Monday, April 30, 2012

Operation Meat vs. Veggie: First Night-Four Stars

Okay...so tonight I made the Brussel Sprout & Mushroom Alfredo Fettuccine...

Just as I finished cooking it up, and started serving my hubby commented, "So it's a veggie dish then hey?"

I cracked up laughing...okay, so this dish is not going to pull the wool over his eyes. Fair enough.

So despite the fact that it was meatless, he said during the meal " the combo of brussel sprouts and mushroom is actually quite good". YES! That's right-he liked the brussel sprouts. Okay, in all fairness it's not that he hates them to begin with, he just doesn't love them the way I do, and wouldn't choose them.

Then, with a few mouth fulls to go, and a few extra servings sitting in the pan, he sat back and said "wow-I'm actually really full, I'll just finish up the veggies here".

A full man is a happy man.

Final verdict on this new recipe, he says "I'd like to see you make this again."

Cost breakdown...

Mushrooms: .385kg/$2.95
Brussel Sprouts: .255kg/$1.12
Fettuccine Noodles: $2.89
Alfredo Sauce: $4.49

Total for aprox. 3 people--> $11.45  That's just $3.82 a person!

Whoooaaa, okay I am actually shocked at that.

What I could have done better...I actually bought the sauce instead of making it, hard to believe that meal could be cheaper, but it definitely could have had I done that.

What it would have cost with meat--> ~$16.45 or $5.48 a person.

So not a huge savings, but considering everything--I think we'll definitely being doing it again.

The only bummer, Jayna didn't like it, at all...not even pureed. Go figure.

So overall, I'd call that a 4 star dinner!

My recipe (and to be fair-I do a lot of eyeballing, so you'll have to give it your best shot) or find a recipe online-remember, I didn't make the sauce from scratch, but after checking recipes later-it's super easy to do.

Cook up the pasta, while that is going you can start to cut the brussel sprouts into thin slices, add to a hot pan with about a cup of water and let cook up for about 3-5minutes. Then drain water and add about 2 tbsps of butter and sliced mushrooms. Season as necessary. Because I chose a garlic alfredo I just added salt and pepper. When the mushrooms are brown and brussels cooked add in the sauce and turn the temperature down to low, let simmer while the pasta finishes. If you have some fresh herbs-some fresh parsley would be a fabulous touch!





Meat vs. Veggie

Most weeks it's a rarity to have 1 meal that is vegetarian.

Okay, actually, over the course of a month it's rare to have as many as 3 vegetarian meals.

It's not that I am a big meat person...in fact, I could do without, but my hubby on the other hand...well, he is a meat eater.

He even eats liver paste (ew!).

This week though, I am going to throw his stomach for a loop, I just finished up the weekly meal plan and guess what, there is 1...that's right, I said it, 1 MEAT DISH!

Ssshhh...don't tell. (Now watch, this will be the one post that my hubby decides to actually read.)

That's right, this week my meal plan consists of: Bean Enchilada's, Fettuccine with mushrooms (and brussel sprouts-double SHHH), Spaghetti and beanballs, and this Rice Hoppin' John recipes (thanks google, I think?!)...the one star meat dish this week Casserole Cabbage Rolls.

Now why? Why the sudden onslaught of veggie meals?

Okay a few reasons, first-is it really cheaper to cook this way? I'll find out this afternoon I guess. Truth be told, I couldn't tell you what a can of beans cost, I never REALLY pay attention. Second (my poor hubby)- while I am pregnant and getting round' round the middle is relatively okay, I am not the only one getting round...if you know what I am saying. So I am hoping that this low calorie (but hopefully still fulfilling meals> will help. Third-I am bored, bored, bored of what we normally eat and I can hardly get the oomph to get up and cook most nights.

Plus...doesn't it sound kind of fun?

I am not going to make a big deal out of the lack of meat, in fact, I am not going to say a thing...and I am going to watch and see if there is a reaction out of him.

Stay-tuned this week...

BTW: I do really love my husband, I swear this isn't punishment for something! But you are thinking the same thing as me...can I pull it off without him knowing? Can YOU pull it off without your hubby or significant other knowing???

Saturday, April 28, 2012

When She Calls My Name

I can hear her at the bottom of the stairs, she's babbling away at me.

"Do you want your Momma?" I hear her Dad say.

Then the baby gate unlocks and I hear her banging her way up the stairs.

"Momma" she calls, then her face breaks out into a big smile "Hiyyeee".

And my heart melts-there is something amazing about when she calls my name.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Letters to Great Grandma

I love technology.

Okay, well I love technology that works. Like everyone else, I too get frustrated when things don't work, have weird quirks, or don't quite work the way I want them to.

There really is something to be said though for sitting down with a piece of paper and a pen and just-writing.

My Grandma and Grandpa, Jay's Great Grandparents, lives fairly 'off the grid'. They live about 40 minutes outside of a small 3500 pop. community. They don't have running hot water, they run off of solar panels and a generator for power, and they only have a satellite phone. Yes, at my grandparents home, the outhouse is the the preferred method for the washroom, because while they do have (recently) an indoor bathroom of sorts, it's not like the bathrooms most of us Canadians are accustomed to.

So, email is out, picking up the phone is not as easy as you might think, so instead-we write letters.

Now I'll admit, I am not the best at getting them out efficiently. Life just has the way of making a "I'll sit down and write this evening'' into a bigger deal than it has to be, but truth be told...it really isn't that much more complicated then sending out an email-just less convenient.

There is something about getting a handwritten letter in the mail though that just warms the heart.

So today, I sat down, and Jay sat down with me, we 'talked' (as much as you can with a 15 month old) about the things we wanted to tell Great Grandma and Grandpa and I wondered---will she ever do this when she is older?

Kids are a product of their environment for sure, so I suppose modeling this kind of 'behavior' might mean that Jay will become a closet enthusiast for letter writing in it's simplest form-but perhaps not.

What happened to the good old pen pal? Will she never have one like I had growing up? Most likely not. Writing, communicating has taken up entirely different forms as the years tick by. The question is, will the good ol' letter die?

I hope not, so despite the fact that I already cleaned up one coloring mess today, I pulled out some paper and let her 'write' with me...every child may not get to experience letter writing as I have, but my daughter will hopefully at least get a taste-while writing to Great Grandma.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Out of milk.

Milk really is the essence of life when you have a baby or toddler.

This morning I came down with the intention of sqeaking out the last bit of milk from the jug to sustain my lil' one over breakfast. Go figure, it's the one morning where she just can't get enough.

It's heartbreaking, watching your toddler stand at the fridge door hoping for you to open and refill her cup.

Water-it just wouldn't cut it.

It was one of those morning that I wished I was still breastfeeding her.

So we got dressed and I took her to the grocery store...had I been smart I would have packed her milk cup because sure enough, we got to the milk aisle and she went nuts! I put the jug in the cart, last stop-bananas and I spent the entire aisle between milk and produce trying to keep her sitting as she tried to crawl into the cart with the milk jug.

It was terribly cute, and terribly heart-wrenching.

The smile on her face when she finally got a full cup-bliss!

How many things we take for granted in a day...if only we too could have the same expression on our face when given the simplest of things...like milk.



Wednesday, April 25, 2012

~NOMINATE US~

The ultimate Spare Change Scavengers...nominate us!

You could win $1,000 just for nominating!

http://www.beremarkable.com/pbr/nominate?id=119

I guess this means that I haven't quite kicked the habit have I? Maybe this is the last one...that we'll actually win!

Dollar$ and $en$e: When what you are doing isn't working...

My husband and I have been together for almost 6 years...that's 6 years of habits that are fairly engrained in the both of us.

Since we have been together I have been primarily responsible for the finances. Which some people find amusing since he he is the one with the Math degree.

So why did I do it? I love working with numbers. I love making the numbers balance out at the end of the month. I also happen to be a 'fixer', I love being able to work, and rework things to make them right again. (Oh yeah, and I am slightly controlling.) The only thing is, our financial situation is a lot different than it used to be-our life is a lot different.

When we first got together my husband had just started his degree in education and I was the one working. It made sense for me to be the one to do the finances...

Now, he's the one working, I am at a home with our daughter, and it is surprising how little he understands about how I have been doing the finances despite how much we do talk about where we are at.

Okay, so time to assess.

Who does the finances in the home? Has it always been this way?

I strongly believe that both people need to be involved in the finances and money making/spending decisions. However, it most cases one person is usually the one 'in charge' of the nitty-gritty of it all.

Is that still working?

My gut reaction is 'yes', I know what I am doing, and where I need to get our finaces. When I really step back though, I'm stressed. Out of the two of us I am by fair the most emotional person, and finances is about emotional as it can get. Working the finances stressed me out, not because the process is tough, but because we have so much debt and it just won't go away!

Does it make sense to change?

This is where the anxiety starts, I've always done the finances. But 'yes', it does make sense to change, the stress that the nitty-gritty causes me just might not be worth fulfilling my need to be in control.

So we are changing it up. Sometimes that's what you have to do when what you are doing isn't working anymore.

My husband is now in charge of the nitty gritty.

Now that doesn't mean that I am totally hands off, but it means that I need to find a way to let go, be involved where it makes sense and trust my husband to do what I was doing---maybe even better.

So your turn. Where are you at? Does it make sense? Is it time for a change?

Then do it. Give yourselves at least 6 months of making the change before you revert back (I'll let you know how that goes).

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Hitting the wall...and an anniversary of sorts

Sometimes you hit a wall.

You hit the worst of it-hard.

Then what?

Flight or fight. That's what they say. Sometimes it's a bit of both. Yesterday was my wall. 'Our' wall.

It hurt, hitting it as hard as I did.

And yet, today I am better for it...now just looking for a way to climb over the wall.

Luckily there seems to be many a people, waiting to get me up and over. Waiting to get 'us' up and over.

On a completely un-related note, that just happens to be taking place at the same time, today is a year anniversary of sorts. One year since I joined up on this site called winfreestuff.ca to see if I was "lucky", a year after putting myself in for (literally) hundreds of contests-I haven't won anything! Not a car, not a free vacation, not even for a basket of cosmetics. As it turns out, I do not have any 'luck'. So today, I am closing down my account, and letting that go. Letting it go, with the other things in my life that I have to let go of in order to make room for other things... I am trying not to draw a relationship between my personal downward spiral and my inability to win anything-even a cheap basket of goodies...any yet...I kind of just did didn't I?

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Making dreams come true

As you may have noticed, as of late it's been misery and, well more misery.

Today, despite my feelings, I woke up determined to do at least one good thing for me.

Just moments ago, I proofread (for the 100th time) another article for submission in Island Parent and then sent it off.

It has always been a dream of mine, to become a published author, and this is one great step forward, even if they choose not to publish my work.

It's about doing something that pushes me out of my comfort zone. It's about doing something that excites and terrifies me all at the same time.

This is where it starts. It starts with articles, it moves on to the the plethora of children's book ideas that I have, and one day, it will be my novels-sent off into the world.

Now, having accomplished that one thing, I feel re-charged. In 40 minutes I will be outside with daughter in tow, and friends at hand, working on the neighbourhood park. My house may not be completely clean, the laundry not done. Yet-I will have accomplished more today perhaps then the past few days...and all because I started with following through with a dream.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Cracking a smile

It's a Saturday and I am having a hard time motivating myself to be happy this morning.

Correction-nearly afternoon.

There are so many things that I could enjoy...

My backyard for one, I have a few plants to plant.

The sun, even a walk would do.

The carnival is in town and it will be my daughter's first time going.

Possible dinner party with friends.

I should just be enjoying the small break I have now while my daughter is sleeping...

And yet...this is how I am feeling...


Hahaha...I cracked a smile-did you?

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

2 days later...

Wondering where I am at?

Not much has changed.

I have planned a neat little photoshoot idea to do with my daughter before selling my wedding dress.

I talked to my bank and have cashed in my RRSP's to help get rid of some of our debt. It wasn't much, but right now every little bit helps-so I'll take it.

I am wavering between returning to work at the school or bringing kids in as drop-in's until I am really too pregnant to do anything more...but the idea of leaving my daughter right now is a huge pill to swallow and I just don't know if it would make the difference financially.

So it's lots of mental and emotional stress, which carries itself through everything else...

I'm hoping for a miracle of sorts.

Don't we all when our backs are against the wall?

Realistically though, we just have to dig our way out of this-with a toothpick.

I'm just trying to hold it together enough so that my little girl doesn't start feeling the effects of this all.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Dollar$ and $en$e: We are drowning in debt

We are drowning in debt.

And it's so depressing.

We tried to cut back and live on cash, we don't go out all that often, cancelled any and all plans for travelling unnecessarily...and guess what...?!

Stuff still ends up on VISA, and the debt is going no where!

It's so depressing, to sit down and review the past few months and realize that despite your best intentions-what you are doing just isn't working anymore.

We're starting to look at anything else we can cut back (and trust me-there isn't much), we are looking at cashing in the few savings (RRSP's) we do have to pay off the debt (and trust me-there isn't much, especially after those fees)...oh yes, and I am dragging out my wedding dress and letting that go to the highest bidder.

Yet, it hardly feels like it's going to do anything-why?!

We are just under a whopping 60K in consumer debt and it has been growing-not shrinking. Which is frustrating because we don't have a lavish lifestyle by any means. That number by the way, doesn't include our 88K mortgage. Now that is the scariest thing of all...we owe 68% of our mortgage amount---on CONSUMER DEBT! YUCK.

We could have 1+ 2/3 of our home with the debt we have incurred.

Those of you who don't have debt-bravo.
Those of you acquiring-STOP NOW before you get where we are.

I sat at the kitchen table and bawled my eyes out after looking at the numbers-in red. Being almost 7 months pregnant doesn't help, because while the obvious thing would be to go and make more money, we are talking about putting my 15 month old in daycare and my working for...maybe 2 months?!

My reality...after losing the RRSP's, the wedding dress, the few 'frills' we have less, I am now looking at losing time with my children well before my year of (unpaid) maternity.

If I could have done it all over again, I would have-in a heart beat. Don't make the same mistake and leave it until you hit rock bottom-because rock bottom, it hurts.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Too tired

Too tired to function.

Can anyone hear me?

I need at least 2-3 hours more sleep.

I'm-hardly-able--to---keep----my-----eyes-----open.

But baby's got to eat. Dishes have to get washed. Laundry needs to be put through and folded. Phone calls have to be returned.

Too tired to function.

Yet here I am-barely.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Dirty Girl

I cringe as she places the mud filled bucket on her head.

That's right-on her head.

My daughter loves being outside. We are often out there 2-3 times a day, for a walk, to play in the park across the street, or just outside in the backyard.

It keeps me from getting much done in the house to be sure, but well before we had kids, we always talked about how kids don't know how to play outside anymore, how all they want to do is be inside...we were determined before she was even born that we would do everything we could to avoid that.

So this morning, overcast, a little chilly (therefor well bundled) we went to play in the backyard.

She gets so proud of herself, when she has a pile of rocks stacked up, or transfers dirt without spilling (much) from one bucket to another...and a huge grin pronounces itself when she gets the pile of dirt onto her head.

My instinct--"please don't get dirty!" I don't let myself go there.

After an hour we come in, and she plays in the bath while I tidy up the dirt trail from the back door to the bathroom...

I wonder if we'll be doing a repeat performance this afternoon?!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

What do I do all day?

I wake up, shower (by myself because I dragged myself out of bed before my hubby had to go work). It was a 'wear the hair up' day-thank goodness because she was up and ready to go.

We eat breakfast. Lucky me-Daddy, who was up earlier, made her oatmeal to go with her banana.

So we eat.

We read a few books.

We go upstairs and get dressed.

I decide that I am going to have an easy day, just putz around, tidy up...

She goes to the front closet (which I didn't check to see if it was closed) and took out her jacket and shoes and brought them to me.

Talk about guilt trip!

So we walked to the hardware store (just for the sake of walking somewhere) to check out plants. We even managed to stop in and see her Daddy!

We get home, and luckily its nap time!

I sit down for a small snack and then-her Dad is home for lunch. And I precede to whoop his butt on some Mario Kart. Hey, just because I have a kid doesn't mean I still can't play like one.

He goes back to work, I get about 15 minutes through a show and some down time and 'you know who' is up.

So we eat PB&J sandwiches...which are a total mess by the way-but really cute to watch her eat.

Then as I am tidying up she comes to me with one shoe on-on the right foot, and beaming ear to ear. You have to reward her for her efforts--how could I say 'no'?

So I decided that now is as good a time as any to drop off some letters to the neighbours about a park clean-up on Earth Day that I am arranging.

Half way through we started getting stalked by this little dog, so we call animal control...this dog is always on the loose, has had a few near misses with the car, and I just didn't feel comfortable with him stalking my child. Hope the owners aren't totally pissed-but at the same time-put your dog on a leash! A lead! In a fenced yard! Anything!

Then we continue on, meet a few new neighbours. Just as we finish up my daughter gets it in her head that she wants to play in the park. It's now raining, and I am tired, my arms are tired from carrying her...

I had to take her kicking and screaming poor thing-I really think she could spend all day out there.

So its 3:30pm.

4 1/2 hours to bedtime.

10 bucks says she gets her Dad to take her out when he gets home...at least it will give me some time to clean I suppose.


Monday, April 9, 2012

Friends

There are moments in my life where reflection is so humbling...

Yesterday, as I sat in the hospital (I'm okay, just some pains that I didn't want to leave undiagnosed 'just in case') I was sitting there with my cellphone in hand and complete relief that my good friend was relieving my husband and daughter so they could go home and go to bed.

It was yet another moment in my day where I can look at where I was a year ago and say "wow, my life has changed."

A year ago I couldn't wait to be out of this town-there just didn't seem to be anything here for me, for us as a family.

Yesterday I had good friends come and hang out with us while we hunted for eggs, tea with new friends, and then another friend came and dropped off an easter present and then came with us on a walk...I also happen to have 2 other great friends (both out of country) that also would have been there in a heartbeat.

A year ago, I would have been happy with one friend, and yesterday, I had a handful.

I can only hope that they know how much I cherish each one of them!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Easter Weekend

So don't expect to hear from me much this weekend, if at all...the family is coming in tonight and I will be busy hosting and visiting.

Oh yeah, and cooking.

Lots and lots of cooking.

So, have a great Easter weekend, however you celebrate (or don't).

I hope at the very least you find time to get some R&R!

Cheers

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Guilty.

I feel a little guilty.

It's beautiful out-nice sun...I'm sure its not going to last. It rarely does.

I should be taking my daughter out.

I just can't.

Yesterday we did a park/backyard playdate with a friend, and then a huge walk...on a day where I walk up feeling cranky as can be.

At least I went to bed in a WAAAYYY better mood then what I had woken up with...thanks to my friend who not only baked us some bread, but came and gave a leg massage in exchange for childcare.

I just woke up not feeling like doing anything.

Tomorrow I am sure it will rain.

I will feel all the more guilty for not having gone out when the weather was nice.

I'm not the only one who ever feels guilty about not doing certain activities with their child...right?!