All Mommy Wanted Was a Shower

This isn't going to get gross or nake-i-dy but here's what happened while I was in the shower this evening.

Me: Ahhhhh this is nice ......
AJ - MOM! I want cheese whiz toast please!!!!
Me: Ask daddy or wait until I am out.
AJ: NOOOOOOO!!!! I want you!
Daddy: I will get it for you hunny.
AJ: NOO! MOMMY! WAAHH!
Daddy: I will do it or you have to wait for Mommy to be out of the shower.
Me: As if I am ever getting out.
AJ: NO way! Waaahhh!!!!
Daddy: Really??? I can just make it.
AJ: Ok.
Me: Thank you Lord.

AJ: I want 5 pieces!
Daddy: You are not going to eat 5 pieces of toast.
AJ: I want 5!!!!! Wahhhh!!!! MOMMY! Daddy says I can't have 5!!
Me: You can have 1 piece cut into 5 pieces like you always do.
AJ: NO I want 5 pieces!! FIVE! Waahhh!
Daddy: That's what I told her! Cut into 5 pieces.
AJ: I want 5! stomp stomp stomp
Me: How about 2? Then both can be cut into 5 pieces and you will have 10! (Still showering)
AJ: WAAAHH! I want 5!!!
Me: You can have it like you always have it. That is it.
AJ: Fine.

Me: Tra - la - la - la
AJ: WAH no I want 5!!!
Me: (praying) Make it stop. Please make it stop. 
Daddy: I cut it into 5 though!
AJ: (jumps onto our bed for a tantrum) Daddy look what I found!
Daddy: Mommy isn't very smart! You hid her Valentines treats on the bed and she found it and opened the Kinder Surprise box.
AJ: I want it all!!!!
Daddy: You can have one.
AJ: NO! WAAAHH! MOMMY!
Me: Really??? Just one shower! That is all I wanted!

In all fairness, AJ asked me to make her toast BEFORE I had a shower and I purposely forgot and tried to get in before she noticed. Oops.

Sorry, no photos for this one.

While Waiting to be Rescued ...

AJ and I got locked out of the house today. Not really locked, but more like stuck. My key would not turn! Just simply would not budge! I tried the backdoor as well and for some reason I couldn't get the deadbolt to move either. Crap.

Here I was with a 3.5 year old, a truck full of groceries and it was -20! Plus, I had to pee. Not cool. I called D and he made his way to rescue us.

As AJ and I waited, she had the privilege of sitting in the front seat of the car. It was like a spaceship to her - she was WOWED! I didn't realize that she has never actually been in the front before. She was checking everything out and asking what everything was for. Then she made a few discoveries.

Please don't judge me.

"Wow Mom, you have my half eaten apple from last week in the cup holder."

"You have lots of paper and other pieces of garbage."

"Busted!"

As Moms we are lucky that our child don't judge us at such an early age. I appreciate that she seemed okay with her Mommy having a rotten apple in her car. I told her it was important to always have food in the car for emergencies. You know, in case a horse or bear tries to get in. You can throw the apple at it.

If At First You Don't Succeed - Make it Bigger

I came across a recipe for Crunchy Quinoa Sweet Potato Burgers the other day and could not get the look of the sweet potato patty out of my mind. Just looked so crunchy and good for you! The perfect food. So I attempted to make it.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup quinoa
• 2/3 cup filtered water
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup canned white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 to 2 tablespoons tahini (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, minced)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup panko
• 3 sprouted grain hamburger buns 

• For crunchy guacamole:
• 2 avocados, peeled and pitted
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons salsa or pico de gallo
• 2 tablespoons raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

Directions:

1. In small pot, combine quinoa and water over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Let quinoa cook for 10 to 15 minutes until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let rest for at least 5 minutes.
2. While quinoa cooks, cook sweet potato in a pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes until soft and mashable. When potatoes are finished cooking, combine with white beans in a mixing bowl and smash with a potato masher until well mashed but still retaining a little texture from beans. Add tahini (if using), salt, and spices. Mix well, then add quinoa and fold in with a spatula.
3. Heat a medium-sized pan on the stove to medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Form quinoa-sweet potato mixture into three patties, coat with panko, and cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side until a nice crispy golden brown outer shell is reached.
4. While burgers cook, make guacamole by mashing all ingredients together.
5. To assemble, place burger patty on bottom half of bun and top with guacamole and bun top. 

Recipe provided by Jessica Smith of MadetoCreate

I of course made more of a basic patty with just sweet potato, quinoa, mixed beans and a few random spices from my bare spice cabinet.  I also did not make the guacamole that was to be paired with it due to a lack of ingredients and preparedness.

 My first attempt was a total fail. I made the patties too thin and they broke apart when flipped and then became one large mass. 

Crunchy, but not pretty.

So I got smart and made them bigger! Like actual burgers. Who would have thought??

Example of my first try.

Finished product. Success!

I made some pickled cabbage earlier in the day ..... I know, weird right? I mean who randomly makes pickled cabbage?

Lovely Friday night dinner for myself. 

 There you have it. I experimented with recipes and ended up with a decently healthy meal. And here's a secret ..... I totally pretended I was on Chopped Canada. How in the heck to they create those meals in just 30 minutes?! I guess none of them have a 3.5 year old child asking for their attention every 3.5 minutes.

And be thankful I am not around to kiss you tonight. Holy garlic! But so so good.

Vaguebooking

We all know at least one person on social media who has a habit of 'vaguebooking' or we have maybe even done it ourselves.

If you aren't sure what vaguebooking is - please refer to the image below:

You are probably saying "Oh yeah! So and so does that all the time!" You need to tell them to stop or you need to pay more attention.  

Something happened today over my facebook news feed that caused quite a stir, but not without a few "Have you been drinking lol" or "Your facebook was hacked" remarks by other people. Guess what? It was a serious cry for help, which if had gone just 10 minutes more not being believed, would have ended tragically. Luckily enough people were smart and took action. 

In honour of Bell Let's Talk Day which takes place tomorrow, I want to urge all of you to come out and say exactly what it is you have to say. If you are depressed, lonely and need attention - come right out and say it. Don't beat around the bush because that one time where you really do need help, no one will listen, or if they do, it may be too late. 

On the flip side, it's time to pay more attention and ask the hard questions. Don't be afraid to ask someone if they are okay. Don't be afraid to tell them that you notice their pain and are there for support. Sometimes that is all they really need.

Yeah vaquebooking is annoying. We all know that. But we need to work together and help those who do it, feel like they don't have to. Let's start Truthbooking. Bravebooking. Honestbooking. Even Supportbooking. Let's just start talking.

5 Ways to Say "I Love You" in a Book Made By You!

Want to make a real impression this Valentine's Day? Consider making a super quick, easy, and beautiful photo book with Blurb, my favourite online photo book company. After all, nothing says "love" like a thoughtfully made book of all your time together. 

I can attest to that after I received my wedding photo book created by our awesome photographer, Melissa R Styba. Not only is it something tangible that we can re-visit over and over, but it is easily shared with others. 

Here are 5 books you can make with Blurb:

1. Love Instagram? Use it to make a book of photos you've taken with your love. With Blurb, you can make a book with your Instagram photos in just about five minutes.
2. Turn "like" into "love." Using Blurb’s Facebook book-making tool, you can turn all yours, and your loved one's photos into a neat little book. It even pulls in the comments, so you can remember how cute everyone said you looked that one time…
3. Make it pretty (easy): Blurb has some really gorgeous templates in their Designer Collection that lets you pull in photos from your computer, Flickr, Instagram, or Facebook, for a slick, beautiful little Small Square book. You'll look like you spent hours—but really, you can be done in less.
4. Plan on love: Create a 2014 planner featuring their favourite photos and fill in the important dates from your past (they'll have no excuse to forget your anniversary now). There's a nice little blog post that explains it all.
5. Love notes: Does your love have a creative side? Make them a notebook filled with their favourite photos. Every time they go to jot down an idea they'll think of you.

There are even more ways! And you're only limited by your imagination. Of course, these are custom gifts that have to be printed and shipped, so you'll want to pay attention to the order deadlines below:

United States:
February 3 (Standard shipping)
February 6 (Priority shipping)
February 7 (Express shipping)

Canada:
January 31 (Standard shipping)
February 4 (Priority shipping)

I know if D took the time and put the thought into creating such a personal page by page experience for me - I would cherish it. Hint hint hunny!

Spread the love! Share this post and I will send you a code for 15% off a printed book for your Valentine!