Late Night Pregnancy Snacks

I got this idea from a recent blog post over here. Not only are these jam packed with healthiness - not to mention raw - but they satisfy the sweet cravings and they are rediculously easy and fun for the little ones to help make. I'm usually a measurement kind of gal but Ella was right, no measurement necessary here.

We made ours Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Corn-Free, Nut-Free so modified a bit from Ella's recipe. They are delicious!

Wet Ingredients

Sunflowerseed Butter with Flax Seeds (the best one I find is at the Bulk Barn)

Drizzle Maple Syrup

Coconut Oil (melted)

Mashed Banana

Cocoa Powder

Dry Ingredients

Rolled Oats (Gluten-Free for us!)

Sunflower Seeds

Currants

Raisins

Hemp Seeds

Toppings

Unsweetened Medium Coconut (unfortunately the sweetened everywhere I looked contained corn - however, it is still sweet and tasty and probably far healthier)

Grated 71% Dark Chocolate (dairy-free for us!)

Mix wet and dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Form into balls. Roll in coconut or chocolate toppings. Place on parchment paper and refridgerate for 10 mins before enjoying!

A Low Key Different Easter

This year Easter weekend was different for us for many reasons. Firstly, being in the last month of pregnancy and having a quick birth first time around - not to mention at 35 weeks 4 days - I cannot travel anywhere remotely far and the in-laws live about 2 hours away so that family get together was crossed off the list. My mother who lives close by went to spend Easter weekend with her partner's family in Montreal for the weekend so no getting together with them either. Secondly, Ryan was offered overtime work both Friday and Saturday so it was just B and me both days. Thirdly, we've had people come to view our house every day since it was listed for Sale last Wednesday so the cleaning and vacating of the house has been the central activity of the past few days.

I must say, it was kind of nice to be just the three of us today on our last Easter as a family of three. This was also the first year B really took an interest in Easter and its activities. We didn't go overboard. I got the idea from Dreena Burton's Easter post to buy some larger plastic eggs and fill them with goodies, both edible and non-edible. The key attraction to these was that they are reusable and that they are large enough for a toddler to efficiently find. Also, the emphasis wasn't as much on the sweets. 12 eggs were enough for this year. The hunt was also limited to the living room only. When our children get a wee bit older I would love to do an outdoor hunt with them. B was thrilled and it was amazing watching our little guy run around looking for these eggs and take such joy in finding each one. I had hoped to get around to fun things like dying eggs (done so nicely by this lovely lady) however, being in the final stages of this pregnancy, I've been focusing on getting things ready for the arrival of the new babe and also on preparing for B's 3rd Birthday next weekend just in case we get some baby action this week.

Keeping a busy toddler..busy

Most SAHM's know too well that sometimes it can be far more challenging (although incredibly rewarding) than working out of the home.

B is the most creative, funny, thoughtful, smart little guy most of the time. However, when he is not stimulated enough a.k.a bored, he can be the least agreeable, most difficult, little fellow. This is particularly difficult for me as I am an A-type personality that like to plan things out or stick to a routine and sometimes I feel as though I don't have enough imagination or whim-type thinking to keep him entertained. To be quite honest it is sometimes mentally exhausting for me to think of ways to keep him entertained and happy. It is certainly something that has challenged me on an intellectual level. I'm working on it. Funny how much we learn from our kids when we think they are the ones doing all the learning.

Some things that have kept us busy these past few days:

Making an art smock from daddy's old ripped shirt

Working on creative masterpieces - painting, colouring, stickering, and cutting with safety scissors

Exploring new parks

Rainy Days

On rainy days we spend our time...

• baking - cut out cookies are a hit as cookie cutters are fun


• constructing elaborate structures for marble runs


• visiting the library (this afternoon we will try to find some books on being a "big brother")


• gently tossing a ball to eachother


• catch is the latest and greatest new game


• sometimes settling on the couch for some Caillou or Thomas


• building and re-building Mr.Potatohead

I'm enjoying these last few days with my little boy before he becomes my big boy. The midwives think baby might arrive in the next 2 weeks. We'll see. Some slight nesting has been going on here.. hospital bag packed, all essential supplies purchased...also..we are signing the paperwork to list our house tomorrow evening!

Settling into the Rhythm of Being Home Again

(32 1/2 weeks)

Although my last post was somewhat dark, things have much improved in only a few short weeks. We started putting B to bed between 7:45 and 8pm instead of between 7-7:30pm. This has made a huge difference. He no longer struggles with us and for the most part stays in bed after we have read him a couple of stories and tucked him in. He also now wakes up closer to 7am instead of 5:30 or 6am which is a bonus for me since I'm now home and don't have to get up for work. It also has been extremely wonderful that we decided to keep him in 3 half days/week at the school.

Our "school" days look a little something like this:

7am - Wake up - B wakes me up and we cuddle for a couple minutes in my bed.

7:05-7:45am - We eat some breakfast and get dressed, sometimes B watches one Caillou segment on YouTube while I get ready.

7:45-8am - Drop off to Montessori

8:05am - Coffee by myself!

8:05am-11:45am - I complete various errands, appointments (midwives), and household tasks.

11:45am - Pick up B from Montessori

11:50am-1pm - Lunch and a little play time

1pm-2:30 or 3pm - Nap time (I usually nap at this time too or atleast stay in bed)

3-4pm - Outdoor activity (weather permitting)

4-5pm - Dinner prep and daddy gets home

On the pregnancy front I am feeling quite large these days at nearly 34 weeks even though I have dropped 1 pound at each of my 2 appointments in the last month which concerns me slightly. Belly still seems to be getting larger. Had an early labour scare as a result of a symptomless UTI a few weeks back which led to 24 hours in a hospital 2 hours away since all the closer hospitals could not deliver before 32 weeks. In good news, baby is head down and ready to go. I previously had a low lying placenta. However the head has already cleared the placenta so I'm good to go for a vaginal birth. Horray! Hard to believe at this point with B I was a week and a half away from his arrival!