10 Things: I Didn't Know Before Becoming a Parent

(1) I would never need an alarm clock again.  Sunday morning, my two-year old woke up at 6:15am.  Now, remember I worked as a corporate lawyer for years and I don't remember even waking up this early in those days, except to catch a flight. I think the last time I set an alarm was....um.... before kids??

(2) I would become an expert negotiator. It goes something like this: "How about we color with the crayons after your have put your clothes back on and stop hiding under the dining table?"

(3) I would become a really good liar. I think I told this one today: "<insert name> called me today to find out why you didn't eat your yoghurt. Yes, good girl. I will ring <insert name> and tell them you ate your yoghurt". Today, I used her hand surgeon's name. I secretly hope she doesn't randomly announce to him that she ate her yoghurt at her appointment tomorrow morning...

(4) I would have my hand in so much poop. Literally.  The most distant and recent example of this was a couple weeks ago.

Usually when one of my girls have done a diaper blowout, I stand them up in the big laundry sink and use the extendable faucet to wash them down nicely.  Of course, before I do that, I have to carefully peal away the diaper and quickly (with one hand) discard it into a plastic bag I store under the laundry sink.  Well, first time this ever happened - I was in the process of peeling the diaper off and I lost control of it and it just opened out... plop...plop....plop.  My one hand was gripping my Mini-V, the other was now holding an open, half empty poopy diaper and I am staring at what has plopped into the sink. These were my thoughts: "What just happened??...I wish I had gloves... I wish I had another bag... If I blink, maybe we can go back in time... omg I have to use my hand and pick that sh*t up. Literally".  And I did.

No amount of anti-bacterial soap will erase that disgusting memory. This is where I remind myself I have two degrees plus a Masters and yet I find myself handling poop all day. So gross. Pregnancy should come with a poop warning.

(5) Children think it's absolutely normal to spit out into your hand whatever it is they have chewed and decided they don't want to swallow.  The worst part is they do it in public too. Oh, and if your hand is not freely available, be warned that they will just spit it out on you, the floor, really anywhere. Today, my daughter decided to not finish her pasta and so she just spat it out on my kitchen floor.  And then they will use your pants leg to wipe their dirty hands and mouths afterwards.

(6) The diaper bag is now my handbag. I never actually realized when I was pregnant that it would be a long time before I would be reunited with my handbag. I mean every now and then when I am out without the kids of course I leave the diaper bag at home and take a purse but I had no clue before kids that essentially the diaper bag would be all I would carry! I was never a real purse-kinda-gal anyway but I do miss carry around items beyond my "bare essentials" of wallet/lip gloss/keys/gum. I also sorta miss carrying around junk I don't need... toothpicks, restaurant candies I know will never make it to my stomach because of the bag lint attached to it, sachets of sugar, random bobby pins, random receipts shoved in my bag that should be thrown out...


(7) You never get to eat.  Parents of 2+ kids, you know what I am talking about. You and your partner tag team eating at restaurants: "honey, you eat first and I will feed the kids and then we can swap"... then you inhale your food the first instance you get because you don't quite know if you will get another five minutes uninterrupted to eat for a while. Sometimes I am so hungry and honestly, I don't get that five minutes just to get even a cracker to tide me over... between the "carry me Mommy!!!!" (whimpering ensues if you attempt to put them down) and then the constant diapering, feeding, crying... I think back to the good old days of one child. Man, those days were good! When she was down for a nap, I had all that time to myself.  Now I am just holding out for when I can ship them off the school. Maybe then I will eat.

(8) Going to the toilet becomes a spectator sport.  Not only does my toddler barrage me with a ton of questions about what I am about to do, but then she wants to be there, watch and get a running commentary during the main event. This is how it goes: "Mommy, you go wee-wee? I'm coming too... Is it big wee-wee? Maybe poo-poo? Did you fart? Was it big poo-poo? Will you wipe now? Can I see it? Can I flush it?".  Honestly, you would think I had just given birth to something memorable.

Sometimes I try to trick my toddler just so I can use the toilet alone in peace for once: "Mommy is going to...um... check something...." (quick exit) but this usually follows with tears and the pained wailing of "Moooooommy!! Where are yooooou? Come baaaaaack!" - not worth it, I think having a spectator and answering questions is slightly more tolerable than trying to back one out whilst listening to your child cry and scream for you like they are in pain.

I really miss the days of being able to go to the toilet in peace.  Sadly, the few occasional moments I do have the chance to go alone, I tend to drag it out like it is some sort of vacation. I take my phone, have a game all ready to play,  or sometimes I keep a nice new catalog waiting for me and then I take my time and sit there for several minutes, just enjoying the solitude.  It's really quite pathetic.

(9) It becomes normal to refer to yourself in the third person.  I honestly can't remember the last time I used "I" in a sentence  with my children.  It's always Mommy this or Mommy that. It's so bizarre when you actually think about it. I mean, I know that they know that I am Mommy, so why do we do it?

(10) That just my touch, hug and kiss, has the power to stop tears and make a crying child happy again. Now, that is a gift, maybe even a superpower!

'Annie' star all grown up!

This came up on my Yahoo browser today and I had to share!  Annie was one of my all-time favorite movies as a child.  The famous 1982 John Huston musical about an orphan who is taken in by a billionaire bachelor made its main star Aileen Quinn, who played the title character Annie, a recognizable face in every household.

Thirty years on, the movie has been released as a special edition on Blu-Ray and here is the star all grown up!

Taken from yahoo.com

Aileen Quinn is now a 41 year-old woman! Can you believe it!? I think she looks so different from her photo as Annie - would you recognize her on the street?

I am still here!

Once again, I have not been writing for a little while. My sweet little two-year old had a little accident and was in the ER last week, ending up with hand surgery.  She is doing great but what a scare, poor little thing.  She is still bandaged and on antibiotics but healing nicely.

Between that episode, battling the morning (all day) sickness with this pregnancy (uuuurgh!!) and finally getting possession of our new house, I have had no time at all to blog :(

I promise to write something more current soon! Stay tuned for product reviews coming your way very soon! Happy Blogging!

10 Things: Fall Garden Preparation

Fall is a nice way to end a leisurely warm summer. The leaves start to change into beautiful crimson and amber shades and then every gust of cool wind seems to leave the streets scattered with pretty fall foliage.  House porches welcome back pumpkins, scarecrows, corn husks and bales of hay.  It's a time to drink pumpkin spiced lattes, eat caramel apples start planning our upcoming Holiday season.

I really enjoy September, but it is also that time of the year when our yards start to wind down for the year. So here is a checklist of the essentials for this time of the year:

(1) Start pruning back your trees, bushes and hedges before the nights and mornings get too frosty.  You also need to cut back perennials and prepare them for the winter months.  Consider covering some less hardy perennials with hay and burlap before the frost. You want to time this so that it is after the last summer growth but before temperatures compromise your plants.  Aim for mid-late September.  By October, it is usually a little too cold in most states in the US

Hostas

(2) Now is the time to divide any bulbous plants and re-plant. These include hostas and calla lilies.  Hostas thrive during Fall replanting because the warm days coupled with cooler nights provide the perfect conditions for strong roots and winter preparation.

(3) This is also the time to plan your spring garden and plant the spring bulbs - tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, jaunquils. These bulbs do a lot better after having been underground during the winter months so get them into your ground during Fall the year before.

(4) Book your sprinklers to be blown out and winterized.  If you live in a climate where you experience sub-freezing conditions, as we do, your sprinklers must be blown out and closed until the temperature is steadily back over about 40F and in time for the Spring's first growth (Usually mid-April).  The cost involved is minimal - usually around $30, sometimes less, rarely much more.  This needs to be done sometime in early-mid October.

(5) If you plan on getting the help, you will need to organize leaf clean-up around the end of October, when most of the deciduous trees have completely finished expelling their season's leaves and before it is too cold.  Aim for the very end of the season so you don't need to do this too many times in the year, although expect to rake leaves a couple times to ensure your yard is tidy and in compliance with your city's leaf removal ordinances. Some cities allow you to rake your leaves directly to the curb of your street and a sweeper comes by on an allocated day to collect it. Other towns require you to bag your leaves for curbside collection.  Make sure you find out your town's regulations and comply accordingly. Many gardeners will actually take your leaves away with them and re-purpose them into mulch, so that helps too!

(6) Take stock of your lawn and prepare it for the next season.  Have it aerated to break up compressed soil so that water and nutrients can penetrate to the roots and sub-levels, apply a high-phosphorus mix to your soils to encourage Spring turf and cut your grass back for the last time of the season to 1 1/4 inches because disease is less likely to occur with short grass, plus shorter grass tends to encourage leaves to blow away rather than cling to the blades.

Pruning a dead branch or limb from a tree

(7) Trim any dead tree limbs so that the winter months of snow and wind pose no additional risks to you or your home.

(8) Mulch young plants.  The newly planted plants of the season are the most vulnerable in its first winter so you should add a layer of mulch (chopped leaves, weed-free straw or wood chips) after the first frost but before the ground freezes. As mentioned before, I have found added a layer of straw and then protected by burlap to be a great barrier between the new plants and the winter elements.

(9) Arrange now for your upcoming snow removal, or confirm with an existing contractor. Many landscapers provide this service during their down season so check rates and make sure your driveway, front stoop and any other access ways will be adequately cleared during a snowfall. Also make sure these areas will be salted to eradicate icing and ensuring safety.  This is especially important if you have regular front door visitors such as postal workers, UPS or a city sidewalk - which must be shoveled and salted by you.

(10) Order your firewood!  This is the time to clean out your wood-burning fireplace and chimneys and order your season's firewood.  Make sure this is stored properly, with a cover if you need, to keep the wood dry.  You should also keep the wood far enough from the house so as to not pose any additional fire risks to your property and to make sure any critters, such as rodents or bugs stay far enough from your dwelling.

10 Things: Fun and Easy DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids

Well, it's getting to that time of year when we all need to start planning our Halloween costumes.  Whether you're on a budget, or you are like me and don't really want to spend $50-$100+ on a decent halloween costume for the kids, take a look at these DIY options that will take minimal work, plus you can rummage through what you already have and work around these bits and pieces to make a great, memorable and one-of-a-kind Halloween costume for your children.

1. Superheros

All you need are come cool leggings and co-ordinating tops, then you can add letters and belts to the outfit and make simple masks and capes using whatever you have around the house.

2. Flower Children

Without even a single stitch, you can piece together this cute outfit by matching a fall-colored dress with co-ordinating tights and shoes, felt petal collars and headbands with stickers will complete the outfit.

Easy Ways to Serve Cake and Ice-Cream

I found these fantastic tips on how to easily slice cakes and serve ice-cream for parties and I wanted to share them with you because I will definitely be doing this in the future. You can find the article here at realsimple.com

Slicing a sheet cake

Use unflavored waxed dental floss to make nice clean cuts in your sheet cake. Hold a piece of floss taut between your fingers (it should be about a foot longer than the cake itself). Drag it down through the cake, then release one end and pull the other end out of the cake sideways. Continue to “cut” in a grid pattern.

Carving a Round Cake

Apparently you will get more pieces if you slice a round cake this way. Use a long, sharp knife to cut a smaller circle inside the round cake. Cut the outer ring into pieces, then cut the remaining, smaller cake as you normally would, like a pizza. Give the frosting-laden outer wedges to the kids, and reserve the more lightly iced interior pieces for the adults.

Dicing Ice-Cream

I love love love this tip! Why didn't I think of this before?? Save minutes (and your poor wrist) by trading in an ice cream scoop for a knife. Place a cylindrical cardboard container of slightly softened ice cream on a cutting board and cut it in half lengthwise to create 2 half-circles. Turn each portion of ice cream cut-side down. Remove and discard the packaging. Cut each portion crosswise into slices.

Scooping Ice-Cream

To prevent a sticky situation, start scooping before the party starts. Place individual scoops in a cupcake tin lined with paper baking cups and transfer the tray to the freezer for up to several hours. After the cake is cut, remove the scoops from the paper baking cups (or not) and drop them onto the waiting plates.

Making Pasta Necklaces

Here's an easy activity to do with your toddler on a rainy day at home.  Make pasta necklaces! Chances are you will have all the ingredients around your house already, plus this activity helps your child develop his or her fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination. Plus, it's fun!

What you need:

• large hollow pasta (rigatoni is best, penne will work fine too)
• string or ribbon 
• a small safety pin or paper clip

1. First tie a knot at the end of the string or ribbon. This knot has to be large enough to block the pasta from falling off the thread.
2. At the other end of the string or ribbon, fasten the safety pin or paper clip to use as a threading aid in your pasta.
3. Have your pasta handy - make sure it is UNCOOKED!!! Help your child to thread the safety pin or paper clip through the pasta and down the length of the string or ribbon.
4. Continue doing this until you are satisfied with the length of the necklace.
5. Connect the ends together with a nice knot and bow and allow your child to wear it

Your child is going to love wearing this quirky necklace, especially because they made it! This activity takes very little time, minimal effort and costs hardly anything.  It is a great time filler on a day indoors.

Lamb cutlets with a red wine jus

Made this last week for dinner one night.  Australian lamb cutlets marinated with rosemary and garlic, served with a red wine jus, buttery mashed potatoes and sauteed garlic spinach.

Vanilla Custard Pots for Toddlers

An easy little dessert for your toddler and the good news is it takes no time at all and your child will love helping you in the kitchen!

The only adjustments I made to the above recipe was that I used a little more sugar.  Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a small jug, mix the egg and the sugar together, then add the vanilla extract.  This is a great opportunity to have your children involved. My daughter excitedly broke the egg and helped me stir the sugar in. She loved it!

The recipe calls for bringing the 2/3 cup of milk to a near boil on the stove but that was too much work for me, so I poured the milk into another jug and microwaved it in increments to make sure it didn't boil.  In all, I think it took less than 2 minutes.

Very carefully, slowly pour the milk into the egg mixture while stirring rapidly so the eggs won't curdle.

Place 2 or 3 small ramekins into a deep oven tray and strain the custard into them to lose any lumps.  Carefully pour enough boiling water into the oven tray until the water comes halfway up to the ramekins. Make sure no water splashes in the custards or it will compromise the texture.

Place the tray in the oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the custards are set.

Fighting stains with Cream of Tartar

BEFORE

So I was on Pinterest and saw a post about the uses for Cream of Tartar.  So I clicked on the link, which led me to a random blog with a suggestion to use Cream of Tartar for cleaning a stainless steel kettle

BEFORE

My eyes were glued, my mouth parted slightly with intrigue!! My kettle is forever decorated with the brown telltale splotches bearing next-burner witness to all my stovetop dishes of yesterday. I read the instructions and decided to try it out.

Before I launch into the description of how to clean your kettle, take a look at the photos and decide for yourself whether the result are noticeable! I admit, it wasn't 100% effective and there are still stains left behind on the kettle, however the difference is significant and worth it for probably about 10 cents worth of Cream of Tartar and a little elbow grease.

AFTER

AFTER

This is what you will need:

• what you want to clean
• cream of tartar (costs a few dollars at the supermarket)
• rubber gloves
• a scourer or good sponge
• bowl
• teaspoon
• Tbsp water

Mix the water and enough Cream of Tartar together to make a thick paste.

Pot the rubber gloves on and in the sink dip the scourer/sponge into the mixture and start scrubbing the kettle (or whatever it is you wish to clean).

Keep scrubbing for a couple of minutes until you get the desired result. You can always add more Cream of Tartar directly to the kettle and scrub.

Give the kettle a final wash with a clean sponge and some washing detergent and then rinse.  Not bad for minimal work and minimal cost!

The other side of the kettle once cleaned

Roasted Tomato and Garlic Sauce

Our neighbors dropped off a box of their last summer harvest of juicy red tomatoes. Yes, we love these neighbors! I kept looking at the tomatoes for 2 days, pondering what I should make with them that would do justice to the impeccable quality of these beautiful organically grown fruits. I wanted to enhance their deliciousness, without losing it amidst a zillion other ingredients.  I had previously made a roasted tomato basil soup, so I thought about instead making a really delicious pasta sauce. It turned out incredibly (if I may say so myself!), even my little fussy eater has been eating her pasta with the sauce (she is usually a fan of plain boiled pasta)!

So here it is.

The first thing I did was I halved all the tomatoes lengthways and cut out the hard top stem.  I placed them neatly on two sheet trays, skin down.  I think I must have had several pounds of tomatoes (15 big sized tomatoes in all).

After laying them out, I gave them all a good seasoning of freshly ground sea salt and black pepper. I sprinkled them with torn fresh basil from my garden (probably also the last for the season), good extra virgin olive oil and finally scatter about 8-10 whole garlic cloves, still with the skin in tact

At this stage, don't worry about the skins because we will peel them off later after the roasting process.




Preheat an oven to 350F.  Place the trays in the center rack of the oven and roast for at least an hour and a half.  Keep checking. You want the tomatoes to be juicy, cooked and aromatic.  Too coked and they will dry out, not cooked enough and they won't have that roasted flavor.

Once they are done, take the trays out of the oven and let them rest for a little while so they are cool enough for you to handle.

Once you can safely handle to tomatoes, keep a pot handy and start peeling the skins of the tomatoes by hand, discarding the skins and putting the flesh in the pot. Peel off the garlic clove skins and add the roasted cloves to the pot, discarding those skins too. Add the basil to the pot as well.

Everything added to the pot

Now, peeling those tomatoes is a bit fiddly, I admit.  However, I don't really know any better method (any suggestions?? - you need the skins for the roasting process).  The only thing I can say to ease your mind is that because the tomatoes have been roasting for so long and because they are cut in half, the skins should come off fairy easily.  If you wanted to, you could very well score an "X" on the bottoms at the very beginning to encourage the skins to peel away during the cooking process.

Once everything is peeled and added to the pot, lift off any of the nice pan juices and remaining olive oil on the sheet trays with a couple tablespoons of water.  Use a plastic or wooden spoon and stir, add this water to the pot.

Put the pot on the stove and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes. You want to cook the liquid out a little more and meld all those flavors nicely. At this stage, I found my first pot too small, so I had to transfer everything to a larger pot (hence, the different pots in the two photos!)

After the mixture has reduced a little, the color will change slightly and the sauce will start to look more cohesive. Here is a close-up.

Turn the stove off, move the pot to a safe place on the counter near an outlet.  Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture into a sauce, which you can run through a sieve if you choose to (I didn't because I actually like a more rustic textured sauce)

And there you have it! Check for seasoning and adjust if you like.  This is great as a sauce but quite frankly, you could just eat it in a bowl with a spoon, as a soup.  I think the sauce works best with spaghetti or a more textured pasta like rotini or spirals.  I didn't take a photo of it as a finished product because I was too quick to eat it - OOPS! You could also use this sauce for proteins like chicken or shrimp, or as a base for a hearty stew or other soup.

Where did I go this week?

Apologies readers for being MIA all week. What a week! Busy busy busy everyday but here are my highlights (and excuses for being away):

1. We bought a new house!
2. We found out Number 3 is on its way!

I hope my reasons are good enough for being away all week! I will have new posts up and ready this weekend hopefully! I have some interesting recipes to share too!

Happy Friday everyone!