Meet Barry

Meet Barry! Or at least the cartoon version of him...

I came home after a long day at work yesterday. I ate dinner, I played with the baby, I hung out with Dave... and then I went to change Sydney's diaper and get her into her pyjamas. When I walked into her room there he was. A tiny Siamese fighting fish in a little bowl on Sydney's shelf.

I called David into the room to ask him what was going on. He exclaimed "Meet Barry! He is Sydney's pet fish!" Ok I missed something. When the heck did we get a fish?! Apparently David took Sydney to the pet store yesterday ( I don't necessarily support pet stores that sell animals) and she was so excited by the fish that he bought her one. I love that she has her own little pet now, but is this not the perfect example of a little girl that has her daddy wrapped around her finger? So cute!

Nonetheless, we now have a new addition to our little family. Welcome to our home Barry!

Mrs. E

100 Things Item #32: 365 Pictures In One Year ~ Ninth Edition

A note about these photos: The 365 photo challenge has been hard for me. I really only see Sydney for about an hour and a half each evening during the week. As a result, she is usually in her PJ's by the time I get around to taking her picture. I am starting to find all of the photos a bit boring. I am going to make more of an effort to mix things up. Wish me luck!

~ April 20, 2012 - Yum! Easter Eggs! ~

~ April 21, 2012 - Grandma Love ~

~ April 22, 2012 - A bad picture by mom ~

~ April 23, 2012 - Photo by Dad ~

~ April 24, 2012 - Testing out the new shoes and Trunki ~

 

~ April 25, 2012 - Playing with the tickle mitts ~

~ April 26, 2012 - Walking in the hallway ~

Mrs. E



Sydney's New Shoes

How cute are Sydney's new shoes! Our little gal is really on the move now. She is walking everywhere! She still looks like a drunken sailor or a little old man having a hard time walking... but she is on her feet almost all day now. I decided that it was time for her to have a good pair of comfy spring walking shoes. I hit up Wee Love Baby Boutique (one of our favorite stores in Edmonton and it is right down the street from our house) and picked up a pair of these iPlay shoes. They are light and waterproof and are made out of the same material as Crocs. She is loving them!

I have a feeling she will be moving even faster now that she has these suckers!

Mrs. E

Vegetarian Lasagna Rolls

I don't eat a lot of meat. As a result, we tend to eat vegetarian meals from time to time.

On Sunday afternoon I had started to feel a little bit better. So I managed to clean the entire house and make a nice vegetarian meal for our family. Vegetarian lasagna rolls are healthy and super easy when you are in a bit of a hurry.

Ingredients:

~ 1 Can of Tomato Sauce

~ 1 Red Bell Pepper

~ 1 Bundle of Asparagus

~ 12 Whole Grain or Smart Pasta Lasagna Noodles

~ 3/4 Cup of Cheese

~ Crushed Chilies

~ Fresh Garlic

How To:

~ Cook Noodles until they are al dente

~ Pour 1/3 of the tomato sauce into a glass casserole dish

~ Sprinkle garlic and chilies on the sauce to taste

~ Slice pepper into thin strips

~ Chop asparagus into three inch pieces

~ Place one pasta noodle onto a cutting board

~ Place several pieces of asparagus and pepper on one end of the noodle and roll up

~ Place in dish

~ Repeat for remaining eleven rolls

~ Pour remaining tomato sauce over the rolls and sprinkle with more chilies and garlic to taste

~ Sprinkle on cheese and bake at 350C for 30 minutes

Mrs. E

Sick

This is what I did today... yuck.

Sickness has hit me full force and I ended up in bed instead of at work twice this week. All I can do is hope that I get better soon.

Mrs. E

100 Things Item #32: 365 Pictures In One Year ~ Eighth Edition

~ April 2, 2012 - Reading ~

~ April 3, 2012 - Sydney loves to eat chapstick ~

~ April 4, 2012 - Playing in the sun ~

~ April 5, 2012 - Walking with Confidence ~

~ April 6, 2012 - On the way to Lethbridge ~

 

 ~ April 7, 2012 - Ready for Easter Dinner at Papa's ~

~ April 8, 2012 - Messy hair after an afternoon nap ~

 

~ April 9, 2012 - Stuck in the magazine rack ~

~ April 10, 2012 - Messy hair ~

~ April 11, 2012 - Sydney's lazy slob moment... booger included. ~

~ April 12, 2012 - The Girls ~

 

~ April 13, 2012 - Enjoying some new books! ~

 

~ April 14, 2012 - Yum! Fruit snacks! ~

~ April 15, 2012 - Bunny butt at Gran and Gido's ~

~ April 16, 2012 - Enjoying the view ~

~ April 17, 2012 - Being Goofy ~

~ April 18, 2012 - Watching Daddy race with Ellie ~

~ April 19, 2012 - Playing with her new toy ~

Mrs. E

Toddler Activities ~ Homemade Kleenex Box

Keeping a toddler entertained is a bit of a challenge at times. Sydney is rarely interested in the toys that we buy her. We spend so much money trying to ensure that she has all of the things she needs but she usually wants to play with simple household items that are not her toys.

One of her favorite household items is kleenex. If she can get a hold of a box she will pull every last one out.

So with some creative help from Pinterest and some fabric scraps I had around the house, I made Sydney her own Kleenex box. She loves it!

Instructions:

~ Cut about 30 squares of scrap fabric (Mine were about 10 x 10 inches)

~ Tie the squares together corner to corner until you have one long strip of fabric

~ Place the fabric into an empty wipes container so that it can be easily pulled out

~ Feed the end through the opening of the container and close

~ Show your toddler how to pull them out and watch them go crazy!

Sydney is so excited about her hew toy. She claps when she finally pulls it all out. The best part about this entire thing.... It was FREE!

 

Mrs. E

Plight of the Working Mom

I have to be honest.

Lately I have really been struggling with work. I have had the most incredible urge to hand in my two weeks notice and walk away. I think it is a combination of things that are making work difficult for me.

I have an incredibly hard time leaving Sydney every morning. It is almost as if I am leaving a part of me with her every day. She cries and clings to me every time I drop her off and it breaks my heart. During the week I only see her for about an hour and a half and by that point in the day I am so exhausted that I feel as though I cannot give her my full attention. I

One of the things that makes it more difficult for me is the amount of time she gets to spend with her Dad while I am working. Although David works crazier hours than I do, he gets to spend most of his time with her. He is really only away from her for three full days and two mornings every ten days. It kills me to know that they are going out for runs and enjoying time together while I am stuck at the office.

The other thing that is making it difficult for me to come to work is the amount of money I make and the strict nature of my schedule. I work in a position that does not really pay me very well. David is clearly the main income earner in our family and we don't really need my income at all to live comfortably. My position also means that I am very scheduled. There is no room for changing around my schedule and on days that I am away I have to have coverage. It is awful.

I have been searching high and low for a suitable part-time position but I am struggling to find something that will work for us.

At the end of the day, I just want to be home with my girl. 

 Mrs. E

Avacado Pasta Sauce

Some of you may know that lately, I have been making an effort to eat very healthy. Our family has never really had any unhealthy eating habits but I am trying to go that extra mile.

In the spirit of healthy eating I decided ot put together a nice Saturday meal for the three of us. We ate grilled garlic chili chicken, roasted asparagus and smart pasta with avocado lime sauce. It was delicious!

Ingredients:

~ 1 Avodaco

~ 2 Tbs of Lime Juice

~ 2 Tbs of Basil (Preferably fresh.... I only had dried when I decided to put this together)

~ Approx. 1/2 Cup Water

How To:

Add all indregients to blender and blend until smooth. If it is too thick for your liking, add a more water to thin the sauce out.

Add to cooked pasta and gently toss until the pasta is evenly coated. Done!

Now I have to tell you about one of our favorite products for cooking. David, Sydney and I like to eat meals with low sodium content. The problem with low sodium meals is that they tend to be bland. Spices are usually packed with salt and are generally not good for you. We have found one that we LOVE! It is 100% natural and has no salt added. It is essentially dried garlic and chilis. That's it. Super plain and delicious!

For this meal, I used it on both the asparagus (with a small amount of Extra virgin Olive Oil brushed on) and the grilled chicken. Yum!

Here is the final result of all of the hard work. Every bite was divine and super healthy.

Mrs. E

Sydney's New Books

If you want to see a super happy child, just give Sydney a new book.

I am a massive book lover. David would probably tell you that I have a reading problem but I disagree. I grew up in a household full of avid readers. My parents always have several books on the go and it was not uncommon to see all of us reading on the beach during family vacations.

Years ago, on a trip to Europe, I actually filled half of my travelling backpack with books. I feared what would happen if I did not have anything to read. friends made fun of me for using up precious packing space for something so silly, but the trip would not have been the same without.

We have been reading to Sydney since she was born. She used to sit on my lap and listen quietly while I read her a book. Of course she did not understand what I was saying, but I knew that the stimulation was good for her growing brain.

No that she is older, our reading materials have progressed. Sitting down to read with Sydney is an adventure. She often reaches out to turn the pages faster than you can read them. She is so excited to get to the next part. I love watching her flip through her books while she carefully examines each photo.

On Friday, Sydney and I took a trip to the book store. We spent a small fortune on books which included four amazing classics that had been adapted for young children. The art work in them is incredible and I love that we can start exposing her to those classic tales that we all grew up with.

The second they were out of the bag she was already flipping through them. It makes me proud to have a daughter who loves to read as much as her mama does.

Mrs. E