July Long Weekend Camping

July Long Weekend is always a blast for the kids and us out at our camp ground. 

There are lots of different activities to partiipate in and now that the kids are getting a little bit older we are getting to do more and more.

Every year there is a hike that take you from our campground to the town of Moyie, about 2 km.

You can hike the path anytime you want, but on the long weekend, there have people with quads come along, so if you need a rest (ride) they can help you out and als there are pontoon boats at Moyie to take you back to the camp ground.

Jackie has been going on this hike with Adam since she was 2.

We thought this would be Anderson's first year, but you see he does not like to ride on our shoulders - and I can't carry him the whole time, nor can Jackie walk the whole time - she takes a ride or two on Adam's shoulders.

So Anderson and I stayed behind and Jackie and Daddy went again on the hike.

On the boat ride back.



This year with a new pontoon boat, they gave lake tour rides.  The kids enjoyed it more than we did - we were always making sure they did not fall and hurt themselves since there were not too many places to sit.

 

Fire Truck Rides

Anderson is a typical 2 year old boy.

Trucks, trains, you name it, he loves them all.

Long weekends in the summer mean fire truck rides for the kids.

Anderson could hardly wait (Jackie too for that matter).

Welcome Summer BBQ

This past weekend we decided to host a back yard BBQ party.


You see, 4 years ago when we were building our deck, we paid a lot of attention to the size of the deck. Our house came with a deck plate that only spanned about half the back of the house, I insisted to Adam that we needed the deck to go across the whole width of the house.

Also when he gave me an option of a deck 2 feet longer, I took the longer option.

You see I had a vision.

My vision was of friends and family hanging out on our deck, summer nights, drinks in hand and lots of laughs.

I knew I wanted a deck where a table and chairs could fit comfortably with other things on the deck.

So Adam built a very large deck (24 X 20 I think – he knows the dimensions – I guess that is a man thing).

We have a table & chairs, our black and blue bins, potted tomatoes and a few other potted plants, a play house for the kids, a kid’s picnic table and the BBQ – and there is still room to move around and hang out.

So this past weekend we decided to host a back yard party to celebrate summer. For no other reason than that – we have a great back yard, a wonderful deck and fantastic friends – what other reason do we need.

We moved the kids play house off the deck and onto the grass , bought some beer, wine and coolers, cooked up potato salad, burgers and dogs, and invited friends and family.

We had a blast! So much fun in fact that we managed to completely forget how to operate the camera. (Actually we did not get drunk – I was too busy chatting with everyone forgetting where I left my wine to get drunk).

If you were not invited, leave me a comment and I will make sure I add you to the list for next year!

For those of you that came – we were so happy you did. It was great to see you and catch up a bit – we definitely need to do it more often –but for sure next year!!

Camping Fun

Father's day weekend we always head out to the trailer.

We had a good time playing, doing a bit of work (building a wood shed), and eating many a marshmellow.

We were joined by Grandma and Grandpa, Jackie could not understand why they had to sleep in the bunk house - it is hard to explain to a child - "because you wake up too early in the morning - and Grandma & Grandpa want to have a good sleep..."

Look at this cutie pie!

I love how I was able to get a little bit of flame in this picture.



Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful father's out there (my Dad included).

But this post is dedicated to one very special Dad.

Adam.

You are an amazing Father.
I have loved seeing you develop into this role.

I love that you know how to put in pony tails in a pinch.

I love that you are Jackie's 'Hansom Prince'.

Love you tons!

Look at where we are now:

Look at where we've come from:

(Jacqueline)

(Anderson)

TV

I grew up without a TV in our house.

I know, shocking!  Who does that?

As weird as it sounds, I don't look back and think I missed much, yes I don't have childhood memories of certian TV shows, I never watched Fraggle Rock, or The Smurfs, but I know even if we did have a TV, my parents would never have let us watch much anyway.

But now, no TV, I would go insane.  I love my TV, Adam loves his TV and I know our kids do too.

When I was home with the kids on mat leave, I watched a lot of TV.

Okay, that is an understatment, I watched TV all the time.  If I was home, the TV was on.

I was not always sitting on the couch watching TV (rarely actually), but it was on in the background.

I learned to love Regis and Kelly, The View, Ellen and loved watching old drama show re-runs durring the day.

So now it is funny becasue I would preffer the TV off.

We do allow certian times the kids can watch TV, on a week day, they can watch TV in the morning but only if they are dressed (otherwise they would stay in their jammies all day).

On the weekend, they get to watch TV in their jammies when they wake up (trust me - they love this).

At night time, once they are in their jammies, they get to watch 1 or 2 shows (time dependant on when they get into their jammies) and have a snack.

What are your TV restrictions?

Morning Beach Fun

This past weekend we headed out to the trailer and were blessed with perfect weather.  It was warm and sunny!

Since we have a few early risers in our family we can only last so long in the trailer in the morning - as much as Mom & Dad want to sleep in, so off to the beach we go.

This kids had a blast helping to rise the water levels.

Look who gets to come along too...

We had a great weekend in spite of the early mornings and Anderson fighting us for naps and bedtime, can't wait to go back.

On My Nightstand - A Complicated Kindness

A Complicated Kindness - By Miriam Towes

On the back cover:
A 16-year-old rebels against the conventions of her strict Mennonite community and tries to come to terms with the collapse of her family in this insightful, irreverent coming-of-age novel. In bleak rural Manitoba, Nomi longs for her older sister, Tash ("she was so earmarked for damnation it wasn't even funny"), and mother, Trudie, each of whom has recently fled fundamentalist Christianity and their town. Her gentle, uncommunicative father, Ray, isn't much of a sounding board as Nomi plunges into bittersweet memory and grapples with teenage life in a "kind of a cult with pretend connections to some normal earthly conventions." Once a "curious, hopeful child" Nomi now relies on biting humor as her life spins out of control—she stops attending school, shaves her head and wanders around in a marijuana-induced haze—while Ray sells off most of their furniture, escapes on all-night drives and increasingly withdraws into himself. Still, she and Ray are linked in a tender, if fragile, partnership as each slips into despair.

My thoughts:
This was a book club pick (translate to say, I would not have read this book otherwise).
I did not like this book at all. I had a hard time believing any of it. The stuff Towes talks about happening in this strict Mennonite town is ridiculous.
Yes I believe Mennonite kids smoke, drink, party and even have pre-marital sex, but it the community is really as strict as she is telling us it is, I did not see how all the kids could get away with it all and there were no consequences nor this the adults seem to know about much of it.

I don't buy it.

I did not like her writing style and I really did not like Nomi (the main character), or her parents who seems more concerned with themselves rather than the well being of their children and the family.

My rating: 1 out of 5.

On My Nightstand - Princess

Princess – By Jean Sasson

On the back cover:
Recently named as one of the best 500 books written by women since the year 1300, Princess has been called “riveting” and “heart-wrenching.” Most importantly, this New York Times bestseller galvanized human rights activity all over the world. The book sold over 4 million copies worldwide and struck a chord with women of every age and nationality. Many educators are listing Princess as required reading for their literature classes.

Jean Sasson spent twelve years in Saudi Arabia observing first-hand the hardships faced by women in the country. In Princess, Jean Sasson vividly depicts the harsh restrictions endured by Saudi women. Telling the true story of “Sultana,” a pseudonym that protects the identity of a modern-day princess in the royal family of Saudi Arabi, the author describes a disproportionate society where men have all the power.

“Sultana” whose real name cannot be used for fear of death for revealing these secrets to the world, asked the author to tell her story. Together, Jean Sasson and Princess Sultana have lifted the black veil of secrecy that hides women in the fabulously wealthy land where thirteen-year-old girls are married against their will to men five times their age; where young women are stones to death for a mere indiscretion; where women cannot travel without their husband’s permission; where men rule as gods.

Princess is a testimony to a woman of indomitable spirit and great courage. You have never read a story like the story of Sultana; you will never forget her or her Muslim sisters.

My thoughts:
This is a book club book, and I have to be honest, I was not eager to read this book. First it is non-fiction – I don’t read non-fiction, and second – it is about a culture I know nothing about and does not really interest me.

Wow, was I wrong. This is a phenomenal book. I loved it. It opened my eyes to a country, culture and people I know nothing about but really loved learning about.

Jean Sasson does an exceptional job at telling Sultana’s story. It is shocking and scary to know women are treated this way even today.

My rating: 5 out of 5.

Gardening

I have decided to put in a vegetable garden this year.  I know I have spoken in the past about how much I hated my parents garden when I was growing up and used as slave labour to plant, weed and harvest, but things are different.

First, I am planting a much smaller garden, and second, I am now an adult and parent - funny how you look at things differently when you grow up.

So my garden, I have been blogging about it over at Minivan Stiletto, come on over and check it out.

Cherry Tomatoes

Lobster

I am not sure about you and your kids, but every time we go to the grocery store, we have to walk by the lobster / crab tank to say “hi”.


So when my parents recently came back from a vacation to the Maritimes, and brought us a lobster I was not too sure how the kids would react to eating it.

I pulled both kids into the kitchen to show them the lobster – they were thrilled and excited (it was already dead).

They both wanted to touch him, Anderson was saying “he’s so cute, he’s so cute”; Jackie was thrilled to be shown how his claws worked.

As he was sitting on a cutting board, Jackie started playing with him; Anderson then pulls up and starts talking to him – “Hi lobster...”

So I tell them that we are going to put him in water, cook him and eat him (I really don’t want tears when we crack him apart) Jackie says: “I WANT TO EAT HIS FACE!!”

Okay, I have to admit, I was a little shocked at that response, no tears, just an overly eager child to eat a lobster face. She followed it up with telling us she wants to eat his eyes. Really? Who is this kid?

Laughing Hysterically

I know we are the meanest dog parents alive, but I could not stop laughing.

I love the look on his face - I know he was swearing at me right there.

Camping Season Starts

We were all very excited for camping season to start again.

It is always hard to say good bye to the trailer in the fall and I think we go through some campfire withdrawal for a few months, but here we are, back again!

Jacqueline could not wait to get back out to the trailer, so in spite of the snow storm we drove through to get there, we arrived ready for a good family weekend.

This season we moved Jackie up to the top bunk and put Anderson in the bottom bunk (yeah - no more playpens!!).  I am happy to report, both kids did super great - they slept well and did not stay up chatting for hours - maybe it was because they were exhausted each night?

And what would camping be without a campfire and marshmallows?

I forgot the marshmallows, so after a quick run to the store we were in business.

I apologise for the lack of pictures, but we were busy, more to come next time, I promise.

Mushroom Farro

Mushroom Farro

6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 1/2 cups farro
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 pound cremini mushrooms or wild mushrooms (or a mixture of the two), cleaned, trimmed and sliced
2 large garlic cloves, green shoots removed, minced
1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup dry white wine
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 to1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt if needed

Place the farro in a bowl, and pour on enough hot water to cover by an inch. Let soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Drain.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until they begin to soften and sweat. Add salt to taste, the garlic and rosemary. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are tender, about five minutes. Add the farro, cook, stirring, until the grains of farro are separate and beginning to crackle, about two minutes. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring until the wine has been absorbed. Add all but about 1 cup of the stock, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 50 minutes or until the farro is tender; some of the grains will be beginning to splay. Remove the lid, and stir vigorously from time to time. Taste and adjust seasoning. There should be some liquid remaining in the pot but not too much. If the farro is submerged in stock, raise the heat and cook until there is just enough to moisten the grains, like a sauce. If there is not, stir in the remaining stock. If not serving right away, cover and let stand. Just before serving, bring back to a simmer, add the Parmesan, parsley and pepper, and stir together. Remove from the heat and serve.

Yield: Serves six.
Source: Modified from New York Times online

Note on Farro: if you live in Calgary, the only place I have found it is Lina's Italian Market on Centre Street North. If anyone knows somewhere else they sell Farro, I would love to hear about it.

The Man Purse

My Birthday

As I turn 25 again, I reflect back over my past birthday's and this one was definetly one of the best.

We decided to invite my family over for a birthday brunch where I cooked bacon a fritatta and hashbrowns all in the oven - made for a very easy to prepare and easy to clean up breakfast.

Of couse what brunch is not complete without Mimosas?  And what birthday is not complete without cake?

I did ask Adam to make my cake this year, but then I saw this beauty at Superstore and let him off the hook.

Bike Rides

Adam took Jackie on her first bike ride of the season the other day.  Check out the complete post over here at Minivan Stiletto.

A Princess Party

One of Jackie's friend's birthday is only a few weeks after hers.

She turned 4 as well and her Mom hired Cinderella to come to the party.

There were only 4 little girls at the party, they were told to wear their princess outfit, they were all thrilled when Cinderella showed up.

She read them a story, did a few magic tricks, played some games and even had a dance lesson.

Jackie learning the waltz.

The waltz then lead into something a modern princess should know - R&B & Hip Hop - this is Cinderella teaching them the 'sprinkler'.

(Yes, us Mom's were laughing pretty hard at this point.)