I have started making some yummy smoothies for the kids as a mid-morning snack, and I have to say they are quite good! Here's what I use:
Depending on the fruit/tofu combo, I can make some great variations. I use Sunrise Tofu Dessert, fresh and/or frozen fruit, skim milk (to keep the smoothie from getting too thick) and yogurt. Easy Peasy! They amounts of each are up to you, but I usually add approximately:
2 cups fruit (blended)
1/2 cup yogurt
1/4-1/2 cup milk
1 package of tofu (they are sold in pairs)
** You could also add some wheat germ or liquid vitamin supplements to the mix to boost the nutritional value if your kids are picky eaters. They would never know!
Some of the flavours we like:
Bananas, French Vanilla yogurt (or plain), milk, and Banana Tofu Dessert -- for the cheeky monkeys in your house.
* Add a dollop of chocolate syrup to the above for a choco/banana flavour!
Frozen (or fresh) strawberries, bananas, strawberry yogurt, milk, and Banana Tofu Dessert -- for a classic strawberry/banana flavour.
* Use Coconut Tofu Dessert in the above mixture (instead of banana) for a yummy Pina Colada flavour! My favorite!
Peaches (peeled), French Vanilla yogurt (or plain), milk, and Peach & Mango Tofu Dessert -- tropical!
* You could also add some fresh mango to the above mixture to increase the flavour, but they can be expensive out of season!
Freshly squeezed lime juice, French Vanilla yogurt (or plain), milk, and Key Lime Tofu Dessert -- for the more "mature" pallate! I haven't tried this one yet, but I want to! Kids may not like this one as much.
The proof is in the photo! A guilt-free snack in only a few minutes -- but the kids think it's a real treat!
I have to admit, we don't get the chance to take leisurely walks these days. We have a few great parks within a short driving distance, but it just isn't something that we think to do. There is always something going on -- work, school, gymnastics, swimming, birthday parties.... -- so when we actually have a few spare hours around the house, it is usually taken up with housework, renos... or just plain vegging.
Mike suggested that we take the kids to Campbell Valley Park to feed the birds, and I thought it was a great idea! I used to take my daycare kids there all the time as an afterschool activity. It was free (worked for my budget) and the kids loved hunting for birds and squirrels! I would often buy bird and squirrel food, and the kids would litter the paths with enough seeds to feed a small army of critters!
I don't think this was the first time the twins had been to the park -- but it may have! They loved it!
We chose to leave the stroller in the van -- despite the very long walk we would be taking -- so that the twins could really enjoy the trails. We knew they would be crying to get free anyway! It slowed us down quite a bit, but they really taught us that there was much to see on the ground (not just in the trees).
Brianna did a great job staying still so that the wee Chickadees could land on her hand to eat some seeds. When she was much smaller, she would be brave enough to put her hand out, but would jump and shoo the birds away once they came near her!Ainsley tried her best to feed the birds but she was just too little. Mike & I lifted the twins to our level so that they could watch the birds eat from our hands.
An excellent couple of hours had by all. Now that we have re-discovered this great park, we will be sure to go back often!
PS...I apologize for the duplicate photos to my Vox neighbours who also happen to be Facebook friends! :-)
I found this pattern on a free crochet pattern website that I subscribed to, and I immediately thought that it looked easy enough that even I could do it. I went to my local Michael's and bought up all the yarn I would need for 3 ponchos and started work on Brianna's. As it turned out, I have a smaller-than-average pre-schooler because I practically finished the poncho and had to completely pull it apart and start over. It just fell off her. It's not like my guage was way out, I followed the size dimentions, but it ended up way too wide in the shoulders. Thankfully, it did not take long to make.
Anyway, I made some adjustments to the pattern and finished her poncho just as she was finishing up the school year. She was so proud of it! She wore it everywhere, and told anyone who would listen that I made it for her! I received a lot of compliments on it, so I felt good about making some for the twins. I tried Brianna's poncho on Ainsley, made another adjustment to the pattern and started the toddler size. I finished Kaitlyn's during our trip to Drumheller (you can get a lot of crocheting done in the back seat of a mini van on a road trip!), and started Ainsley's on the same trip. I wouldn't let Katie wear hers until Ainsley's was done to prevent fights, so they had to wait a bit.
I was quite pleased with how they turned out:
I used Lion Brand Boucle and Fun Fur yarn for all of the ponchos: "Sorbet" & "Raspberry" for Ainsley, "Parfait" and "Violet" (I think) for Kaitlyn, and "Jelly Bean" & "Red" for Brianna. They are incredibly warm, so I think they will be nice for the early fall when a jacket is too much.
To change the patterns to fit my girls, I made the panels for Brianna's measure 12x20" and the panels for the twins were 10x17. I also made coat hook loops on the inside neck line so that they can be hung up properly without having to push the coat hook through the stitching (I just made a foundation chain and sewed that on). One last change: I made the Fun Fur trim at the bottom two rows thick instead of one for the twins ponchos and I like it better that just one. Brianna wouldn't let me add to hers though!
Sorry about the pics... they were the best I could get at the time! :-)
I have been neglecting my blog for the summer, but after catching up on some of my favorite bloggers in my 'hood, I see I'm not the only one. It is late, so I won't say too much right now. Just expect to see many posts as I catch you all up with my summer!
I will share this one photo I took of my daughter during one of our family trips:
I noticed that Brianna was starting to get freckles on her nose and cheeks a few months ago. I just love them, and I think they add a bit of innocence and charm to her face! She seems curious about them too. Everytime I remark that I see some new ones, she runs to the mirror and closely inspects her face!
By the way, thanks to a fellow Pampered Chef consultant that I met in Toronto, I now know how to zoom in REALLY close up with my camera! She had the same one at the conference, so I got some great pointers. I guess it pays to read the whole freakin' manual!
What question do you hate being asked?
"Are they twins?" Uh... YEAH!!!
So, a couple of months ago I asked Brianna what kind of party she would like to have this year. She knew she wanted an outdoor thing, so we brainstormed some themes. Beach party at the lake was a contender, but then we thought of clowns and a carnival theme. Y'know, cotton candy, popcorn, clowns, balloons, piñatas, bouncy castle, games for prizes.... the whole shebang!
When we came down from La-La-Land -- and checked the budget -- we decided to go with the carnival theme at home, but slightly... uh... smaller. It wasn't just the cost of all the activities, but her guest list usually rivals that of an A-List Hollywood party (we were expecting about 35 kids) so I knew I'd already be spending a lot on food and goodie bags!
Much to her dismay, we said no to the bouncy castle, but we did book an excellent clown to face-paint, sing songs, do magic tricks and make balloon animals for 2 hours (not cheap, let me tell you)! I didn't rent cotton candy or popcorn machines, but I did fill up 3 (yes... THREE) piñatas so that there would be less pushing and shoving, and everyone would get a good amount of candy.
We also found some great games at Wal-Mart -- horseshoes, obstacle courses, basketball, soccer.... all for under $10 each (the horseshoe sets were less than $4 each!!). I also bought fantastic cakes from a wholesaler here in town -- one chocolate upon chocolate with chocolate on top and then drizzled with chocolate... and one yummy berry burst with raspberries and blueberries on top. Expensive, but a nicer alternative to a Safeway slab cake, and I didn't have to spend a bunch of time baking one myself.
I thought I had everything under control until the weekend approached and I realized that it was going to RAIN!!!
#%$^&*@ !!!!
I had pushed her birthday party to July 5th because her actual birthday is always cloudy or rainy (it was beautiful this year) and since it fell on Father's Day this year I thought few people could make it. That day, I joked that Mother Nature would feel my wrath if it rained during the party, so my sister suggested that I increase my carbon footprint by buying Hummers for everyone in my family, throwing out all my recycling, etc. Mother Nature must have known I was not happy because she held the rain back just long enough for the kids to play outside for a couple of hours! All in all, I'd say it was a successful party! Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do next year!!
Once the playhouse was finished, Mike was feeling very inspired to finish the slide/swing set. We got it for free from a friend that had no use for it, but it needed a lot of work to get it into shape. Mike added a bar for swings, a rock climbing wall, and a pirate wheel, and replaced the wooden monkey bars with metal ones and the canvas roof. We also had 10 yards of pea-gravel dumped onto our driveway to use as a safe ground cover for under the structure.
When the plans for Brianna's party started coming together, Mike had a deadline to meet. I am proud to say he did a great job. The swings didn't make it on in time, but the kids didn't seem to care!
On June 15th, Brianna turned 5 years old! Forgive the late blog entry... you will soon be inundated with entries as I get caught up over the last 2 months!
She was hoping for a Barbie Mariposa doll, or some My Little Ponies, but we decided on something much more fun! We looked at a few ride-on jeeps, and chose this one on account of the lower price tag. Rather than decorate it with the included flame decals, we bought some cool skater stickers to make it more appealing to a mature 5-year-old girl!
The twins gave her some I-Spy books since she likes them so much!
Mike would like the manufacturer to know that their estimated 15 minute assembly time is off by about AN HOUR!
Just like last year, Brianna was given the choice of where to have her birthday dinner. And, just like last year, she chose Choo Choo's Restaurant. She likes the toy trains they give the kids to play with at the table, and everyone loves the train that circles the restaurant on a track near the ceiling! There was about 15 of us there -- friends and family -- and we all had a great meal and yummy desserts.
My major regret of the night: we forgot to sing Happy Birthday to Brianna when she got her ice cream! To make up for it, Mike and I sang to her as we tucked her into bed for the night.
Despite the fact that it was not at all what she expected, she sure does love to bomb around in her new wheels! There's even enough room for a friend to hop in!
My extended family has a couple of plots at the city's cemetery -- which happens to be 2 blocks from our house -- and my uncle, grandparents and father have been laid to rest there.
The unfortunate thing is that my remaining uncles and dad could not be bothered to have a stone mark my grandma's grave when she passed in '92. My dad's older brother was responsible for my grandad's finances when he was admitted to an extended care facility a few years later.... but still no marker. Ten long years went by before my grandad finally passed -- after many years of suffering from Parkinson's, dementia, and (most of all) a broken heart. Maybe grandad thought it would be too costly to have a marker for grandma, only to have it changed or replaced to include his details later. I don't know. But why did it take SIX YEARS to have a marker created for them once grandad passed?
I will spare you the details of an outrageous feud between brothers and in-laws over wills and inheiretance... only to explode after my father's death, resulting in the remaining two brothers not speaking, and awkwardness between all the cousins.
Anyway, my grandparents now have a marker that can be looked upon when loved ones come by to pay their respects. Rant done. The reason for this blog was not to winge and moan about all that.
My thoughts were on a positive note. Not about the triviality of my Baby-Boomer relatives, but of the sentimentality of Generation Z (??). Even after 3 1/2 years, my step-mom still pays her respects to my dad nearly every week (along with her mother at another cemetery) to trim the grass around the edge of the markers and care for the potted plants she always leaves. Sometimes, she stops at our place first and invites Brianna to walk to the cemetery with her -- and Brianna is always willing to go. Brianna was only 20 months old when my dad passed away (the age of the twins now), so I know that the chance of her having a memory of him is quite slim. Even so, she says she misses him and talks to him freely when she visits the cemetery. She even calls out "Hi" to him when we drive by!
It just goes to show that no matter what goes on in some adult's fickle lives, children hold on to their sentiments... un-restrained love that is never shy or embarrased, whether it be for a passed loved one, or a Barbie doll. I think we fickle adults should take reminders like that seriously. We should feel free to speak out loud to passed loved ones when we visit their markers, and we should show our excitement and gratitude over even the smallest gift.
In case you hadn't noticed, Brianna was named after my dad... Brian.
I'm WWWWAAAAAYYYY behind in my blogging, so I'm just going to start at the beginning and work my way forward. On May 31st, I had a Help Whip Cancer fundraiser for the Pampered Chef. As a party favour, I crocheted these cute coffee cozies and gave them to my guests. I found the pattern here. I had to adjust the pattern a bit in order for the cozies to fit a Starbucks Vente cup and a Tim Horton's XL cup.
PS: The flowers were from my MIL for my daughter's new playhouse. They make a nice decoration!
