Two More Sleeps!

Christmas is only two days away, and I could not be more excited. Money is tight this year, so to ease the burden, we decided to do homemade Christmas for family. I have spent the past month baking cookies, making treats, making ornaments, and putting baskets together.

Image and recipe from Allrecipes.com

Image and recipe from Hershey.com

Image and recipe from BettyCrocker.com

Image and recipe from Allrecipes.com

Even though the idea of homemade Christmas came out of financial need more than anything else, I am thinking that I want to make it a tradition. I am already collecting recipes for homemade spice rub, roasted nuts, and this great salt scrub from Kelle Hampton's blog.

I am not just wanting to go all out with the homemade goodies for extended family, either. I am loving the idea of having a large homemade component for our own Christmas as well. As mentioned previously, I'm taking a sewing class in January and I have a (maybe too ambitious?) dream of making coordinating patchwork Christmas stockings for my family. I may even sew an extra one for a potential second child, though who knows if and when there even will be one?

And I love the idea of this homemade advent calendar by Martha Stewart. I'd fill each toddler sock with a Hershey's Kiss!

I LOVE the idea of this DIY play kitchen found on ohdeedoh.

Can you believe it was made from an old TV stand? Love it.

And of course there are the traditional photobooks, photo ornaments, and photo calendars easily found online.

I want my gifts for family and friends to be personal. I love the idea of Homemade Christmas to lessen the commercialism that is so common this type of year. Maybe one year I will succeed in having an entirely homemade Christmas.

So what are our plans for this Christmas?

Well, Christmas Eve will be just us three. We will stay home, eat yummies, drink cocoa, watch Christmas movies, and maybe take a snow dusted nature walk through the woods if the weather permits and the mood is right.

We will eat a simple dinner of beer and cheddar fondue, complimented by a sandwich table complete with chicken, cheeses, tomatoes, onions, pickles and stuffed olives.Before church we will each open one gift, and to our surprise it will be Pajamas to ensure that we are a) warm and cozy on the night before Christmas, and b) cute in photos the next morning. Our Sweet Baboo will also get a matchbox car, since let's face it, clothes are not exciting for kids.

Image from Pajamagram.com

 We will then attend my parents' church. Ideally we'd be attending our own church, but theirs has child care on Christmas Eve night, whilst ours does not. Even if Our Sweet Baboo doesn't want to stay in the nursery, they have a big, usually empty balcony where we can sit and he can wander around. I love our small church, but it's not conducive to toddlers, since there's no out of the way places to sit with them where they won't disturb everyone else. Our church is having a wonderful candlelight service, which I am sad to miss, but at least at my parents' church I won't have to worry about my toddler accidentally lighting the place on fire. Hopefully this time next year we'll be at our church on Christmas Eve, but Christmas is about family, and I don't mind accomodating my little guy for one more year.

After church we are going to take a leisurely drive around to look at Christmas lights, and our babe will probably fall asleep in the car. I'll carry him up to our bed and snuggle him until he settles, and he will already be wearing his Christmas jammies so we won't have to worry about changing him. Then the Hubbs and I will put away all but his favourite doll, to make room for all the toys he'll be opening from Grandparents, Great Grand Parents, and of course, his own parents the next morning. We'll drink a few Christmas cocktails, maybe watch a cheesy Christmas special, then join our little guy in bed. And the next morning when we wake up it will be Christmas!!!!

We will spend a blissful day eating all day breakfast, enjoying our gifts, and being together, and in the early evening we will head over to my cousin's house where they are hosting an enormous dinner for our whole extended family. We will eat on our laps and enjoy our twice yearly get-together. Our little guy will fall asleep in the car on the way home, and I will carry him upstairs and tuck him in, then the Hubbs and I will crawl in beside him.

Our Tree

I'd love to hear your holiday plans, so feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you're up to! Hope your Christmas is Merry! See you in the New Year!

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Progress Report: 101 in 1001

I'm doing the 101 Things to do in 1001 Days challenge. Six hundred and forty some odd days to go, and I've made some more progress.

14) Learn to sew at least well enough to patch something or re-attach a button.
I haven't done this yet, but our community centre offers free sewing classes and I signed up! Classes start in January and are during the day, so unless I manage to get a job before then (doubtful), I will be taking ten weeks of sewing. Yay!

59) Take Baboo out on a sled in the snow

There wasn't enough snow to actually pull it, so he just sat on it. Hopefully we'll get more snow later this winter, but if not, at least I didn't miss the opportunity to *kind of* do it.

76) Go to the movies with Hubbs at least once

We went to see this movie when we visited the In Laws. They watched our Sweet Baboo, and we had two glorious hours to ourselves. This movie was a little much for this mama to handle, though. If you're sensitive and a toddler mom, bring tissues!!!

79) Shop at a Farmers Market

Also accomplished on our trip to the Hubbs' hometown. I got together with a college friend, and we strolled the farmers market, had lunch, tasted yummy organic wine, and caught each other up on our lives. It was fun.


101) Take a class for something I am interested in (glass-blowing, pottery, cooking, spanish, etc).
See number 14!

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A Few of My Favourite Things: Winter Edition

1. The first snowfall

My Sweet Baboo enjoying the first snow of the year.

2. Baking yummy treats

3. Holiday speciality drinks at Coffeeshops

4. Feeling warm and cozy after coming inside from a brisk winter walk

(Photo courtesy of As Seen on TV)

5. Buying and making gifts for friends and family

6. Getting holiday cards

7. Christmas music on the radio

8. Wrapping presents while watching cheesy Christmas specials

9.  Looking at lights while driving around

10. The anticipation of the look on your toddler's face when he wanders out in the morning and sees all the colourful boxes.

Been busy! More to come!

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101 Things to do in 1001 Days

This update has been a long time coming, and I've been slowly plugging away at my goals. The clock is slowly slipping by, like sand through an hour glass, and I sometimes stop and wonder if I will succeed or if I will fail. Many of these goals aren't life-defining or earth-moving in and of themselves, but I think it's what these goals represent that counts. Namely, the ability to know that I am not all talk. The ability to look back on my year, or on the past 1001 days, and think "I grew. I learned. I changed. I became." It is so important to me to never be stagnant or complacent, but to always be striving to live my life to the fullest. So, my 101 Things to do in 1001 Days update. I haven't looked at these recently, so hopefully I'll find that I have actually accomplished something since my last update. If not, I will have to kick my own butt into gear.

1) Learn to crochet and complete at least five projects. This definitely isn't done, but I've made about one tenth of what is to be a massive blanket. I also plan on making little hats for the baby girls of two of my cousins. I'd make one for my Sweet Baboo, but he'd just rip it off. I'm looking for an ear flap hat for him that buckles under the chin, because that's the only kind I'll be able to keep on his stubborn little head.

2) Make an alphabet book for Baboo for his first birthday present. Yeah, fail. Here's what happened. I was going to make him the book, but then I figured I should probably wait until after his birthday so I could include photos from his birthday. And now it's October and I've decided that I'm going to scatch the alphabet book idea for now, and instead make him a board book from Photo Works, with pictures of him doing his favourite things. I've already put it together and just need to order it. I think I'll save the alphabet book for his second birthday, because the alphabet template can't be ordered in board book form, and he would just end up ripping it apart. So even though I didn't technically complete this goal, things change. Roll with it. I still think I deserve to check this off my list.

3) Collect and Perfect 10 new recipes. I'm up to 9! Thanksgiving pumpkin muffins and peppercorn lime chicken helped with that. Hopefully by Christmas I'll be able to add Grand Marnier Chocolate Mousse to the list, and then cross number 3 off entirely.

5) Do a photoshoot of Baboo every month until he's a year old. Done and done. Now I just need to find a frame that fits 12 photos and I can display it prominently on our wall.

9) Get a massage. As previously mentioned in a recent post, my first appointment with a massage therapist is scheduled for next Wednesday, and hopefully it'll be a weekly thing. I can't wait until I can return to feeling like a 20-something, rather than an old lady. That kid sure did a number on me while he was living on my sciatic nerve for 9 months.

12) Make Baboo a texture book. I did this! We are going on a little trip to visit the in-laws (which I am kind of dreading) later this month, and I have been planning ways to keep Baboo occupied on the four hour plane ride. This seems like as good a time as any to make him a texture book, so I am working on it, and it's almost done. Honestly, it's not the greatest, and I'd be surprised if it makes it through the entire plane ride there. Turns out I'm not as crafty as I'd like to believe. But I made it, and I guess that's what counts. I'll post a picture of it later.

19) Read ten books. Done and done. In no particular order: SAHM I Am, The Sounds of Us, Expectations, Novel About My Wife, The Other Woman, Going it Alone, The Wild Zone, The No Cry Sleep Solution, The Bag Lady Chronicles, A Million Miles in A Thousand Years.

88) Okay, so I am supposed to be moving my blog to wordpress. I am not going to do this anymore, and here's why. 1) It's too much of a pain in the butt. 2) Blogger now has all the things wordpress had that made me want to move. It now has the ability to add pages, and check stats, etc. So there's no reason to move. Also, I think I wanted to move back when I had illusions of actually being a popular mom blogger. Now that I realize that that isn't going to happen, and also don't care because I have more important goals than trying to get people to read my blog, I just can't be bothered. No offense to you guys or anything, I'm beyond thrilled that someone at least reads this thing. It's just that I've realized that I don't have it in me to be a real mom blogger. I don't have it in me to host giveaways, advertise, market myself, track down sponsors, etc, etc. I've always been a journaler, for as long as I can remember, and blogging is just so much easier than trying to write with a pen and paper when you have a toddler who tries to grab everything and anything out of your hands. I love having this place as an outlet, and having the ability to keep track of my goals and the happenings of my life here. But I guess I just got over my desire to be popular. I wasn't popular in elementary school, nor was I popular in high school, and I don't expect that to change on the internet. LoL. I will, however, be replacing goal 88 with something else. I just need to think of what it will be.

That's all for today! Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a comment sharing the goals you've accomplished over the past year or what you hope to accomplish during the next!

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School Years Resolutions

I read somewhere that when it comes to resolutions, Fall is the best time of year to make them. Apparently it has something to do with being inspired by the changing of the leaves. If you're a student, and/or have kids, then scheduling other changes during the natural change of going back to school is supposed to make goals easier to accomplish. I can definitely say that I am NOT inspired by the blah feelings that come with the end of the Christmas season, and 3 or 4 more months of wet, cold winter stretching out in front of me in January. I made some resolutions in September, but slacker that I am, I didn't blog about them until now. You might think that doesn't bode well for me actually keeping them, haha. I'm just going to say that I've been so busy trying to live my resolutions, that I haven't had a chance to blog about them. *wink wink*

One thing my life definitely needs is a handful of good friends. I've written here and there about attending a moms group in the past, but to be 100% honest with you, I just never felt like I gelled with the other women there. I felt like we were "friends" simply because we all have kids and stay home, and that was it. Of course, some of the other women bonded and were really close and that's great for them.

I mean no disrespect if you're this kind of Mama, but I personally have no interest in discussing my hair, or my nails, or whether my husband is doing a good job at being the leader of my home. Honestly, I mean no disrespect at all, but that's just not me. I'm the mom wearing yoga pants around all day without shame (I secretly can't wait to get my yoga instructor's certification so that I can have the excuse). I'm not the mom who sleep trained at 6 months (or ever) and has been getting beauty sleep for over a year now. I'm the crunchy, granola, Earth-Mama type who would have absolutely no issue having all her kids and the family pet in bed together if they made mattresses big enough. Just nothing in common, you know? I felt like I couldn't be related to, so I just stopped going. One of my goals for this school-year is to make a couple of good
friends.

Another goal is to do something about my back pain. I've had back issues since high school required that I keep a small library on my back at all times, but it's been really bad since carrying a kid on my sciatic nerve for 9 months. It took a full year after delivery for my hips to stop feeling like they were separating from my body whenever I walked, but my back is still a mess. I've decided that this year, I need to make my health a priority. I'm twenty-five years old, I should not be taking 3 extra strength Tylenols every night before bed until I've at least achieved Grandmother status.

I've made a doctor's appointment for tomorrow morning, and though I think it will just be a consultation, I'm excited about working out a treatment plan that will hopefully include chiropractic and massage. I'm going to need it if that fat kid still insists on me carrying him around several times a day. I kid. He's not fat. He actually has no fat on him whatsoever, and I'm honestly a little jealous. He is pure muscle, so still heavy--when we aren't calling him "Baboo", his nickname is Bam Bam.

I have also been working quite a bit on secret goal number 32, from my list of 101 Things to do in 1001 Days. I'm still not ready to reveal it, lest I die from embarassment, but I'm aiming for completion somewhere around January 2011. Go me!

Another thing I really want to do this year is go to counselling. I've been having a lot of anger issues come up lately, when I think about my childhood. I think they're resurfacing because of everything that's going on with my parents. I don't feel like getting into my frustrations right now, but I feel like I need to let go of those feelings and work through those issues while my Sweet Baboo is still a baby. I want to make sure I can be the best mom possible for him, and that I won't be repeating a cycle of emotionally damaging  my kiddo(s) because I still have unresolved crappy feelings inside.

Lastly, I want to bring focus back to my relationship with the Hubbs. I feel like its just being pushed into the margins at all times. He does schoolwork all day, then he comes home and plays with our son, and then when our kid finally goes to sleep we have a little bit of time to ourselves. I've written before about trying to leave Baboo with people other than family, and it just NOT going well (ie, them calling us after half an hour because he screamed hysterically the entire time). Well, on Friday we decided we'd try it again. We left him at a child care program at the community centre, and he had a blast. We got some time to ourselves, and he played with the other kids and the teachers and didn't shed one tear the entire hour we were gone. I'm so relieved, and now we plan to have a standing date, at least twice a month, where we leave Baboo at the community centre (its a day program, but the perks of having a student hubby are that he's sometimes available during the day) and have a date. We'll just do lunch, take a walk, see a movie, or just come back home for "alone time" (bow chicka bow wow), but it will be glorious.

I'll keep you posted on my progress, and I know there's a MUCH overdue update needed on my 101 in 1001 goals. More on that later.

What are some things you hope to accomplish in the next year? Any tips to share on staying motivated?

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My Slacker Thanksgiving

Last year I wrote about my simple Canuck Thanksgiving Dinner, and how I hoped that next year I'd be able to go all out, since my baby would be older and require less attention. Now I just laugh at myself. Having a baby is a piece of cake compared to having a very active, very vocal 15 month old. Maybe next year I'll have the opportunity to make a turkey, but I now know enough not to bet on it. Regardless of how badly I slacked, and how the entire meal took maybe two hours to prepare, it was still highly satisfying. I think I've crossed over to the slacker dark side to stay.

My Slacker Menu:

(Instead of Turkey) Peppercorn Lime Chicken Breast:
-Boneless, skinless chicken breast, marinated in lime juice, basil, and cracked black pepper. Grilled on stove top for 20 minutes, topped with salsa. Easy and yummy.

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls:
It was extremely difficult figuring out how to open that cardboard tube and roll the pre-made dough, but I perservered.

Loaded Baked Potatoes:
The hardest part was putting the potatoes into the oven.

Ceasar Salad:
Lettuce (prewashed), croutons, bacon bits and mozzarella. Combine in bowl. Very challenging stuff.

Corn on the Cob:
Dump shucked corn in boiling water. Take out 20 minutes later. Slather with butter.

World's Easiest Pumpkin Muffins:
Combine one box of yellow cake mix and one can of pumpkin pie filling. Stir. Empty into muffin tins. Remove from oven 25 minutes later. Frost with Betty Crocker's Cream Cheese frosting (because why mess with perfection?). And they're Weight Watchers approved, to boot!

To drink we had the delicious sparkling cider that we bought at the Pumpkin Farm. The ambiance was set with a playlist of soothing music and pumpkin pie scented tealights. After dinner we took a nice, long walk through the nature conservation. It was a beautiful day.

The most beautiful thing about today for me, though, is the fact that I was bummed out about this Thanksgiving. Usually my extended family gets together at the holidays and its loud and festive and fun, but this year, with the economic hardships so many of us have been experiencing, as well as various health and personal problems throuhout the family tree, no one was up to hosting. At first I was fairly annoyed, stating that I'd host if we had a big enough place.

But then I thought, is more always merrier? Or is less sometimes more, even when it comes to family? I am definitely looking forward to Christmas, as I am assured that my aunt will be hosting and showing off her newest grandchild. But I had a wonderful Thanksgiving, just me and my little family. We made our own traditions and memories, complete with slacking, and it was relaxing and wonderful. No long drives to someone's home hours away. No waiting two hours past T-time (T is for turkey ;) ) for the last straggler to finally show up, while the rest of us starve and get increasingly grumbly. No squashing 60+ relatives into one home, balancing plates on our laps because there's no one with a table big enough to seat all of us. No chasing my toddler around an un-baby proofed house and trying to keep him from destroying someone else's things.

 Just me and my guys. Eating a relaxing dinner. Going for a nice, long walk. Kicking a soccer ball around outside (because my 15 month old is already obsessed). It was a great Thanksgiving. And I am Thankful.

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The Pumpkin Patch Was Bliss

We went to the pumpkin patch. It was so much fun. Just when I think that having a toddler is about to make me pull my hair out, I get a day like that, and it reminds me how great this age can be. Sure, the screaming fits in stores are no fun. The demanding to watch Muppets  music videos all the live-lone day can grate the nerves. And I could definitely do without the screaming any time the Hubbs and I are paying attention to each other instead of him.

But the pumpkin patch was bliss. If I could move to that farm, I would.

We made animal friends. (And said the word "dog" for the first time!)

We climbed on the hay jump.



We took a hayride.

We picked pumpkins.

We drank delicious apple cider. The hot mulled kind for the Hubbs and I, the cold refreshing kind for Our Sweet Baboo. We also may have picked up a bottle of sparkling cider to drink with Thanksgiving dinner.

Barrels, and tractors and trikes, oh my!

Last year our three month old spent the day snuggling against us in the baby sling. This year we couldn't stop him from exploring every nook and cranny of that farm. I can hardly wait for next year, and two year old adventurous goodness. I think I've found my new favourite family tradition.

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