playdate

Singer or Idol?

So, it's been awhile since The Greatest Upset in American Idol Ever.  Everyone thought the judges' favourite, Adam Lambert would win, but when it came down to voting time, the darkest of dark horses won the race, Kris Allen.  Anyone watching Allen's face at the moment the winner was announced saw that even he was shocked. 

AlthoughI am a HUGE Adam Lambert fan, I was ready to admit that the title could go to either competitor.  What I don't believe is up for debate, however, is who is the better singer.

Hiya, Cupcake!

 

When my sister offered to bake the cake for Bee’s fourth birthday party a few weeks ago, I happily accepted. I told her to confer with her niece over the cake’s specifications, and that whatever they came up with would be fine with me.

I didn’t hear anything about the cake leading up to the day of the party, but when my sister walked through the door, I definitely expected to see her carting something pink, heavily decorated with sparkles and sprinkles, and exclaiming all sorts of  princess-y tackiness loveliness.

Feeling Naughty at Coquine

Well once again, it's taken me forever to get around to writing a post about a new restaurant.

It's not that we don't eat out anymore- though admittedly far less frequently than in the past.

I find myself going back to the same ol' same ol'- not wanting to risk a bad meal on a precious date night dinner.

Plus sometimes it's just easier to go where you know.

So that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

But that's not to say that we haven't hit up a few new spots in the past few months.

Coquine on Yonge st. being one of the newest hot uptown restaurants.

So strange telling the babysitter that we will be at Coquine- which is pronounced like the white stuff that makes your gums go numb.

Not that I would know.

Earthly Treasures

Four is a really nice age.  My son is just starting to spread his wings and exert his independence.  But he doesn't go to school until September, so his sweet innocence has yet to be corrupted by the influence of the Big Kids.  One of the things that I'm liking most is watching the development of real friendships - ones not just based on whose mother I happen to be friends with - as well as the evolution of friendships that he's had, well, since birth, basically. 

But these frienships inevitably mean birthdays.  And birthdays mean presents.  And presents usually mean money.  Something which I'm a little short of these days.  So this month, I had to get a little creative.

Community Helpers: Where Do We Get It?

Daily, we eat. We buy groceries - canned goods, produce, baking supplies, and more. We cook them, often keeping children busy in another room, though we occasionally involve them. the whole business is a little removed from them. We sometimes go to restaurants, where someone else cooks behind closed doors, food appearing even more mysteriously than at home. So how to lead them to understanding and appreciating all the hard work behind these meals they eat (or refuse)? How to explain the logisitics, the late-night shelf-stocking, the care and pride that goes into supplying food for us?

Adventures of a SAHM: Parks

I've been a SAHM for four months now, and I think I'm finally starting to find my groove.  With the exception of the "lack of income" thing, it's a whole lot more fun than I thought it would be.  Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but I don't even really want to be with myself all day long, much less with anyone else.  And I doubt they want to hang out with me either - I'm old, crabby, and I make them wash their hands after they pee.  With the advent of spring, though, a whole new world has opened up to us:  The Park.

Just Call Me Old Mother Hubbard

My cupboards are pretty bare right now. And I mean, preeeeety bare. Thanks to some bad work/pay/life timing, I have not been able to get to the grocery store in ages. So, last night, when I rushed home following work and a meeting to begin my 8th night of solo nighttime parenting, I was seriously chuffed to find that my pantry had not been miraculously stocked since I last looked in it.

We were down to pretty much the basics. I looked in the fridge,and didn’t find much inspiration there, either. Same goes for the freezer – though I did have some Mayan Chocolate Gelato from Ed’s still left. But there was not enough to make a meal for all three of us, so I put it away to eat all by myself when the kids were finally in bed  for dessert another day. 

Are you a Swinger?

It's been my long-held belief that the tracks for our future social life are laid down way before we ever hit high school.  Before junior high, for that matter.  Not as far back as the womb, of course - I'm not part of the movement that subscribes to the wearing of headphones on the baby bump, pumping classical music straight to the womb.  Bunch of malarkey, that, and totally unproven.  But it should come as no great shocking theory that the preschool playground is a microcosm of the world at large.  And it begs the question:  which part do you play?

Be My Guest

So, my lovely sister is in town, and I am being spoiled rotten. She is playing with my kids, tidying my house and so far, cooking every dinner we have eaten together for a week. And I don’t mean wieners and beans here, folks, I mean glorious stir-frys, salmon patties, robust soups and last night, ridiculously amazing tacos, filled with homemade pseudo refried beans, a tofu-corn succotash kind of thing and pineapple salsa. I did mention that she’s supposed to be MY guest, right?

National Treasure: Barbara Reid

Barbara Reid is another one of Canada's great children's authors, and may be familiar to many of you,  whether you know of her full range of books or not. Many of her books are favourites, but only one small and lesser-known set have gone into a series, making her somewhat less well-known than she ought to be. She is an illustrator of other people's books as well as an author/illustrator, so you may even have seen her art without ever having read what she has written herself. Either way, you should just make sure you know she has a good handful of wonderful books to be discovered.