Butterfly ideas

I am working on Maelie's party (as some of you may know by now). Maelie is getting very excited. We started getting some decorations ready and we also worked on some homemade decorations yesterday and today.


I got the idea here.

It's simpler than simple, really.

You take coffee filters, paint them and then tie them up.




That's a Monarch butterfly by the way.

This is another idea that would be good to make with the kids, or as party favors.

We just received confirmation from Maelie's boyfriend. He will be coming to her party next week. She let out 3 high pitched squeaks when I told her. She loves this little boy. At least we received ONE confirmation!!

compulsive behaviour?

This weekend I rented a flower cake mold and a butterfly cake mold from L'Artisan du dessert. I figured since it was closed Sunday and Monday, I only needed to return them on Tuesday.



So yesterday I started baking the cakes. Most normal people would make one of each, and move on to something else.

not me.

I am making three of each. That's 6 cakes. Just in case. Maelie was asking me why I was making so many. I told her, "well, if i ruin one, i will have a back up one!"

so today she says "So mom, what happens if you don't mess up the first one? I guess the guests will be taking home a lot of cake."

Yes I am compulsive. I always live with fear of not having enough. Even birthday cakes. They are in the freezer right now, so I guess if I don't mess up the first one... they can always stay there for other special occasions!

Meal Plan Monday

Another week... another plan! See Org junkies site for more menu ideas.

Some days, I wish I had many hours in my day to prepare hearty, healthy meals for my family. But being realistic, I start preparing at 4:45 pm and Maelie needs to eat. now.

I think these meal plans are making my meal making more enjoyable. Though I do find it a bit of pressure to figure all of this out on Sunday, throughout the week, I do notice how simpler it is to just have it all figured out ahead of time. Unfortunately, I am not sure we have spent less on groceries yet... but it was for stocking up purposes on some sales.

This is what I have come up with this week:

Monday: chicken tournedos (leftovers from Sunday) with veggies

Tuesday: Lemon chicken and rice from Taste of Home, with salad.

Wednesday: whole wheat pita pizzas (pita bread, spread pizza sauce, cover with cheese and veggies, bake) with salad

Thursday: Pork chops with onions and apples from Taste of Home, with veggies and potato

Friday: paté chinois with veggies and salad

a week's worth of games combined

Weekdays are hard. I can't hide it. Working all day, having to do home reading, caring for the pets, making supper, giving Maelie a bath, tidying up, dishes, etc.... There is basically no time for Maelie and I to just play together. I feel bad about it because some days, Maelie would just like to sit with me and play a board game of some sort. When two parents are home in the evening, one can do stuff and the other can play with the child, however, with Bill working evenings, it just doesn't happen. There are things i HAVE to do in the house, so playng board games gets pushed off the list.



Since yesterday was Friday, we had no pressures going to bed early so I played a bunch of games with Maelie. I think we covered one for every day of the week! I hope it counts!

can't burst my bubble

If you look at this picture, you can see the mountains of snow on the neighbors lawn in the background. You may have to click on the pic to get a bigger view.



Well with all this snow you would think that spring will never ever come... but signs that it is coming have been everywhere! regardless of the snow!

No it's not necessarily the birds chirping or the sign of grass or that it's light much later now... it's that the bubbles are out at the dollar store!


So needless to say, I got a container for Maelie. I stayed inside cuz it was too cold and Maelie only ventured on the porch.

unfit for lunch

(This pic is a reenactment of the actual lunch this morning - some pieces are missing as they have been eaten)

This morning I packed up Maelie's lunch for school. Some days I am more creative than others. I took small "brochette" sticks and put 2 pieces of orange peppers, 2 pieces of folded processed cheese slices, and 2 cubes of chicken. All this with a cute little dip container.


When Maelie came home from school, I asked her what she thought of her lunch.

"um mom, it was ok, but it was gross because the orange pepper... well it was touching the cheese."

I should have known better.....

if we ever see grass again

Check out this post by Andrea in Ottawa. I enjoy reading her blog.

In this post, she talks about lawn care and the use of pesticides and lawn fertilizers. I wholeheartedly agree with her. We don't need to spray anything on our lawns just to keep up with the "perfect" lawn. A really green, full grass does not make us who we are. WHO we are and how we act and contribute to society in a positive way is really more important than a *perfect* lawn.

One day, when we see our grass again, I will be thankful that my child can just run through it, lie down on it, and enjoy it without the worry of having extra pesticides inside her body.

these are going out tomorrow!

Maelie's birthday party invitations are going out tomorrow. This party will be the one for her classmates. I am working on another idea for friends outside of school as well.

I have plenty of ideas for the butterfly mystery party.... I just have to figure it all out! There's the cake, the games, the favors.... my goodness!!

Since it is impossible to invite the whole class to the party, we sent 9 invitations in Maelie's backpack. I wrote a note to the teacher to slide them in the kids backpacks. I also explained to Maelie how important it is to be discreet and to not flaunt the fact that she is having a birthday party and some kids are or are not invited. I don't want the kids to feel left out. I am very sensitive!

Dance Partner

Maelie loves to dance and listen to *cool* music. (queue to eye roll)

She has found a new dance partner. Note how the rabbit has the *moves*.





Bébé Lapin follows Maelie around everywhere... even when she is dancing. There's a small risk of squished rabbit though during these routines.

Ham and cheese muffin success

Oh wow! I tried this new recipe from "Boites a lunch sante" today. They are absolutely delicious!

The recipe is actually very quick and easy to make. The baking part if about 45 minutes.

They didn't pass the Maelie test though. She doesn't like too many ingredients mixed together (too many ingredients is actually 2 in her case). She likes everything individually. I expected it so I am not too disappointed.



I was really surprised at how moist they were. This is a great supper recipe but also a great lunch recipe to pack up and go. You don't even need to warm them up. The recipe is a definite keeper! It just has to pass the Bill test now. He'll just pour ketchup all over it and it will be fine. He isn't too picky that way. (This is why we buy ketchup every other week)

If anyone wants the recipe just leave me a comment.

Menu Plan Mondays

After getting home yesterday, I took out a few books to browse through to figure out my week of menus. Jacinthe shared one of her new books recently "Boites a lunch sante" by Genevieve O'Gleman, nutritionist. It's a very colorful book with many easy healthy recipes. Most recipes are a hit with her kids. I decided to give it a try and bought it myself. So this week, I will try out 2 of the recipes (Mon & Thurs). I personally LOVE recipe books that have color pictures. It's a great marketing strategy with me, that's for sure.

This is my second week actually participating in Org Junkies Menu Plan Mondays. I enjoy it as it makes me plan ahead.

Monday: Petits pains au jambon (This is actually a muffin made with cheddar cheese and ham, a couple cups of mashed potatoes, flour, baking powder and and a few spices.) I will serve salad and veggies with this. Recipe comes from "Boites a lunch sante"

Tuesday: Cheesy Chicken roll ups (From Kraft)served with salad and veggies

Wednesday: It's a Wonderful Loaf from Crazy Plates . This is a VERY good recipe. It uses a mix of lean ground chicken and extra lean ground beef. Everyone in this house, including Maelie, loves this recipe. I make them in muffin tins, so I can easily grab a couple and take them to work. I match this with either potatoes, rice or barley and vegetables.

Thursday: Fusilli aux legumes en sauce cremeuse (from Boites a lunch sante). This is a pasta salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots, radishes, yellow peppers and green onions. The creamy sauce actually is made with a bit of tofu. Needless to say, I am not volunteering this information to Bill. I may add the leftover ham afrom Monday as a side or mixed in the salad.

Friday: Saucy pepper steak stir fry. I don't know if I will actually go through with this one, mainly because it is a Friday and we might have a lot of leftovers... I will see when the time comes. But the picture looks delicious.

Can you take me home?

My mom has baby cats in the house again - her Mama cat is a baby making machine. How could one resist this cute little face?



and this one:



Here is the complete mix:

Happy Easter!

The Easter bunny visited us a day early. Mainly because Jo was leaving early today, so we wanted the kids to be more relaxed yesterday.

The kids hunted for eggs and treats all around the house. Once they had collected them all, they didn't even eat ONE! They enjoyed counting them, looking at them, but they didn't feel like eating any all day!

We had quite the yummy brunch that morning!



We also had a 4 generation family picture



Happy Easter !

the cure for wanting a sibling

Maelie has been begging for a baby brother or sister for the longest time! Of course, the answer is always no. However, sometimes, actions are much stronger than words!

We visited my family this weekend and my sister was also visiting with Lucas and baby Nathan (2 months). Maelie saw just how demanding a baby is! Everyone was busy feeding and rocking the baby and falling in love with him.

When we got home, I told Bill to ask Maelie if she wanted a baby brother. It took everything for him to ask her because he was tired of her begging for one! He asked her and she replied "uh, no."

I don't think she will bother us for one anymore!

Back to kindergarten

Yesterday was my day to go volunteer in Maelie's class. I had offered her teacher to go and make Easter chocolates with the kids (not the 3D type!)

I brought my camera with me... but do you think I actually remembered or had the chance to take a picture?? Not with 15 kindergarteners... and hands full of chocolate. I should have put Maelie on camera duty.

It was a blast though! I already know a lot of her classmates as some of them go to daycare after school too, so I see them every day. I really like knowing the kids that Maelie deals with. I think I am a kid magnet most days. I really love listening to what they have to say.

The kids were very attentive and there were NO disasters. No paintbrushes ended up in their mouths, they followed the rules really well. We started off with one microwave, but I think we may have overheated it! There was an error code on it. So the teacher went and got the other microwave which was our last resort! It worked even better... so that saved the day. Every time we had about 5 molds ready, the teacher and a few kids went downstairs to the kitchen area and put them in the freezer. It was quite a walk so she got her workout done yesterday! Up and down about 16 times.

The kids were amazed when they saw their chocolates pop out of the molds. It's hard to understand the whole process at first. One little girl had a tiny drop of green chocolate on her finger.

D (little girl): oh no! i dirtied my finger.
me: that's ok, it comes off easily
D: can i eat it?
me: of course... its chocolate
D: I can? (looking at me like I am an alien)
me: yes you can, it's only chocolate
D: i can eat it? (wierd look again)

In the end, I don't know if she ever ate it! She seemed to think I was rather wierd for suggesting she eat the tiny piece of chocolate on her finger! LOL She thought it was paint.

I love being involved with the kids. They are a great bunch. Maelie was really proud to be able to share her mama with her class. I will enjoy it while I can, because I know that at a certain age, she will be embarassed to have her Mama around! Let's hope that time doesn't come soon... or ever....

Sneak peak....

Here is a sneak peak at what's coming soon.... (fot those who are wondering... this is a butterfly pinata).

a party! Maelie will be turning 6 soon and we will have a party at home. We have been thinking about it for months! Maelie wanted to have a treasure hunt. But there was no way that she want a pirate kind of party. She just wants the treasure hunt game. I suggested so many things to her... and none seemed to appeal to her. So this past week, she finally came to terms with the theme: butterflies and flowers. So to put a twist on it, it will be a Butterfly & Flower treasure hunt party. There has to be a pinata involved every. single. bday. Some years we make it, other years we buy it. It all depends on the time frame. Right now, since Easter and Maelie's bday are so close.. I bought it to save time.

I don't usually buy matching accessories for parties. I don't believe in spending so much on those things. But since she got a very generic party theme, the items were 1$ at the party/dollar store. So yesterday she was amazed and couldn't believe that I got matching glasses and napkins with butterflies on them.

I love kids parties and am very excited about it! Maelie saw a flower cake that she would like so I may go out and rent the mold. I don't know if I trust my icing abilities though... we'll see.

You'll be hearing a lot more on the upcoming bday! so stay tuned...

final casting

Voila... these are the last but not least members of this years Easter chocolatefest.



I borrowed the frog mold from a friend's friend because they were sold out at L'Artisan du dessert.



Here's a cute little turtle. I realize that for Easter, people much prefer 3D chocolates than anything else. So I figured I would expand my selection. At first I didn't like making 3D ones because they are time consuming and sometimes, you end up with holes at the seams. That drives me up the wall because I have to start over again.



Maelie saw a little squirrel mold that she found so cute. Unfortunately, it seemed to me like it would tip over easily. So I got a bigger more stable looking one. So this is what turned out. It's pretty big, but it's actually the easiest to make. It has no color so the heat of the brown chocolate doesn't matter so much. (when you have color, and add really hot brown chocolate, the color will run and then it doesn't look nice at all.

So there you have it... the last of the Easter chocolates... next on the list will be Maelie's birthday chocolates (party favors fore her friends).

Menu plan Monday

I am going to participate in the Menu Plan Monday hosted by the Organizing Junkie. I have yet to figure out how to post her little banner picture (i'm SO not competent technical blogger!)but I will try. Oooh I think I managed to paste it at the top. But of course, clicking on the picture will not get you to her page. go figure.

This week is a short week as we have Friday off and we are going to visit my family for a couple of days. I started planning my meals yesterday but didn't complete it. I think I feel like it's a major commitment and therefore I am rather undecisive! (oh my goodness, what if I commit to making chicken one night and end up having pork chops? ) haha I have a tendency of freaking out like that.

So anyway, here is my best shot:

Monday: Asparagus omelette with broccoli and cauliflower and a sprouted grain english muffin (almost the same for Maelie - omit asparagus, add peanut butter on toast)

Tuesday : Marinated chicken breasts with barley and salad

Wednesday: Pork chops with Greek potatoes and veggies

Thursday: Perogies & leftovers

Friday: my moms place

This planning ahead is allowing me to try new things.
Today Bill went to the groceries for a few things , including some sale items. He didn't get too much stuff since it's a short week and we already had a lot of stuff stocked up. Let's see if I can stay away from buying more stuff this week.

St-Patrick's Day

Remember to wear green today!



Happy St-Patrick's Day!

2 new Easter cuties

I added some malt chocolate eggs to this bunny's wagon to make it cuter.


I wasn't sure what the things on top of the cheese were, so I improvised and pretended it was a tomato. If you have an idea of what it should be, please DO let me know so I can use the right colors!

I think I am getting a bit carried away with too many Easter chocolates!
_________________

On another note, Wednesday, I am going to Maelie's kindergarten class to do an Easter chocolate making workshop with the kids. I will let them paint the molds and then they will get to take them home. We get a volunteer day at work which means we can get a day off a year for volunteering. Call me crazy but I choose to spend it with 20 5-6 year olds AND chocolate.... together....

The main rule will be to not put the paintbrushes in their mouths. That's a very difficult one to follow usually with even 3 kids! The paintbrushes sometimes just naturally make their way into their mouths after being dipped in chocolate. I will be using special containers, and not the ones I usually use to make my chocolates. Just to avoid sharing kid germs.
The other rule is to not mix the chocolate. There are a bunch of colors and if they mix them, it all turns to vomit green. I may be the only one who thinks this, but vomit green chocolate is not at all appetizing.

Cabane a sucre

Yesterday evening, we joined some friends and went to the cabane a sucre (sugar shack). Basically this is a place where you can stock up on a years worth of sugar! In one sitting!

The menu consisted of pea soup, baked beans, scrambled eggs, sausage, oreilles de Christ (thick deep fried bacon), ham, potatoes, pancakes, lots of maple syrup and sugar pie. I think traditionally, if you live in the province of Quebec, you HAVE to go once a year.

Maelie enjoyed herself, ate LOTS and even with a full tummy, she couldn't wait to get the maple taffy of the snow. In the end she could only handle a few licks of it as it was very sweet.




After a short walk in the woods and a bit of playing on the playground, it was time to go inside for some dancing. Maelie danced until she could no longer walk or talk or stay awake for that matter (which for us was much earlier that the rest of the bunch! 9:45 pm!)



We had a wonderful time and will probably go back again.... next year! :)

Meal Plan results

If you recall this post , I decided to make meals plans for the week. This was mainly to not spend so much on groceries (we probably spend as much as a family of 6) just by going to the grocery store too often.

So the results of my meal planning week are positive in general. I brought lunches to work EVERY single day! The only thing I bought was a bowl of soup to accompany my meal (twice). This in itself is a success! I find we wasted a lot less food at home since I didn't have to throw out uneaten things.

We did however still go to to the groceries a few times (well, Bill went). There were a few staples to stock up on. Important things like Ketchup, honey... etc. But right now, we are well stocked up, all we will need to get are fresh veggies this weekend.

I must say, I covered the dishes from the list last week but a couple of things were switched around (due to the missing ketchup). I have to say, I really do cook well when I do cook! LOL I enjoyed the recipes that I tried.

Stay tuned for the 2nd weekly meal plan tomorrow. Probably consisting of a few "egg" meals due to Easter! (can't waste the eggs just to get the shells!)

What a cute pair!

I am such a blessed person! I received this cute pair in the mail on Thursday... body intact (thanks Canada Post). I should definitely feel honored that someone would think of me when they see something this cute!!

Kath sent me these Easter salt and pepper shakers. They are the sweetest thing ever. Thursday night, I actually dreamt about them. I fell asleep pondering where they should go. Then Friday, I had to rescue them as Maelie had kidnapped them. She decided they would be best on the table guarding our display of Easter eggs.

So much drama in this house!

Thank you SO much Kath! That was extremely thoughtful and sweet!

How could one not fall for these?

Aren't these the cutest little chocolates> A friend at work told me she had a few 3-D molds so of course I asked to borrow them! I don't have many 3-D hollow ones.

This is how two of them turned out!




Maelie actually loved them so much she asked if she could take them to her room to sleep!

Needless to say, they stayed in the kitchen.

A while back, I started selling my holiday chocolates, for the only reason that I need a little bit of money to pay for my hobby because just a note between you and me internet : It's not a cheap hobby! (except at Valentines... the money went to Maelie's class). But truly, I prefer to give my creations to people. I love giving and WHO is not happy to receive chocolate? Usually when I sell them though, I am rather cheap. If people think I am in it for the money... they are SO wrong. I really sell below what I should. Especially when you consider the time to make each chocolate, sometimes with a toothpick! and then the packaging and the time to package. This is why i KNOW I enjoy this hobby, otherwise I would have given up a loooooooooong time ago.

Dance recital

Maelie has been taking lunch hour dance classes every Friday for 8 weeks. A dance instructor comes to the school and teaches the kids some moves. I figure it's a nice way for her to get involved in something without creating an even busier schedule outside of school.

They had a little final show (exceptionally on a Wednesday) today at lunch hour. I specifically booked my afternoon off to make sure I could go and not miss a thing. I don't enjoy being in a rush.

I insisted that Bill come too to surprise Maelie. She was surprised when she saw both of us. The show was very cute. It's nothing overly structured and *fancy* but it was awesome... :) My little one was dancing to the music and following along great! She stayed with her friends and just dropped by to give me a hug here and there. She is very independant!

no need to shut the curtains here

I am one who always needs to have my cutains closed in the living room. I hate knowing that people can walk by and look inside.



THIS is what we see in our living room right now. No need for curtains. Click on the picture for a bigger view.
See that tree? A tall adult can barely touch the lower branches when there is no snow. Right now, Maelie sits on the branches.

easy on the coffee....

I think my Easter bunnies have had a bit too much coffee. They look wide awake with their brand new eyes!

twins separated at birth?

Do you think these 2 have the same parents?


My moms cat, Ti-Fille



Our bunny, bébé lapin

Monday Meal Plan for week of March 10-14

I will start this out easily. I will do one week at a time, suppers only. Weekdays only. Weekends are rather unpredictable and I don't want to put too much pressure on myself.

Monday: Homemade low fat baked beans (prepared this weekend in slow cooker) with ham and salad and raw veggies (salad and raw veggies are a staple so they will come with every meal)

Tuesday: eggs & grilled cheese & salad & veggies

Wednesday: Apple Meatballs recipe & veggies & salad

Thursday: Honey Dijon Pork tenderloin & veggies

Friday: Pasta & veggies

Meal Planning

I've been reading up and running into blogs about meal planning and how most people end up saving a lot and eating healthier by doing that. I am a very last minute person when it comes to meal planning. I walk to the fridge and figure it out holding the door open or I think about it earlier that day and e-mail Bill a list of stuff (or pick it up myself on my way home). It ends up costing a lot that way as we go to the grocery store way too much..

So I am going to try and plan ahead this week. My slow cooker is out too so that makes things easier. I am also going to try and bring my lunch to work.

By the end of the day today, I will post my menu for the week ahead. and then I will stick to it too!

Kindness

This morning we woke up to a LOT of snow. We knew it was coming and there was no way to avoid it.

I went out earlier with Maelie to try and avoir Bill's grumpiness when he got up and started shoveling. I figured if I at least did a little bit, he would complain and grumble less (i was wrong just fyi... he is just as grumpy)

After a while, our kind hearted neighbor across the street came over with his snowblower to at least get rid of the snow behind Bills car. That was a heck of a big chunk of the yard. I am very thankful to have neighbors who have a kind heart and who you can count on in moments like these. Thank you thank you thank you.

We should all open up our eyes every day and see what we can do that will affect someone's life in a good way. All the little things are so worth it.

Spring housecleaning

I have started having the spring fever (i think) even if we ARE buried in 20 feet of snow. I want to start decluttering once and for all. I realize that being in my clutter dries me absolutely up the wall. I get anxious feelings just walking into my place!
I started analyzing what the problem is and how to solve it little my little
.
I realize that I just keep many things around just in case I get time to do them. Which I KNOW won't ever happen. I have so many crafty ideas, but have no time to do any of them right now at this point in my life.
Also, I keep a LOT of knick knacks around the house. Things that don't really have a home. I also have a ton of picture frames which I realize now are more of a hassle than anything. Not that I don't enjoy looking at pictures of our family... however, i do think that one solution would be to get a big frame with multiple slots and stick all the pictures in there and hang it on the wall. This way I would be able to put away the picture frames sitting on every shelf in the house and then have a more focal point for my pictures.

This weekend I took on one of my cupboards in the kitchen. It seems clean right now, and I am just hoping I can keep it that way. Now I have to find a home for everything I took out of there!!

Happy Birthday Lucas!

Today, my first nephew turns 8 years old!
Lucas is such an adorable little boy... his birthday coincides with the International Women's Day ... I joke around with my sister that this is the one reason he LOVES girls so much.

So go on and visit Jo's site to send Lucas some birthday wishes!

Happy Birthday Lucas! We love you!