Holiday Cheer

The holidays have come!

It's been awhile.. it has been busy around these parts to say the least.

With the last of final papers going in for this semester, Christmas Tree season in full swing and occupying every weekend of December - this is our last year with the tree farm, and a winter wedding to top it all off (see photo above), things have been crazy. Not to mention the last minute shopping and hectic-ness as we prepare for the holidays and the night of baking ahead..my first go at a handful of gluten-free holiday treats. Little B is delighted with all things Christmas.

Looking forward to the weekend and a nice chance to slow down and take it all in. This will after all be our last Christmas as a family of 3 as we will be welcoming a sweet new babe in May...:)

14 Weeks

Well I've been somewhat absent since ohh about Thanksgiving. Things have been busy to say the least. School, Work, Family Time doesn't leave time for much else. But. We are expecting another wee babe in May and we're delighted. So far so good. No sickness this time around. Although I only had minimal feelings of nausea when I was pregnant with B - about 2 weeks. Things on the diet front are much different this time around with a Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Corn-Free and other dietary restrictions. But all is well - my wonderful team of midwives are not concerned. I feel great and have gained 3 lbs. Standard for me - I usually don't gain much weight in the first half of pregnancy.

So much to do before this next little one makes an appearance! Including transitioning our little "big brother" to a brand new bedroom. I'll be looking for design ideas for sure :)

Up and Coming Thanksgiving

This year I am thankful that my school reading week falls on the same week as Thanksgiving. This means a much awaited break from the 7 day/week of readings, assignments and not to mention my two jam packed days of classes and Graduate Assistantship position.

I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my boys.

On the agenda:

- Lots of outdoor time - Farmers Market Trip, Park, Conservation Area
- A friend's surprise birthday party - Yay adult time.
- Preparing some Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Meat-Free dishes and baked goods to take to our family Thanksgiving dinners
- Snuggling up and watching a movie at home
- Searching nearby natural landscapes for things we can use to make Autumn crafts - I'm definitely thinking these!


http://www.waldorfcrafts.com/?p=72

What are other Canadian folk doing this long weekend?

Five Senses Friday - Autumn Begins

Above, a photo of my father, far right celebrating his 4th birthday in Manitoba in November. It was unusually warm that Fall, much like it is looking it will be here in Ontario anyway. Everything about the image is perfect to me.. homemade cake, sweet sweet children (cousins), outdoor eating, tractor toy in hand, right down to his striking resemblance to B.

Five Senses Friday

Tasting:

Crunchy, delicious apples. There have been fresh apples at work all this week and since I've been indulging I think I will take the little man for our annual apple pick this weekend. I wonder what else I can make besides sauce, jam, pie filling and muffins... maybe cider!

:Hearing:
Feist - something about her soothing sound eludes "Autumn" to me.

:Seeing:

The changing colour of the leaves.

:Smelling:

Cinnamon and nutmeg - almost time for Pumpkin Pie

:Feeling:

Peaceful. As I am enjoying many of my readings, the workload of grad school doesn't seem so burdening. Here's to hoping they keep on being good. Oh I'm also feeling extreme excitement as I spoke with a Professor and she'd love to have me take her Maternal Theory course in the Winter semester. Hurrah!

Five Senses Friday

Tasting:

The warmth of cinnamon. Cinnamon Toast (G/F of course)..Pumpkin Spice Soy Lattes.. the list goes on.

:Hearing:IPod Audio Books from the library. I'm addicted. First Outliers by Malcom Gladwell and now Nurture Shock by... gosh I can't remember.

:Seeing:

Masses of students as I round up my first week of Grad School. Campus has been hectic to say the least. I guess this is what I get for deciding to go to one of the largest universities. I must say, the pace is a far cry from the relaxed one I remember at my much MUCH smaller undergrad university.

:Smelling:

Peppermint and Eucalyptus. I've been on a bit of a peppermint tea binge as of late and well. I use eucalyptus essential oil in all my laundry detergent and cleaning products. I love the smell of it in my bed linens.

:Feeling:

Cold - we've been going through a bit of a cool weather spurt this week. Need to start pulling the warm socks and sweaters out :)

Simply Lovely Long Weekend

Long weekend thus far has been productive and pleasant.

Groceries were gotten - under budget I might add too!

Office was cleaned

Bikes were brought out to go downtown to the GO Bus Terminal to get tickets for school

Boys did some purging of stuff we no longer need

Hair was cut and styled for a fresh new "back to school" look

In attempts to stick to a strict budget, pay down debt, and get back on track with my environmental values, I set out today to cancel our cable TV (finally got the hubby's agreement on this). Let me tell you how the service provider cut $40 off our bill - we pay around $35 for Cable currently and let us keep our cable - all because I mentioned that we didn't feel the money for the cable was worth it given the amount of time we watch TV.

Tomorrow's Agenda -

Cleaning & Cooking

Painting doors and putting knobs back on. In keeping some of the integrity of our old house, we've kept the original skeleton key doors. Love them. However, we've been knobless on some doors for ohh about 6 months now so I'll be happy to get those back on. :)

The Schedule!

Baby Blue - Work
Pink - Graduate Assistantship
Purple - Family Time
Orange - Travel Time
Grey - Down Time
Blue/Gray - Cleaning/Organizing
Green - Class/Readings/Essay Writing

Oy vey.

Five Senses..Tuesday?!

Five Senses for Tuesday. Because I feel like it.

:Tasting:

Gluten-Free goodies. Homemade Peach/Blueberry Cobbler with Quinoa Crumble.

:Hearing:
A thousand library sounds. I know.. libraries are supposed to be quiet.

:Seeing:

The season start to change with cooler weather. I'm loving it.

:Smelling:

The smell of fresh tomato from my garden, daily.

:Feeling:

Happy - Organized - Relaxed..ready for something new

As of Late

As of Late I have been reading non-stop in preparation for my academic year ahead. I've also been thinking a lot about organizing and planning to make things easier for the year. I'm notorious for piling a lot on my plate. For instance..this year I plan on.. taking my Masters Full-Time, Working 7 hours/week at the university as a Graduate Assistant for my funding, working 3 days/week at my part-time job, getting pregnant and spending as much extra time as possible with Brendan. All of this will require a ton of coordination, organization and planning. I have started looking into freezer meals. With my new diet, food has been rather challenging but it is that much more satisfying when I find a good recipe.

Even in the craziness I find solace, as always, in Ryan. He is the calm to my storm. I couldn't imagine a better friend, father and husband. This weekend we will celebrate our first anniversary. To celebrate we will go to dinner at an awesome Jazz Bar and go see a movie (pre-baby we went almost weekly to the theatre). We're also attending my cousin's stag n' doe in Hamilton.

Talking to Strangers

I came across the following retweet on Twitter this morning - a link to an article about encouraging your kids to talk to strangers rather than avoid them.

This immediately conjured up thoughts on a recent outing to the park my sister had with B. Long story short, my sister was chatting with another woman at the park and when it was time to leave, B marched over and gave the woman a hug. The woman proceeded to say "You should be careful who you hug".

I can't tell you how much this statement angered me. We try to teach B to befriend new children and people and to make his own judgement calls. Children are so naturally intuitive - chances are if mum is wary of another adult, the child will feel and mimick that wariness. We want him to know it is okay to trust other adults, especially those we deem as safe and subsequently engage in meaningful conversation with. I absolutely agree with this article.

Latest Food Discoveries and Good Reads

I must say this elimination diet was not the most enjoyable past couple months for the taste buds.

Some things I learned about myself:

Avoids:
- Peanuts (gassy, headaches, and mouth dryness)
- Dairy in all forms (mucous, stuffy nose, phlegm)
- Corn (significant eczema flair ups)
- Tomato (significant eczema flair ups)

I'm sure this list will keep growing..

Some good grocery discoveries:

• Red Raspberry Spritzer - so delicious and refreshing
• Lara Bars (Apple) - somewhat calorie dense and flavourful and virtually allergen free - vegan, GF, soy free etc.
• Spelt Pasta
• Silk French Vanilla Creamer

In other news, I've been DEVOURING books from the library by my work lately. In the past returning books on time has been a huge problem for me. Now with working so close and recieving e-mail notifications a couple days in advance I've only managed to have $1.50 in fines and they were on purpose - I was trying to finish a book because I couldn't renew it.

Latest good reads,

"You are Your Child's First Teacher" by Rahima Baldwin Dancy - great great parenting resource
"Living Simply With Children" by Marie Sherlock - also wonderful
"Geography of Hope" by Chris Turner - I saw this author give a talk at a work conference in Toronto I attended. He was absolutely amazing and inspiring. His book is sensational.

He's just THAT Kid

I think after ohh about a year and a half I have come to terms with the fact that I am raising "THAT kid".. you know..

The one...

That can't resist jumping in every muddy puddle when given a chance.

That sticks his hands in butter and tries to drink massage oil when I'm not looking.

Who runs away in stores just about the time when mom has to pay the cashiers - and giggles his head off when I catch up to him.

That would rather eat all the strawberries and raspberries and "pick" rocks for his basket instead.

Who still wants to play on the playground even though he got his clothes and shoes all covered in sand and lake water and therefore had to play in a *borrowed* diaper (thank you prepared mom at the beach!), soaked running shoes and a hat on the busiest playground in town.

Who takes all his clothes and diaper off at potty time while the other daycare teachers are helping other children and declares proudly, "This is my penis!"

That throws a full blown tantrum every time we have to come inside from playing outside.


To clarify.. I don't think it has anything to do with my parenting skills or style. Often I find other parents saying "you sure have your hands full". I know at certain times I've felt green with envy at those parents that seem to have it easy with children that are quite content amusing themselves quietly and never seem to get into trouble. The truth is, I'm happy with who Brendan has become. I'm glad he's confident, outgoing, and not afraid to try new things and see what reactions he can elicit. I know he is learning valuable lessons about cause and effect and testing out boundaries. He effectively keeps me on my toes and teaches me so many new things every day. He also strengthens the bond in our family through laughter and honesty. I can't wait to see what another child will bring to our little family. Part of leading a more stress-free life is learning to accept the hand that you've been dealt. I'm feeling pretty content with all aspects of my life right now and so we enter the "premester". We were trying for another baby awhile back and decided to put it on hold when I got my part-time contract job. Timing was not right. Now it seems like a much better fit. We will begin trying for baby #2 in August.

10 Things

(Photo Courtesy of the Hubby's Last Fishing Trip)

This awesome weather we've been having lately has definately been a breathy of fresh air. When SouleMama did a 10 things post over on her blog I just had to jump on board. Ten things bringing me joy lately:

1) Brendan giggling as we push him in a friend's hammock

2) Our delicious CSA weekly baskets

3) The prospect of a finished closet and patch of wall in the kitchen - after 2 years my husband will be drywalling both of these neglected places in our house

4) Book reading

5) Epsom salt baths by candlelight and red wine with my love

6) Discovering new lovely blogs

7) The ever approaching 4 day weekends I have for July and August - I rearranged my schedule to work Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

8) Ripe strawberries

9) More quality time with my family

10) Brendan's preschool pot luck

What about you???

TGIF

This diet has been less than desirable for the palette. I'm hoping an eventful weekend might take my mind off it. In good news. It seems the antibiotics and medicated creams are helping my eczema - no surprise there.. sigh. The itchiness is unbearable sometimes. Only pharmaceuticals offer quick relief. I have noticed a digestion improvement on this diet. I am enjoying a lot more herbal tea these days and missing coffee less than I thought I would - I have subbed in green tea in its place.

Today I thought I'd post on 5 senses - something borrowed from another blogger I religiously follow :)

Feeling - hopeful after a very productive week. I am starting to feel like my transition to grad school for the Fall won't be quite as overwhelming as I've felt it would be for the past few weeks. Come Fall I will be a full-time grad school student, working part-time still in my current job (3 days/week) and working an additional 10 hours/week as a Graduate Assistant doing some sort of research at the university.

Tasting - seed and feed. Is this what it would be like to be a bird? Nearly everything I eat on this diet is dry and tasteless. Most of all I miss breads/potato/sauces/soy. I must find some delicious alternatives.

Seeing - growth. The little one is growing so quickly. Many of my seedlings are also growing rapidly. I have been experiencing much personal growth too these days. I love spring.

Hearing - protesting. An opinionated little boy protesting bedtime and trying to bargain with daddy.

Smelling - hemp oil. This stuff is seriously doing wonders for my eczema on my hands. The scent is also quite soothing.

The Diet Low Down: Day 1

So I saw a naturopath yesterday (she was absolutely fabulous, part-time doctor who stays home with her kids, and moonlights as a Professor at UofT). The reason for my visit was that for the past almost year I have gotten some progressively worse eczema on my hands, legs and feet. Particularly my hands. As a child I had eczema but never on my hands and feet like this before and it went away for ohh about 10+years. She suggested the best thing for me to try is an elimination diet. What can you eat on this diet? hmmm next to nothing.

List of Avoids...(pretty much my entire current diet - with the exception of egg, dairy, meat)

Wheat

Egg

Dairy

Red meat

Nightshade veggies - tomato, potato, peppers, eggplant

Corn

Banana, melons, and citrus

Soy

Processed foods

Sugars

Caffeine

Dried Fruit

Peanuts, Cashews and Pistachios

On the menu today:

Breakfast - Oatmeal with almond milk (very bland)

Coffee with sugar and cream - BIG CHEAT

Snacks/Lunch - Sunflower Rye crackers, Sesame gluten-free crackers with edameme dip (the dip is delicious although it does have a little lemon juice in it)

An apple

Gluten-free cereal with almond milk (again - pretty bland)

Dinner - pasta salad (which I later red the package of mix for the dressing and it contained dehydrated peppers)

blueberries and cherries for dessert

Supplements - flax oil, probiotics, spoonful of molasses (I read in a book this can help)

I did drink the recommended 2L of water today which is always challenging for me. I'm really going to have to work harder at this diet. Overall, I don't feel very satisfied and the diet is extremely difficult to follow. Sigh. 20 more days to go until I can start reintroducing. I'm going to have to get a whole lot more creative with my meal plan.

The Last Hurrah!

This past long weekend marked the end of a long era for my in-laws. This was the official last gathering of the family before they move into town from their 100 acre farm. The farm has been the hub of all family gatherings and the childhood home of my husband and his next immediate brother (there are 5 siblings in total - my husband is the youngest and his brother a year older as well as three older siblings from his dad's first marriage). I was lucky to enjoy the past 5 years of celebrations there with them. Time was often spent around a bonfire, going on hikes back into the bush, fishing, playing bocce ball, and going on snowmobile and atv rides.  

The rest of our weekend was spent gardening. The gardens in the front make a HUGE difference. I also started some veggies in containers on the porch. We'll see how they do. Our CSA starts next week. I can't tell you how excited I am for farm fresh local fruit and vegetables.

On the Brendan front... we can't get enough of being outside!

It's been awhile..I have a 2 year old!

Life has been so crazy lately with working, vacationing to Florida, home renovations and the little one's birthday. Yes.. I have a 2 year old. One very sick 2 year old at the moment with an ear infection. It feels awful that I have to work when he's sick. Even though I know he's in good hands with my sister at home.

Not two days after Brendan's 2nd birthday he decided to embark on some crib climbing escapades. Needless to say, we've had to take the front off his crib so he doesn't fall (we have a 3-in-1). It has taken a little bit of adjusting for him - learning not to get out of bed. He can also climb the rope ladder and a ladder with foot holes at the park on his own. This is quite terrifying for me to watch but I love his sense of independence. He is so confident.

I'll let you see for yourself.. snapshots to sum up April

One of many trips to the park.

Swimming it up with Grandma in the outdoor pool in Florida. He loved the plane ride - especially the landing and take off. He laughed and laughed the whole time while other babies cried.To think I worried for nothing.

Playing with his sweet new wooden train set he got for his birthday. He even had a few friends over to celebrate.

Mid-March Reflection

First off.. wishing everyone a Happy (safe) St.Patty's Day. I've never been much for green beer. The sight of it just turned me off. Nevertheless I'm sure plenty of people will be enjoying it today.

This month has been full of change for our little family. We are adjusting quite well. Mama is loving working 3 days/week. Brendan has adjusted well to going to Montessori for the mornings I am gone. We had a few tears at drop off for a couple of days. He is quite excited to ride the bus after school with his auntie who he so fondly calls "TiTi". The hubby has been pitching in more around the house to account for the fact that I am gone more.

Days off are spent playing with building blocks, going to the park, walking along the beach and visiting Daddy at work among other things. This week we went to the zoo with some friends. B's favourites were the gorillas, the horses and the camel. But our days off have not been all fun and games. Lately I have been noticing that B gets really really cranky if he isn't being constantly entertained. That's not to say he can't entertain himself, because he can, I just need to give him the activity like...open the building blocks and he will play. This has become somewhat exhausting for me and I feel like he just isn't getting enough stimulation being home with me unless we go outside or do activities we don't normally do. I'm not quite sure how to remedy this... hmmm

Happy March!

This month is one of big change for us around here. Firstly, I will be starting a new job tomorrow. It is only part-time which is perfect so I can still spend time with my little man. Not to mention it is in the my field and I will get to do some great things for some pretty great pay too. The job kind of landed in my lap through some of the volunteer work I do. It is only a year long contract which is great since I plan on going back to school this Fall if everything pans out. This also means that our plans for baby #2 are sadly put on hold for another few months to ensure I can finish up my contract. I also don't think I could manage full-time grad school, a part-time job and a new baby. School, job and Brendan are going to be more than enough come Fall.

This job has also meant that I have had to find care for Brendan. Last year he went to a home daycare for a few months and it didn't work out. This time around we are sending him to a Montessori for 3 mornings/week and having my sister pick him up, feed him lunch and put him down for his nap at home. I feel really comfortable with our choice. Expensive it is but he will be well looked after. The school also aligns very well with our own parenting philosophies such as...

- eating nutritious food - the kids only eat fruits and veggies for snack and drink water which means no sugar laden foods

- getting out in nature - they play outside every morning

- learning through play

- arts and crafts

- teaching manners

Things I particularly like are that on the child's birthday, the parents are asked to donate a book to the classroom. They ask that the books are nature books or stories about real life experiences. The parents can also send a plant with the child's name on it and the name of the plant so that they may take part in nurturing it and watching it grow. The class also sponsors a child in a third world country. Many of the philosophies are very similar to Waldorf principles. Unfortunately for us, we live nowhere near a Waldorf school but I think this environment will be just fine for us.

Brendan has gotten to do two one hour visits to the classroom and has seemed to enjoy his time there from what the teachers tell me except for the initial me leaving part. I'm sure things will get better.

Perhaps I'll find out this month whether or not I have been accepted to the program for this Fall.

What have I been eating lately?

LOTS AND LOTS OF THIS

Recipe and photo from here.

I can't believe how many times I have made this recipe in the last month. It truly feels like a big bowl of warmth. Yum Yum and Yum.

With my birthday coming up this week I will be making this cake for myself. I don't know how "ethical" it is to make cake for your own birthday but it sure will beat whatever Ryan would have come up with. Or atleast I'm hoping. How could it not with a picture like this?

Parenting styles and an update

While pregnant with little B, I thought a lot about what kind of parent I would like to be. Ryan and I spoke often about how we wanted to raise our children. In many ways (not all) we have very similar philosophies which is good - as we are more effective that way as a "unit" or team. Many times I am amazed at how we both have the same opinions on the effectiveness or often INeffectiveness when seeing examples of various other parenting styles be it though other friends, family or even complete strangers. But who are we really to be critical? I think it is a natural to compare yourself to others.

We often hear the saying, "no two children are alike". Although I have not experienced parenting more than one child, I would imagine for parents who have two completely opposite children, the adaptation must be extremely challenging as we are so used to learning by experience and therefore as a creature of habit tend to base our actions on past successes. In the case of parenting more than one, the tried and true may not infact be tried and true with each different child.

The other week I was offered the opportunity to interview for a series of articles on moms with different parenting styles on urbanmoms.ca by another mom I met though a local mom and baby group. She just posted it today! Check it out if you want!

I have found myself on more than one occasion joking that the next child I have will not be nearly as busy as the one I've got now but WHO KNOWS

At 21 months my little man is:

- An outdoor enthusiast collecting sticks and pine cones at the park, wanting to walk the dog and always protesting coming inside - even in the most bitter of cold weather

- A climber. Anything he can get himself up onto is game.

- A jumper. This goes along with climbing. Jumping off anything is the latest activity of choice. I tried to make him a fort with chairs and blankets and he took it as an opportunity to climb the chair and jump off onto the couch pillows

- A leader and an activist - he is never shy to stand up for what he believes in and is very assertive with his "no"s and "mummy, come". Also, anything out of reach is a challenge he's up for. He'll push around various items as stepping stools to reach items of desire.

- An independent spirit - this kid is not afraid of anything or anyone. As most kids will run after their parents if they think they are being left alone, this one marches off in the other direction without the slightest look over his shoulder. He loves saying Hi to strangers.

- And most recently a potty/toilet user..most of the time!

He is also... sweet, loving and kind

- He loves to help with cleaning, baking and running items between mom and dad

- He often says "love you!" when we are putting him to bed or when I am leaving to go somewhere.

- He'll give kisses. But not too often. This makes them more special :)

- He's also hard to stay mad at as he now agrees with us when we tell him he did something wrong. Smart cookie!

The Struggle Against Stuff

Aptly titled the same as this blog post from one of the regular blogs I follow (mainly as a result of my complete lack of creativity but also because it just suits). The author has adopted an almost 100 mile diet for awhile now and I thoroughly enjoy reading each and every new post!

In the past few months, Christmas excluded, I have found myself constantly blowing the budget that I set for various things. I was so good about the budget in the summer and in my wedding planning. The posting above really spoke to me as it came at a really good time where I could relate very well to what the author was saying. I think that everyone should develop a set of moral shopping rules to ensure concious consumerism. I especially like her rule of when buying a new garment etc., making sure you get rid of the old one - the reason why you bought the new one in the first place!

That being said, I am pleased to announce that I can officially sew somewhat competently after a couple sewing classes and forsee many a diy clothing/accessory projects in the near future. I was truly in my element at the class on Tuesday evening. :)

Are you part of the problem or part of the solution???

The problem with making strong political statements and not practicing what you preach...

Tonight on my way home from my very first sewing class (YAY!) I saw a vehicle with two bumper stickers.. on the left it said "Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?" - this really got me thinking! - and on the right, "LIVE SIMPLY so others may simply live" I'm a big fan of both but found it extremely ironic that the person who made these statements was driving around in an older Chevy Venture van so although they were living simply I guess.. kinda.. by driving a used older car, they were also largely contributing to the problem cough cough gas guzzler/rediculously higher emissions.. unless of course this person was a vegan in which case they might as well be driving a Hummer to equal the amount of emissions of the average meat eater who drives a hybrid car.

In other words....

Winds of Change

I snapped this photo one morning a couple weeks ago when I woke up early from a good sleep. This was one of the rare mornings where I don't wake up to a little voice calling out to me or whining to let me know he is awake and ready to play. Brendan was still fast asleep that morning and like other mornings of the sort I try my best to lay quietly and enjoy the peace. I cherish these moments. Just the way the sun was lighting the bedroom, shining through the big trees and the condensation building up on the old window was enough to put me in a state of complete and utter relaxation. I really appreciate the privilege of living in an older house in an older neighbourhood where all the houses look different and there are many large trees and deep private lots.

Lately I've been reading a lot on Feng Shui and have become fascinated with the concepts. This is something I would like to seriously take into consideration while continuing on with our huge renovation project which up until now has been at an almost stand still for over a year. I think I will make a commitment to doing one home improvement task/week.

Growing and Learning

While I have been having so much fun with Brendan staying home and watching him grow in leaps and bounds, I have still felt as though something has been missing...

At many points during my time as a stay at home mom I have felt an extreme loss of independence. Before Brendan came along I relished my time alone and loved keeping active and busy in a number of ways through my coursework, volunteering, etc. When Brendan was born I did what every mother does naturally and put life aside and took on my role as a mother 110% in that transition I lost a lot of what really made me independent and happy. When I was working on my undergraduate thesis I felt that independence come back. When I was working full-time last summer a small part of my "independence void" was filled but my "nurturing mother void" prevailed and I couldn't fathom working full-time and being a part-time mom.

Over the past few weeks I have realized that I really want to go back to school. I had always planned on going back to do a Masters but just didn't know when. As Brendan is learning new things everyday (see evidence below) my own personal growth and breadth of knowledge has been waning. I'm certain the answer to my fulfillment is to jump back into academia. This new endeavor will allow me to be more of a full-time mom and part-time student. I think this is my perfect balance. I have been working hard on my application for the Fall and hoping and praying that all the pieces fall into place. As for our baby plans... they are still in place even though I have decided to pursue this large venture. After much thought I felt that I didn't want to not take advantage of the opportunity to go back to school while I am in the right mindset. When I get pregnant I'll work out the details then but for now..here I go! Oh...and I officially start sewing classes this month - YAY!

Learning how to walk the dog and LOVING it!

I taught him how to make snowangels. He thought it was great :)

The Perfect Holiday

Christmas eve was spent wrapping gifts and enjoying champagne and Christmas music after Brendan was in bed.

Christmas morning in this house was spent enjoying a hot cup of coffee and watching the wee one open a ton of gifts and try out each and every one before opening the next.

(Very proud of my Value Village find - the xmas table cloth, also the tree from our own christmas tree farm and the beautiful flowers on the table from my awesome husband since I was having a less than great week the week before Christmas. Not so proud of our old dining room windows in the background that need replacing but at the very least need a curtain to cover up the awfulness)

Then we went on a Christmas morning walk

Made Lentil Soup

Made Super Charge Me Cookies - found here and they were AMAZING

And to top it all off we ate some greasy chinese food!

New Years was spent with Ryan's family at his sister's house playing good old fashioned pond hockey. Unfortunately the ice was a little soft on top so no skating could be done. This is the 3rd year she has had a New Years Day event and it is quickly turning into a tradition. Lots of fun was had indeed!