What To Do With All Those Christmas Cards?

This craft reminds me of my childhood.  Why?  Because I made a ton of them in my childhood.  Everyone I knew got one as a gift.  I think I first saw this project in a magazine while at the check out line of the grocery store with my mom.  It's really simple to do.  Make a cup of tea, put on A Christmas Story (don't you just love that movie?) and before you know it you'll have the cutest Christmas card tree ever.    

To start, you'll need a bunch of Christmas cards.  They can be left over from last year, or you can swing by the dollar store and pick up some new ones.  You'll also need a hole punch, scissors, a glue gun, a terracotta pot, a wooden dowel, and a Styrofoam block.  First, stick the wooden dowel in the middle of the Styrofoam block, and glue the block to the bottom of your pot.  You'll want to trim the block to be flush with, or lower than, the top of the pot.  And then, the fun begins. 

Make yourself a template.  What?  No free printable?  Not this time.  The size of your template depends on the pot your building your tree in.  It should be the shape shown in this picture, and should be a bit longer than half the diameter of the pot.  Make sure you write Template on it, so you don't confuse it for a leaf.  I've done that.  Not fun.

Use your template to trace out your first leaf.  Then punch a hole in the rounded part of the leaf.

Next, bring the two corners together and secure with a dab of hot glue.  You really don't need much glue to get the ends to stick.  I think it goes without saying, but the two ends that are glued together will be the underside of the leaf, so make sure the patterned side of the card is facing out.  

Ta da!  One leaf complete!  Now, make a some more.  Thread the leaves onto the wooden dowel, working around in a circle.  

Once you have completed 2 rows, trim the template slightly.  Make some more leaves, complete 2 rows, and trim the template again.  The leaves get smaller as you work up the tree, forming a tree shape.  Pretty clever, right?

Once you get to the top, your leaves will be pretty small, and you'll probably burn yourself with the glue gun.  But, look how cute this tree is!  Well worth it, don't you think?  You can even get creative and use all red cards, or all blue or green cards.  I made one once using the inside of the cards, so each leaf had the hand writing of my friends and family.  Top if off with a bow, or an ornament, or both, like I did.  

My Thoughts On Marriage

Yesterday (December 10th) was my 9th wedding anniversary.  Holy crap.  Am I really old enough to have been married for 9 years?  Anyway...my husband is great an all, but I think the thing I am most grateful for is having a partner to parent with, because, lord knows I couldn't do this alone.  Next weekend we're going away for the night, to celebrate, which means I'm also thankful for Grandparents and their willingness to babysit.  It really does take a village, don't you think?

Speaking of Grandparents...

My Grandpa passed away in March, at the age of almost 93.  A couple months before, in January, he wrote some words of wisdom in a birthday card to my husband.  This is what he wrote.

'At your early age you have accomplished a lot.  We are sure many more will follow.  Maintain your hard-working habits, nevertheless, have in mind that health comes before wealth.  Eat well, sleep well, and above all, together with your dear wife, take good care of those little angels.'

My Grandparents were married for 66 years.  I have often wondered how they did it, but I think my Grandpa, in his words to my husband in his birthday card, may have revealed their secret.  My Grandparents did everything for their family.  With every decision, where to live, where to work, where to vacation, even what to eat, they thought of us first.  Their family meant the world to them, and was their most prized possession.  I think that's what kept them so bonded to each other.  They realized that they were true partners, building a life not only for themselves, but for their offspring and their offspring's offspring (as my Grandpa used to refer to us).  This common goal kept them working together, never in competition with one another.  They always respected each other, and respected how hard the other worked for the family.  My Grandpa worked and my Grandma stayed home, but neither thought their role was more important.  This respect for each other and wanting to build a family together, I think, was the key to their many many happy years together. 

And so, dear husband, if you're reading this (and you better be reading this), on this, our 9th wedding anniversary, I vow to always remember that we are partners, working toward a common goal of a happy family.  I will not take for granted what you bring to the table, and what you do for our family, and I promise to go easy on you when you load the dish washer wrong or leave your shoes and briefcase in the middle of the floor.

 

Move Over, Laundry. I Have Christmas Crafts To Make

Push that laundry basket aside, grab your glue gun, and get to work.  Christmas is just around the corner!  Hopefully you've completed your DIY forest, because it's now time to focus on some DIY projects that are the perfect finishing touch for your decor, but also make great gifts.

Who doesn't love a handmade ornament?  I've recently fallen in love with twine, and so I of course had to twine up some Christmas balls.  It's really simple.  Starting at the top, using your hot glue gun, glue the twine to the ornament.  You can pick up ornaments at the dollar store or at Michaels, or, you can use ornaments you already have, but no longer love.    

Once you've covered the entire ball with twine, you can get fancy.  I had some left over ribbon, wraphia, and tiny star ornaments.  Not sure why I had the tiny star ornaments, or what they are supposed to be used for, but they work perfectly for this project.  Glue the ribbon in place, and then tie on the star ornament using the wraphia.  I did use a dab of hot glue to secure the wraphia, but I don't think it's totally necessary.  I'll leave that up to you.   

For this next one, I again used the wraphia and tiny star ornaments, and also some letter beads.  Start by threading the letter beads onto the twine.  Wrap and glue the twine to the ornament, pushing the letter beads down the twine (moving them out of the way, essentially).  When you get to the middle of the ornament, line up the letter beads where you want them, then continue wrapping and gluing the twine to the ornament.  Finish with the wraphia and tiny star ornament.  These would make cute gifts as well, don't you think?



And finally, I had a string of plastic pearls, so I added them to the this ornament.  Simply wrap and glue the twine, wrap and glue the pearls, then wrap and glue a new piece of twine to finish it off.  To unify the ornaments I again used wraphia and a tiny star ornament.  You can really use anything you have left over.  Ribbon, yarn, coloured twine, anything you have on hand.  

Continuing with the twine, for this super simple project I just tied a piece of twine to each ornament, tied the twine together making sure to stagger the ornaments, and voila!  I festive alternative to a wreath.  You could also add a ribbon to the top, or ornaments of different size and colour.  

This is a Christmas hack that I've been doing for years.  It's one of my favourites.  You'll need a fresh arrangement from a flower shop or grocery store, a pot, and an artificial wreath.  

Place the wreath around the openeing of the pot you will be using.  The inside of the wreath should be about the size of the opening of the pot.  

Next, put the fresh arrangements into the pot through the opening in the wreath.  It's like hair extensions for your arrangement!  The best part is you can use the artificial wreath year after year, and it will look like you splurged on those amazing big arrangements.  No one will know that half of it is fake. 

Happy crafting!

Dear People Who Make Toddler Clothing...

Dear people who make toddler clothing.  Those sleeveless, sparkly, ruffled dresses that you fill the stores with this time of year, are so cute. You know what's not cute? The fact that those sleeveless, sparkly, ruffled dresses aren't warm enough to wear in the winter (because they're sleeveless), forcing me to buy the co-ordinating shrug. But, you know that, don't you?  That's why you make a co-ordinating shrug.  Because you know that in order for holiday dresses to be warm enough to wear in the winter, they require sleeves.  It's bad enough I have to buy a dress that will only be worn once, but now I also have to buy a co-ordinating shrug that will most definitely only be worn once because, let's face it, who wears a shrug any more?   Even if there were another occasion in my 3-year-old's life that would require her wearing a sleeveless, sparkly, ruffled dress with co-ordinating shrug, she will most likely have out-grown it by then. But that's all part of your plan, isn't it?   Next year, please cut the sleeves off of the co-ordinating shrug, sew them onto the dress, and offer me the whole outfit for one low price.   Thank you.

To see what else my kids are wearing, check out this blog post on back to school fashions.  

Bette Midler vs Ariana Grande. But Who Is Really To Blame?

Recently, Bette Midler took aim at Ariana Grande.  In a nutshell, she said "Trust your talent. You don't have to make a whore out of yourself to get ahead."  My first reaction was, that's a bit harsh, but, you go Bette!  It's true, maybe I'm getting old, or maybe it's because I'm a mom of two little girls, but I don't think our young pop idols need to be so sexualized. But, then I got to thinking.  Is it right to pick on Ariana?  I mean, I can't really blame her, she works in an industry where she is competing for stage time with people like Jennifer Lopez.   

Did you see Jennifer's performance at this year's American Music Awards?  That girl can dance!  She was up there with her oiled up legs, her tiny waste and her wind machine, rubbing booties with Iggy Azalea.  So, what else do we expect Ariana to do?  But, I can't really fault Jennifer.  She's just trying to compete with Kim Kardashian for media coverage. 

Ah yes.  Kim Kardashian.  I'm sure by now we've all seen her pictures in Paper magazine.  The outrage that she, a mother, would pose nude! But, I can't really fault her for doing it.  This is how Kim has always made her living.  It's not very realistic of us to expect her to put on a sweater set and get a job at a bank.  She's just trying to keep her ratings up. 

I don't think the blame should be placed on Ariana Grande, or Jennifer Lopez, or even Kim Kardashian.  The problem isn't that Ariana Grande is all sexed up on stage.  The problem is that millions of us tune in to watch it.   The problem isn't Jennifer Lopez singing a song with lyrics like "All the sexy girls in the party.  Go and grab a man, bring him to the dance floor.  Go on let them jeans touch you while you're dancing.  It's his birthday, give him what he ask for (Let me show you how to do it)."  The problem is that we put this song and it's performance on prime time TV.  The problem isn't that Kim Kardashian posed nude for Paper magazine.  The problem is that the photos are so easily accessed with a simple Google search.

The celebrities that we criticize for being too sexualized and setting a bad example for our young girls, are really just giving us what we want.  Guess we should be more careful with what we ask for. 

What's for Dinner: Housewife Pie!

In high school I dated a guy whose family is from Newfoundland.  At a big family gathering one day, his aunt said to me, "You need to try my Newfie potato salad."  "Oh," I replied, "What's different about it?  What makes it Newfie potato salad?"  "A Newfie made it" was her answer.

Following along with that logic, I present to you Housewife Pie.  It's Sheppard's Pie, made by a housewife.  But, this housewife prefers sausage and sweet potatoes over ground beef and white potatoes, so that is my spin on this traditional dinner fare. 

This is what I started with.  Ground Johnsonville sausage, frozen mixed vegetables, and sweet potatoes.  Pretty simple so far, right?

Peel and dice the sweet potatoes and boil in a large pot until tender.  In the meantime, cook the ground sausage, and when it is almost cooked through, add a few handfuls of mixed frozen veggies.  Then, drain the sweet potatoes and mash them with a bit of butter, maple syrup and brown sugar.  Put the sausage mixture in a casserole dish, top with the mashed sweet potato, and put the whole thing in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, just to make sure it's heated through and so that when you cut into it, it stays together and doesn't all fall apart.  Then, eat it up! 

Here are a couple extra tips for you.  You can assemble your Housewife Pie in a freezer safe dish, and freeze for a quick meal that is ready to go when you need it.  Just pull it out of the freezer, thaw it a bit, and cook at 350 degrees until it is heated through.  Another great tip is to cook a little extra Johnsonville ground sausage, and leave a few sweet potato cubes un-mashed.  Then, the next morning, warm up the sausage and sweet potato in the microwave, and top with a couple of eggs, cooked the way you like them.  Drizzle with maple syrup and enjoy. 

Can't See The Forest For The Christmas Trees

Combine my love of Christmas, with my love of crafts, with my new found love of Pinterest, and the result is this.  A whole bunch of DIY Christmas trees.  If I lived alone, my house would be decoupaged from top to bottom.  But, since I have a husband and two kids that need to share the space with me, I suppress my desire to glue gun everything.  Suppress, that is, until Christmas.  Come Christmas, the house belongs to me.  Me and my little bit of heaven on Earth, Michael's Craft Store.

For this first Christmas tree, you'll need a Styrofoam Christmas tree, mint leaf gummies, and straight pins.  It's best to go with the green Styrofoam Christmas tree since some will show through, and look for the straight pins with the multi-coloured ends, since they will act as the Christmas decorations on the tree.  

Starting at the bottom, pin each mint leaf gummy onto the Christmas tree.  That's about it.  I was watching The Blacklist with my husband while making this, and I have to say, the hardest part about this project was trying to get him to stop eating my craft supplies.

When your tree is done, look through your Christmas decorations for something that can act as a topper.  It can be anything you like.  Or nothing at all.  It's your tree.  It looks good enough to eat, don't you think?  But, I wouldn't eat it.  Unless you like eating little bits of Styrofoam.  

This next tree is just as quick and easy as the last one.  You can put the kids down for a nap, make a tree, and still have time to do the laundry before they wake up.  That's my kind of craft project.  For this tree, you'll need a Styrofoam tree, a glue gun and fuzzy ribbon.  I don't know the actual name, but it's in the ribbon section of Michael's, so you can't miss it.  Oh, and a cup of tea.  The tea is important. 



Starting at the top, wrap the fuzzy ribbon around the Christmas tree.  You'll want to glue the entire first row, to ensure it will stay in place.  As you wrap the fuzzy wired ribbon down the tree you'll only need to glue sporadically.  Ok...I have to confess something.  This final design was not my original intention for this project.  I ran out of fuzzy wired ribbon.  But, me being me, I couldn't wait until I was next able to go to Michael's to buy some more, so I decided to rummage through my Christmas decorations to find something to glue to the base to hide the Styrofoam tree.  So, you can either buy enough material, or, plan to hid the bottom. 



Before we had kids, my friend Vanessa and I owned a gift basket company.  We were perfect basket business partners because we both like tedious activities.  Need me to add a gift tag to 200 favours?  No problem.  Want a tiny crystal glued on each gift tag?  Even better.  If you can relate to this, then this next tree is for you.  For this tree you'll need a couple bags of mixed buttons, and some straight pins with coloured ends, and, of course, a Styrofoam tree.  Oh, and a glue gun.  First, separate the buttons into two bowls, one with large buttons and one with small buttons.  Tedious task #1.  

Start by gluing the large buttons all over the tree.  Don't worry if some white shows through, you'll be covering that up later.  Tedious task #2.  Once that is done, using the straight pins, pin the smaller buttons onto the tree to cover up the white spots.  Overlap the large buttons with the smaller buttons as well, for a fuller look.  Tedious task #3.

And voila.  The most adorable, tedious button tree ever. 

Ok, back to the easy trees.  These next three trees are all completed the same way.  You'll need, can you guess?  A Styrofoam tree, a glue gun, and this time some yarn and some twine.  And any straight pins you have left over.  Just wrap the trees with the yarn or the twine, gluing as you go.  For the yarn trees, you really don't need too much glue.  But you will need to wrap the yarn around the tree in a couple of layers.  The twine will only require one layer.  Then top with whatever decoration you found in your basement.



For the twine tree, take any leftover straight pins and pin them all over the tree to act as adorable little ornaments.  

So, now, what to do with all these DIY Christmas trees?  Make a DIY Christmas tree forest, of course!  Add some garland to amp up the forest feel and your Christmas tree forest is complete.  Alright, this was supposed to be a blog post about trees, but, since you asked, I'll tell you how I added those red ornaments to my photos.  

Using a piece of twine, tie a loop at the top and tie an ornament at the bottom.  Hang the ornament on the nail used to hang the picture, then hang the picture back on the nail.



Next, tie a piece of twine around the frame, off to one side.  The nail in the back will stop the twine from sliding down the frame.  Then, on each end of the tied twine, tie an ornament.  Easy peasy!



What I Learned About Life From An Old Man At Starbucks

I was at Starbucks the other day, and there was an old man in line behind me.  He leaned forward and said, "Nice day out."  I turned my head and said "Ya, looks like it's going to be".  Then he started talking to me about this and that, and I ended up standing there, talking to him until my chai latte was ready.  When it was ready, I grabbed it, told the old man to have a nice day and he said "It was nice talking to you, dear.  Take care."

I left Starbucks feeling happier than usual.  This old man and his pleasant small talk really put me in a good mood.  I drove out of the parking lot and waved a car to go ahead, even though it was clearly my turn.  When I was out running my errands, I held the door for people, and smiled as they walked through.  I had a little more patience with my kids.  All because of the small talk I made with the old man at Starbucks.  It got me thinking.

The old man grew up in a time when you would walk down the street, make eye contact with the people you passed, and smile or say hello.  You would greet your butcher by name and ask him what was fresh.  You sat on your front porch in the hopes of seeing your neighbours so you could say hello and ask how little Johnny made out at his soccer game, or ask how your neighbours ailing mother was doing.  He grew up in a time where it was common place to strike up a conversation while waiting in line at the bank.  Everyone knew everyone's business, not because they were nosey, but because they cared.  People genuinely cared about other people. 

We now live in a time where we don't make eye contact with the people we pass on the street, because our heads are buried in our smart phones.  We walk past them, as if we didn't even see them.  We don't greet our butcher by name, because we don't know his name.  We rush from our car into the house, and therefore don't know our neighbours.  But we do notice that they haven't cut their grass or brought in their blue bins.  And we are quick to point out our neighbours house-keeping flaws to our friends.  We don't strike up a conversation at the bank because we are doing our banking online or at the drive-thru window.  We still know each other's business, not because we care, but because it showed up on our twitter and Facebook feed.  We've stopped talking to strangers on the street, and started fighting with strangers on the internet. 

I think we're all so busy trying to get to the next place, run the next errand, get to the next meeting, that we never realize or enjoy where we are.  I too am guilty of this.  I was in a rush that day at Starbucks, and didn't think I had time to make small talk with a stranger.  But, it changed my whole day.  Put me in a great mood that lasted.  Imagine if we all had come in contact with that old man that day.  If we all had taken a bit of time to talk to a stranger, open a door, wave someone on while driving.  How different would that day have been?  The small talk the old man and I made that day was mostly centered around the tragic shooting in Ottawa in October.  Maybe we'd all be nicer to each other, if we start being nicer to each other. 

Am I Wasting my University Education by Being a Stay at Home Mom?

Some people say that I'm wasting my university education by being a stay at home mom.  And the rest just think it.  But I can tell you, with 100% certainty, that I am not.  Finding a good job isn't the only reason to go to university.  There are many reasons to further your education.  Many lessons to be learned both in and outside the classroom. 

Life skills.  I lived on and off campus while at university, and that is probably where I did most of my learning.  October of first year, my mom sent back to university with me a Tupperware full of turkey and stuffing.  I ate it, then put the Tupperware on the top shelf of the wardrobe in my residence room.  In late April of the following year, I was packing to move back home for the summer, and I reached up to that top shelf to get the Tupperware.  Do you know what happens to little bits of turkey and stuffing that are left in a Tupperware for 6 months?  It's not pretty.  But by the end of fourth year I was cooking up meals for my roommates, doing my own laundry, and yes, washing my dishes in a timely manner.  It's a basic life skill, but it's one I learned at university that I now use on the daily. 

Socialization.  High school, as we know, if full of cliques that we never really seem to fit in with.  There may have been cliques in my university, but there were so many people that, if they were there, I didn't notice.  That high school mentality seemed to have faded with our summer tans and everyone was just nicer, more accepting, and it was a place I was able to be myself.  I was also completely in charge of my social life.  I didn't have a curfew, I didn't have to sneak in after my curfew, and if I was hung over and late for class, there was no one kicking my butt to get there.  It was all on me.  I quickly learned to balance my social life, my waitressing job, and my classes.  If you knew me in high school, you would know that time management wasn't one of my best qualities, but it definitely improved during my time in university. 

The education part.  In university, my major was Criminal Justice and Public Policy.  I had classes such as Serial Murder, Advanced Topics in Criminal Justice, Ontario Politics, and Anthropology.  These are all things that interest me.  Was I ever going to be an Ontario politician studying human behaviour while revamping the criminal legislation through the eyes of a serial murderer?  No.  But taking these courses fed my curiosity on the subjects, opened me up to new ways of looking at the world, and gave me a better understanding of the political system I live in.  I have also taken piano lessons, squash lessons, and skating lessons.  I am not a part of an orchestra, at all athletic, and I can only skate forward.  I can't stop or go backwards.  But, those classes weren't a waste either. 

Critical Thinking.  Any arts program at any university is based on developing critical thinking.  That's why they make you write an essay for everything.  To help you develop your critical thinking, your creative writing, to improve your communication skills so you can better articulate your point of view and your opinions.  Critical thinking and problem solving are two skills I use all the time.  Researching a contractor to reno our kitchen.  Trouble-shooting my broken dish washer.  Working through all the baby advice I was given, and deciphering the good from the bad.  Arguing with my husband.  Critical thinking, problem solving, good communication. 

Baby steps to adulthood.  I lived with my parents up until I went to university, and then moved right back in with them once I graduated and stayed until the day I returned from my honeymoon.  So for me, I really needed those 4 years at university.  I grew up in those four years, gained a lot of independence, learned to manage my time and my money, paid bills, rented a house, I even founded the Criminal Justice and Public Policy society.  And was president of it.  Just saying.  I was on my way to adulthood, and fast, but I was surrounded by professors, residence staff, a housing manager, guidance councillors, senior teaching assistants and great friends to help me.  And I definitely used their help.    

University is fun.  I met amazing people.  I made life long friendships.  I met my husband.  I learned about the strain theory of criminal behaviour, which is totally applicable to parenthood.  You should Google it.  It was some of the best years of my life.  Amazing life experiences, like my 4 years at the University of Guelph (go Gryphons!) are never wasted.  They shape who we are as people, they build character, and the more amazing life experiences we can put on our resume, the better.  Even if we never use that resume for anything. 

Working Moms vs Stay At Home Moms

Last week I wrote a blog post called 8 Things You Should Never Say to a Stay at Home Mom.  I posted it, thought it would grace the screens of a couple hundred computers, then forever sit on a virtual shelf in my blog archives.  Boy was I wrong.


Erica Ehm's Yummy Mummy Club shared it on their Facebook page.  This was beyond exciting for me.  I really like their page and their posts, so it was super cool for me to be one of the posts on their page.  Because of their sharing, more people read my post than attended my high school.  And I didn't go to a small high school.  But as I learned, if a lot of people read your blog post, the chances are greater that some aren't going to like it.  And some people sure didn't like it.  So I decided to write a rebuttal.  That's such a funny word, rebuttal.  Don't you think?  Anyway...


Here are a couple of the comments I will be rebutting.  Ok, that word is even funnier. 

I apologize if my tone was negative.  I didn't mean for it to come across as negative.  The tone I was going for was fed up and frustrated.  Also, I re-read my blog post, and I'm not sure how I'm contributing to the working mom vs stay at home mom battle.  In my blog post, I wasn't speaking to working moms, I was speaking to those people who have made those comments to me.  Men, women, children, purple dinosaurs, if you asked me one of those questions, or made one of those comments, then it was to you that I was directing my responses.  It's not a working mom vs stay at home mom thing.  It's a respect others' decisions and stop being so judgemental thing. 

 



Again, I have to apologize.  If I had known you were so tired of reading articles about stay at home moms, I wouldn't have tricked you into reading my blog post by giving it such a cryptic title.  And guess what, I don't work full time but I have enough empathy and understanding to know that of course you work all day and do mommy things all night.  I re-read my blog post a second time and can't find where in the article I suggested that you don't.  If you're finding article upon article from SAHMs trying to prove how busy they are, maybe it's because we face a lot of judgement towards our decision to stay home.  Maybe you don't find articles from working moms reeling about how busy they are because nobody is questioning how busy they are.  Everybody knows. 


If any of the commenters had read my very first blog post, then they would know where I stand on the working mom vs stay at home mom debate.  But since they obviously didn't read it, let me explain.  I think it's ridiculous.  We're all moms, we all face the same struggles, same challenges, same fears, same worries, same victories.  Some work in the home, some work out of the home, some have nannies, some are single moms.  Our situations are all different, but none are better or worse.  At the heart of it, we're all just moms.


I have also never ever made claims that being a stay at home mom is the hardest job in the world.  I can think of lots of jobs that are harder.  Brain surgeon, for example.  The person who cleans out port-a-potties.  Kindergarten teachers.  All harder jobs.  And you know what?  It was never a goal of mine to have a the hardest job in the world.  When I was a kid, I wanted to be a lawyer.  Some kids want to be a police man.  Some want to be an astronaut.  Find me a kid who wants to grow up to have the hardest job in the world.  As I got older, my aspirations changed from wanting to be a lawyer to wanting a job that I loved and having the respect of my peers.  I now have a job that I love.  I'm just working on the respect of my peers part.   



I think the working mom vs stay at home mom debate is as silly as The Bachelor.  25 women fighting over one guy, and for what?  If they'd stop fighting long enough, they'd realize they are on the same side and they could band together, kick the bachelor out, and have the mansion all to themselves.  Then they could order pizza and watch chick flicks in their pajamas.  With no make up on.  And their hair tied up in a scrunchie.  Sounds pretty good to me.   

Best Halloween Tip Ever!

Happy Halloween, everybody!  Don't you just love Halloween?  I sure do.  I had to wear a uniform in high school, so Halloween was a really big deal for us.  It was an excuse not to wear our uniforms, and we definitely didn't waste it.  Well, some people did.  Every year there was always a student or two who would dress up as a student from the other Catholic high school.  So, instead of wearing our maroon and grey uniform, they wore the other school's blue and green uniform.  Weirdos.  One year I made a half man half woman costume.  It was awesome.  One year I went as a housewife.  That's funny, seeing as it is my current line of work. 


Last Friday my husband and I went to a Halloween party.  He was Waldo and I was a detective - looking for Waldo.  Not bad, eh?  The girls are both princesses for Halloween.  Obviously.


Anyway.  This is a Halloween tip I came up with last year, but it's a good one, so I thought I'd share it again.


When the girls go to bed on Halloween night, I sort through their Halloween candy. I take out all of the Coffee Crisps and put them in a bowl, just for me. You know, because coffee isn't good for little ones. Then I take out all the Skittles and put it in my bowl.  Because they're a choking hazard. I take the chips out and put them in my bowl as well, because chips are addictive and I'm trying to nip that type of behaviour in the bud. I take out all the Kit Kats and put them in my bowl because they're my husband's favourite. Finally, I take out all the suckers and put them in my bowl because the girls always manage to get them stuck in their hair. That leaves them with the Rockets. I think that's some darn good parenting, don't you?

8 Things You Should Never Say to a Stay at Home Mom

The stay at home mom used to be viewed as a woman who is a loving, nurturing home-maker.  She makes her own mayonnaise, volunteers for the PTA, and always has a hot meal on the table when her husband and kids come home.  Now, there seems to be some confusion surrounding the mysterious world of the stay at home mom.  This confusion causes people to ask questions of us.  Some questions genuine, some cloaked in judgement.  For those of you who fall into the latter category, here is a list of the 8 things you should never say to a stay at home mom. 

1) What do you do all day?  This question is never asked with genuine interest.  The asker is never waiting with bated breath for tales of laundry and grocery shopping and tips for getting crushed Cheerios out of the carpet.  No, this question is always based in a preconceived idea of our days being filled with daytime talk shows and manicures. 

2) It must be nice to stay at home all day.  First of all, I don't stay at home all day.  I do have a playroom in my basement, but I don't have a grocery store or a dry cleaners, and my kids skating and ballet lessons are not held in my kitchen.  Secondly, asking such a condescending question isn't going to make you any new friends. 

3) If I stayed home all day, I'd be so bored.  Then you're a boring person.  Get a hobby.  Clean out a closet.  Spend some time with your kids. 

4) I have to work all day, so I don't have time to get my nails done.  Yes you do.  We all make time for the things that are important to us.  I get my nails done every once in a while because I'm a girl and that's what I like to do.  You don't stop being a girl when you become a stay at home mom.  You do become a girl who wears scrunchies and track pants to the grocery store, but you're a girl who wears scrunchies and track pants to the grocery store with a killer shellac manicure.

5) It's late, I better go.  I have to work in the morning.  That's too bad.  I get to sleep in while my kids get their own breakfast, pack their own lunches, and walk themselves to school.  Then my imaginary friends get to work cleaning my house. 

6) It's so nice that your husband provides such a good life for you.  I know, and I really don't deserve it, what with all the TV I watch while doing absolutely nothing else. 

7) I need to work, to feel like I'm contributing and being productive.  Yes, you're right.  I wander around, unproductively, all day, just wishing I could contribute somehow.

8) Do you feel guilty shopping for yourself since you didn't earn the money?  Maybe I should.  Maybe I should also return the $40 purse I bought from Target, since I can't afford it with the zero dollars I make each week.  Guess that also means when we go out for dinner, I should just stick with the free bread and water, since it fits nicely into my budget.  I should also thank my husband for letting me live in the house he bought.  Maybe I should start doing some chores around here, you know, earn my keep.  Maybe I'll even be able to save up enough to buy back that Target purse.  If it goes on sale... 


I got a lot of Facebook comments regarding this post, suggesting that I was contributing to the working mom vs stay at home mom debate.  This was never my intention.  But, since they brought it up, I decided to write a blog post on the topic, called Working Moms vs Stay At Home Moms.  I'd love for you to give it a read and tell me what you think.

   

What's For Dinner? Purple Sweet Potatoes!

Have you ever had purple sweet potatoes?  For me it goes, chai lattes, purple sweet potatoes, chocolate, all other food.  Yup.  They're that good.  I first discovered them in a recipe for purple sweet potato hash, which is awesome.  Just shred a purple sweet potato in a food processor, cook it up in a frying pan in some melted coconut oil until brown and crispy.  Breakfast side dish perfection.  Since this discovery I have been on a mission to see what other wonderful creations I could make with this odd, but delicious, new vegetable.   

I've had the Crazy Plates cookbook for years.  I love it, and yes, it was the inspiration for Crazy Plates' name.  She is crazy for sure, and so yummy I could eat her cheeks.  Anyway...there is a recipe in the cookbook called My Yammy Spice, or, sweet potato fries.  The recipe calls for sweet potatoes, olive oil, cumin, dried oregano, paprika and black pepper.  I thought this would be a good test recipe for my beloved purple sweet potatoes.  And boy was I right.  I used 5 purple sweet potatoes and cubed them instead of cutting them into wedges, (because it's way easier) and drizzled them with olive oil.  Then I mixed up one tablespoon each of cumin, paprika, and Italian seasoning (because I never have oregano on hand), sprinkled that on the purple sweet potatoes, gave it a stir, then baked them on a baking sheet at 450 for half an hour.  I mean, look how good they look?  And they taste even better. 

I had some left over, and a left over sausage, so the next morning I warmed up the purple sweet potatoes and sausage and topped it with a sunny side up egg.  And you know what?  My purple sweet potatoes wowed me again.  Perfect at dinner, perfect at breakfast.  What more can you ask for?

But, not to be forgotten, that spice mixture of equal parts cumin, paprika, and Italian seasoning.  As the old lady in the Frank's Red Hot commercial says, I put that sh#t on everything.  Here it is on roasted carrots, parsnips, and onions.  Super good. 



Make sure you check out Janet and Greta's website for more info on their books and even more recipes.  And, if you try the purple sweet potato in any new and exciting ways, be sure to share in the comments.  Ok, here's one more way.  I know, I'm a giver.  Cook up some bacon.  Once done, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towel.  Then, dice up a purple sweet potato and cook it in the bacon fat until it's all brown and crispy.  Fry up a couple eggs.  Put the eggs, bacon, and purple sweet potato hash browns on your plate and enjoy. 



Dear Starbucks: I Have A Bagel-Sized Bone To Pick With You

Dear Starbucks.  As you know from the last letter I wrote you, I love you.  However, I do have a bagel-sized bone to pick.


This past Sunday, my husband ran his first half marathon.  I, being of sound mind, decided to forgo the months of training and drive to the finish line, to cheer him on.  So bright and early Sunday morning, I loaded the girls in the car and, since this mom requires a chai latte for any drive longer than 11 minutes, we headed to your drive-thru.  Once there, I ordered, amongst other things, an everything bagel with butter.  I asked that the bagel be buttered, instead of a few butter packets being thrown into the bagel bag.  That's when my friendly Starbucks barista informed me that she wasn't allowed to butter my bagel.  What the what?


I drove up to the window, and as she handed me the bagel, my friendly Starbucks barista apologized and said it was company policy that they don't butter bagels.  What was this non-bagel-buttering nonsense?  I pulled into a parking spot, crawled into the back of the van, and as I knelt down to butter the bagel, I began to think.  Does Mr. Starbucks know how dangerous it is to butter a bagel while driving?  I'm pretty sure buttering a bagel while driving is right up there with texting while driving, on the list of things not to do while driving.  And, does Mr. Starbucks understand the concept of the drive-thru window?  By it's very design, you need to be in a car to use the drive-thru window, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that I was driving at the time of ordering the buttered bagel.  Also, drive-thru windows are supposed to save time.  They are supposed to be efficient.  But, kneeling down in the back of a van in a Starbucks parking lot is neither a time saver nor efficient.  And, to add insult to injury (and I do mean injury...I knelt down on a piece of Lego), the butter in the packet was so cold and so hard that, despite our best efforts, Pink Baby and I couldn't get the butter to spread across the bagel.


And so, dear Starbucks, I suggest you call an emergency meeting and change this non-bagel-buttering policy immediately.  It's ridiculous, and not indicative of the Starbucks I have come to know and love.  Thank you.


Oh, and because I know you're wondering, and because I know he'd love for me to tell you, my husband completed his first half marathon in 1 hour and 50 minutes.  Show off. 

Grandma's dishes: Part 2

My Grandma was a perfect host.  In addition to the big family functions she'd host, every Sunday she and my Grandpa would leave the front door open to anyone who was able to stop by.  They never knew for sure who was going to be there and at what time, but without fail, every time I went (which was just about every Sunday) there was a pot of tea on the stove (she used to mix two different tea bags together.  So good), veggies and dip, a big fruit platter, hard boiled eggs, tons of home-made pastries and cakes, and whatever else she had up her sleeve; a yummy soup, curry, or fried spinach.  It was a feast, to say the least. 

So, without a doubt, my Grandma's dishes will always remind me of sitting around her kitchen table with my family on Sundays, eating her food and debating the topic of the day with my Grandma.  I wrote a blog on how to make Grandma's tea cup candles, and to continue on the theme of using her dishes instead of storing them, here are some more ideas.  

Do you ever watch Come Dine With Me Canada?  I do, and I love it.  On that show, the contestants always serve a plated appetizer to each guest, instead of putting it out on a coffee table.  If you have occasion to serve plated appetizers, why not use a tea cup and saucer?  I mean, look how cute it is!

If plated apps aren't your style, you can put out a few cups and a few saucers.  In each cup you can have a different cracker, and each saucer a different cheese.  Or fill one cup with carrots, one with cucumber slices, and one with dip. The possibilities are really endless.

What's better than cheese and veggies?  Chocolate and candy, of course!  Not everyone likes a big piece of cake after dinner (although, I don't know who these weirdos are), so in addition to the dessert you're serving you can set up a candy bar with Grandma's tea cups.  

If you're having your mommy's group over for lunch, or maybe you're having your mom over for lunch, or maybe it's just you, and it's lunchtime, and you're hungry...either way, serve the soup in a tea cup and the sandwich on the coordinating side plate.  It will make lunch feel a little more special, even if it's just a canned soup and a peanut butter sandwich.  

Ok, so you're a bit of a traditionalist.  You serve food on serving platters.  I get it.  So for you, I have this idea.  Put a bit of water in the tea cup, snip a few daisies from a large stem, and you have these adorable little flower arrangements. 

Chances are you have 8 or 10 of Grandma's tea cups.  If that is the case, you can put a little flower arrangement at each place setting.  Or you could group a few on a pretty tray in the middle of your table as a centerpiece.  Or you can put a couple on the counter or table where you'll be serving the food from.  Adorbs!  That's a word I just learned.  I'm not sure how I feel about it yet.  I'm just trying it out.

For a non food or flower way to use Grandma's tea cups, why not take one into the bathroom?  You can keep Q-tips or cotton balls in the cup, and the saucer is a great place to keep your watch and rings when you take them off at the end of the night.  You can keep one by your kitchen sink too, if you take your watch and rings off before you do the dishes.  Growing up, my friend's mom had a plastic hand by her sink that would hold her rings and things while she washed dishes.  It would sit on the counter on it's wrist and the fingers would point straight up.  It always creeped me out.  This tea cup option won't do that.  

And finally, yes I went there, you can work these little tea cups into your holiday decor.  You can use them as a centerpiece, dress up a buffet table, where ever you need a little Christmas cheer, put a tea cup.