finally!!

Hallelujah

Though nothing compares to KD Lang and a stadium full of white lights, these three versions of Leonard Cohen's tune also give me shivers.

I'm buying a subscription to Glamour magazine

I avoid women's magazines. I am a confident woman, but Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Self, Allure, Fashion, etc have the ability to make me feel like I'm not enough: I don't have enough money, my clothes aren't stylish enough, I don't exercise enough, I'm not thin enough, I don't wear enough make-up or paint my nails enough....Enough!

Then suddenly Glamour does something that monumentally shifts the way I see their magazine and I want to embrace the hell out of it!



Check out Lizzi Miller, aka "the Woman on p. 194". She's gorgeous, confident, smiling and REAL! It's scary how much better I felt about my own naked body after seeing this beautiful 20 year-old and her fleshy frame. I'm going to admit that my immediate feeling was, "I'm NOT disgusting!" (Though I rationally reject it, the media's portrait of an ideal woman obviously effs with my self-esteem.)

Keep it up Glamour! Real women need affirmation. Imagine the positive feminine energy you are unleashing on the world. Also, imagine the revenue if you are the first to stop alienating the average size woman.

"Earth to Meekus!"

Alexander Skarsgård. 2009.

Oh hell! I laughed damn hard when I realized that sexy Swedish vampire Eric (True Blood) is ditzy male model Meekus (Zoolander)! Do you remember him? He dies in a tragic gasoline fight accident and co-delivers one of my most treasured lines from that flick: "ORANGE MOCHA FRAPPUCCINO!!"

Restoring the Magic

Two movies that make me feel like a kid again.

I Wish I Were American

Sure there are lots of reasons I'd rather be Canadian (214 million fewer guns, the right to marry someone of the same sex and universal health care are nothing to scoff at), but here are three reasons why I sometimes wish I were American.


1. So I could access Pandora and Hulu like Americans can.


2. So I could buy beer with my groceries like Americans can.


3. So I could buy Munchie Mugs and StressErasers like Americans can.

When compiled my reasons begin to seem somewhat trivial... So until this list makes a stronger case for immigration, I'll be satisfied to remain Canadian.

Are You Eating Cartoon Cows Too??

When we gave up the credit cards a few weeks ago and became a cash-only kinda family, I suffered a mild case of shock at the grocery store check-out; "I have to PAY for this food? What the what?!" I seemed to have deluded myself into believing that some benevolent and magical entity (yes, that is how I refer to the Government of Canada) was responsible for my family's food needs. There is something seriously crazy with that. If I could be so deeply deluded about my finances, could I not be similarly confunded about other aspects of my life? My food for example?

Yes. Yes I could.

When I took a bite of that guilty McDonald's cheeseburger last night (yes I am disgusting, but at least I'm honest : ), I'm almost sure my conscience was painting the cartoon cow pictured above to prevent me from connecting my burger to the actual cow it came from. That's not right. It isn't okay to be so oblivious of the choices I'm making.

This isn't an animal rights issue for me. I have no qualms about slaughtering for food. I grew up around cattle: my Dad and Uncle raised Maine-Anjou when I was a little girl, and we maintained a small pasture of Charolais when I was older. I loved the cows (Windy, Sky, Rain, etc) and then I ate them; no big deal.

The issue is my irresponsible mindlessness - I am purposely avoiding reality. If I replaced the cartoon cow in my mind with a true history of that beef, I know I'd be a hell of a lot quicker to spend my money on grass-fed organic steak (or skip the beef if I couldn't afford it), then to cheap out on "100% pure beef" ground from grain-fed cattle raised in feedlots. Honestly. It would just taste better.

This post was inspired by the trailer for Food, Inc. I strongly believe in the message of this film and I look forward to seeing it.

Happy Father's Day

i love being the mom to your dad.

happy day babe!
XO

glee

I am stoked for this soon-to-be series! It's got one of my favourite actresses: Jane Lynch. It's got one of my favourite songs: Don't Stop Believin. What DOESN'T it have??

Hiking with Kids

I've noticed many reviews claiming the Ergo carrier is best for hiking. From the perspective of a mama with a 30lb 17 month old, I disagree. As mentioned in a previous post, Maggie and Daddy were both uncomfortable when we used the Ergo for hiking. The Ergo holds baby/toddler directly against your body so parent and kid get sickeningly sweaty, plus baby can't see anything but Daddy's back. The Ergo is my favourite carrier for babies, but toddlers and up demand the Deuter Kid Comfort III Child Carrier Backpack.

If you're going to hike often, the Deuter is worth every penny. It's ridiculously easy to use, the sunshade is slick, it's comfortable for both carrier and rider, and there's plenty of storage for diapers, sunscreen, snacks, water, etc. Love it!

The cons? When Maggie falls asleep, her head wobbles around awkwardly. My solution is to avoid hiking during naptime and that's fine by me. Also, if we still lived in a small apartment, we probably wouldn't have room to store it...though I'd likely try to make room because this carrier is so rad!

Update: Is it a sham or a wow?

As I recently mentioned, I bought myself a ShamWow. At the insisting of two very savvy people (you know who you are), I spent $22 on 3 pieces of hideously coloured rayon. So, is it everything I dreamed it could be?

Nope, not so great. The two things I was excited about did not come true. 1. The ShamWow leaked liquid all the way to the sink, though they claimed it wouldn't. 2. The ShamWow stunk just like a regular cloth does after a few uses, though they claimed it wouldn't. However I won't give up on the ShamWows I own because, as the woman says, they get better with age.

I wouldn't recommend buying it and neither would Consumer Reports. It seems that most of the wows are from people who didn't realize they could use a single cloth to do the job of 20 paper towels. Bottom line is tea towels and dish cloths work just as well if not better.

Heidi Swanson, how I love thee.

For the last week or more, it has been hot in Vancouver. Summer is here and I am still planning meals as if turning on the stove and the oven is acceptable. Tis the season of salads, sandwiches, barbecues, fresh fruit and veg and it's time I get on board!

So what do I do when I completely run out of inspiration? I turn to 101 Cookbooks, to my lady and saviour Heidi Swanson. Heidi is the wind beneath my wings. I love love love everything she touches. I cannot gush enough.



Heidi's recipes are simple, easy, fresh and beautifully photographed. Any night of the week, I can look in my fridge and cupboard, pick two possible ingredients and find a recipe on 101 Cookbooks (note: my spices are well-stocked and I have an herb garden - that makes all the difference). Tonight I've got asparagus, I've got tofu and I want to use coconut milk, so we're going to eat a modified version of Cashew Curry. I'm sure it will be delicious!

Here are a few of my most recent favourites from 101 Cookbooks:
Almost Cheeseless Pasta Casserole
Amazing Black Bean Brownies
Asparagus Stir-Fry

First Harvest

The first bowl of lettuce to be picked from our garden! This variety is perfect for hamburger garnishing and sandwich making, but a bit too wimpy for salads and wraps.

GQ Your Man

The sexiest men are those who appear arrogant but act otherwise.




Prompted by yesterday's post about sexy men (and my hubby's subsequent comments), I signed up for GQ Rules: How to Become a Well-Dressed Rebel in 30 Days. The first daily video is Wear a Suit - Don't Look Like One. Before today, I assumed that look was achieved by donning a suit then consuming copious amounts of alcohol. There is another way.

Time to play dress-up!

Hot Sex

It's hot out today. Sexy hot. And when the temperature rises, we all spend more time with fewer clothes on. Sexy. Ack! Enough attempting to be clever. I'm hot and I just decided to post some photos of gorgeous well-dressed men. The end. (I apologize for my lack of creativity - celebrities are the obvious choice but I just don't have the time to search Flickr for beautiful pictures of boys)

Yellows and Greys

I've been saving this gorgeous inspiration board from Snippet & Ink since late March (Board #362: Milk and Honey - even love that name). These are the colours that best suit our new home: gold, yellow, white, blue, grey. They feel both joyful and calm. Chris loves them too, though he sees trouble ahead when he looks at our current flooring. Clever boy - he knows colours well enough to realize the red laminate clashes. : )



So I used the photo above to generate palettes at both the Color Palette Generator and Colors Palette Generator (I know right). The first was more accurate and the second generated a greater number of colours. I consistently use both to get the best result.

I built the palettes below over at Colour Lovers so I can keep referring back to them for paints and fabrics. Let the fun begin!


Color by COLOURlovers


Color by COLOURlovers

I'm a big fan of Behr paint, and their colour selection is quite good. (I adore Ralph Lauren's gorgeous colours, but I prefer to use tints on my walls)

I'm thinking White Luxury for the main living spaces...



and White Mink for the master bedroom...

Is it a sham or a wow?

Yes I did buy a shamwow today. Did I spend time testing it out on my kitchen counters and floors? Nope! I spent time searching for the most amusing parody of the shamwow advertisement. Enjoy! (And check out their Mighty Putty Dub too - you deserve a laugh today.)



p.s. I will post about its shamminess or its wowiness as soon as I know.

got, got, got, got no time!

(when I see the same word written repeatedly as above, it really makes me question the word itself...."got? does that sound right? such a hard g sound......awwwwwt...really?.........")

As someone who adores the written word and takes great amounts of pleasure in writing, I struggle with my lack of commitment to this blog. I do a lot of what I'll call cognitive blogging. All through the day I'm blogging in my head. Blogging my bagel with pea shoots and cream cheese. Blogging my response to the BC Leader's debate. Blogging the dilemna of how to deal with my toddler's tantrums. I have an impressive collection of 1-5 word reminders saved as drafts: "laptop luxury", "Grey Gardens Running with Scissors", "mistakes Grade 2 reindeer" and "think about what you've done" to name a few. I do intend to write those blog entries one day....supposedly. So why aren't I producing?

I have to be honest. It isn't really that I've "got no time". I waste a lot of the time that I have. Look me up on Twitter and you will see that I watch TV from 8-10pm almost every night (120 minutes = numerous blog posts). Yes I love my moving pictures, but more than that, I revel in end-of-day inertia! I love to shut down and even feel entitled to it; I go hard from 7:30am-7:30pm. After a 12 hour day caring for an emotionally and physically draining tot, it's time to break out the pajamas.

That's all fine and good, but I allow TV to suck the life out of my evening! Before I know it, it's midnight. My chores are done, I've caught up on two missed episodes of Brothers and Sisters and read through my neglected Google Reader (only 88 unread posts left!) My drafts remain drafts, I still have a bazillion things to say, but I'm off to bed. Well, maybe tomorrow...

Enough is enough. I'm making a commitment to myself to take back the night (in a far less meaningful sense than that phrase is usually used). I don't know what that looks like yet, but I'm guessing there will be some re-arranging of schedules and furniture involved. Let's get the show on the road!

My Perfect Mother's Day

I'm writing this now so that in years to come I can refer back to remember what a truly perfect Mother's Day looked like. There was no breakfast in bed, no spas and no exorbitant gift - no grand gestures. Today, my beautiful child and my adoring husband were completely available and amenable to my every whim. They cleaned the kitchen and tidied the house while I slowly woke up. We headed out to the fancy new Whole Foods where I had the luxury of choosing exactly what I wanted for our picnic. That's right! I did not concern myself with Chris' preferences and I didn't worry about Maggie's nutritional needs. I chose the cheese I wanted, the bread I wanted and the fruit I wanted! No guilt. No compromising. Such a simple pleasure.

After Whole Foods, we headed to Queen Elizabeth Park and chased after Maggie a bit before we settled onto a shady patch of grass in a quiet corner. Picnics on the beach are lovely, but I'm a huge fan of a park picnic. Maggie can toddle around in the grass (she isn't very impressed by sand) and I can keep her in the shade, plus I don't have to eat sandy sandwiches!

After Maggie's nap (the little dear crashed on the way home and slept for two long hours) we headed out to buy my gift (this link inspired us to consider every single purchase we make special and worthy of celebration - including things we think are "needs"). We bought a Deuter Kid Comfort III Child Carrier Backpack (will review after some use) and with that purchase Chris made an impressive commitment to me. He has agreed to haul my daughter up and down and all around so that we can be the hiking family I want us to be. I love him like crazy by the way.

We picked up some ready-made sushi on the drive home so mama didn't have to cook; as much as I adore cooking, I was relieved to take a day off. After the little squirt was in bed, I sat down to read my magazine (also an indulgence of the day) and eat my brownie. Sooo delicious.

It wasn't planned and it wasn't elaborate, but it was a perfect Mother's Day.

My Mother

After being a mom for only one year, I realize how inadequate my gratitude has been.

And still, I have only a small idea of what she has done for my siblings and I. In one year, I've gone through breastfeeding, sleep training, diaper changing, solid food introducing and babyproofing.

In thirty years, my mom has dealt with:
pregnancy and labour x3,
potty training x3,
chicken pox x3,
78 birthdays,
29 Christmases,
39 First Days of School,
an unknown number of
piano lessons, choir practice, team sports,
tournaments, camps, and sleepovers,
teaching children about death x3,
having "the" talk x3,
rebellion and puberty x3,
underage drinking, parties, socials,
driving lessons and car accidents x3,
graduations from high school x3,
leaving the nest x3,
apartment hunting and moving x?,
moves to Vancouver, Prince George, Montreal,
post-secondary graduations x3,
applying, hiring, firing, quitting,
scrapes, burns, cuts,
hospitalizations, blood clots,
a wedding,
and the birth of a grandchild.

For every Mother's Day I didn't know,
thank you Mom.

XO