playdate

Your Mission: To Boldly Go

I love science fiction, but I have never been a huge fan of the original Star Trek.  I've tried to see it as a "classic" or "ahead of it's time", but frankly - it was just kinda sad.  The special effects did not hold up over time (and I still like the look of Star Wars), the writing was bad and the acting was worse.  Okay, Nimoy was cool, but Shatner?  Yikes.  I think they invented the phrase 'couldn't act his way out of a paper bag' just for him.  Still, I was excited when I heard that one of my TV gods, JJ Abrams was going to do a remake.  Pretty much everything he touches turns to gold, and he has the draw to pull in a great pool of talent.

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.

Can I bend your ear for a tick?

I just finished reading Little Bee by Chris Cleave for my book club.  Without revealing too much of the plot (the book jacket implores the reader to "please don't..tell what happens.  The magic is in how it unfolds."), there are many life lessons to learnt, but what most struck me was the idea of people wanting to make the world a better place.  It really got me thinking.  Now, I'm not a social activist.  You won't see me at a protest making a big stink about things.  And while I'd love to be a missionary in the field, the reality is that I have a family and a life here, and I'm not going to drag them with me.  I'm just not that kind of person.  But I do want to make a difference somehow.  I thought I might start with what I know.

TV's Best Kept Secrets

Well, it's no secret that I watch a lot of TV.  I mean a lot of TV.  I'm billing my time as 'research for my future career as a star actress'.  Ahem.  That being said, though, I don't just watch any old TV show.  I only watch the good ones.  But it's not terribly avantgarde to say that I love to watch House, Lost, The Office and Battlestar Galactica, no matter how good they are.  (And they are very, very good.)  No sir - those of discerning tastes like me (Ahem #2) also seek out the programmes that are excellent, but are not necessarily mainstream favourites...yet.

drunken klutz crafting: pillowcase dress

Dusting off the crafty hat:

A pillowcase dress! Doesn't that sound fun for a little girl? Plus, people are paying beau-coup bucks for them on Ebay.

Why not? It sounds easy.

First, read this. Then get the template from here. Then realize you don't sew. Unh-uh. You don't. Well, hell. But wait! They make glue for this, don't they?? Resolve to make a nearly sew-less version.

Then find some pillowcases you can cut up and not feel badly about. Suggestion: do NOT take the ones off your bed. Your formerly oblivious-to-linens husband? Will notice. Damn his eyes.

Pumpkinpie's Picks

I haven't mentioned for a while now what my Pumpkinpie has been enjoying, which I think is a good window into what she and I like, so I think it's about time I pull back the curtain on bedtime at our house once again, especially since I've been buying new books like a mad thing lately. (That's what happens when you have time to browse bookstores while on mat leave...) She's also taken very strongly to some good stuff, surprising even me a little, given that this child has had some dubious favourites in the past. New on the playlist are:

In (defense of) the Night Garden...

A few posts back, I wrote about my dislike for The Backyardigans, and was frankly surprised at the amount of responses I got.  Apparently, they have some staunch supporters.  I still cringe when the show comes on TV, but I don't deny that it has great appeal for some and the idea behind the show is a good one.  (So let's hear a big WOOT! for The Backyardigans,  you crazy pseudo-animals, you.)  But what really disconcerted me was the animosity displayed for a programme that I named as one of my top picks, In the Night Garden.  Not only do some people dislike it intensely, but apparently the message boards on Treehouse are awash with people trying to get the show banned from the air.  So, I felt compelled to add my support to an unfairly vituperated show.

Bitter Tears

This year, for our Passover Seder, I bravely offered to make the brisket. If you are at all familiar with a Passover Seder, then you know that the brisket is the shining star of the meal. Happy to pass the torch to the next generation, my beleaguered mother cooked the (mock) chicken soup, matzo balls, farfalle and mushrooms, lemon chicken, roasted potatoes, steamed veggies, all the fixings for the Seder plate, and several desserts. I could handle the brisket, right?

Gone, Baby, Gone.

***WARNING:  SPOILER ALERT!***  If you haven't seen this week's House yet (and you really, REALLY should have) then stop reading now. 

With the amount of  TV I watch, it shouldn't come as such a surprise that I get attached.  I mean, if you saw the same group of people once a week for years, you'd consider them all friends, wouldn't you?  Even if you liked some people more than others?  So shouldn't that theory also be applicable to the people you see on TV regularly?  Aren't they kinda, sorta, maybe "friends" too?  Even if you don't, technically, "know" them and they aren't "real" people?  (Oh gawd, am I really this loser-ish that I consider TV characters to be friends?  Please tell me it's not just me...).  So it's like a punch to the gut when one of those "friends" dies...unexpectedly.

'Pie on Pie

As the weather grows warmer (well, okay, not today, but on the whole, we're getting there...), my thoughts turn to summer. yes, I love spring, but I dream of summer. The warm weather, the carefree feeling in the air - and the fruit. And, of course, because I have a sweet tooth, the fruit pies. Well who doesn't love pie? Since I'm not alone, there are some terrific picture books that pay tribute to the wonders of pie. You just might want to make sure you have some on hand if you are going to make these part of your reading, because you know they are going to want some...

But can she read the Phone Book?

One of the things that I really love about my new status of Stay-at-Home Mom is that I have ample opportunity to check out what the city has to offer in the way of children's entertainment.  There are people out there doing something pretty amazing things in the name of enriching our children's youth and bringing us together as a community, if you know where to look.  And, if you have a lot of money.  Of course, I'm talking free entertainment here, people.  (No salary = No money.)  One of the things that is really popular in my neighbourhood is the Chapters Storytime.  I'm trying to stay open-minded about it because I really (truly!) appreciate what they're doing, but most of the time this half-hour of my life leaves me feeling cold...and bored.