The Return of Happy Hour

Tonight is our date night... and to remind you our date night has to end by 9pm which is when our babysitter is done. This is fine with me because I wouldn't be able to stay up past 9:30 anyway.

It also gives this downtown mama an opportunity to experience the return of the Happy Hour - a great way to stay within our entertainment budget on date night.

When I think of Happy Hour I imagine myself in the cast of Mad Men - back to the days when after work meant something (well, to them it meant getting smashed and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes but no matter)... it has a certain glamour, doesn't it? So why not share Happy Hour with your partner on your date night?

And Happy Hour doesn't mean just drinking - us downtown mamas have to watch that while we're nursing the little ones - Happy Hour also means some great deals on food.

Check out the Drake Hotel's new menu: http://www.thedrakehotel.ca/_ftp/menus/bar.pdf

From 5-7, you can get beer for $4 and appetizers for $7 (fyi for those who don't live in Toronto, this is a deal). Their appetizers are generous so share 2 together and you have yourself dinner. Also, check out the Drake's daily Blue Plate special - on Thursdays for example you can get Steak or Chicken for 2 with Chocolate Cake for $32.95 - not too shabby. If we go tonight I will imagine us to be like Don and Betty Draper in the picture above - except without all of the lying and the cheating and shooting birds in the backyard.

Walk across the street to the Beaconsfield and you can get a pint of beer and a daily food special for $8! They even have an oyster night on Thursdays.

How do you find out about a Happy Hour special in your neighborhood? First, realize that if your favourite restaurant or bar is open at 5, chances are there is a Happy Hour - but for the real deals, I would do a search the boards on http://www.chowhound.com/ - its a place where foodies gather to share the inside scoop about food in their city. You are bound to find some hot tips about great food deals there.

Finally, an extra reason to celebrate Happy Hour today? It's little Archer's birthday! He's a whole 2 months old today! Ah, how times flies...

Top 5 Commercials That Annoy Me

I know there are a lot of nursing mothers out there that don't watch much television - or heck any television at all - while they are nursing but I'm not one of them. The way I see it, it's hard to do anything else *but watch television while nursing and in case you haven't been told ('cause I wasn't until I was like 7 months pregnant....thanks, btw, mothers who came before me), you might nurse upwards of 8, count 'em 8, hours a day.

Yes, you read that right. 8 HOURS A DAY.

Of course nursing didn't cause me to watch more television than I did before Archer (b/c sadly I watched a lot) but what it has changed is that instead of flipping mindlessly to other channels while the commercials are on, I am forced to actually watch the commercials. Like all of them... which leads me to the topic of this post and of course makes me an expert, right? Don't answer that. Advertisers, please read and do better. Otherwise, I may, in fact go insane. Here is my current list of "Top 5 Most Annoying Commercials I am Forced To Watch Because I Am a Nursing Mother":

5. Cashmere Toilet Paper Commercial - A friend of mine who worked for a branding company once had to name a brand of toilet paper. Clearly the makers of toilet paper have no sense of humour or realization as to what their product is really used for because we came up with all sorts of names for the toilet paper that we thought were pretty good and passed on to her but were outright rejected by her clients. They ended up with something like Cashmere Toilet Paper.... boooring. This commercial demonstrates just how serious they take their brand with a song called "Cashmere Daydreams" that will literally be in your head for weeks once you hear and which, I just noticed, you can download to your iPod so your friends can exclaim at your next party when the song comes on "hey, isn't that the toilet paper song?" If you are brave enough, go crazy, here it is for you... http://www.cashmere.ca/english/mp3.php

4. Covenant House Commercial - I really shouldn't put this on the list because CH is an awesome charity that I very much support but every time their commercial comes on with the mom an the newborn all swaddled up and then the edit to the teenage boy sleeping in a sleeping bag on the street with the caption "This is where street kids come from" (or something like that), I'm literally balling. Which is fine except - an extremely effective a campaign - except that this commercial runs like 100 times a day! This is too much for a new mom with the hormones and the baby and stuff. And why, btw, will Sarah McLaughlin only license her songs for the most depressing commercials ("Angel" is in that Animal Rescue commercial)? I'm just saying.

3. Every single yogurt commercial - You wouldn't really think of the yogurt business as being a cut-throat business but have you noticed how often yogurt companies advertise in this country? I mean, it's really quite disproportionate to every industry out there - it's like our version of the US drug commercials that always run (oh as an aside I would add the Sally Field "Boniva" commercial to this list if it was longer)... what's with this? Someone please explain.

2. Philly Cream Cheese - Do I have to explain this one? At all? Didn't think so.

1. Avril Lavigne Canon Commercial - When I first came home from the hospital with Archer, this commercial was on literally every commercial break. I thought I was going to lose my mind and vowed then and there to figure out a way to nurse and use the remote control (something I have yet to figure out). Ad buyers or traffic schedulers, please don't do this to us. And who ever decided that Avril Lavigne should be a spokesperson for a camera company? I mean, who does she appeal to? Only tweens think she's cool and last time I checked, they're not watching camera commercials on HGTV. Anyway, there seems to be a bit of a reprieve from this commercial right now but if this comes back for the fall season, I may just have to give up tv altogether. And that's just not right.

30% off at Gap, BR and Old Navy This Weekend

True to my statement a couple posts ago that all things go on sale at the Gap, this weekend there is a friends and family sale at the Gap and its sister stores, Banana Republic and Old Navy. You should be able to get a coupon from someone in the store ahead of time and if you're interested in this sorta stuff make sure you sign up to their regular mailing list.

A posting that maybe only I will benefit from...

Those who know me, know I have a slightly unhealthy obsession with The Hills (which includes, but is not limited to, an obsession with other Hills-related programming like The City and The Hills After Show) - a show I'm clearly too old for and which may be significantly contributing to the decline of Western civilization. But so be it. It is my vice and I'm ok with that.

So, how could this obsession, possibly have anything to do with being a new mom? Did we seriously consider calling Archer, Justin-Bobby (no)? Am I going to pitch doing a Hills Season Premiere party with your Hills-obsessed moms - with the web cam and girly drinks - so you can be on The After Show (ermm...maybe, but not now)?

Well, if you watched The Hills (and/or The City with Lauren Conrad-lite, Whitney Port), you will have noticed a style trend that in theory works *extremely well for a new mom... the elusive braid.

In episode after episode this past season, I watched with fascination and envy at the multiple ways LC sported this very practical and very pretty hair trend. There was the little front braid - as featured above, there was the full on french braid and even the casual side braid. And of course, LC wasn't the only fashionista we saw sporting the braid this past season - google recent pictures of Nicole Ritchie and Rachael Bilson and your more likely than not to see them with a braid.

All of the braid options work well for the new mom who, let's face it, doesn't have the time to do a full-on blow-out every day - much less even wash her hair at all (which is bad for your hair anyway I've convinced myself). And, if you have any length to your hair, you have realized, like I have, that your child's first toy - besides maybe your boob - is your hair - which is cute the first couple times but after the novelty has worn out... eyiyi...

Problem is, that other than the most basic of braids, I had no idea how execute the technique required to carry off this look. I tried to think back to the days when my mom - a style maven ahead of her time - put my hair in french braids. But alas, nothing.

Well, thank you LA Times Online because now I have a step-by-step guide which I now share with you - it has a slide show and everything which should in theory help make things easier... http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/la-ig-fishtail-0712-pictures,0,18736.photogallery

Of course, as soon as I found this, I had to try it out... that was, not surprisingly, like 5 days ago - and I have yet to get through one of these slide shows without Archer deciding that I was spending far too much time on myself than I was on him (true 'dat little guy, true 'dat). I did manage to do a lame attempt at a side braid today but it is hardly LC-worthy.

But I remain optimistic and I'm sure that all of you out there are far more skilled at these sort of things than I so I pass the torch and the slide show over to you...

In the meantime, I'm going to start planning our Hills Premiere Party. Who's in? :)

I, Zumba

So, sometimes in the middle of the night when I am nursing Archer and I am happy because I am under the illusion that it is 5am - that Archer has slept through the night - when in fact it actually only 2:30am (note to self: get a digital clock in the bedroom), I think of random things like "what should I title my blog tomorrow"? And since my blog was going to be about my experience at my first Zumba class, the possibilities were really quite endless. In the middle of the night, half asleep, I thought it might be a stoke of genius, for example, to call this piece - "Zumba-doba-do" or "So I know I can't dance" or "Zu-laander"... but "I, Zumba" was my favourite and hence, the title above.

Like I said, it was the middle of the night.

I *love to dance and sorta think I can dance... this is based on the fact that I spent 8 years as a child taking all sorts of dance lessons - jazz (I do a wicked "jazz hands"), ballet, tap, even Ukrainian. And I starred in my high school production of "42nd Street" in which I perfected my time step. Note I said "my time step" not "the time step". Good dancing was very much a relative thing at Catholic girls' high school.

It was for all of these reasons I thought it would be a good idea - in trying to get back into shape post-pregnancy - to try a Zumba class.

You've heard of Zumba, right? It's the latest workout trend - it's the Tai Bo of 2009 and is very much inspired by the public's obsession over shows like "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Dancing With the Stars". It is supposed to be a high cardio workout revolving around steps from various dance forms - salsa, hip hop, tango, etc...

I was skeptical about Zumba's high cardio potential - which, quite frankly, was exactly why I went. I'm trying to ease back into things and so, for example, despite the fact that I have gone to 2 spinning classes post-birth, I can hardly say that I have actually really gone "spinning" - I have really only gone to 2 classes that have played loud music in which I have moved the wheels of a stationary bike around on the lowest possible resistance for an hour. Still, I am *pretty pleased with myself.

But the Zumba class completely kicked my ass. In addition to the fact that I spent a lot of mental energy just trying to keep up with the basic steps, it's really hard to dance for a long time y'all! To tell you the truth, I just about gave up... I thought it would be ok to leave about 40 minutes in - I had done a respectable job all things considering. There would be no shame in leaving.

That was, until, I heard the opening of the next song... "Proud Mary"... you know the slow opening to that song... it slowed everything down with its bluesy steady rhythm and all of a sudden I could hear myself singing with the song under breath... "Left a good job in the city..." and slowly, despite my exhaustion, I started to feel inspired again - a whole new bolt of energy was surging - I started thinking of Tina and Beyonce and how many times, I secretly practiced these moves on my own in my condo. And I thought to myself, "this is my moment!" "I know this!"

And when that slow rhythm revved up to the full on rock n' roll pace, I was a crazed woman. I was moving to left and moving to the right and was pogo-ing up and down to the beat, not caring what anyone thought. It was glorious!

And then the song was over and I felt totally stupid.

But whatever. I got my Zumba money's worth and burned a whole crapload of calories. And you try not moving to this song... no seriously. Click on this link to a Zumba class in which they did the dance (and btw these women were *waaay better than the folks in my class - except for maybe the one sole guy who looked like "Lloyd" from Entourage and had clearly done this before) and see if you're not at least tapping your toes to the rhythm. And if you find yourself in the middle of song up on your feet, flipping your hair back and forth a la Tina and Beyonce, you might want to try and find a class near you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vJsjZSvbP0

Food for Week of July 27th

There are some repeats for this week so I won’t give recipes for those.

Monday - Tuna noodle casserole & salad or 1 green veg-spinach, zucchini, broccoli etc

Tuesday Chicken or Pork stir fry—chicken breast or lean pork, celery, onion, green veg ( see above) mushrooms, garlic, ginger, low sodium soy sauce,small amount of H2O or broth over soba noodles or similar or brown rice

Wednesday- Chicken stroganoff & salad or carrots raw or cooked seasoned with a bit of marg & honey

Thursday- Order in or go out

Friday- Taco pie vegetarian ( use St Ives ground round )

Saturday- Smokies on the grill with multi grain hot dog buns & store bought bean salad

Sunday- Beer Can chicken veggie kabobs & new potatoes with dill & marg
Delish & fun to make –
1 whole chicken innards removed, rinsed inside & out with cold h2o
Spice mix of your choice-I like Hy’s seasoning salt
1 regular sized c of beer
Oven proof pan for spills oven mitt tongs

For the Oven:
Preheat oven to 400F with rack on the bottom
Rub cleaned chicken inside & out- about 2-3 T seasoning- put 1 tsp in beer can which has ¼ of the beer removed & drunk by someone
Punch a few holes in top of can
Place chicken on can- this is the funny part- chicken’s bottom opening should fit over the can & adjust legs like a tripod Note: Cdn Tire sells a beer can chicken holder for around $5 which does help a lot to secure chicken- not necessary tho.
Place this lovely sight in the pan & into the oven
Reduce heat to 350F after ½ hr. Roast for about 1 ½-2 hrs.Rotate occasionally for even browning
Very carefully remove chicken from oven & then take it off the beer can. Be very careful – the beer is v hot.
Let chicken rest under loose foil on a cutting board for 10 min
Cut up chicken & serve.

For the grill:
Prepare chicken the same way.Light grill. When heated, place chicken in bbq & close lid. Cook over medium heat ( about 350F) for about 2 hrs. Check & rotate every ½ hr.Finish as above.
Bon appétit!

Grocery List
Pork
Chicken breasts boneless skinless
St Ives ground round
Smokies
1 whole chicken
Green vegetables for 2 meals
Kabobs-zucchini onion mushrooms any colour peppers
Celery
Onion
Mushrooms
Froz peas
Ginger & garlic
Store bought bean salad or: 1 c mixed beans (rinse & drain. Mix with chopped celery, chopped onion chopped radish.Dress with evoo, plain or rice vinegar, mrs Dash, celery salt & 1tsp Splenda- Do this in the am & refrigerate to blend flavours. Reverse clogged arteries.
New potatoes- market
Dill “
Egg –no yolk – noodles & soba or buckwheat or spelt spaghetti type for stirfry or br rice
1 c. low fat cr of mushrm soup
Sliced almonds or pinenuts for tuna cass
Marg
1 c. onion soup
White wine
Flour
Low sodium soy sauce
Beef broth l.s. ( opt.)
1 c. l.f.refried beans ( Reverse clogged arteries)
Nachos
Salsa
Chili pwdr
L.f. s. cream
1 sm c. green chiles (not spicy)
Cheddar cheese
Multi-grain hot dog buns
Mustard relish ketchup (whatever works with smokies)
Store bought bean salad or make your own (rca)
Seasoning ( like Hy’s seasoned salt )
1 c.beer

Oh boyfriend jean... how you taunt me...

Remember a couple posts ago when I expressed some passive disdain for the ubiquitous boyfriend jean?

Well, I bought a pair yesterday.

You must understand... I was in Urban Outfitters. I friggin love UO. I know I'm really slightly too old for this store but I get overwhelmed when I'm in there by how right-on they are with all things fashion... And then I saw the jeans, followed by a really cool sales girl with the jeans on, I hearkened back to my drink with my sister at the Beaconsfield a couple weeks ago when I saw more cool girls wearing the jeans... and then I was like, "I'll never fit a pair of non-maternity jeans yet...I think... I mean I couldn't... so it wouldn't hurt to try them on just to see how ridiculous they look on me, right?"

Next thing you know, I'm in the change room, trying them on and they freakin' fit. That fact alone is enough excuse, right? But I also kinda liked them. And then the justifications begin - since of course, they are totally out of budget range for this downtown mama... "well, I need jeans that fit that aren't maternity, right?" or "these are good because they're cool but kinda ratty which is good for a new mom, right?" and "these will totally carry me into fall".

Moral of the story? Really, don't always listen to my fashion tips. I'm prone to hypocrisy and clearly could lead you down the wrong path. I fully expect to regret this decision at a later point.

But right now, as I sit here in said jeans, and feeling less guilt because I just sold my Rock and Republic maternity jeans on Craigslist (a great way of redeeming such impulse buys for a downtown mama), I am pretty pleased with myself.

Go ahead, judge if you must.

Ermmm...

I just saw a commercial for this... what the?

http://www.cyberclean.ch/page.php?lang_id=2

And btw, I totally want one.

Every party has a pooper...

One of the biggest things I was nervous about when I first had Archer was being home alone with him. After my husband went back to work, after all of our family came and went, would I feel isolated? Would I try to pretend that Archer's sweet coos were a direct response to my trying to initiate a conversation about the weather, Obama's bad jeans (how could Michelle let those happen?) or who I think should win "So You Think You Can Dance" (Kayla, duh)?

Most of my close friends don't have kids and don't have kids on the way - which is totally cool btw - but I think they were all getting slightly annoyed by the fact that I would just call them up at work in the middle of the day to try and pass my time, totally ignorant to what they had to do (work).

In short, I needed to find friends. And this leads me to my next downtown mama rule, Rule #4: Make it a priority to find a circle of friends to spend time with.

But how do you do this?

As it happens, there are a *ton of options out there to help new moms and dads connect and I sort of knew that beforehand but was *extremely resistant at first. I try to be open-minded but the term "Mommies Group" sends shivers up my spine. It's just not me to sit around with a bunch of strangers, complaining about the trials and tribulations of being a mom - which is what I thought these groups were all about.

And some of them are, truth be told. You get a taste of this if you attend a nursing lesson at your hospital before you go home. I recall sitting in a circle with other women who appeared to be completely shell-shocked, some of them were kinda quietly sobbing to themselves, all of us were tired and it didn't help that we all looked like crap, sitting there in our robes, crazy-lady hair, swollen ankles, breasts hanging out. We went around a circle sharing all of the problems we were having with nursing - which really was just one big problem expressed 10 different ways: "Uh, how do you nurse?"

It was really very depressing.

But as it happens, I'm not the only one who thinks these groups are a downer - and it's *those women you want to connect with - you know, the slightly cynical ones, with a good sense of humour, women you'd be friends with whether or not you had the common bond of a new baby.

But how do you find your circle of friends? Here are some tips:

1. Write down a list of all of the women you know who have either had a baby or are about to have a baby - not just friends - but co-workers, friends of friends, wives of your husband's friends, neighbors. Then make an effort whether while pregnant or after to connect with some of them - maybe at first it's having the couple over for dinner (taking off the pressure of you just having to meet them alone for the first time). I found a friend this way - it was a wife of a hockey buddy of my husband. They invited us for a games night while we were both pregnant - with another expecting couple - and now we hang out.

2. Take the call from the public health nurse when she calls. After a couple of days of being home from the hospital, you'll get a call from your local public health nurse. It's a government thing. But, did you know that this public health nurse has a wealth of knowledge and resources about new parent resources in your community? She told me about the new mom's group at St. Joseph's Hospital in Roncesvalles and even got me signed up for it. Those groups, incidentally, fill up fast (I couldn't get in until September) so if you can, look into this while you're pregnant and put your name on the list for a class that starts shortly after you give birth.

3. Check out www.meetup.com for a new parents group in your area. These groups are amazing. They are groups started by people in your community looking for others with common bonds (so, not just limited to new parents). The Trinity-Bellwoods parents groups do everything from day trips to the ROM, to playdates at each others homes, to an afternoon at a local pub. The Junction parents group is practically a membership to a gym - they have a Stroller Fit program and go on like 10k walks - I'm signed up to go on one of these walks next week - wish me luck!

4. Be open minded. This is the most important of all of these tips. You have to be prepared to step out of your comfort zone to find your circle of friends as a new mom. You have to go through maybe some awkward "first dates" with your new friends. But you know... it's quite worth it.

Although it will be the topic of a future blog, yesterday, Archer and I went on our first "playdate" with some new moms at one of the women's homes - the playdate was initiated by the "hockey wife" friend and she invited some other women she knew had new babies and as a result, instantly, I now have 3 new women I'd feel comfortable doing something with in the future... and of course, Archer thoroughly enjoyed himself - you can see from the picture above just how much he did.

:)

Tip you should know if you choose to nurse and live in a condo...

Find out when your building's window washing schedule is.

Need I say more?

No Yolk - Random posting about egg noodles

A fact I noticed while making my mom's delicious chicken noodle soup: did you know that 1 1/2 cups of egg noodles have 320 calories? That's like a quarter pounder with cheese, isn't it?

What the h?

Maya Rudolph as Mama Muse

Last week, a friend and I (and Archer and her baby of course) went to see "Away We Go" directed by Sam Mendes (of American Beauty fame) for our weekly Movies for Mommies date (see my earlier post on Movies for Mommies if you don't know about this).

First, may I say, this is a sweet movie. Try and see it if you can. Funny, sad, touching and if you're anything like me right now, because it's about a young(ish) couple having their first baby, you'll probably be crying a *lot so bring lots of kleenex.

But this blog isn't about the movie - really. It's about Maya Rudolph who I decided should be a downtown mama muse. First, she's hilarious, second she's married to P.T. Anderson which is pretty cool, third, she has fierce (channeling Jay Manuel here) style both in "Away We Go" (which I assume has nothing to do with her but whatever) and outside the movie.

Her style in the movie is quirky but ultimately pretty and I think will inspire me into the fall... yes, technically Maya's character in the movie is pregnant but let's face it, a lot of the same fashion fundamentals apply to new moms - we're still looking for cuts that emphasize the smallest part of our torso - usually an empire cut (for a little while).

To get Maya's mama look, look for a lot of vintagy floral numbers- great for the end of summer but dresses, for example, will also look good with high riding boots in the fall. I haven't really seen a lot in the stores that suit my downtown mama budget yet but things will go on sale. Take a look at this Gap number (and as all good downtown mama knows, eventually everything goes on sale at the Gap so this should be no exception). I'm also seeing some good options coming for Fall 2009 at Club Monaco (also subject to the rule about sales). - see the Kayleen Dress on their website at http://www.clubmonaco.com/. I'm quite sure you could also find beautiful floral dresses at vintage stores... I'll let you know if I find anything - b/c for sure, I'll be looking!

I also liked the way her character used vintage blouses as toppers. I found a great blouse that came in black and cream colour at Joe Fresh for $24. I'm not sure this picture does it justice (I am taking applications for a downtown mama model! oh, did I mention I will pay you nothing? I'll tell you that you look better than Tyra Banks all the time though :)) but they're really pretty and will look great over dresses (as Maya used them in the movie) and with tanks and jeans. I've paired mine here with my very unchild friendly (they are serving as a new toy for Archer) but stylin' string of long faux pearls from Jacob.

Archer gets political

Despite the fact that my husband and I have taken like a million pictures of Archer during his short 7 week life, I already regret not taking more.

Archer used to do this move where he'd raise his fist in the air. It looked like a call to action - like he was saying, in the words of the venerable Flavor Flav "Fight the Power!".

He doesn't really do it any more. This was as close as a picture as I could find. Maybe Archer has mellowed-out politically speaking. Or maybe he's already become cynical and disillusioned like the rest of us. Or maybe he's just gained a little more muscle control...nah, that can't be it. I go with the mellow theory.

It can't be that he's disillusioned because I think Archer and I are just finding our political voice.

People write about a *lot how much women (and men) give up when they have kids. Why don't we ever talk about how much we gain (besides the obvious baby thing). I have found that since Archer came into our life, I am starting to feel passionate about issues again. It makes sense, right? Leave a better world for the little ones... that sort of thing.

So as good as this is for a downtown mama existentially speaking, from a practical perspective, it can keep a downtown mama busy and can get her out of the house - which is what we should all strive for.

Today, Archer and I went to an actual protest at Queen's Park. We were part of a group of several hundred moms and dad from the west end of Toronto who were there to protest - with their strollers and kids - the announcement by the government to have a dedicated diesel rail line run 300x/day right through our neighborhood. Now I'm all for having a dedicated line from the airport to downtown - it's about time quite frankly. But diesel? Really? How daft can you get.

Check out more about the cause right here and sign the petition if you can www.cleantrain.ca.

Getting involved with a political cause allowed me to meet some new moms today and to talk about issues that were important to us...it reminded me of a me that existed in University but somehow got lost in the last few years.

Incidentally, it also allowed me to test out the tolerance of others to nursing in the middle of Queens Park....sigh...you can plan as much as you want, sometimes, the little guy just gets hungry. Anyway, other than that one creepy dude that walked by me (there always has to be one, doesn't there), overall, people were more than accepting.

I'm attaching a video of part of our protest. It's kinda funny and I've decided that we, generally speaking, need to revisit protest songs. I mean, yes, I've had this song in my head steady since the protest but sort of in the same way that I have "Boom Boom Pow" in my head for like 3 days straight if I hear even 2 seconds of it (I've done it to you, haven't I? Sorry). Anyway, apologies to the writer but if I run into Feist or Broken Social Scene in the next couple days, I'm telling them to get on this.

Food for week of July 20th

Although it's supposed to warm up at some point this week, it's been a bit of a coolish July so we decided to start off the week off with chicken noodle soup. Plus, with fresh dill and veggies all over the place, I think it actually makes a lot sense.

Anyway, enjoy!

Btw, last week I ended up at regular ol' Loblaws/Superstore and I actually found quite a few deals on food there and the bill was only moderately more than my experiences at Walmart and No Frills. Interesting.

This week try to get your veggies from a local market garden - so far, I haven't seen a lot of veggies at our local Sorauren Farmers' Market (there is a lot of lettuce, onions, garlic but not other veggies yet) but I know, for example, for my friends in Winnipeg, there are lots of options at your local Market Gardens. I'd be curious to know how veggies stack up price-wise up as against your grocery store. Lemme know what you find!

Monday - Chicken Noodle Soup - Bring a washed, cut up chicken to a boil, skim off scum, & simmer 1 hour Then add the following & simmer for another ½ hr.:
1 bunch scallions whole
2-3 carrots, cut into fingers
1-2 parsnips cut into fingers
10 min before serving add a bunch of parsley & a bunch of dill & salt to taste. Note: I usually add a couple of cups of chicken broth at the beginning for added flavour. Serve over boiled & drained egg noodles.

Tuesday - Roast beef sandwiches (left over roast on Dempster’s Ancient Grains slice of bread), gravy, Sweet potato fries, salad or market tomatoes, evoo, parm shavings, balsamic vinegar

Wednesday - Chicken pasta - cut into small pieces
Pasta
Store bought sauce – I like lite alfredo or rose
Peas

Thursday - Veggie cheeseburgers ( a slice of turkey bacon makes them even more delish!), corn/cob

Friday - Order in

Sunday - Beef basil stir fry:
1 tsp fish sauce
1 T brown sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
½ c beef stock
2 tsp canola oil
2 filet mignons thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
Red pepper flakes ( opt)
½ onion thinly sliced
½ red pepper thinly sliced
½ c basil leaves roughly chopped
½ c toasted cashews ( don’t toast them if you haven’t time)

Combine1st 4 ingredients & set aside.Saute beef in oil until ½ done. Remove from pan. Add onion, peppers & garlic to pan & sauté 2 min. Return beef to pan & cook 3-5 min. Add sauce, basil & cashew & boil briefly. Serve with brown rice.

Sunday - Chicken fajitas:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg fajita seasoning
Juice of 1 lime
½ jalapeno, cored, seeded & minced ( opt)
Evoo
1 red onion sliced into thick rounds
½ red pepper, cored & seeded
½ yellow pepper, cored & seeded
Tortillas
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa
Sour cream

Marinate breasts (chickens not yours (ed note: credit to my mom for that joke)) in fajita seasoning & lime juice in zip lock bag in fridge 15 min. Preheat gas grill.Drain breasts ( c not y).Brush grates with oil.Brush peppers & onion with oil. Salt & pepper.Barbecue all under a closed lid 4-5 min.Turn all over & cook for about another 15 min. Remove from heat & slice all into thin strips. Put it all together & enjoy!

DESSERT TREAT! Nectarine slices with angel food cake & whipped cream in a can

Grocery List

I will assume you have things like cornstarch, etc
1 chicken cut up
Veggie burgers
Turkey bacon
2 filet mignons
4 chicken breasts skinless boneless
Carrots
Parsley
Scallions
Dill
Parsley
Greens or tomatoes
Peas
Corn/cob
Red & yellow pepper
Onion
Nectarines
Chicken & beef broth l.s.
Dempster’s a.g. bread
Froz sw pot fries
Egg noodles & other pasta
Store bought pasta sauce
Multi grain hamb buns
Tortillas
Soy s
Fish s
Br rice
Store bought angel food cake
Can of whipped cream

Observations on our first night out without Archer...

Omg we did it (not that! get your mind out of the gutter...). We actually went out on a date without the Arch (the one and only time, btw, I will call him "the Arch") and lived to tell about it.

Planning your first date is difficult but important for you, downtown mama. First, at 7 weeks, let's face it, you're still tired. Actually "tired" is a word that doesn't even really describe how we feel, does it? No, it really doesn't. We're more like the walking dead - zombies really. But put a little lip gloss and a sundress on a zombie and you will realize, they clean up pretty well. And so can you.

Note how I talked above about "planning" your date. "Plan" is a word I really didn't use all that often before Archer when it came to my social life. I liked spontaneity. I liked to wait to hear about what was going on that night - was there a gallery opening? or a party? or other friends getting together for a little drink after work - that sort of thing. Well, those days are gone downtown mama. I think, probably forever (I'll let the more experienced mamas confirm that).

So be sad about that for about 30 seconds and then move on because it can still be good. It's just different.

Here are some things we did to plan our date which you may want to think about for your own first night out (if you haven't done this already):

1. Childcare. The most important thing of all. I started our planning for our first date by first securing a babysitter. This may or may not be a consideration for you. Some of you may have family or friends that will be able to look after your baby. For us, we reached out to our network of friends with kids to ask who they knew that could help and within days a friend tipped us off about a very reliable babysitter. So about 3 week ago, we called the babysitter, met her in person, checked out her references and confirmed her availability for our night out.

2. Introduced a bottle. About 2 weeks ago, I started pumping milk and would offer Archer a little with a bottle because of course, unless you plan on speed dating with your spouse (which is up to you, no judgment), your babysitter is going to have to give your little one a bottle... something I never though I would have to consider just to have a mojito with my husband. Of course, I left *way too much milk with the babysitter. I think I left her like 10 ounces for a 2 hour date... Apparently I thought Archer was Michael Phelps.

3. Found an affordable date activity option. Guess what, babysitters aren't cheap - at least good ones aren't. So if, like me, you are trying to be a financially responsible downtown mama, you need to do some research. I'll talk more in a later post about about affordable going out options that suit the downtown mama but coincidentally our first date plan fell right at the end of Toronto's Summerlicious. So we got a 3-course meal at Spice Route in Toronto for $25. Can't beat that. And despite the fact that I wouldn't normally go to a scene-y place like Spice Route, my husband and I actually had a lot of fun going to this restaurant right after work at 6pm so we could engage in our favourite activity - people watching (in this case of scene-y people) accompanied with editorial comment about said (scene-y) people provided by us that only we would find funny.

Some other random observations from the actual night out that you may or may not be interested in: a) it was too hot and stinky to sit outside on a patio last night (thank you garbage strike); b) people are super nice to you and bring you free stuff if you tell them you are on your first date after having a baby; c) hipster girls are really wearing those torn up jeans (a la Katie Holmes - see http://www.elleuk.com/starstyle/celebrity-trends/(section)/Everyone-s-Wearing-Rolled-up-jeans/(offset)/0/(img)/204670) that fashion editors keep trying to convince us are cool; and d) despite our best efforts, conversation always went back to how cute we thought Archer was and how much we missed him.

Not surprisingly, we came home early. :)

Dresses are the new sweatpants...

...or is that "trackpants"? Did you know there is actually different terminology in the west (where the term "sweatpants" is favoured) and the east (the "trackpants" crew) for the same item of waaay overused and overrated item of clothing? Friends from the west, you should also try ordering a jambuster at a Tim Hortons in Toronto... you will be met with a blank stare. Order a jelly donut, however, and you're fine.

Anyway, I digress.

I want to talk about the downtown mama "uniform". First and foremost, I just want to say that I *totally understand the tendency for new moms to gravitate towards their sweatpants or yoga clothes... like food, when it comes to fashion for the new mom, you just don't have time to figure it all out between the nursing and the sleeping. That's why, when it came to trying to solve this dilemma, I thought back to my days at St. Mary's Academy and my uniform (which according to the picture above hasn't changed at all in like 20 years).

Apart from being a great equalizer, as much as we all complained about it at the time, the uniform is a brilliant fashion solution. With the daily burden of trying to be stylish taken out of the picture, you can concentrate on what's important - back then, studies, the latest Depeche Mode album, and boys; today, the little guy and keeping your sanity (ok and maybe still the latest Depeche Mode album which is really good fyi).

Although it is tempting to actually just pull out the ol' St. Mary's Academy uniform (yes, I still have it - whatever) and wear that now, it has its limitations: 1) it is not really nursing friendly (probably a conscious decision by the nuns) and 2) there is a disproportionate amount of polyester in said uniform.

Plus, downtown mamas, you need to feel good about yourself. And that's hard in a St. Mary's Academy uniform or sweatpants/trackpants...

So what should a downtown mama uniform look like? Here's what I suggest:

1. Buy a few inexpensive jersey blend dresses. I have an example here from Old Navy for less than $25. This dress is figure forgiving, easy to throw in the wash (this is no time to be buying investment pieces), great for the hot summer weather and is actually nursing friendly (the stretch in the jersey allows you to easily slip off one shoulder to nurse). Look at H&M and Joe Fresh for similar dresses for under $30. I recently bought a great olive coloured dress from Joe Fresh for $19.

2. Stock up on tank tops. The straps on the dresses are never quite wide enough to cover bra straps so I like to layer these dresses with tank tops. I have a couple white tanks (I think they're inappropriately called "wife beaters"), a grey and a black tank. Again, the stretch allows them to be nursing friendly - and switching up the colours under your dress can change the look quite remarkably. Again, H&M, Joe Fresh and Old Navy are the best places to look for deals on these - if you pay more than $10 for one of these, you're paying too much.

3. Pick out a couple of accessories. Less is more when it comes to accessorizing. Pick one or maybe two statement pieces. You probably already have your favourites in already but if you don't try Le Chateau or Aldo. My go-to accessory is this gold bracelet. Occasionally I'll pair this with a belt sitting right under my chest - which right now will probably be the most flattering place to cinch for the new mom.

4. Get at least one neutral and one colourful cardigan sweater. There's lots of air conditioning in the summer so the dress is not always going to cut it. Have your cardigan on hand when you need to cover up. You should see the cardigan as the new button-down blouse which every new mom seems to gravitate to for understandable reasons. But the cardigan feels newer - very Michelle Obama, right? And again, you probably have a couple in your closet. I live in my grey J. Crew cardigan and also picked up a lemony yellow cardigan for $15 at H&M. It's pretty remarkable just how many colours lemony-yellow goes with.

I guarantee you that if you have all of these key pieces in your downtown mama uniform, getting dressed in the morning will seem effortless. Of course, on the odd occasion that, like me, you realize that these jersey dresses also feel pretty good to sleep in, you may be dressed already.

:)

A video to distract you from the fact that I'm way too tired to blog today...

So I may have hijacked this from Russell Smith's blog (see http://www.dailyxy.com/ask-mr-smith/askmrsmith-style/baby-on-board/), but it shows how a downtown dad can get in on the baby-wearing action - a term, btw, I literally had never heard of until 6 weeks ago - and still look uber-cool (actually I think this guy is trying a little too hard but still...).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYdI7HH9PW0

And now, a nap.

Hopefully this guy will be at the gym

Gym's have always intimadated me. It's like the place where the jocks and the cheerleaders hang out - where everyone who is there seems to be fit already.

Because of this, in my pre-Archer life, I stayed fit with the help of a fantastic personal trainer Jane Clapp at Urbanfitt. She never passed any judgment (well, that's not entirely true - like, if I revealed an over-indulgence carbs to her, there was definitely some judgment there) and there weren't others around to make me paranoid about whether or not I was doing the moves right or my outfit was "Lulu"-worthy.

So, how could I hate a gym where the owner apparently works out in a yellow polo shirt and slacks (a term I don't use lightly, btw)... I mean, I'll always be cooler than that guy right?

Working out with a personal trainer while on mat leave isn't really justifiable for me - it might be for you and by all means being a true downtown mama means that you have to decide what "luxuries" are most important to you. Mine are getting my hair done (don't judge- it's my thing) and getting a regular babysitter so I can go out.

In other words, I need to get over my fear of gyms.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, part of my recent outings included investigating gym-options. But after hitting the Good Life at Liberty Village, my search was pretty much over. A couple considerations went into the decision which you should consider in your own search:

1. First and foremost, Good Life has onsite childcare for little guys as young as 6 weeks old. I didn't even think this was really an option. You can either pay a $5 drop-in rate or $32/month for unlimited care (...well, not really unlimited as that would then be the *best child care rate in the world - you can only use them when you're working out).

2. The gym is relatively close to home. Yes, I still need to get in a car to get there but it's only about 5 minutes away.

3. The gym has free parking (a luxury in Toronto as we all know).

4. My workplace has a a corporate discount at the gym - which, btw, the Good Life folks were kind enough to tell me about. I didn't know this. Make sure you check about whether or not your workplace has corporate discounts - I found out that mine had discounts also at 99 Sudbury and at Urbanfitt which is great to know for the future. If your work doesn't have a corporate discount, talk to your HR peeps about getting one at the gym you like. Gym's bend over backwards to get your business so you can usually secure a corporate discount if you can convince at least 5 others to join so check out that possibility. Places like 99 Sudbury also offer discounts for artists and like, people who work at the Drake or have a home address on Sudbury.

5. Finally, I suppose you have to actually like the gym. Good Life at Liberty Village still has a bit of an intimidation-factor for me - when I went today, there were still people working out there that are way too fit for their own good and there were a disproportionate number of people who were like overly tanned. I prefer a more pasty-clientele. But the gym was bright and the class I went to today (spinning - although I'd hardly call what I actually did spinning) was pretty good.

Before you settle on your gym, make sure that you ask for some free passes to test-drive the facilities. Good Life gave me 3 free passes along with the book depicted in the pic above, written by the owner - it's supposed to motivate me to get fit I suppose.

And, knowing I may actually run into this guy working out in his polo and slacks, in a weird way, it sorta does.

Food for week of July 13

Another great and simple menu plan from my Mom for this week! Thanks Mom! Note too for you Toronto folks that I specifically asked my mom not to have any bones in any of the meat due to our ongoing garbage strike and of course, since she rocks, she totally accomodated.

I also note that there is potential for a lot of good lunch leftovers for you at home and for your hubby to bring to work.

I'm going to shop at No Frills tomorrow to do a bit of a price comparison as against Walmart from last week.


Monday - chicken stroganoff /egg noodles/asparagus--Blend 1 T. no fat s.cream & 1/2 c. buttermilk-Slice meat thin. Brown mushrooms in marg & then add chicken- brown Low heat- add 1 c.onion soup, 1/4 c. wh. Wine, 3/4 c. h20, dill & pepper. Simmer 45 min. Shake cream mix with 1 T. flour- add. Blend with other stuff- don't boil! Serve over noodles.

Tuesday - Veggie lasagna-- St. Ives ground beef original. Layer bottled pasta sauce with 'beef', lasagna noodles, ricotta mixed with fresh chopped spinach 3
times- top with parmesan cheese & bake at 350 55 min. ( salad opt.)

Wednesday - pork tenderloin- season, brown , & bake @ 375 for 20 min. apple sauce, baked sweet potato, peas

Thursday - Shepherd's pie- veggie beef or lean gr. Beef, onion, ( brown) 1 T.
flour, h20 to make a gravy like mix, frozen peas, carrots ( opt)- top with mashed potato- bake 350 45 min

Friday - Order in/take out

Saturday - BTC sandwich- bread, cheese slice, tomato slice fried turkey bacon- under the broiler till cheese melts- hash browns or bought bean salad

Sunday - pot roast - boneless season & brown, with chopped onion & garlic- pour over
1 c mushroom soup, 1/2 c. red wine, 1 c. beef broth, 2 bay leaves. Roast @ 350 3 hr. Mashed potatoes, froz mixed veggies


Grocery list
St. Ives ground beef original
Chicken breast boneless skinless
Pork tenderloin
Lean ground beef (on sale this week at No Frills)
Boneless beef chuck or similar roast
Egg noodles
Lasagna noodles
Pasta sauce 2 c. mushroom soup
Bay leaves
Onion
Garlic
Asparagus or greens
Spinach
Froz peas
Froz mixed veg
Apple sauce
Sweet potatoes 2
Froz hash browns
Turkey bacon
Tomato
Cheese slices
Dempsters ancient grains bread
Potatoes
Beef broth
Red & white wine
Buttermilk
s.cream
dill
parm cheese

And for those who have some money to burn on art...

Check out Philippos Theodoris... not just because he's a friend of a good friend but because he's really good.

Over a Glass of Cristal Puffy and Minotaur Chat

I was pretty proud of myself when I bought my first piece of real art at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibit a couple years ago - it was by a local artist called Louis Cohen and yes, featured both Puffy (or, if you like, Puff Daddy, P.Diddy, or Sean Coombs) and icon of Greek mythology, the Minotaur. And they were drinking champagne together in the piece - Cristal to be precise. How very clever.

I couldn't resist and despite the fact that maybe the piece will eventually date itself (assuming that Puffy perhaps doesn't have the cultural staying power as the Minataur - or maybe he does, only time will tell), I still love the piece - it makes me laugh and still generates conversation for all of those who use our washroom where it is displayed above the toilet (sorry Louis).

But now that Archer is here, I don't have the luxury or the financial wherewithal to source out art for myself. Or do I?

Although the weekend is almost over, if you have time, try and hit this year's Toronto Art Exhibit while you can. And of course, bring your little art lover - we had great fun yesterday (ok, it looked like Archer was sleeping most of the time but I could tell he was contemplating art in the modern world). There is art for all price points and tastes.

Since I'm still working on Archer's nursery, I was particularly drawn to the art of KuKuCaJu by Judy Anderson and Camilla Willings. Take a look at the cool sock puppet art featured above - their stuff is very retro and *extremely affordable. I didn't see anything over $100 and most pieces were around the $50. If you can't make it out to the show this weekend, check out their website at http://www.kukucaju.etsy.com

If you're not in the Toronto area, keep an eye open for your own outdoor art fairs where because you can buy from the artists directly, you can usually get a deal. Also, look out for student artists in particular.

I bought this piece - "I Know You're Strong" - a couple years ago for under $50 from a student artist and framed it with a $20 ikea frame. I sorta thought about putting this in Archer's room to inspire him on a daily basis but I've decided that it would more likely put undue pressure on him. Because we all can't be strong all the time - especially when you're as little and cute as Archer.

Zellers channels A.P.C.

So, this isn't the most nursing-friendly dress a gal could pick unless you don't mind hiking up your dress in public for everyone... *but the deal on this one was soooo good and the dress was sooo cute, I couldn't resist. And every downtown mama needs some in-between nursing garbs that still hides all of our post-pregnancy sins and this dress is perfect for that.

And have I mentioned that the dress was $14.97 at Zellers? Yes, you read that, $14.97.

Some may say this dress looks like a sack but I think it's very French. It is actually not dissimilar to dresses from the French line A.P.C. - check out this dress from their Summer 2009 line:

http://uscheckout.apc.fr/browse.cfm/4,212.html?type=0&look=27&piece=4&prevpiece=4%2C234&nextpiece=4%2C230

And yes, this A.P.C. dress is on sale right now too but it's not $14.97. I wish I could figure out how to link to the pic of the dress on the model because it shows you how you could style the Zellers dress to make it even more cool (like is that a diaper bag she's carrying? it could be). Try to find it (btw, I tried to take a picture of myself in the Zellers dress which was pretty funny and decided that it created a significant disadvantage for the Zellers dress as against the very pretty A.P.C. model...I know, it's hard to believe...).

Stuff to Do... Movies for Mommies

Ok, so confession. It really sort of bugs me when some sort of event or activity for new parents has the word "mommy" in it. I mean, if they were really marketing to Archer, fine, use "mommy". But I think they're usually marketing to me and for some reason going from being a lawyer, a director, an executive, a woman a month ago to being a "mommy" today really rubs me the wrong way. "Mama" I clearly like and for some reason I see differently. It's groovy. I like groovy.

But fine.

What doesn't rub me the wrong way is a great activity to get you out of the house which goes to my Downtown Mama Rule #3: As soon as you can, unless you or baby is sick, get out of the house every single day. Really, there should be no exceptions.

But what to do? It's almost as difficult as planning a weekly dinner menu. So check out this blog for ideas. And I'll be asking friends for ideas and will pass them on to you.

Today a friend (another groovy mama) and I went to a movie. Like, a current movie. Not a movie in one of our homes on a DVD. A movie in an actual theatre. Ok, so the movie sucked (Easy Virtue starring... ermmm Jessica Biel in a period piece - *yeaah) but we ate popcorn, sat in theatre seats, all while nursing along side other nursing moms, with a change table outside the doors, with free diapers, organic wipes, free organic jars of food for you to take with you... and I even won a baby book in a draw. A little crying and cooing is totally ok and the sound is turned down a fair amount so it doesn't hurt the little ones' ears.

All courtesy of Movies for Mommies which has organized screenings for new parents in theatres across Canada. Soooo awesome and definitely something that can be part of your weekly routine that will remind you of your former self. I *love that and will therefore forgive their event name choice. And there's a better movie next week - Away We Go. I hear it's great.

Check out their website to see what movies are playing in your neck of the woods.

http://www.moviesformommies.com/

If there is even a remote chance that this works, count me in...

ThinkGeek :: Why Cry Baby Analyzer

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Things you see on walks with Archer. Ghost squirrel.

Maybe I'm sleep deprived.

But on a recent walk with my sis in Roncesvalles, we saw a squirrel that was black with a bright red tail. A lot of you have probably heard about and seen the albino squirrel at Trinity Bellwoods park and that's pretty unusual but this Roncey squirrel was totally wack. This led my sis to chase after it with her cell phone to take a picture of it - which was pretty funny in and of itself and I wish I had taken a photo of her with my own cell phone.

Check out the photo she snapped. While you don't see the squirrel we saw, we're pretty sure this picture proves that the squirrel we saw was some sort of apparition. A ghost squirrl if you like. It's either that or our other theory that this is an image of the Virgin Mary.

You be the judge.

Like I said, maybe I'm sleep deprived.

Mad Cooking, Mad Stylz

Mad Cooking, Mad Stylz

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Jennifer Hudson's Dress is Pretty & Feet

Ok, I'm not sure about the dancers behind Jennifer during her performance at today's MJ Memorial which I'm watching with Archer... are they doing sign language? Am I being insensitive? There is some strange circle dance happening around her. It's awkward. I'm just saying.

But props to Ms. Hudson on her wardrobe choice. She looks lovely and shows that it doesn't matter what kind of body you have, you can always look great with the right fashion choices. Take a look at the dress she's wearing online and note how the dress fits. www.mtv.com/news/articles/1615418/20090707/jackson_michael.jhtml

I'm a *huge fan of dresses right now with my post-baby body. But more about dresses in a future post(and oh, just read this... but didn't know while watching, JH is pregnant. Interesting).

But first thing's first. Feet. Shoes.

I have added 3 pics to today's post: 1 pic that represents my shoe of choice before Archer, 1 pic that represents my shoe of choice during pregnancy with Archer (thank you severe edema for having to resort to Uggs) and 1 that represents my choice post-pregnancy with Archer.

Yes, this is the pre-Archer shoe and yes, somehow I did manage to wear a shoe like this every day and convinced myself that it was comfortable. I still love these shoes (nude patened from Zara) and downtown mamas, don't throw shoes like this out now that you are a mom! Commit to wearing them on a night out with your hubby or your girlfriends (and of course also commit not to walk long distances when you go out).

Give your during-pregnancy shoes to Goodwill. Seriously don't wear Uggs, or Ugg look alikes or Crocs (yes, I had those too - seriously, my feet took on a life of their own at the end of my pregnancy and I literally had no choice...). These shoes are ugly and will make you feel bad about yourself and we can't have that now that we're downtown mamas.

My shoe of choice and one that is super affordable right now is the gladiator sandal. The ones I'm wearing in the pic above are from Urban Outfitters and they appear to be onsale right now for $29.99. http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?itemdescription=true&itemCount=10&startValue=81&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=15613011&parentid=W_SHOES_SANDALS&sortProperties=+subCategoryPosition,+product.marketingPriority,-product.startDate&navCount=93&navAction=poppushpush&color=&pushId=W_SHOES_SANDALS&popId=WOMENS_SHOES&prepushId=

Yes, some could argue that gladiator sandals are a bit Summer 2008 but whatevs. I think they're still super cute and they look good with just about everything.

If you don't have Urban Outfitters where you live, I note that Old Navy has some *great options for under $20. Check these out. http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=34892&vid=1&pid=675424&scid=675424022. And yes, if you must ask, gold for day. For sure. No question.

Archer and I won't be going to the Michael Jackson Memorial tomorrow...

... although if you lived in L.A. it technically is free so that would be cool.

Instead, we will check out a few gyms in the hood so I can start sort of thinking of working out. Thinking of checking out Good Life at Liberty Village (they seem to say they have childcare on site so we'll see), YMCA West (also boasts about childcare), 99 Sudbury (close to us and all things cool in the west end of Toronto so it might actually feel like I'm going out when I'm working out... maybe not a good thing - we'll see), and my husband just told me about McCormick Arena which has apparently a gym with a drop-in rate of $3... I'm suspicious but I'll let you know.

Hope you all get some sleep tonight (including you, lovely Archer)!

Walmart on Monday

Had like a super good sleep last night (4 continuous hours! I credit the Baby Whisperer for some good tips)... so got a bright and early start to the day grocery shopping at Walmart.

So. Walmart. My normal pre-baby self would probably have some problems shopping here on a regular basis. Although they are making improvements, if you can afford it, there are very real advantages to grocery shopping at other places - places that offer a vast array of local offerings, that support local farmers, etc.. . But truth be told a lot of these groceries are expensive. I *love shopping at Fiesta Farms in Toronto but literally, my grocery bill would be at least double what it would be elsewhere. But bring on the criticism if you want to. I can take it!

Plus, and this goes to Downtown Mama Rule #2: Daily outings that are practical in nature should also be fun(ish) for mama. Keeping in mind "fun" is now a bit of a relative term, on the days that I have to go grocery shopping, I like going to Dufferin Mall in Toronto which is home to the closest Walmart.

If you live in Toronto and you know me, you may find this all a bit shocking but I'm telling you for a quick 2 hour jaunt close to home, Dufferin Mall, is really quite awesome. Before I start my grocery shopping, I can stop in at H&M orWinners or a couple other new stores. And I can grab a coffee before starting the trip around the mall (there is a Second Cup but instead of spending $4 on my pre-baby summer coffee - an Iced Vanilla Latte - I am now making a pit stop at McDonald's for their $1.67 Iced Vanilla Coffee). Again, feel free to tell me why geting a coffee at McDonald's is bad.

And sometimes Walmart has some cute stuff to look at too. Even in my pre-baby days, I lived by the motto, "No bad shops, just bad shoppers" so you can always find something cute and of course, doesn't hurt that at Walmart the price is right.

Check out the skirt I added to my groceries which I got on sale for $7. Tell me that this doesn't look a little like this skirt at Banana Republic http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=35288&vid=1&pid=638221&scid=638221002 which although onsale, is not $7.

I'll talk about Downtown Mama fashion tips in later posts but this is just to give you a taste of how I'm approaching things.

Anyway, we picked up all of groceries for the dinners for the week and it came to under $60. I had to pick up other items - lunch/breakfast items, cleaning supplies, a couple magazines (a habit I must stop asap and replace with subscriptions)... so the final bill was about double but still, pretty good (and remember I got a skirt!). I'll compare this trip with No Frills next week and we'll talk a little more about budgeting for the week in future posts.

In the meantime, have a beautiful day with you little one!

Food for Week of July 6th

One of the biggest challenges I found about being a new mom right away was food. For the first week we were home I had a couple of casseroles I had prepared the week before in an outburst of nesting (it *totally happens, btw) but once we finished those I was like...uh..."now what?"

In our baby-free life, I confess, we did a *lot of eating out and ordering in. I quite like cooking but really never had the time or energy to regularly cook when I was working (actually an excuse as I'm working * waay harder than I ever did in the outside world). Really, I'm just not a great planner when it comes to all things domestic. My catholic home ec teacher once told me that I'd never land a husband unless I figured out how to cook and sew. Ermmm, yeah. 1947 called and would like it's advice back.

That's where my mom comes in. A modern beautiful mom who rules all things in the home.

Right now, I'm getting my menu planning ideas totally from my mom. She is an *awesome cook and I could never do what she does but she is trying to make this easy for me. She came to stay with us starting the second week we were home from the hospital and honestly, I've never had it so good food-wise. What was I going to do when she left?! Thankfully, she has promised to help me meal-plan and set a weekly grocery list. I have promised to help her set up a blog on decorating (which she is also awesome at and which I will link to as soon as she gets it up and going).

She promised to make the dinners easy to make, inexpensive and sometimes we are allowed to order in. And so that's Downtown Mama Rule #1: Make eating easy on yourself. If it takes me more than 20 minutes to prepare, forget about it. It ain't gonna happen. And, overall, food cannot occupy a large part of your budget like it did pre-baby. You'll start seeing the pattern with all of this that I want to save where I can save so I can spend our now-reduced income on things that help me stay sane. Like if we don't order out every night, maybe we can actually afford a babysitter that comes in once a week so we can sneak out for a date night. Right? Haven't done it yet, but we're optimistic!

Anyway, back to the menu for this week:

Monday: Stir Fry Chicken & Brown Rice
Fry chicken strips along with your stir fry veggies of choice (celery, zucchini, green onion) along with some ginger and soy sauce and serve over brown rice
Tuesday: Oven Fried Chicken and Orzo Salad
Brown chicken pieces for a few minutes on each side and then season with salt, pepper, turmeric and paprika, put it in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes.
Prepare Orzo as per package and toss together with tomato, green onion, a little olive oil and Parmesan.
Wednesday: Vegetarian Sloppy Joes, Edamame & Corn on cob
Brown ground round and prepare sloppy joes as per can, prepare edamame as per package and boil corn for 20 minutes
Thursday: Cappelini, Crusty Bread & Salad
Boil pasta and toss with 1 can chopped tomatoes, 1 small can tomato juice, 1 small can tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons of honey, simmer for 5 minutes and add a layer of asiago and fontina cheese. Serve at room temperature.
Friday: Order in/frozen dinner
Saturday: BBQ Burgers, sweet potato fries and sugar free revellos.
Sunday: BBQ Pork Ribs, Roast Veggies and new potatoes
Boil ribs for 1 hour (simmer -ok longer than 20 minutes but you don't have to do anything), drain and bbq with favourite sauce (I like Bulls Eye)

For this week, get the following groceries on your Monday outing (you probably have a lot of this already):

1 Chicken cut-up
1 package of chicken strips
St Ives mock ground round original
Frozen Burgers
Whole wheat hamburger buns
Canned sloppy joes sauce
Zucchini, celery, green onion, ginger, soy sauce
Brown rice
Orzo
Tomatoes
Fresh Basil
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese
Frozen edamame
Corn on the cob
Cappelini
Garlic
1 can tomatoes
1 sm can tomato juice
1 sm can tomato sauce
hone
Asiago cheese
Fontina cheese
Crusty bread
Bag of salad
Frozen sweet potato fries
Sugar free revellos (Walmart is advertising for $2 Nestle Polar Fudge Ice Cream bars if you don't like the sugar free stuff)
Baby back ribs (I note Walmart is advertising $8 for ribs this week and No Frills $2.97/lb for baby back ribs)
Salad dressing/marinade for veggies
New potatoes
Dill

I'm going shopping tomorrow morning and I'll hit a No Frills or Walmart (still struggling between the political incorectness of shopping here and the sheer convenience for me right now which is key) for most of this (no more Whole Foods for me for now!). I'll let you know how much it all costs tomorrow!