I Am Pocahontas

I'm linking up tonight with Kimberly over at All Work And No Play Makes Mommy Go Something Something and her Secret Mommy-hood Confession Saturday.

My confession for this Saturday night is that I am the real Pocahontas...well, in a past life anyways...like, 1985.

It's a secret I've held for a while.  And it's time to let it out.

Or at least let it out of my Halloween costume box.

You're probably wondering what the eff I'm blathering on about.

Me too, actually.

Maybe it's just a cheap way to link up with Kimberly, who by the way is pretty funny and honest.  Go check out her blog.  She's got a great sense of humour.

Okay, so my real confession is - well, it's not really a confession.  In the words of the Pointer Sisters "I'm so excited and I just can't hide it".  I'm bringin' back the '80s, baby!

So here it is:

In 1985, in high school, I wore a certain pair of shoes that I adored above all others.  Loved them so much that I've kept them all these years tucked away in my Halloween costume box.

They are my beloved pair of moccasins.

March 31, 2012

Awww, I love them.

Moccasins came back on the scene last summer.  At least I think they did.  I don't get out to the stores much...too busy kissing boo boos, wiping butts and doing laundry.

The moccasins in the stores do nothing for me.  Out of the ones I've seen there isn't a pair that gives me the same feeling as these 'ol beauties.

What can I say?  I was a hippie in a former life too.

Now, when I say I wore them every single day in high school, I mean I wore them EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!   I have fond memories of waiting by the door needing to go to the drama portable, but it was raining.  Inevitably a classmate would come along and give me a piggy-back ride to class so as not to get my moccasins wet.  I felt so loved...or at least my moccasins were.

The reason for this post, which I will finally get to, is that I GOT THEM RESOLED!!

For a mere 40 bucks my dear old friends are back on my feet and I am transported back to my high school days.  Back to hanging out in the "Fame" end of the school, as it was fondly referred to, rehearsing for the school play or jazz choir concert, sportin' my Pocahontas lovelies.  (Actually I think Pocahontas was always barefoot, but for the purpose of this story...)

I don't know if they're particularly stylish this year, and I was possibly ripped off by the shoe repair guy, but I don't care.  There ain't nobody has a pair like this.

My daydream is that someone will come up to me with a look of adoration in their eyes and ask me where I got my fabulous moccasins, to which I will say:

"You mean these ol' things?  Oh, you can't get these anymore.  They're circa 1985!"

And they're mine, all mine!

Chef Jill In The House!

When I was single ... (why do so many posts start off like this?)

Anyways...

When I was single I used to cook.  I'm talking cooking "whole" foods.  I know, big deal.  Since becoming a mom though I've been slowly getting away from that, mostly due to the fact that no one eats anything I make anyways.  I have succumbed to the 'ol "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" way of thinking.  I have become the processed food Queen.  (Well, at least still a Queen...guess that's something)

And, no, it's not because I'm a bad cook.

It's not that.

Let's just say I live with three people who are not exactly "foodies".  Wow, I'm so generous with my words this morning.  I was going to say I live with the pickiest eaters this side of the equator, but there's no need  to go there.  (whoops!)

Since I am so sick of eating frozen things out of a box and french fries are coming out of my ears, I have decided to get back to my single roots - of cooking, that is - for myself.  I will offer my delectable creations to my family hoping that one day they will partake and I can die happy, but for now I accept that I will cook for one...with enough for four.  It's a good thing we bought that deep freezer.

It's been great!  Of course I'm getting a lot of great recipes from Pinterest and some are just coming from my head, using what I have in the house.

I've also been trying a lot of gluten-free recipes.  I could definitely do without gluten in my life.

So here's some of my creations:

Salmon with quinoa & veggies with cucumber and salsa on the side

Hearty-Hearty Minestrone Soup

Brown rice with yam, yellow pepper, black beans, salsa & broccolettes

The most YUMMY brown rice & coconut milk pancakes ever!

Lemon Pepper Salmon on a bed of romaine with brown rice
cake pieces used as croutons & a red wine vinaigrette

Just two of the meals above I got off Pinterest: the soup and the pancakes.  Click the links to get the recipes.  The other meals came from the tippy top of my head and what I had in the fridge.  I'm most proud of the brown rice & black bean one.  That was freakin' delish, I had no idea what I was going to do and when I saw the results, I couldn't  believe I was eating it all by myself!  Pretty nice looking too, if I do say so for myself.

It's that meal that makes me want to apply to Iron Chef.  There's no one better than me (or most moms) when it comes to multi-tasking in the kitchen.  Although I know we're not supposed to, I've got four different meals on the go every night...and it all gets to the table at the same time...usually.

So if they have an Iron Chef for Moms of picky eaters...don't bother applying for the show 'cuz I've got it in the bag - er...fry pan!

Crazy Or Just Plain Genius?

Sometimes I do something that other Moms may think is just plain crazy.

I've always done it...even when it was just Big T and I at home and I needed to get something done.

But I always weighed the pros and cons.

If I let the kids do something over there - even though it will create a mess to clean up - will it allow me to do something I want over here?

Will it be worth it?

When Big T was Little T, I thought it was.

I thought, if I could just get a few dishes done or make a phone call or just sit and catch my breath, then letting him play in the bag drawer would be worth it.  And OH how he loved playing in the bag drawer.

I know, I know...never play with plastic bags.  But don't worry, I was right
beside him doin' dishes.

Then there was that one time I had to make a very important phone call.  But as all us mums know, the millisecond minute that we get on the phone, there's something or someone, rather, pulling on our pant legs, screaming that they need us RIGHT NOOOOOOW!

So that day, I let this happen:

I haven't changed my ways much.  'Cuz I still see the value in this.  (I know, crazy!)

It's nearing the end of Spring Break here and the weather has been, well, not very spring-like.  Needless to say, the house reflects it.

So in order to keep my sanity I just HAD to clean up a bit, but the boys were after me to play with them more, more, MORE!

It was then that I had an epiphany...a Hallelujah moment...I think I even heard angels sing.

Big T had been asking for flour so he could drive his cars in it.  He just loves doing this.  He'd been asking me all day.   And it couldn't be an easier or cheaper activity...and to tell you the truth, it actually wasn't so hard to clean up.  A bin, some flour and a sheet is all you need.  I can see the appeal actually...so soft to the touch...a very cool sensory experience.

But that's not why I gave in to him.  This was all about me!  I needed a break.

It's so sad that a break for me is cleaning, but I've learned to accept that.

So here are my boys enjoying one of Big T's favourite activities...

Look at that satisfied look

... and I got the dishes done, dinner made and was able to go on Pinterest.

Totally worth it.

A Work of Heart

I'm linking up with The Paper Mama this week for the first time for her photo challenge.  This week her challenge is "Hand".

Instantly I thought of this photo I took of my boys last June.  It's one of my favourites and since they have been getting along and playing so nicely together as of late, I thought it was very fitting for this challenge.

Also linking up with Galit & Alison

It's Only Rock 'n Roll But I Like It

Just thought I'd send a 'lil rock 'n roll your way for your Wednesday night pleasure.


Rock On, people!

This Place I Frequent...

I've always said I don't have an addictive personality.

Hubby would no doubt disagree.

But he's wrong.

I don't smoke, don't do drugs, don't over drink...

No, Hubby thinks I'm addicted to something else.

In particular...

The place where dreams come true.

This is our local dollar store, just a short walk from our house.  It's called Dollarama - or as I like to call it: "Heaven".  Okay, so maybe I have a slight problem.  But I can stop any time I want.  Really.  

I just don't want to.

It's GREAT!  And it offers so much more than just items for a buck or two.  It's an outing for myself and the boys when we don't have plans and when they're getting a little a lot stir crazy at home, doing stuff like splatter-painting the walls of their office...

Yes, thanks to Pinterest, the boys have their own office

...thus making me look like this:

If ya can't beat 'em, join 'em

"Let's go to the dollar store" always brings cheers from the boys and a stop to any mischief they were up to while I was surfing the net cleaning the house.

And it's not all cheap crap!  Well, some of it is and some of it I end up buying, but they very often get new, name brands of things for less than half the price of the toy store.

I figure it could be worse.  I could have an addiction to a very expensive women's clothing store, but that would mean paying attention to my needs and let's face it, there's no time for that these days.  (Something I'm working on)

No, we'll keep going.  When the staff start to know my name, then I'll think about maybe changing my ways.  

Maybe.

I'm not making any promises.

Life In An Instant: A Fun Week

It's been a fun week.  It started with...

Fun with friends

We learned a lot about our newest family member...

Feeding greens to Milo

Did a 'lil shopping...

Waiting in the car while Daddy buys new runners

Ending the week in the best way possible: 

Gotta love Dilly Bars!

I Don't Want To Play Today

"Mommy, will you play cars with me?"

I hear this so many times a day I lose count.

And I play.  Mostly.

But sometimes I just can't.  And I feel bad.  I shouldn't, but I do.

Especially in the mornings.  The 5 or 6 o'clock mornings, which by the way are every freakin' day.   Mostly 6, but today was a
5 o'clock-er.  Brutal.  I don't play then.  I sleep on the couch.  He watches cars on YouTube.

Cars are his obsession and crashing cars is his latest past-time.

Tylenol is mine.

As I write this, he's in his bedroom; all I hear is CRASH, CRASH, CRASH!  Whereas I am impressed with his sound effects that goes along with the crashing, it's getting on my nerves.  Hubby's too.  Pretty sure demolition derby driving is in his future.

"Mommy, will you play cars with me?"

(sigh) "I'm coming, buddy."

Tic Tac Double-Mouth Whack!

Every now and again I like to do sort of a public service announcement....of sorts.

More specifically, it's a service announcement geared for women like myself who seemed to have lost their willpower amongst all the toys, dirty socks and the like that have taken over their life.  I know I left it around here somewhere.

So for this announcement....well, it's more like a warning...I have to say:

STAY AWAY FROM THESE:

I mean it.

Stay away.  Stay very far away.  It is not an easy task, mind you.  You will need to be on hyper alert to these 'lil suckers and where they reside because there are very insensitive sales managers out there who price them at "Buy One, Get One Free", and then place them right at the cash register desk where they practically jump into your mouth.  'Lil devils.  Yummy. 'lil. devils.

Apparently they have 8 calories in one, something like that?  WARNING!  They're small.  Don't fool yourself thinking that you can stop at just one.  I need about 4-5 in my mouth at one time and then their sweet green apple goodness puts me in some sort of a trance where I do that about 4 times in a row, feeding my latest baby (my candida baby) ever so nicely.  

I need help.

Send help.

A Sloth's Life For Me!

I used to want to be a guy in my next life.  Not just any guy though.  I wanted to be a hot guy...a Brad Pitt kind of guy - or Johnny Depp - oh! oh!  Gerard Butler!  I would just really like to know what challenges guys like these face.  What, too many women after you?  Poor baby.  I seriously wanted to experience life as a really hot guy.

Well, as of today I've changed my mind.

I've decided that in my next life I'd like to come back as a sloth.

Look at this adorable face?

What's not to like about a sloth?  It's even fun to say...

"S-s-s-s-l-l-l-o-o-o-o-o-t-h-h-h-h-h!"

What comes to mind when you think of a sloth?  Lazy, right?  Well, I've been reading up on them, and I wouldn't call them lazy.  They just know the importance of rest!  For those of you like me who have forgotten what it means to rest, here's the definition:


1   : to get rest by lying down; especially : sleep

2  

: to cease from action or motion : refrain from labor or exertion

3

: to be free from anxiety or disturbance

Sounds good to me.

So what made me come to the conclusion that it's a sloth's life?  It's because today I was pretty much "sloth-like" all day long.  Or I was trying to be.  There was the constant interruption of these 'lil dudes wanting to play with me.  It all stems from Little K's preschool had their monthly general meeting last night.  It's a parent-participation preschool so this is something we have to do.  And I don't mind at all...I love being involved in the boys' schools.

After the meeting, myself and a couple of other moms who don't get out much ran screaming with glee and anticipation headed off to a local pub to have a couple of glasses of wine.  MMMM, Pinot Gris!  It was great fun getting to know them and when we finally looked at our clocks to head home it was midnight!  I know, I know...party girls!

Of course once home I couldn't just hop into bed.  I needed to wind down with a 'lil social media, a 'lil Pinterest, so I probably got to bed around 1am.  As per usual I was awakened by a boy calling my name.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked at the clock and read 2am!!  Shortly after Big T waking up, as luck would have it, Little K was up and they were pretty much wide awake!  In my sleepy stupor, I started to wonder if those couple glasses of wine that tasted soooo good just a couple hours earlier were worth it?  (They were!)  I started to panic and am hoping now that I didn't offer some major bribes in order to get them to sleep.  When they finally went down again it was 3:40am!  Luckily for me, Big T slept in a bit...I think he slept 'til 6:30!!  And yes, I'm being sarcastic!  That 'lil man rarely sleeps past 6!

So back to my longing to be a sloth.  I guess when you're sleep deprived, even if it's of your own doing, the life of an animal who sleeps 20 hours a day on average is pretty appealing.  Sloths are relaaaaxed, man!  And they're not stupid.  I guess people think they're deaf.  They aren't.  They're just not really interested in sound.  I want to be like that.  Then that 'lil whiny Caillou would never get on my nerves again.

Sloths are vegetarian (like me) and live a very peaceful life (unlike me).  They are in harmony with the environment and forever have a smile on their lips.  They are so chill and seemingly worry free.  They only poop once a week.  Only dealing with poop once a week??  Wow!  Just.Wow!  And think of all the money I'd save on toilet paper!

Oh, yeah, the life of a sloth.  I'm digging it.

Nighty-night!

I'm IT!

This post is a long time coming.  I've taken an unplanned, unexpected mini-break from blogging.  A 'lil thing called life got in the way - oh, and Pinterest.  Gotta love Pinterest.  Oh, and bunny poop.  Bunny poop has been keeping me busy.

So my sincere apologies to my bloggy friend, Kirsten, of The Preppy Girl In Pink for taking sooooo long to play this game.

And now I'll explain the game.  It's called "Pass It On" and here's how it goes:

1) Answer questions asked of me by the blogger that tagged me.
2) Create a list of questions and tag a few fellow bloggers, hoping they want to play the game too...thus...
3) Passing it on.

So here are my answers to Kirsten's questions:

1.  What's the first thing you do when your alarm goes off in the morning?
Well, my alarm is one of my children yelling out "Mommy" every. single. night/day!  They're the alarms that never fail and no batteries or electrical outlets are needed.  So the first thing I do is head to their room, cringe a lot little at the time, give a good morning hug and carry them into the living room where they either play on the iPad or watch a 'lil tv while this tired mommy dozes on the couch for a bit longer...or tries to, usually not really successfully.


2.  What does your favourite date night consist of?
I think I know what you're talking about.  Is that when a husband and wife go out sans kiddies for a nice meal, movie, etc?  Ah, yes, I've heard of these and hope to have one real soon!  Unfortunately Hubby & I don't have a lot of options for childcare so date nights are few and far between, but a fave night would be dinner with a glass of wine (or two).


3.  What is your favourite comedy movie?
Currently it is Bridesmaids.  Hubby and I laughed so hard we woke up the boys who were down the hall, door closed, sound machine on.  It is hysterical!


4.  What was your first car and how did you come about ownership?
Barney, the Bunny Mobile.  Yes, I named it, but I was in high school so that explains that.  It was a green Toyota Corolla with puke brown vinyl bucket seats and I loved him...er...it!  My Mom bought it for me and I wonder now how she managed that considering she was a single mom to three kids and a dog!  Thanks, Mom!


5.  What is your go-to snack while chilling in front of the TV?
Chips, chips and more chips!  And that's why I'm not having any.  Too many chips makes mommy's waistline go the wrong way!  Why can't someone make a chip that doesn't do that?


6.  Name a famous person in present day that you would like to go shopping with and describe why.
Ooooh, present day is tough.  Since these days I'm really into sprucing up our home, I think I'll pick Colin & Justin, two Scottish lads who do great home improvement and have a show up here in Canada.  They've got a great sense of style and are hilarious!


And now for my questions:

1) What's your favourite childhood memory?
2) Who or what inspired you to start your blog?
3) What's the best advice you've ever received about blogging?
4) What's your most embarrassing moment?
5) What melts your heart?

And now to tag some bloggers:

1) Jen @ Dear Mommy Brain
2) Eve @ Beautiful Spit Up
3) Shelly @ Hair Bows And Guitar Picks
4) Em @ Emilisq
5) Brandi @ Yee Wittle Things

No pressure, ladies!  I know the life of a mommy blogger is hectic at the very least...evidenced by how long it's taken me to continue this game.

So Pass It On if you feel like it, and I'll look forward to your answers to my questions, but no worries if you don't.