A Moment In Time...

A quick post to describe my boys, as they are in this moment....

Big D - loves to play Ninja Turtles, lego, Angry Birds, and with his new keyboard. He is enjoying playing on two hockey teams. This week-end he was goalie for the team (for the first time) and he LOVED it. He did really well in net, stopping a lot of pucks. And he even got a player of the game certificate! His reading vocabulary is increasing daily. He loves to read now that he has confidence (and the know-how), and enjoys flipping through books often. He likes to wear his new Angry Birds robe all.the.time. He is super excited to meet his new cousins in the not-too-distant future! He's a pretty cool kid and I love him immensely.

Little D - still loves doing crafts, puzzle, playing games, and climbing on Mommy's back for piggy back rides. He also loves hockey and can't get enough of playing it! We play school often and he is starting to connect letters and sounds, so reading might not be too far off...Since he was a few months old, he's always loved a good jazz or blues song. He can't help but move his feet and/or body to the rhythm. Lately he has been asking me to scan the radio and stop on anything jazz-y, blues-y or oldies. He smiles and dances in his carseat to the beat. He likes to wear one-piece jammies, and loves anything with acorns. Like his brother, I love him more than words can say....

My little Ds are the best of friends, and are almost inseparable. They play (and fight) all day long. They both love being on the same hockey team. They enjoy playing with the same friends. Every day after school, they have to fill each other in on what they did that day. I hope the bond between them is never broken.

Both boys are unique in their own ways, and yet so similar in others.....I'm a lucky Mom to have them both!

Happy New Year!

Wow, it's been a loooooong time since I last posted. So long that I don't really know where to start!

First off, I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed the Christmas holidays. We sure did! The boys were very excited about Christmas this year, and of course about Santa. On Christmas morning, Dylan received a lot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toys, along with an Angry Birds game, a movie, and a keyboard. He is pretty excited about everything from Santa! Darwin also got his number 1 item on his wish list - a large craft centre/desk, stocked with tons of craft supplies! He also got a few games, movies, and a Ninja turtle, too! One of the best parts of Christmas morning for Darwin was opening his stocking. For Dylan - it was eating all the treats in the stocking :)

The boys (as well as M and I) were spoiled by all of our family, too. I am still trying to organize and file all the gifts away. We are so thankful for all the gifts and love we received this holiday season! We had 6 separate Christmas celebrations this year, including a big turkey and ham dinner at our house. The holiday season is always so busy and thus, always goes by way too quickly. It's a bittersweet feeling when it's all over. Today M is back to work, and in a few days, Big D will be back in school. He's been out for an extra week, as both boys (and myself) were pretty sick the week before Christmas. I think he's looking forward to getting back to his friends and routine.

So what else is new with us at the start of this year? We are still under renovations. Our front entrance is getting closer to being done. It looks great so far, and I am really looking forward to having it done. A few weeks ago we had a new gas fireplace installed downstairs. M worked his butt off to build a surround for it, including book shelves on either side and a solid walnut mantle. The mantle went in at 5:00 on Christmas Eve - just in time to hang up our stockings! It looks amazing, and I am totally in love with his workmanship AGAIN! We have a few other rooms/areas in the house that we would like to see re-done, but all in good time.....Oh - and we put in our rink again this year. M worked everyday during the break to get it ready. The weather cooperated enough to allow us to skate new year's eve and day!

Updates for Dylan include him losing his first 2 teeth this month, playing a few "rep team" hockey games (in addition to his tyke team), ever increasing his reading word lists, and more. His strongest subjects in school (according to his progress report) are math and art. He is looking more and more like a big boy, and not so much like a little guy. I can't believe his is 6 years old already!

Darwin is enjoying his alone time with Mommy each day. He loves to play school, and is trying really hard to learn all his letters and sounds so he can read, too! His favourite thing in the world right now is acorns. He is all about collecting them and making crafts with them. Craft time is definitely his favourite time of the day. This year marks Darwin's first year of tyke hockey. It was a rocky start (lots of tears), but now he loves playing and looks forward to his practices each week. We just love watching both boys play! Darwin is also growing before our eyes. It's crazy that our "baby" is 4!

Brook and Cedar are doing well. Brooker will be 10 on the 11th, and Cedar turns 9 in February. They are showing their age now and then, but still going strong. Both girls just adore the boys and are constantly playing with them. The 4 of them have a lot of fun together. I just can't imagine a house without dogs!

Well, I think that about sums up some of the "new" things in our lives. We are all looking forward to a Happy and Healthy new year, and wish the same for all of you! I hope to update more often. Cheers for now!

Lemon Cake

Alright, I know this isn't a recipe blog....BUT - I needed somewhere to document this recipe. I find myself looking for a place to document a lot of recipes lately, so I think a new blog will be in the works soon! For now, here's a lemon cake recipe that I came up with. I'd say it's worth saving and making again! Enjoy!

Lemon Cake

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups AP flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• juice of 1 lemon
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat to 350 degrees.
2. Mix wet ingredients.
3. Mix dry ingredients.
4. Combine, then add lemon juice, zest and buttermilk.
5. Bake cake for 25-35 minutes, ish***

The Lorax

Enjoyed the movie.....and loved this quote:

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

2012, so far....

Wow - it's hard to believe that we're over halfway through the first month of 2012. It feels like we were just celebrating the holidays! Big D's been back at school for 2 weeks now and we've fallen back into our daily routine. I think I've said this before, but I honestly can't say it enough - I LOVE MY LIFE! I am so very lucky to get to stay home and enjoy my boys while they grow. Our daily life might be boring to some, but to me - it's perfect! My hubby works hard to give us this life and I am truly thankful!

Anyway, the New Year is treating us well. And I feel I've been giving back, as I said I would! My resolutions are coming along. I've been blogging more on the other site. (I should add that I also resolve to blog more on HERE). I really have been enjoying my boys as much as I can. I have to remind myself sometimes to put the laptop away and join in a game of lego or snuggle up with my 2 favourite boys and a few books. But I am definitely not letting the little moments slip by....at least not all of them. I recently read an article by a Mom who was sick of being told to enjoy EVERY.SINGLE.MOMENT. Instead, to her motherhood was about getting through each day unscathed and having a few moments each day or week that took her breath away. Parenting is hard and sometimes not pretty. I think we can all agree that EVERY moment isn't enjoyable and there are some days we gladly put behind us. But this year, I definitely see each day as a new start and as a new opportunity to be creative and fun with my boys, creating lots of fun memories. We've been baking, crafting, and even skating on the rink in our backyard. As the boys like to say - FUN! My current obsession is pinterest. I've been finding lots of great craft and decor ideas, as well as countless yummy recipes. I may "waste" some a lot of time on that site, but putting those ideas to use makes it worth it!

I used to think how it's really easy to blink and have a whole day or week go by, with little to show. At least, little to show in a literal sense. But now I realize that each day you spend raising your child(ren) proves you have a LOT to show. Even if your child only learns one new thing a day (although, believe me - if your kiddo(s) are anything like mine, it's many new things each day), what they learn is likely because of you. And for that - be proud! Sit down at the end of a long day (that you may or may not have counted down the hours until the kids bedtime) and think about the difference you are making in at least one person's life. To me, making a difference in my two little D's lives is just as grand as making a difference to the world.

Alright, moving onto more minor details. I am proud to say that this week we had ONE kitchen catcher bag worth of garbage. We definitely had more organic/compost waste than regular trash. And of course, tons of recycling. Everyone has gotten on board and is doing their part to help. It feels good to know we are reducing our footprint!

Also this week, I busted out the Wii Fit. Shamefully, I apparently hadn't been on it for 713 days. Yikes! It hadn't been on since before our move. The good news is, I was down 4.4 lbs. Woo-hoo! I've been on it a few times and hope to keep it up.

Well, speaking of exercise, we are in the midst of a white-out like snowstorm and I need to pick Big D up from school soon. Hope you all are off to a good start this year. Please feel free to leave any comments!!!

Happy New Year!

Wow - I had no idea how long it had been since my last blog, until right now. 4 1/2 months is a VERY long time! Sorry! I don't have an excuse.....I guess I just don't think to write on here very often. My lack of posts certainly isn't for lack of cute remarks from my boys. Nor is it from lack of nothing to blog about. Life has been very busy for the past few months. Dylan started school and hockey in September. I never realized just how busy that would make our life. Once Darwin starts in a few years, I'm sure we'll be following a real tight schedule. It will be great if the boys can play on the same team. Hopefully we can make that work!

So in addition to school activities and hockey, the usual busy-ness also continues in our house. We've been doing more home renos (put in a backdoor, re-doing the whole entryway, etc), brewing beer and wine, lots of gardening and yardwork (including the installation of a 30' x 50' hockey rink this past week!), baking, and of course, watching the 2 little D's grow up at an alarmingly fast pace. It's wonderful to watch them grow into such individuals, but I do try to grab onto the few "baby" moments that are left. They'll always be my baby boys, even though they are proud to be "big boys".

With it being the start of a new year, I have been feeling the need to write my resolutions and thoughts somewhere. This blog has always been good for that, so here I am again! I've seen a lot of comments from people in the last few days talking about 2012 being the best year yet and how many are happy to see the end of 2011. I can't say that 2011 was a bad year for us. It wasn't as eventful as other years, but still full of many firsts. I think every year with children will be full of firsts. While I look forward to another year ahead of us, I'm not relieved to put 2011 behind us. I hope for many great things in the following year, but I'll also count my blessing from the last year, and from the many before that.

Anyway, my first resolution for 2012 is to let go of big expectations. I will take this year in stride, and be happy and grateful for whatever comes our way. I am so blessed, in so many ways, that I feel it almost greedy to wish for much more. I have a wonderful family, including two of the sweetest boys in the world. We live in a great family home, with our two quirky goldens (whom turn 8 and 9 this year - WOW!). We are lucky to have a lot of "things" in our house, and I am especially lucky to have a dream kitchen, filled with all the gadgets a chef and baker could want! The boys have a playroom that many kids can only dream about (mostly in part to our loving family, who generously spoiled them over the past few months - birthdays and Christmas included!). There are a few rooms in our house that could use a makeover, but all-in-all, our material possesions are grande and there is little more we need. And our non-material things are beyond what I ever could have dreamt of having in my life. I am a lucky woman, wife and mother!
RESOLUTION #1 - Be thankful for everything I have in my life, and not expect (much) more!

Here's resolution #2. It's something I always remind myself of, so not sure it's actually a resolution....I'm going to let it be on the list, though, as it's pretty important. ENJOY THE SMALL THINGS IN LIFE, and LIVE IN THE MOMENT. I think we are all guilty of living in the future, rather than the present. When you have a baby in the house, it's easy to constantly think about the next milestone or stage, rather than fully enjoy the one before your eyes. This continues as the child grows. Pretty soon your kids are 5 and 3 and you wonder where the time has gone. I want to hold onto every age and stage as tight as I can, and enjoy every second of it. It's great to dream about who and what the boys will grow into, but I also need to take time and enjoy them for who they are TODAY.
RESOLUTION #2 - Each small (and BIG) moment our family shares on a daily basis, needs to be enjoyed to the fullest, then tucked away to memory when the present becomes the past.

Alright, moving on to my smaller-scale resolutions, here's #3. While I am very good at recycling almost everything that can be recycled in our waste, I haven't been great with separating our organic (compost) waste as of lately. So, this week-end I changed around our recycle/garbage area to include a designated section for organics. So far we are off to a good start. We are fortuante to live in an area that has a great garbage/recycle system. Unlimited oragnic waste can be put out each week, in addition to unlimted recycling and one bag/can of garbage. I am pretty sure it's possible for us to have MORE recycle and organics than garbage, so that is my goal to achieve.
RESOLUTION #3 - Reduce our weekly waste, increase our weekly recyle/organic waste, and thus, lesson our family's environmental footprint.

Resolution #4 is short and sweet. Get back into practicing what I preach. My other blog is all about eating healthy. While I strive for a healthy diet for myself and my family, it's easy to fall off track and go in spurts of not-so-healthy-eating. I hope that we can get back on track, and stay there!
RESOLUTION #4 - cook and enjoy a healthy diet!

Finally, my last resolution. This one is pretty simple. It's about my other blog (that I just mentioned). I started that blog 10 months ago, with the intent of compiling 365 recipes in 365 days. I am a bit behind on it right now, but I am certain it's possible to finish.
RESOLUTION #5 - finish my other blog in 365!

Well, that's all for now. This is a long post. If anyone actually makes it through the whole thing, great. If not, that's okay, too. It feels good to write all this down and I'm glad I have a place to do it! Happy New Year!

Christmas in August

Kids say the darndest things, they really do! While we were out shopping yesterday, Darwin spotted a man in the store that was very tall, rather large, and had longer white hair, with a matching LONG white beard. Without a second thought, he shouted out - "That man looks like Santa!!!" Just as I was turning my head to look, Dylan bellows out a "HO HO HO" to go with the comment. The man noticed, as did many other people, but didn't acknowledge it. I quickly walked in the other direction, not embarrassed, but rather doing my best to not burst out laughing. It was so innocent and sweet :)

Before we went shopping yesterday, we went and had photos taken of the boys. It's something we don't do often (and after paying for the photos, not a habit I will keep), so D&D aren't really used to it. Dylan was great and had no troubles or hesitations. Darwin started out pretty good (bear in mind that the bribe of getting a donut following a successful photo shoot was already on the table), but after a few pics, he grabbed my hand and whispered to me in his soft, raspy little voice - "Mommy, I don't think I want to do this anymore". He is WAY too mature for a little 2 year old! And fortunately way smart, so it was easy to coax him into a few more, so long as Mommy was right there (just hidden from view of the camera), and I upped the ante to include a lollipop! Many wonderful photos later, WAY too much money spent on said photos, and a sugar rush to make any kid delighted - I'd say it was an overall WIN! Hopefully I can share the photos when we get them!