now, I often wish I could go back to university. Ah, if I had lots of money, it would be spent on travel, and learning.

I sit here writing, listening to the geese fly by, a sure sign of fall coming, but I am still in denial. This was such a great summer. I really had a fun time with my family, and was able to visit with friends I had not seen in some time. I met my twin nephews again, after well over a year, and they've grown so much. My kids are getting older, and it is certainly more fun hanging out with them. The past two months have been great for our family, and I will miss the freedom of summer. Really, school is only a day away? The weather is not helping to convince me.

Tomorrow we spend one last day together for the summer of 2012. If the world is supposed to end this year, at least we had a wonderful summer to finish it off! On Tuesday, the dreaded lunch making begins again. I must say, this is my new anxiety at the start of school. What will my daughter eat all day? I won a cookbook all about portable lunches, so I am going to try some recipes, and we shall see how it goes. I am also trying to get her to sleep sooner, instead of reading books until late, in an effort to make mornings easier. My kids were often up at 6am this summer, but once school starts, they just want to sleep in.

Have a happy Labour Day. We will see you at school on Tuesday.

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Wonderland, Centreville, and Santa's Village, oh my!

Okay, so I have been extremely neglectful in writing every day, but August ended up being very busy, and when you are spending entire days entertaining your children, niece and nephew, there is not much time for anything else. My week in Manitoba was mostly spent without internet, so I hardly ever turned on my iPad. Upon our return to Oakville, we were host to my 10 year-old niece and 14 year-old nephew. Trying to find things to please them, plus my own children, aged three and five, proved to be quite a challenge.

My nephew has been visiting my parents in Oakville, without his parents, since he was three. His sister started coming along when she turned three. I usually planned my visits to my parents around the same time. Over the years, we have been taking my niece and nephew to various attractions around the GTA. Oddly, since my children were born, there are a few places we have not seen in a while, including the Lion African Safari near Guelph, and Marineland in Niagara Falls. For some reason, we have ended up at Ontario Place a few years in a row. Last year we hit the Toronto Zoo.

This year we went to Wonderland with the four kids. The following review is entirely my opinion, and if you have had different experiences with Wonderland, or any of the places described, feel free to tell me about it. I had not been to Wonderland since 2004, before my kids were born. My friends and I arrived when the gates opened, and in about eight or ten hours, we hit 8 rides. These were the big thrill rides. Usually we were in line for an hour. This was before smart phones. Tip: bring your smart phone, or some portable game to entertain your children, and yourself during long line waits.

This time, we arrived as the gates opened, and headed for the back of the park. I did The Rage with my daughter (big rocking boat). Somehow, we ended up in line for the Boo Blaster early on (you shoot "scary" things for points), but there was still quite a line. It ended up being a little disappointing. My kids can't shoot. Unfortunately, my five year old fell in the 44 to 40 inch category, and my three year old could only do stuff in Planet Snoopy, and a lot of that, not on his own.

My daughter was bored with the Planet Snoopy rides, and my son had to be accompanied on most rides. My nephew was too tall, and considered an adult. He would often not be allowed on a ride by himself. We should have given him one of our kids, he could have passed for 16. He is not adventurous when it comes to rides, so we could not just send him, and his sister, off to the bigger rides on their own. The only roller coaster my daughter could go on was the Ghoster Coaster. It was quite fun, and the lines were good. She was disappointed that there were no ghosts, though.

Splash Works was fun. The water was very cold. It didn't help it was a cooler, windier day. My kids loved the kiddy area. They were able to do the kiddy slides on their own, and there were many lifeguards helping them down the slide, and catching the kids at the bottom. The double tube was fun, and parents can go with their shorter children. My daughter and I went down the Plunge. Three people fit in one tube, and it is just a tall, straight slide. I ended up facing backward, and was too concerned my daughter would fly out to enjoy the ride. She loved it, and wanted to go again. She also wanted to try the Riptide Racers, but despite just being tall enough, I was worried because I could only be beside her on a crazy carpet. I did not trust her to not panic, although she probably would have been fine. There were life jackets everywhere in the park, for free. There was also a crazy number of lifeguards (much more than at Calypso). I liked that I didn't have to escort my kids to the top of the slide, and then rush down to catch them. If it had been warmer, we would have stayed longer. We lasted about two hours at the water park.

The rest of the day was spent in Kidsville, and Planet Snoopy. The kids loved the playground area, but I lost sight of them often. We were there while my husband and nephew waited 45 minutes to ride Silver Streak. It is a "family" ride, but my daughter was too short. Maybe next year. She was very disappointed she could not go on the bigger roller coasters. Even my three year old son still says, "When I can go on the tall roller coasters, I will be tall like my cousin." You get his meaning. The only roller coaster he could do was called Taxi Run, I think. It was whiplash crazy. Not enjoyable for adults, but you have to go with your smaller kids.

Some of the rides in the kids area were so slow, or very short. In comparison to similar rides at Santa's Village and Centreville, the Wonderland versions were a bit of a rip off.

Compare Blast Off at Wonderland

to Jumping Stars at Santa's Village

and Froghopper? (Centreville). I think a few more thrilling rides for the littler customers might make Wonderland more fun. It is an amusement park. You are going there with the intention of scaring yourself, just a little. Maybe my kids are short for their age, and the kiddy rides are catering to a younger clientele. Maybe my kids are just daredevils, for now.
We all had fun, but it is a pretty steep price to pay for one visit. We got discounted tickets for $39.99 plus tax (purchase three days in advance). My children had junior passes for $34.99 plus tax. I probably could have gotten away without paying for either, my son had just turned three days before. But, we had just listened to a radio show talking about why people cheat, and I did not feel like encouraging dishonesty in my children. It cost us around $300, and that did not include food.

We ate our cooler lunch outside the park because the only thing you are allowed to bring in is bottled water. My husband smuggled some granola bars in his shorts late afternoon. I guess we pick, and choose when we want to be honest, but the no food policy is so they can gouge us with outrageous prices in the park. This is where they make their money. We bought a pizza for supper and a small chocolate milk for $30. It fed six people, but my kids barely had a piece each. There is a coupon on the map for $2 off, but it is only good at the International alley Pizza Pizza.

If you are planning on visiting Wonderland more than once, it is in your best interest to buy a season's pass. When we went, there was a deal if you bought season's passes for next year, you get one free day this season. You just have to go one more time to make it worth your while.

We had thought Centreville was expensive, initially. The last time I had been there was with my nephew when he was four, and he refused to try any of the rides, except the swans. My dad recommended we buy 50 tickets, and see how it goes. My kids have no such fears. However, many of the rides require the parents come along, and we needed to give up tickets too. 50 tickets does not last long when you have to dispense 6 tickets for each person. The tickets cost just under $1. In hindsight, it would have cost us about the same if we had bought the kids all day play passes, and we got extra tickets for us for the bigger rides. Even the family play pass seems a deal, after Wonderland, at $96. So many of the rides were the same, or similar, and lasted longer. For now, I think I would be more likely to go back to Centreville with my kids than Wonderland. Plus, we took the train, and a ferry to get there.

A couple of rides the kids do solo.

 The bells on the boat were so loud.

Pony rides!

Best deal ever! Only two tickets, parents ride free, and it goes for 10 minutes. Even adults can sit on an animal. This is a massive caroussel.







This year was our third trip to Santa's Village. I find this place expensive too, but when we went before, we had a friend with season's passes, and she would have discount coupons. We usually got in for a good price, and the kids were younger (i.e. free). This year, the park was paired with our camping trip, and we decided to go on a Friday, when the price was two for one.


Last year, I was quite disappointed with Santa's Village because we had recently visited a superior park in Québec called Le Pays des Merveilles. I found Santa's Village small, and felt it did not have as many rides. However, this year, I liked it again. Maybe it was the variety, with the boat ride, and train, as well as the kids rides. Maybe it was because we had been there for a few days already, so we did not feel rushed, or pressured to do as much as possible. We went on the roller coaster quite a few times, and my son could join us. It was a great visit. The splash pad was a hit with my daughter.


As I mentioned, many of the things at Wonderland are the same at the other two parks. Elf's Island is five times the size of the playground in Wonderland. The plane rides were almost identical. Even the baby carrousels are the same. But, my son could do a bigger roller coaster at Santa's Village.

Elf's Island, Santa's Village









Santa's Village

Wonderland

In conclusion, Wonderland is fun, but you should get a season's pass and go more than once for best value. Also, it is better for taller, and possibly older kids, even with the Planet Snoopy, and Kidzville areas. I think next time, we will try to hit some of the bigger rides first thing too, because by the time we left, at 7:30pm, there were still super long wait times for the thrill rides. The kid's area was clearing out though.

We will probably do Santa's Village again, with a camping trip, again. The kids still seem to enjoy it, and it is much more relaxing than doing a day trip to Bracebridge. Three hours from Sudbury, two and a half from Toronto. I think I would do Centreville again too. Some people claim the rides are dated, but I did not think they were any worse than Wonderland. Quite a few of them were more thrilling. Keep in mind, my kids are three and five this year, and little peanuts. You might have completely different experiences with your own children.

Maybe next year we'll check out the African Lion Safari. I haven't been there since I was pregnant with my daughter.

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