Why Do Work and Life Have to Get in the Way of Blogging?

There once was a time when I would diligently post several times a week. Now that I'm teaching again, it leaves very little time to get online as much as I would like to.

I have to be online for a bit when Little One is in bed, because that's when I get my freelance work done. I never imagined how difficult it would be to work, take care of a toddler, cook, clean, do all the household chores, and help my husband with his work. I have a deep respect for moms all over the world. Being a mom is a full time job. Being a mom and working is just insane! I'm starting to get into the swing of things and Little One loves hanging out with her grandparents during the day.

I just feel that when I get home, I'm exhausted. The house seems to suffer more now. The toddler seems to crave attention more too. Preparing lunches and suppers the night before and remembering everything else seems to be a huge task for me.

Little One is cutting her molars and is still having the occasional night when she's plagued by her night terrors. I find I need more sleep and every day, by 3PM I am exhausted.

I'm excited to be teaching ESL again. I really love the feeling when my students suddenly "get" superlatives, comparatives, gerunds, infinitives, and conditional clauses. Love it!

Oh! Before I forget...Check this out! Guess whose article is posted on The Canadian-Mom-Bloggers Daily?

Cell Phone Pics

A friend of mine recently told me that I am obsessed with taking photos. You know what? She's absolutely right!

I am obsessed with taking photos.

I take photos of Little One. In fact, I've got a zillion photos of her!

I take photos of food. I keep telling people "It's for the blog!" :)

I take photos of the places we've been to. I take photos of our visits with family and friends.

I take photos of everything.

In some ways, I feel the need to commit to memory every moment that I share with my husband and Little One. I don't want to forget a single event. I need to capture these moments. Even the everyday, boring, and seemingly trivial moments are important to me.Pic of our bed. Hubby asks, "What on earth does one need with SEVEN pillows?!?!"
Little One is such a clown! She's always trying to make people laugh with all the silly things she does. I was writing an article and she came up to me, looked at me, and waited for my reaction when I saw her with her sweater on her head! What a character!
The kid insisted on wearing her Halloween costume all day. She had a play date that day. Can you guess what she wore to her friend's house? Ummm hmmmm. Her chicken costume.
I just think the Boon Bug is the most awesome thing ever. Never again will Little One have her toys all over the place in the bathtub...and they drip dry!
Supper at My Thai Palace. Kids these days! They're texting at such a young age! When I was her age, we had rotary phones! Cell phones? What? Maybe a decade or two later, and they were still huge, honkin' things that only a few people had the privilege to carry around. They looked hideous!
Caught in Sudz, sporting her My Dandelion Wishes owl hat.

Why Onesies and Diaper Shirts are Necessary

Scene: Our living room. Hubby was about to give Little One a bath when I had to step out for a meeting after supper.

Me: Ummm...I don't want to sound bossy or tell you what to do, but diaper shirts/onesies are necessary. It is imperative that you put one on Little One. You can't just let her run around without one on.

Hubby: Um hmm. (obviously not listening)

Me: Okay. Fine.

A few hours later, I returned from my library board meeting and Little One was in nothing but a diaper.

Me: Oh. She's just wearing a diaper? You really should put a onesie on her. You know she'll take her diaper off, right?

Hubby: (no answer)

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Little One climb onto the couch, remove her diaper, and proceed to PEE on the couch!

Me: (trying not to sound like a nag) I told you so.

Flashback Friday

There was a time when I actually thought I'd marry Jani Lane! Luuuuuuuuuv! I miss my high school days.

I'm sure when Little One gets older she will think her Mama had poor taste in men. C'mon...You don't think the big hair and the tight pants were hawwwwt?

Unlike my lovely friend, Jeanna at Wisconsin Candy Dish, I've never been to a sock hop! ;) However, I begrudgingly admit that I also liked the Carpenters. I blame my Mom that. :)

International Cuisine Night #1

Some friends and I decided to have International Cuisine Nights every month. It's a great chance to get together and socialize, catch up, and enjoy some fabulous food!

Since I'm teaching ESL again (after being home with the baby...who isn't a baby anymore), we decided to kick start International Cuisine Night with dishes from South Korea. I also incorporated the evening into our curriculum. My ESL students have monthly presentations, and I thought it would be a great opportunity for my student to talk about Korean food and Korean culture in front of an audience who just happen to be educators as well.

The poor guy was so nervous that A) he had to speak English in front of anyone other than me, and B) the audience consisted of 1 high school principal, 2 high school teachers, 1 public school teacher, 1 kindergarten teacher, and 1 ESL teacher.

Regardless, he did a fantastic job.

Bulgogi (beef with veggies and Bulgogi sauce)

zzimdark/jimdark (My student didn't know how to spell it in English)
Chicken, potatoes, veggies in a mildly spicy sauce

jabchea (Potato noodles with veggies and beef)

karanmarlee (Korean egg roll)

Hobak buchimgea (Korean pancakes with zucchini and/or other veggies)

Donggrangdang (Little Korean pancakes made of pork, tofu, veggies)

Hobak jun (breaded zucchini)

Looking forward to the rest of our International Cuisine Nights. On the list: Mongolia, Switzerland, Mexico, Hungary, and the rest to be announced.

Meatless Monday #7

Okay, so it's Meatless Monday on a Thursday.

With zucchini and tomatoes being in abundance at this time of the year, I had to try to figure out what to do with all those veggies!

I was going to make Ratatouille, but decided on making a Frittata.
I was going to post a photo of the Frittata I made, but it was devoured before I had a chance to find the camera. You'll have to settle for a photo found via Google Images. Photo borrowed from here.

INGREDIENTS

1 onion, sliced
garlic, minced
oil
1 Tomato, diced (I used 2 tomatoes)
1 zucchini, halved and sliced
2 or 3 potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
Salt and pepper to taste
6 eggs
parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

In large nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until lightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes; cook until potatoes are golden.

In small bowl, beat eggs with salt and zucchini. Add to skillet; reduce heat to medium and cook until bottom is brown and crusty, about 5 minutes, occasionally lifting edges so uncooked eggs can flow underneath. (If skillet handle is not ovenproof, wrap in foil.)

Add tomatoes on top. Broil until eggs are set- 1 to 2 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve. Garnish with parsley.

******************************************************************************

I served the Frittata with a salad. Yes, that is a lot of veggies! The Student, Hubby, Little One and I enjoyed it immensely.

At the end of the meal, my husband (the beef farmer) said, "That was great Honey. It would have been even more perfect with meat!"

Will my husband survive Meatless Mondays? We shall soon find out.

How Could I Have Forgotten

...that two years ago (on September 16th, 2008) I was put on complete bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy?

I remember it clearly. My wonderful cousin (who was my Maid of Honour at our wedding in 2006) was throwing me a baby shower. It was supposed to be a joyous event. It was something I was looking forward to.

On our way to Montreal, where the baby shower was being held, Hubby and I had to make a pit stop in Sudbury for my OB-GYN visit. That was the day that began my very long period of bed rest and the day that made me realize that things weren't as good as I thought they were. Until then, I thought everything was fine with my pregnancy. I knew the doctor said I was already dilating at 5 months into my pregnancy, but it didn't really hit me that this was all true. Maybe I was in denial. Maybe I was just being overly hopeful that everything would be fine. I was barely 24 weeks pregnant! That was just over halfway into my pregnancy.

Our vehicle was packed for our trip to Montreal. I happily went to our OB-GYN's office to get checked out. Life was good. I was happy, pregnant, and on my way to my baby shower and to see all the people I love.

Wrong. After checking me out, the doctor said he was sending me back to the Island. Things were worse than he thought and my cervix was dilating at an alarmingly fast rate. He said my cervix was paper thin when at this point in my pregnancy it should have been almost inpenetrable. The doctor's orders were for me to go home, be on my back at all times, except for bathroom breaks. No sitting (as it would put too much pressure on the cervix). No standing. No anything. Family members and friends were to do EVERYTHING for me. That included all cooking, housework, chores. I wasn't allowed to do ANYTHING.

Sounds good, right? Wrong. It was a nightmare. I'm the type of person who always has to be doing something. For the remainder of my very brief pregnancy, I'd be confined to a bed in the living room and having everyone cater to me. This was not how I envisioned my pregnancy to be. Who would have known that this strict bed rest would eventually end up becoming strict hospital bed rest at the hospital in Sudbury within the next few weeks and then ultimately strict hospital bed rest at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto?

This was two years ago. Hard to believe this all happened!

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm...

* Little One screaming her head off trying to open her Rubbermaid container of Crayola Crayons and markers instead of just bringing it to me so I can open it for her! Oh, the drama!

* Hubby doing this...

* and this...Gotta love it when people leave the empty milk bags in the fridge and don't replace them...or leave just a little bit (errrmm...a few drops!) of milk in the bags!

* Little One self-weaned at 16 months and at 21 months, she has started putting her hand down my shirt, licking her fingers, and saying "Mmmmmmmm!!!! TASTY!!!!" (followed by a huge smile and a hearty laugh). What on earth? I have nooooo idea where she got that from! What a crazy kid!

* Little One not liking sugar or sweets! We don't give her sugar, sweets, junk food, or processed food (we try to limit those things in our house). When The Student got her this really adorable Hello Kitty marshmallow pop, we thought Little One would devour it. She licked it, made a disgusted face, and pushed it away. That's my girl! Gotta love a kid who doesn't like candy!!! :) I was secretly happy that she didn't want to have anything to do with it!

It's Official...

I'm the Mom of a girlie girl! Check it out here.

P.S. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am not a girlie girl and that pink is my least favourite colour. Ahem! Many of you know that Cerulean is my fave colour! I have to say that since I gave birth to Little One, pink has started to grow on me. She just looks so cute in pink!

I am Sooooo Biased

...because I think she is just too cute for words!
Here's Little One at my cousin's wedding the other weekend. Hubby, Little One and I were in the wedding party.
She had a blast and danced the night away.

Yes, I let my 21 month old daughter dance until midnight. I know. What mother lets her toddler stay up until midnight?! That's right. I did. It's not like we let her stay up that late every night. It was one night and she had so much fun. Plus, I know that babies need routine and structure, but they also need to know that sometimes there's a change in their routine and structure. She had a blast and she slept really well after all that dancing!
Photos courtesy of the wonderful, talented, and gorgeous Temara Brown.

These photos at the ceremony were taken by my uncle. Yes, Little One was a flower girl.

With a soother.

On a tricycle.

I'm well aware that the last two sentences weren't really sentences. They're missing a verb. Speaking of grammar, week one of teaching ESL again has gone well. I forgot how exciting it is to be teaching gerunds, infinitives, adverbial clauses, and conditionals! This said, having to do lesson planning, correct homework, teach, rush home to cook supper, wash dishes, take care of a toddler, bathe her, get her ready for bed, write articles for various companies, and do everything else (while Hubby is out working on the farm until 10PM every night) is really, really exhausting.

Did I mention that Little One is now starting to challenge her Mama? She's not horrible. She's just a bit...headstrong stubborn strong-willed challenging. Her personality is coming out and she's so very funny. She's an entertainer, and loves making people laugh. She likes to show people that she knows her body parts (eyes, nose, mouth, ears, tongue, teeth, hands, fingers, feet and toes). She tells you that shoes go on your feet. She can let you know what she wants even if she can't articulate her wants verbally yet. The only thing is that she is so gosh darn persistent when she wants something. She's very independent too.

I have a feeling I'm in for lots of excitement with this one. Okay, I have a feeling I'll have my hands full. *sigh*