Senegal Part I 04/29/2010
With lots of thinking about bucket lists lately I am fortunate to share with you today a guest post from a loved one, my MIL Patricia, who is at this moment living out her dreams on a fantastic trip of a life time alongside my FIL. Their travels have taken them to Senegal, a country in western Africa. They started their trip in Senegal with a cruise, and are now participating in a house exchange for a few weeks. It is a special treat for me to receive their updates and be able to share them with you! Annnnd speaking of Mother’s, Mother’s Day is only a little more than a week away on Sunday May 9 for those of you whose strengths don’t fall in keeping dates, or just have a lot on your mind. I think many Moms will agree the key ingredient in making a special day for Mom is the quality of attention you give them, and that’s free! A break from the usual doesn’t hurt either ;-) This Mom already knows about a gift from her son to look forward too, because little ones have a VERY hard time keeping secrets, especially ones they are excited about! Big Brother told me today he was getting me a new racing car for Mother’s Day so I can play cars with him...sweet! You should have seen the love and excitement behind it. Enjoy the virtual trip to Senegal! Thank you Patricia!! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! ♥Wendy Irene Senegal Part I by Patricia So here we are, now at the house exchange. Senegal is kind of mind blowing. When we first stepped out of our hotel room it was just completely sensory overload. The pictures show what the beach in front of the place looked like with all the fishing stuff on it. The other picture is of the charming hotel that Aaron booked us in the first night. WOW! (He is no longer 1st captain 1st pick!) Then there is the boat that we cruised on which was really very cool. And of course the place we are staying in now. The cruise was great especially because the volcano in Europe shut down all the airports and half the folks booked on the boat couldn't make it. The boat only had 30 or so rooms to begin with so for us that was a good thing. We cruised up the Senegal River which is on the northern border with Mauritania. They are not too keen on tourists there. The French had been here for years (1800s) and finally Senegal won their independence around 1950 so this country is "tres Francais" We are bumbling along with our bonjours, mercis, je suis, ca va's, ou est, and the like but it is a tough slog sometimes.... As we chugged up river we had excursions into African villages unchanged since the beginning of time. We always made a point to see the headman who was always really old and then he would welcome us and give us the go ahead to walk around the village and go in the homes etc. Other excursions would be into small towns to see the now crumbling French forts. Everything is falling down and decaying and everywhere there are people with their hands out. Of course Aaron was sick for a couple of days and I had to do the group excursion thing alone and we were ambling along through the forest when all of a sudden this guy started franticly yelling and waving his arms wildly and it turned out that he was being stung by bees. Our guide screams out. Run!! And we turn and hightail it up the road as fast as we could which believe me was not that fast. Our group had oldsters and all sizes and shapes and levels of non fitness and there we are, terrified... cameras flapping, half waddling, half jogging, up the road. Every time we slowed down he would yell out allez allez! Finally I guess we outran them and they only stung a couple of people (each about 7 - 8 times in the face and head) Kind of a close call, I am now re-committing to my fitness program. It seems that day was my wildlife day. When I was pulling back my sheet and pillow for bed there was a mouse napping on my pillow! I screamed - he leapt off the bed and onto the floor- I leapt from the floor up onto the bed - Aaron looked confused - I babbled incoherently - somehow Aaron guessed what was wrong - then I went rushing down to tell one of the boat staff and he looked at me with an arched eyebrow and not a little distain and said "madam we have mice on the boat but not in the rooms", what would you like me to do"? "He was on my pillow for crying out loud, I protested weakly". We will give you a new pillow so he did and that was that. Good thing there was only two nights left on the cruise. Naturally Aaron was all worried about the cruise food and not eating too much. Alas he need not fear, there were no buffets with fabulous tropical fruits, stunning arrays of meats and cheeses and to die for deserts. It was three squares a day- fried egg, bread , cheese and tea for breakfast and lunch and dinner were interchangeable with chicken or feesh accompanied with bland soggy vegetables. My personal favorite was our lunch with 3 boiled potatoes and some kind of fish that tasted like hamburger. Needless to say mealtime was not my favourite time of the day. Anyway, we are having a really good time so far and Senegal is really a different place. The people are very beautiful here, both the men and the women, and there is a big sex tourism thing going on here but in the reverse. Older women come here to beach resorts and get a boy toy for their stay. It is a kind of exploitation in reverse. On the boat we met some Italians who have a place near us in Naianing. They had a bit of a party for us and there were African Drummers and dancers (all men) and it was an amazing magical night. I never knew how much energy the drumming takes when it is done at that level. Then because Luigi knew I wasn't too crazy about Senegalese food they made an Italian feast for us with a traditional Rome dish of pork and pasta. Yumm..We had some appees first with meats and cheeses brought straight from Italy so I was feeling pretty full at the end of the pasta (I could barely get through it).....yes you know what comes next.... they brought out the platters of shrimps with basil sauce ....tomato salad....help!! I thought I was going to be sick. Desert was next...I was hanging on by a thread..Eating for Canada as they say....Finally - the chocolate - they passed me some and I said no and then the accusing look and they snapped out what? You don’t like chocolate? UNCLE!! Anyway enough already. Hope all is well.        1 Comment Dreams 2 Reality 04/28/2010
 Picture taken by my talented Hubby Recently, after reading the bucket lists of quite a few bloggers such as Erica, Tina, Carmen and Brooke, it got me thinking more about my own hopes and dreams. I think coming up with a list of my own is a great idea and something I want to work on, and I highly encourage you to do it too! Writing things down gives you clarity and helps you to evaluate what you really want in life. After all it is your life and I truly believe no one is stopping you, except sometimes you. Believing is half the battle, and then there is taking the steps to make your dreams a reality. There are a lot of places you can get stuck, but that doesn’t make it impossible. Sometimes things you thought you wanted, because it sounded great or exciting at the time are not necessarily how you truly want to spend your time. For example that fantastic job that takes you all over the world, but you are constantly away from your loved ones and feel like you are missing out. Life is about finding a balance that works for you, one that you are happy with, not necessarily what is expected of you. My ultimate dream at this point in my life, and I say that because I consider myself to be someone who is I hope constantly growing and sometimes changing, is to have or create a job that I am passionate about, that I can take with me anywhere in the world, that allows me creative freedom, and enables me to continue spending lots of time with my family. Sounds great right?! ;-) Living and writing abroad for a year, or taking summers to travel with my family, while still being able to provide for them is very appealing to me. My husband and I are originally from different coasts and even different countries, so we both desire the freedom to be able to move and live in different areas. Not that either one of us wants to be moving all the time or anything, just the freedom to be able to do it without having to start all over again in terms of providing for our family each time. Often we talk about the hopes of being able to job share in a way that we can both have lots of time taking care of our children, as well as living out passions that enable us to support our family. Being able to switch back and forth between each other as our hearts desire, or when it beneficial to one of our strengths would be a major plus too! There is a lot to think about, and the best part is... it is a lot of fun! Now to turn dreaming into doing... As Brooke Burke wrote in one of my all time favorites of her posts “A closed mouth never gets fed.” Thank you so much for listening to my dreams! If you are up for it I would love to hear what you hope, wish, dream for? Put it out there! Any bucket list items you would like to share?
Date Night for Under $20 04/27/2010
 Life gets busy. Days get lost. If you have been in a relationship for a long time sometimes dates go by the wayside too. Don’t let obstacles such as money, kids or time get in the way of spending time together. Often just making it a priority to be near one another, just the 2 of you, can do wonders for your heart. One of our favorite things to do is have date night at home. We don’t have a lot of family available for babysitting nearby, and sometimes finding a babysitter can be difficult and/or expensive. The important thing is we don’t let that get in the way of having dates together. A great date night for under $20 is a bottle of wine and a movie at home. It’s certainly not a new idea or an extremely extravagant one, but it makes us happy, and that brings us closer together. Often it is about simply taking time to do a date night together, and not letting the obstacles or to-dos get in the way.  The great thing about this date is that it is easy to plan last minute, and it is in the convenience of your own home, so there is no travel time involved in getting there and back. Especially when you need public transportation after those delicious drinks ;-) Date night for us starts as soon as the kids go to bed, and this way if you are anything like us, you can still manage to get to bed at a half decent hour in order to wake up with the kids. We love to spend one evening a week, usually Friday, Saturday or Sunday doing this together. On Carrots-n-Cake my friend Tina mentions making Sunday night their movie night in order to combat those Sunday night blues. It gives them something to look forward to. Great idea Tina! Change things up and take turns picking out favorite wines, or trying new ones. Also make sure to take turns picking out movies so it is continuously enjoyable to both of you. Be a good sport, and as much as you can try to embrace your loved one’s movie selection. We’ve learned a bottle of wine goes a long way in enjoying a movie you might not necessarily pick out ;-). Most of all remember it’s about being together. Setting a time to sit down together every week. Times you have more energy or you just want to make date night a little extra special, try adding a candle lit dinner for two, with dessert of course! You can make something special, or even place an order at your favorite restaurant. It is still less expensive than going out. It is about embracing your situation, children or no children, big entertainment budget or small, and most of all being happy enjoying one another’s company. Happy Date Night! What is the best movie you have seen lately?
One Happy Sephora Beauty Insider 04/26/2010
A while back on one of my favorite websites Modern Mom, which you guys have probably heard me mention before ;-) I saw a great tip under Lisa’s Must-Have. Lisa (one of the most caring, sweet, and helpful people by the way) mentioned joining Sephora Beauty Insider. When you sign up along with earning points for every dollar you spend, you get a free birthday gift!  My birthday is right around the corner so I recently received an email from Sephora letting me know I could pick up my gift from a couple of weeks before my birthday to a couple after. I was so excited when a Sephora store recently opened up in my local mall. Now it is great practice for my will power shopping there. There are lots of things to love about Sephora, and I could easily spend hours looking around. Lucky for me my kids keep me grounded! J Anyway, when I received my email as soon as I got the chance I rushed over there to pick up my free birthday gift. Obviously, I LOVE it!  All three things are awesome! I tried out the eye shadow, eye liner, and mascara right away and was a very happy girl! Oh how I love to cherish the little things in life. J And if I was as free and open with my feelings as my young children I probably would have started clapping. OK, so maybe I did a little happy dance but no one was looking ;-) It was super easy to sign up. I signed up online at Sephora’s website by clicking Sign Up For Sephora. Quick, easy, and you’ll be VERY glad you did when your birthday rolls around. And if your big day isn’t for a while yet, it will be a great surprise when that special email arrives.  I love how the box even says Happy Birthday on it! Makes you feel special :-D The size is perfect for travel too; if you are anything like me every little bit helps when trying to better your packing skills. Thank you so much for the tip Modern Mom Lisa! And thank you Sephora, I love it! How often do you wear makeup? · Everyday · A couple of days a week · Just on special occasions · Never
Break It Up 04/25/2010
Do you take breaks?  Monday seems like a good day to talk about breaks. More and more it seems people are skipping their breaks. From periodic breaks to lunch breaks, we work hard, which is a good thing, but forget to take time for ourselves. Taking time for yourself doesn’t have to be doing something extravagant, and it also doesn’t have to be for very long, but it is very important. Consider this; you will be better at your job and more productive if you give yourself time to rejuvenate. When you have been working for a couple of hours, take ten minutes to do something different. I think you’ll find clarity for what consumes your time when you allow yourself time away, even if it is simply a mental break. Try doing the opposite of what you are spending your time on. If you are sitting most of the day, get up and maybe go get a glass of water. Allow your mind to wonder to something completely different. It doesn’t really matter what it is. My only suggestion is that you try to think about something that brings you joy during your break. Let yourself forget about the stressful things for a few minutes, and concentrate on something you can smile about. If that isn’t working for you, then just take time to breath. Taking breaks may be allowed but sometimes is not looked highly upon. When it comes down to it, it is YOUR time, and YOUR life. You can be excellent at what you do and still take lunch breaks, and 10-15 minute breaks. It is important for your happiness, and that state of mind can carry over into everything you are doing. Not taking breaks is something I am guilty of myself. Often it is go, go, go all the time. Being a stay at home Mom doesn’t mean you don’t need breaks too. Breaks are just as important for parents at home as it is for those in the workforce. A lot of the time when my husband comes home I don’t take a few minutes to myself. If he is occupying the kids, then I am working on another chore that needs to be done. This is when days start to blur together, and you feel like you are constantly on a wheel. If you find taking a few minutes to yourself just isn’t possible with your kids, they no longer nap, or you don’t have any help, in those situations try taking a break that involves your kids. If you are mostly standing sit down in a circle and maybe read one of your favorite, appropriate ;-) magazine articles out loud. Reading your children’s books is wonderful, but if you are taking a break for you, make it something you like once in a while. You might want to also try singing one of your favorite songs together that you find uplifting and rejuvenating. Breaks are essential so that you have more to give no matter what your job is. Don’t let the minutes, hours, days blur into one. Break it up with little pieces of happiness. What do you like to do when taking a break?
When It Comes It Comes 04/22/2010
   Happy Belated Earth Day everyone! How was your day? Here in Vancouver it was a beautiful sunny spring day. In the morning while making breakfast I was exposed to lots of Earth Day celebration going on, from magazines to television and internet. It made me feel happy and want to do my own little special Earth Day activity with the kids. I was thinking maybe I should go to our local nursery down the street and plant something with the kids, because kids love dirt! Instead the day completely got away from me, and my high hopes to appreciate the earth with the kids got pushed aside. In fact, instead of going outdoors to appreciate the sun, we have been inside all day. The day brought probably the biggest mess I have ever had to clean up since becoming a Mom. It all started when the universe sent me a warning that I chose to ignore. Why? I don’t know! I know better than that. There is almost always a warning if you choose to pay attention. After breakfast I went upstairs to clean up from morning showers, gather laundry, make beds, and some other routine things Moms do every day. When up comes Big Brother and he says “Mom (plus a few more Moms) my baby sister is eating poop off the walls.” My thoughts went something like, the kids are being good/quiet, and Little Sister is probably eating some of last night’s dinner that got missed off the wall. Gross I know, but pretty usual with toddlers :-/ Big Brother always thinks lint is a bug, and I could definitely see him calling food poop. OK, kids playing nicely first BIG clue! Second clue, my 4 year olds very honest words. Thinking nothing of it after I finished up I came down stairs and went to the computer in the hopes of quickly checking my email while the kids were being so good. Big Brother comes up to me again “Mom baby is playing with poop on the wall!” The wheels are starting to turn, but still I am not too concerned yet. Then along comes Little Sister, very cute with a big smile. She puts her hand on my leg and then turns around. Oh my &*#%! She has poop from her ankles to her hair, all over the back of her! How did that happen?!? How is she clean on the front and completely covered with poop on the back?!? That doesn’t even make sense! Remember when I said kids confuse me? Well I wasn’t kidding! I still have no idea how the poop managed to cover the back of her but nothing on the front. I pick her up with Frankenstein arms and briskly walk to the living room. Poop all over the wall! Smeared rainbow strokes, clumps of poop all over the floor. Think of it like a trail of bread crumbs from every where she traveled; only it wasn’t bread! Up the stairs I run! Clumps still falling, and into the bath tub she goes. I’m stripping off her clothes and diaper, poop everywhere. I throw her dirty cloths into the sink. The closest things are wipes, so I start trying to wipe the poop out of the tube so she is not bathing in it. In runs Big Brother who has already stripped off all is cloths. “I want a bath too!” he says. I think I am going to ball! “WAIT!” I yell. “Let me clean some of the poop out of the tub first, I don’t need it all over you too!” My husband calls to say he is taking a break from work and going to the gym. I’m sure he was thinking boy I’m glad she can’t reach through the phone. Annnd moving out to the suburbs, instead of a 10 minute walk home definitely has its advantages. I can’t go home during my break to help in situations like this anymore. Yada yada yada, kids cleaned and out. Walls scrubbed and scraped. Mushy clumps picked up. Vacuumed living room and kitchen. Floor mopped, and in the mist of it all is the entire regular, lunch, snacks, nap. Bye bye day! And I haven’t even conquered cleaning the bathroom yet. This doesn’t compare to when Big Brother took his poop out of his diaper in his crib and smeared it in there. At the time it seemed like so much work. Now looking back, that was contained! I feel like I just completely re-lived it :-O I know I wasn’t a “perfect” kid, but really, this? Did I do anything like this? I must have. I think our parents deserve some extra love this upcoming Mother’s and Father’s day! There is nothing like having kids to really, truly appreciate what your parents did for you. There has to be some parents of adult children out there smiling right now. J I’m off to take a much needed break! The good news is my husband had pre-made an appointment last week to get our carpets cleaned this Saturday, and now I am REALLY glad about that. Also, there is no reason we can’t celebrate Earth day this weekend. It will still mean a lot to the kids, and that makes me happy! Moms know it is going to happen, but what we are not prepared for is when! TGIF! Have a fantastic weekend everyone J!! What is one of the worst messes you can remember cleaning? Food Routine 04/21/2010
 When it comes to eating and trying to maintain a healthy weight, or get back to it after vacation J, I find routine to be very helpful. Using routine to aid in food intake helps me to make better choices, and avoid overeating. Sometimes routine can definitely be boring, but you can use it to your advantage when needed. The first thing I like to do in the morning is drink a glass of water as I prepare breakfast for my kids. It makes me feel like I am starting the day off right. During a normal week for breakfast I typically eat fruit, bananas and berries, along with protein and fat, typically in nut butter, and pair it with oatmeal or muesli. Eating the same breakfast every single day can definitely get dull so on the weekend, or when I feel like I need a break from the usual I will have a bagel. Even though they can be high in calories, bagels to me are a comfort food. More often than not I will buy whole wheat, and it is a nice break from my normal breakfast when I need it. Lunch almost always consists of leftovers, especially leftover dinner veggies, served on a big bed of lettuce. From week to week I will change up the type of lettuce I buy to keep it interesting. Lunch is my largest source of vegetables for the day. On salads I love to add boiled eggs to give them more staying power, and the eggs are a convenient snack for kids. At least when they are peeled that is! ;-) Snacks tend to be an apple if I am in a rush, or whole wheat naan bread with avocado or hummus. For drinks I usually have a latte in the morning, tea in the afternoon or evening, and water throughout the day. Dinner is where I change things up more and listen to what my body is telling me. Not so much that our dinners are that different from month to month, but it is where I like to incorporate new foods or old ones I have not had in a while. My routine with dinner is always to cook at least one vegetable. It doesn’t feel complete to me anymore unless I do that. If our main course is something small, or something I don’t want myself to have a large portion of, those are the days I like to cook 2 vegetables to serve with dinner. Days that I feel like dessert, which who am I kidding is A LOT! I like to have a square of dark chocolate or lately one of my homemade granola bars. Many of these habitual meals and snacks replaced less healthy ones that I didn’t at the time realize were routinely in my day, but looking back they absolutely were! For instance I used to almost always have some chips in the late afternoon as a snack. Or when I wanted dessert it would be a cookie instead of a square of dark chocolate. Recognizing the foods that sneak into your diet on a regular basis is very helpful in changing to new foods you can feel good about, and help you with your goals. After a couple of weeks of replacing one unhealthy snack or meal at a time with a better choice, it becomes second nature to you and you don’t miss it all the time. I will still eat chips sometimes. I don’t intend to 100% cut out anything I like, because then I feel like I am missing out and am less content. However I no longer eat chips almost every day. Now when I buy a bag of chips I do what is better for my health and instead of buying the better priced large bag from Costco, I will buy the more expensive small bag of my favorite kind that won’t last very long, especially shared, and stick around to be eaten every day. Finding tricks that work for you is what makes the biggest difference. Start small, replace one drink or snack with a better choice at a time. After that seems routine move onto another. When you do too much at once you quit because you feel deprived and unhappy about it. Another time to be careful is when you get sick of one type of food because it has been in your diet too much. Switch it up for another choice you can feel good about, to avoid falling back into the old trap. This is one that I need to be very weary of! Going slowly one step at a time allows you to make good choices, as well as maintain your happiness in the process. What good is change if you sacrifice happiness in the process? What is one type of “junk” food you used to eat almost daily, and what have you replaced it with?  “Mom you sure do know how to spread peanut butter.” I love how he appreciates some of the little things I do. “I can’t talk with food in my mouth, that’s why I yelled it!” Huh? It makes me laugh that it makes complete sense to him. “You can’t pick your nose when your fingers are dirty. You can only pick it when your fingers are clean.” I guess I need to re-think my explanation that picking your nose is not a good idea because your fingers are dirty?! “Mom makeup doesn’t make you beautiful. You are beautiful just the way you are.” Did my little boy really just say that? How did I get so lucky? Why should I waste my time on makeup when I could be playing with him? Sometimes my children teach me so much more than any adult could. I am in awe of how pure their love is. I am constantly amused how things that make sense in my mind, mean something completely different in theirs. Maybe I should carry that with me and remember it for conversations with my love? They inspire me, confuse me, open up my mind, and make me laugh, but my favorite of all; they melt my heart with a simple hug. Happiness is always there. Are you seeing it? Peeling Away 04/19/2010
 Today for me has been just one of “those” days. When you feel like a hamster on a wheel not getting anywhere, but expending every ounce of energy you have. When things come in waves and you start to feel hot, overwhelmed, and sometimes that instant and consistent headache comes on. That is when I know it is time to just breathe, and as a new blog I came across in Moms with Blogs on Modern Mom says: Just Write! Fortunately the logically part of my brain is still saying don’t sweat the small stuff. Life is too short and too beautiful. It is just not worth it. However getting to the point in your day when you are actually modeling that can be difficult. Everything builds up and there are those times when you just don’t feel like dealing with one more glass of spilled milk. That is when I realize I am the one letting it get to me. This realization came to me today when I was looking at a pot full of eggs waiting to be peeled. You see peeling eggs is just not my thing. It doesn’t seem to matter how hot or cold they are, or how fresh or old, I have a really hard time with it. After peeling one egg and being left with the yoke and basically one tiny scrap of egg white I decided I am going to be kind to myself until I shift gears back to where I want to be. For the rest of the day I am going to give myself a break from the things that frustrate me, and don’t have to be done right now. My body and mind are telling me I need to rejuvenate, and this time I am not going to ignore the message. I have learned that when I don’t listen more frustrating things seem to happen. I believe a lot of this is because I don’t have the patience or energy left needed to handle things the best way I know how. I strive to handle the small things well because that is often what my day is full of. I am talking about trouble sharing toys, missing the toilet, food on the floor. They are part of the privilege of being a Mom and there is no point in letting them get to you. When you feel yourself struggling with the little things in the day that is a clear signal to stop, take a break, a big couple of breaths, rejuvenate, and re-center. You, as well as those you love, will be better off for doing this act of kindness for yourself. In an effort to refocus I think it is a great time to write one thing I am grateful for. This may sound sarcastic, but I asure you it is truly sincere: I am very grateful to be married to a man who loves me, even though I can’t peel eggs, and is unconditionally there for me to fall back on when I need, and help with my missing pieces. His true love is the reason I know he will forgive me for leaving him a plate full of eggs to be peeled when he gets home from work. It is really quite funny when you think about it! Smiling already J How do you rejuvenate when your body and mind are signalling you?
Banana Soft Serve 04/18/2010
A few days ago I was really in the mood for dessert. Ice cream to be more specific! J Since returning home from vacation I have been trying to watch my sugar and alcohol intake. We did quite a bit of indulging while we were away, and I now need to shed a couple of pounds. I remembered previously seeing some frozen banana concoctions and thought it was the perfect time to give it a try. I can’t remember where exactly I saw it first; it may have been on Jen’s blog. Gather a few bananas.  Peel them!  This step is essential because they are going in the freezer. I don’t know if you have ever tried to peel a frozen banana, but I have and it is difficult and usually comes out a mess. Freeze. After the bananas are frozen put them in a food processor and blend until a smooth “soft serve” consistency.  It’s that simple, and definitely worth trying! For our dessert I decided on adding some topping. I sprinkled each bowl with a little bit of unsweetened coconut, and chopped one square of dark chocolate and divided it over the bowls.  The texture and taste from the chocolate and coconut really made the dessert for me. The coconut gave me the feeling of being a kid again eating sprinkles on my ice cream, only without all the sugar. This is a great way to use over-ripe bananas. The sweetness from the ripe bananas will only make the dish better. What I loved about this dessert is I thoroughly enjoyed it because I didn’t feel any guilt, in fact I felt good for eating a serving of fruit. Have a wonderful start to the week! What do you do with your over-ripe bananas? | Subscribe to
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