the plan was awesome

just an update on how yummy supper was....
It will definitely be going on the supper rotation!
That is all.
:)

So, according to my plan

I looked back at this blog I have been neglecting and noticed that one part of my new year's resolution was to try new meals. I have been. Last week I made an Asian Pulled Beef and Cabbage, and both myself and the kids loved it. I am especially excited for tomorrow's meal. I have recently discovered asparagus. I know, I know.... but in my defense, I am a very picky eater, and to try new things, especially "weird" veggies is a huge step for me. In the last year, I have changed my eating habits considerably, but I still have far to go. So, we are having grilled asparagus and Sweet Chili Meatballs. 

Tomorrow is a crock pot day because I volunteer at the school in the morning, have a swimming pool board meeting in the afternoon, Avery has dance lessons after school, and I have a parent council meeting tomorrow night. 

So, these are the three ingredients that I need for my meatballs.... not counting the meatballs of course. I already have some premade and in the freezer, so yay me. The recipe calls for a bottle of chili sauce, a jar or grape jelly and half a bottle of A1. I think it might be spicy... and definitely too spicy for my kids, but Grant and I are excited. I don't remember the last time I was looking forward to making supper! I hope this one is a winner and that it will go into our meal rotation.

Clash of the Cultures

Thursday night was the 71st Irish Concert in Champion. It was a fundraiser for our local library, and there was a bunch of local talent. Avery, and six other girls from Champion danced their Highland last night. Yes, Highland Dance is Scottish. No, Scots aren't Irish. Yes, they have a history of dislike for each other.

 Regardless, the girls danced, and they all did an amazing job. We are so very fortunate to have an excellent, patient, and talented dance instructor so close by. Highland was one of the dances that I never learned when I did take dance as a kid, and I always wanted to. It is a pricey thing to do though! I just looked at getting Avery some hose to match her kiltie, and they were $199 a pair. I think we will stick with the white knee highs from WalMart for a while!

Avery just did her dance exams at the beginning of March, and she has now passed all of her Tiny Tot levels. I am so proud of the growth I have seen in her since last year, the confidence she has gained, and her enthusiasm for the dance itself. Curling is a big deal in our house, and for February and March we have watched quite a bit of it. Whenever the curlers come out on the ice, they are accompanied by bagpipes. Avery always takes this as her cue to dance. She also asked me to download her a bunch of bagpipe music to listen to on her Shuffle so she "can practice in her head".

love love love this kid!

liar, liar

     We have been dealing with my four year old son being creative with the truth lately. Just the other day he cut the slipcover on the couch, and then told me the dog chewed it. Creative, right? In talking with other parents of his classmates, I know he is not the only one, and that makes him "normal" I guess. I also know why kids lie. It isn't rocket science. He is trying to avoid getting in trouble, avoid disappointing his dad and I. What I don't understand is why adults lie. Good question, right? Kids don't fool us with their lying, so why do adults think they can?
     Is it so important to keep up with the Jones' that you spend money you don't have buying home decor, dishes, or expensive accessories? Do the people who worry more about how they LOOK to others, than how they TREAT others think they are fooling anyone? Is living on credit cards and lines of credit so worth it? Our lives changed last year when I stopped teaching. We are learning to live on less. Do I like it? No. It sucks. I miss just going to the mall to spend money. Not shop, but spend. But I don't. I have come to terms with the fact that I don't need a million pairs of shoes. That I can wear $25 dollar sunglasses. I don't need the $200 ones. I am okay with buying my kids clothes from consignment stores. I use coupons. And I don't hide it. I don't try to live a lie where money rules my life. Do you?
     What about the people who lie about others? The one thing I know about telling a lie is that it is so hard to keep track of that lie, who you told it to, and how to not slip up. It has come to my attention that a very good friend of mine, and I have been talked about to mutual friends. And the words that were said were unflattering, and untrue. I am amazed and appalled that this still goes on with people I know. Amazed. I am glad that I have gotten rid of that part of my life, but I am saddened that someone feels so badly about their own life that they feel the need to take my friend down with them.
     I think I feel the worst for the people who lie about who they are. I would like to believe that we live in a world that is more accepting than the one my parent's grew up in. I feel horrible for the people who have to hide who they really are because they can't be true to themselves because of their religious beliefs, or pressure from friends and family to be who the world characterizes as normal.
     So what is my lesson from all of this? I have learned that I need to focus on Cohen's truth telling. I need to praise his good behavior. I need to celebrate him when he breaks a rule and tells the truth about it. I have also learned that I can't destroy who I am by allowing people to lie about me, and about my friends who matter. I have to remain true to who I am, and be true to the people who are in my life.
     That is all.

more pinterest inspiration

first let me apologize for the quality of the photo. it is a good old instagram one... i kinda love instagram, but it isn't the greatest for web stuff, you know, like on your blog.....

tomorrow is green day at school, and from what i understand, there is a sneaky little leprechaun running around avery's classroom. they have set their traps and hope to catch him tomorrow. i promised a rainbow to distract him. this is the rainbow. :) 

they have also just finished up their color unit in science, and were talking about roy g biv, and all the colors of the rainbow, so this is perfect. i was tempted to make upside down leprechaun cookies, but i for one don't like sugar cookies, two, i think icing a bunch of leprechauns would make me insane, and three, the kids in her class need more fruit. we all do, for that matter, but i thought rainbow fruit is much better than sugar cookies. 

tonight was also the irish concert in town. my little monkey danced like a highland pro.... i will post about that tomorrow.

look at me! back to blogging! who knew?

Timbits

Last week was Cohen's last day of hockey for the year. It was quite a year. It started in October like this. Cohen cried every time we put him on the ice. He would throw his gloves off, or just lay there. He was frustrated because it was his first year skating and he was on the ice with a trainer. My hats are off to his coaches. There is no way I would have had the patience with a crying kid on the ice the way they did.

And it is because of that committment that Cohen, at the end of the year, was this guy. He can skate alone, get up by himself, and shoot a puck. In my opinion, he was the most improved player on his team. I know I am biased, but the growth he made in a few short months is amazing. 

That said, I don't want to grow up to be a hockey mom. Timbits is great because they don't have games, and they just work on skills, and then play some scrimmages amongst themselves. I am not looking forward to hours in an arena, driving to the ends of the province, (and other provinces for that matter), and the cost of new equipment every year. Hockey is a major committment from a family, and I only have a complete family half the year. I am certainly not going to discourage Cohen from playing, but he did tell me a couple of weeks ago that he is only going to play hockey until he is seven. Then he is going to start curling. (((SMILE)))

More Pinterest Fun

I have two kids who absolutely love love love dinosaurs. Avery eats, sleeps and breathes them. She was so excited to hear about the dinosaur fossil discovery about an hour from our house. She is talking about dinosaurs constantly, and both her and Cohen love to play with their vast collection. So, when I saw an underbed storage tote converted to a dinosaur play area I was excited to make one of our own.

 The purpose of this is to stimulate the tactile senses, while also fostering imaginative play. My kids excel at imagination. And this just kicks their fun and imagination up a notch.

 All you need is an underbed storage tote, and a bunch of dried peas, beans and lentils. I went to Zellers yesterday and totes were on sale, so that was exciting... and then I went to Bulk Barn, and stocked up on $25 worth of tiger, kidney, mung, lima, and pinto beans. I also got some black eyed peas, yellow eyed peas, and yellow, red, and green lentils. 

 When I dumped all of the peas and beans in the tote, I had a hard time taking my hands out! It certainly kicks the fun up a notch... 

Now, what I should do is a make a pinboard of all the things from Pinterest that I have pinned and made....