Halloween, Baby Style

So after spending an annoying 4 hours in line at the Etobicoke Civic Centre waiting to get immunized, with Archer in hand (well, carrier), and a husband with a cold, me with round 2 of mastitis, on like the windiest day of 2009, we were sent home - told by the nurses that they wouldn't be immunizing us today. There were about 2000 people ahead of us - shocking considering we were in line an hour before the clinic opened.

On the upside, we met some very nice people in line - we took turns holding our respective places in line while we did coffee runs, or went inside to get warm. But no shot for us. Sigh...

And this even after we dressed Archer up in his pumpkin halloween costume. I don't know, I thought it would be a good idea - thought it would make people in line happy (which it decidedly did) and surely, no one would turn away us with Archer looking so darn cute. But apparently cuteness does not allow you to jump the cue. Double sigh...

So now, I'm back at home, recovering from our ordeal this morning, catching up on the internet goings-on while Archer plays with dad (who is working hard not to sniffle over him). And everyone's talking about all the fun stuff they're doing for halloween tonight. There are parties, costumes, even Jay-Z (!!) and we are participating in none of it. No sitter tonight and quite frankly, I'm just not feeling up to going out after the last couple days.

It could make a DM down but it's important to look on the bright side. If you have to stay in tonight with your little one, make it a fun night for you too. If you're able to give out candy at your place, do it. It's a blast. But we're in a condo so we can't even do that... instead, I'm making a yummy dinner, we're making hot chocolate and after Archer goes to sleep, we're going to watch all of the great Halloween tv on tonight. And just maybe we're going to munch on mini chocolate bars. Maybe (ok, probably).

Halloween tv is awesome - does anyone remember when they were a kid watching The Great Pumpkin? Or my favourite - the Legend of Sleepy Hollow? Totally the best. We've actually started our Halloween tv viewing early - TCM has had some awesome Halloween classics on this afternoon including Vincent Price's first film Diary of a Madman and right now there is a Martin Scorcese documentary on early horror films. Tonight TCM is playing the Spencer Tracey, Ingrid Bergman Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde and the 1979 version of Bram Stoker's Dracula is on AMC. All so awesome.

So my hubby and I aren't going out to partay. Or host a party which we have done in the past too. They'll be plenty of time for that in years to come (again, this is where seasoned parents laugh while reading). This year we happily accept the lot we've been delivered and if you're a new parent too, hopefully you'll also find a way to make this night fun - and for all the rest of you who are making it out? Party on.

What to do when you're a week early for the H1N1 shot...

I am on my 3rd week of being sick or under-the-weather with some thing... and this time, my little guy has something too. Week 1 was some weird eye infection, last week mastitis, this week a cold that I think Archer has too (as evidenced by the fact that he is *actually napping like a lot). Since I *never got sick when I was pregnant, it's starting to make a girl nervous about this whole H1N1 thing - is my immune system depressed? Am I not washing my hands enough (even though I'm weirdly obsessive about this and anti-bacterial lotion to the point that my hands feel like sandpaper).

I'm so concerned about getting sick and *not getting H1N1 that I was ready on day 1 to get the shot. We were on our way to our public clinic when Archer broke into a "feed me now"... "like NOOOW"-cry which made me turn around and go home at which point I checked the internet and realized that the public clinics don't open until next week in Toronto... urghh.

So while we wait not to get sick (knocking on wood everywhere), we all need to do everything we can to keep H1N1 away from our little guys - especially since many of them - including little Archer - aren't eligible to get the shot until they're 6 months old.

The best way to do this, I hear, is to make sure I'm healthy and others around Archer are healthy.

This first means that I have to not be so afraid of confrontation. As you can see, objectively speaking (I'm of course very objective about this), Archer is ridiculously cute. So much so that random strangers feel the overwhelming need to touch Archer. They want to touch his cheeks, head, hands... while I *totally understand this need, please, please, please STOP TOUCHING MY BABY. While you're at it, stop touching any baby unless you have permission to do so. I'm working on a way to tell this to people firmly but politely. How does this sound (picture me jumping in front of Archer's stroller right as the hand goes in for the touch): "Yo, I *totally get it - he's like cute - I too want to eat him up - but we're totally not down with this Swine Flu thing and not that I think you have it because you look nice and clean and all but I don't know you from Jack so feel free to make a goofy face at my baby to make him smile - although please do this far enough away so you don't accidentally spit on him - but please don't touch the baby. Please! And thank you."

Ok, I need to work on that. But I think the jumping in front of the stroller move will stay in whatever I come up with. I like that.

Second, I need to make sure that everything that I eat keeps me as healthy as possible. I'm not a doctor but I think anti-oxidants are important. While this gives me more of an excuse to drink red wine (like I need one), during the day, I'm loading up with anti-oxidants through smoothies. Here is a recipe that I like:

Blueberry Vanilla Smoothie

3/4 cup frozen blueberries (always good to have on hand)

1/2 cup ice

1/2 cup vanilla lf yogurt

2 tblsp orange juice

2 tblsp vanilla soy milk

Blend. Be healthy.

Finally, I am trying not to get stressed about all of this too much. Stress I think leads to getting sick and while we need to take all of this seriously, we should remember that we can only do what we can do. We can go on the 1st day to get immunized, we can *try as best we can to keep baby away from sick people -- all those things help -- but being stressed about all of this doesn't help one bit.

Winter Resolutions for this Downtown Mama

Seeing Archer stand like in this picture - nay, practically walking across the room (what?, it could happen), was a serious wake up call for me. In my mind, he literally went from laying like a little lump of cuteness in my arms, to this full-on, semi-mobile little man - I mean, let's not get crazy. He's not ready for like Harvard or Vancouver 2010 yet - as is indicated by the fact that he is sitting beside me right now, trying to turn the pages of his book with his feet (note to self: I should actually read more)... but you get the picture, right?

I sort of get why women talk about wanting another baby right away (note I say "sort of get" - no one here is having another baby anytime soon) - that real baby time goes by soooo fast. It doesn't seem that way in the first 6 weeks or so where you literally feel like you might have a complete mental and physical breakdown at any given moment and you literally watch the clock tick by second by second - but this phase passes *really quickly and before you know it, it's almost time for you to go back to work!

Which is why, I think it's important at the 5 month stage (which is next week) to refocus. This refocusing also comes as winter is upon us - where the days of walking around outside freely with your little guy may be coming to an end. And as such, I've come up with some new Downtown Mama resolutions that may or may not help you too. These resolutions will hopefully maximize your quality time with your guy while helping you stay sane. Heck, hopefully they help you and me to have a little fun...

1. Adopt a New Downtown Mama - Right now all sorts of really cool women are having babies around me. A good friend had a little girl last week, another is due next week, another a couple weeks from now... I plan on making sure at least one of these new DMs enjoys this time. Whether it be dropping by their homes in the early days when it's hard to get out just for a little visit, or picking them up to go for a walk around the mall, adopting a new mama for your own helps you get out of your own rut - you have a purpose and a friend. Don't overwhelm the new mama but offer your support, company and help as much as you can.

2. Engage More with My Moms Group - I have paid my membership dues but really haven't done much with my local mom's group (to find one for you check Meetup.com). That's going to change as the weather changes. Mom's groups give you solid plans for activities and some new perspectives.

3. Do a little local sightseeing - I'm embarrassed to say that I've never been to the CN Tower. I've lived in Toronto for like 12 years. What's my problem? I remember thinking that a friend I had from NYC who said he'd never gone to the Statue of Liberty was craaaazy. And now I'm that crazy person. In the time I have left, Archer and I are going to the CN Tower, the ROM, the AGO and whatever other sight there is to see. I noticed a pass for $59 off the ROM website that gets you into like 5 major Toronto sight seeing destinations. And of course for those who have the flexibility, there are some free nights for major tourist destinations too. I can't just go to a mall every time I need to get out. I wanna be able to tell Archer of all the fun things we did when we had this time together and it seems to me that winter is a perfect time to do stuff like this.

4. Host a playdate - In line with a few things mentioned above, I have yet to have other moms and babies over for a playdate. I've gone to a few but now it's time to give back.

5. Engage less with the office - I confess I've been bad. I talk to someone at the office *almost every day. It's coming to an end though and while I love my buddies at work, I need to draw some boundaries. It's my own darn fault. I can't stay away and in the back of my mind I worry about what will happen to my career if I don't stay connected - but the remainder of my time with Archer has to be one in which I am present with him as much as possible and that means getting off the phone when I'm nursing, not checking email every day when I can be playing with him and not stressing out over anything work related. This time with your little guy or girl is a gift and there's nothing unfeminist about focusing on what your job is now and doing your best at it.

Food for Week of October 26th

This week is the last week in Toronto for many of the Farmers Markets. So even though it's usually not on budget for me, I think I'll take advantage of this and stock up on some apples, potatoes, organic local meats and breads... some of these recipes incorporate these ingredients so enjoy!

Monday - Skirt Steak with Beets and Greens - Peel 3 or 4 red or yellow beets and cut into wedges, place on sheet of tinfoil and drizzle with oil and salt, fold and create a seal. Bake for 25-30 mins at 400. Meanwhile heat 1 tbls oil and season 1 skirt steak (cut into 4) with s and p, cook until med-rare - 3-6 mins/side. Transfer to plate to rest. Serve with Spinach or Swiss chard.

Tuesday - Creamy Pasta with Ham and Broccoli - On a baking sheet lined with foil, toss broccoli, oil, s and p, and roast until brocolli is tender - 15-20 mins at 425. Meanwhile prepare egg noodles, reserve 2 cups pasta water. Return empty pasta pot to medium low heat, add 5 ounce container of light cream cheese, 1 cup pasta water, whisk until smooth. Add broccoli and 6 ounces deli ham, cut into 3/4 inch pieces, cook until hot and fold in noodles. Add more water if you want a thinner sauce.

Wednesday - Upside down pizza - fry 1 lb lean ground beef and drain, add 1 jar of Prego with oregeno, when heated, turn into shallow baking dish, top with chopped broccoli and 2 cups light mozza cheese, top with prepared store-bought pizza dough. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve with side salad.

Thursday - Eat in/take out

Friday - Chicken, lemkon and dill with Orzo - om saice[am nromg 4 cups chicken broth, 3/4 water, butter, s and p to a boil. In a 3 q baking dish, combine 1 lb chicken tenderloins, cut into 1 inch pices, 1 lb orzo, 2 cups crombled feta, 1/4 cup chopped dill, 2 tsp grated lemon zest, 1 tbl lemon juice. Pour broth mix over orzo and stir once. Bake in 400 for 40 mins. Top with parmesean. Let stand for 5 mins before serving.

Saturday - Candy! and spooky soba noodle salad with chicken and scallions - Prepare soba. In large bowl, combine 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tbls rice wine winegar, 1 tbls veg oil, 1 tsp splenda and 1 tsp fine minced ginger. In bowl combine soba and soy mixture. Add 3/4 cup shredded cooked chicken, 6 scallions and 2 1/4 thinly sliced red cabbage.

Sunday - Chicken with Fennel and Apples - Preheat oven to 450 with racks in upper and lower thirds. On 2 baking sheets, arrange 1 whole chicken cut into pieces, 2 fennel bulbs, cut into 1-inch wedges, 4 shallots, halved lengthwise, and 1/2 sage leaves. In bowl, whisk 3 tbls evoo, 2 tbls cidar vinegar and drizzle over chicken. Toss and combine and season with s and p. Roast for 35 mins, Add 2 apples cored and quarted to sheets and roast until fennel is browned and chicken cooked through - 15 to 20 mins more.

Groceries
3-4 red/yellow beets
2 apples
2 fennel bulbs
4 shallots
Sage leaves
Red cabbage
Green Onions
1 skirt steak (1 1/2 lbs)
1 lb lean ground beef
2 lba bonelss chicken breasts
1 chicken cut up
1 bunch Swiss chard
Broccoli
Lemon
Dill
Ginger
Egg noodles
Soba Noodles
Orzo
Chicken Broth
Cider vinegar
1 container light cream cheese
Parm
Mozza
Feta
Prepared pizza dough
1 jar of Prego
6 ounces deli ham

This just in...

... so further to posting about Denmark and leaving babies outside, my mom just told me that that was actually quite common in our family too and that my grandmother and others used to do this. It was a common belief that it was good for the baby to spend a couple hours outside a day... even if it was cold-ish. They just bundled us up and plopped us outside.

Huh, who knew?

Still not doing this though.

What would Denmark Do?

So did anyone catch Oprah the other day when she did one of her "How Other Women Live Around The World"-type specials? On this installment she featured women from Dubai, Istanbul, Rio and off the top of the show featured Denmark - she spent almost half the show on Denmark... and clearly Oprah is fascinated - she even admitted to indulging in some oddly pronounced Danish bread every morning since her trip...I think it was called like Rougruud... or some other Ikea-esque name.

And quite frankly - being the easily-swayed woman that I am - since that show, I have been obsessed with the women I saw featured in the show... Nanna & Stine.

Nanna is featured in the picture above with Oprah - she's 44 (!) and was like this Amazonian pale blonde (ok, so maybe Amazonian wasn't the right adjective) independent powerhouse. Stine, with her 5 kids (!!), was a similar sort - in her minimalist apartment, with her plainly fabulous hair and perfect skin.

In short, I would like to be Nanna & Stine.

Except maybe I'd keep my own name. And maybe I wouldn't leave my baby outside of the house or cafe in a stroller - which is apparently, quite seriously, what people in Denmark do with their babies. When asked by Oprah if they were scared that their babies would be kidnapped or some such, Stine looked at her confused and asked "Why would someone steal your baby?"

A fair question.

But anyway, this all led to wonder what lessons I could incorporate into my own life - other than the weirdly named bread - to be a little more like Nanna & Stine. Here's what I've come up with:

1. Wear more black dresses during the day- pretty much every Danish woman featured in the piece was wearing black - and a black dress at that. Sounds a bit morose right? Yes, except because they were always smiling and were generally happy (why wouldn't they be) they ended up looking relaxed, classic, lovely... I imagine Nanna & Stine only have like 2 very expensive Jill Sander or Commes De Garcons dresses in their very small but efficient wardrobes. I wish I could dress like this - eg., save all my money to just buy 2 very good pieces and wear them all the time. If you read this regularly, you know that I clearly can't do that but I will continue to aspire to this. You probably have a dress in your wardrobe already that you could wear but if you were looking for something, I like this dress from Urban Outfitters (it actually looks nursing friendly too!). Look for something simple but a little avant garde and pair it with black tights.

As a side-note, I tried to wear a black dress that was in my closet yesterday and although I was pretty pleased with myself, within 1/2 hour of playing with Archer on his playmat, me and my perfect black dress were covered with my cat and dog hair. Curses!!

2. Wear less makeup/focus on good skin - I don't really wear a lot of makeup but Nanna & Stine looked like they were wearing none - they just had like perfect skin. Not like botoxed-out perfect skin, just like clean, rosy, nice skin. Of course, having the perfect skin look, usually does require a little makeup so I would concentrate on lots of moisturizing before using a tinted moisturizer as foundation (I like Stilla). Use a little cream blush, a little brown mascara and a little lip gloss and be done with it. You don't need any more.

3. Be happy with less - Yes, I focus a lot on buying stuff in this blog but really, I would like to be the kind of person - like the Danes - who focuses on life more and consumerism less. We convince ourselves that it's hard to do but maybe it's not. Nanna & Stine seem pretty darn happy about it!

Things I saw and heard at Dufferin Mall today...

Ermmm... in case you can't see this, it's a Baby UFC onesie. Like as in a Ultimate Fighting Championship onesie. Being sold at a kiosk at Dufferin Mall.

I also heard a 4 year old boy say "F*$%" when he accidentally backed into a display at Winners.

It may be time to take a bit of a break from Dufferin Mall for a while.

Coffee table or death trap, you be the judge...

And so it starts. No, he's not walking yet. Heck, he still gets fussy doing tummy time. But from all accounts, at any given moment, Archer is going to become our little Tasmanian devil - whirling around the house, causing destruction and chaos in his path... and I'm on a constant watch for this. Actually, since my doctor told me very firmly at our last appointment, at this point, not to leave Archer unattended for even a second...


Really, a second?




So I sit there and I watch for something to happen... like watching water trying to boil. I get all excited and nervous if he starts rolling to one side. And when I hold him up and I can feel the brute strength in his legs (brute, I tell you, brute), I know it's gong to be any minute now when our lives will change forever.


Again.



Man, it's hard for a girl to keep up with all of this!


And I also know that as soon as this happens - when Archer starts rolling and crawling and standing (hey, maybe he'll be doing that baby Beyonce dancing soon), that *very soon after that, my hubby and I will have to say adieu to our beloved coffee table.

A beloved coffee table? Isn't that a bit much?No, in our case, it is not. People, it took us forever to find this table... well, for under one meelion dollars anyway. You'd think finding a glass square coffee table with stainless legs would be pretty straightforward. Nope. We were on the look out for almost 2 years (you have waaaay too much spare time pre-kids) when we finally landed on this one which was perfect and under $500. And so, we bonded with it big time. Don't judge.

But now, as quickly as it came into our lives, it will temporarily go out of our lives. Are all the seasoned parents laughing at me saying "temporarily"? We will be able to eventually put this back in our living room, no? Anyone? I'm living a lie, aren't I?

But temporary or not, it has to go. The edges of the table are as sharp as knives and, I don't know, call me crazy, but glass and babies just doesn't seem smart to me.

So, what to replace the death trap with?

I toyed awhile with trying to find something uber cool and '"safe-ish. I say safe-ish because I tried to convince myself that we didn't need to go 100% baby-friendly - that Archer has to learn how to be safe too and how to respect mom and dad's stuff... but then I thought again and decided that probably learning how to control and acquire large motor skills was enough of a challenge for him for now.


But if your kids are a little older, I might try something like this Eames coffee table. For a real Eames, it's not the cheapest table you can find (around $850) but it's an investment piece and you'll have it forever.


You can find tables like this on Craigslist if you keep on it. I found this one for only $350.






But even this one is probably not safe enough for my little guy at this point in his life. One wrong conk on the head on this table and well... I don't even wanna go there!


Really, the safest you can get by way of the coffee table is the combination coffee table/ottoman.



I *really hesitated going this way because it seems so obvious and I hate obvious. But as you learn with all things baby there are reasons all of those who came before you got the Fisher Price Chair, or the silly baby t-shirts, or the coffee table/ottoman. It's because they're tried, tested and true. Don't fight it. It is what it is.


But do you have to sacrifice style? Never, downtown mamas!



And I knew we'd be ok on a recent visit to Crate & Barrel when we saw this option. A beautiful putty leather bench which would act as a perfect coffee table. But at $1300 it's too much and I would really prefer a square ottoman which is why we've finally settled on this great ultrasuede charcoal houndstooth ottoman (featured in another color in this pic) at Pottery Barn's modern sister store West Elm. At just over $400 I don't feel like we'll be breaking the bank but the dimensions are right and it works with what we have. If we put the silver tray on the ottoman (which is featured on the first picture and can also be found at West Elm) we'll have lots of places to put all of Archer's toys, and soothers, and books... I mean, crystal wine glasses and fresh cut flowers.


Yeah, right.

Best laid plans...

In case you haven't noticed, I'm big on planning. Some might say I'm a control freak even, but really, planning calms me. I like lists, I like agendas, I like taking notes, I like to know what's happening next - so much so that on Saturday, bright and early, I started to outline what I wanted to write about this week... I thought since Archer is getting bigger and busier and that regular daytime nap is still elusive (sigh...), it would help if I did some outlining, notes, while I had a little extra help from the hubby on Saturday.

So today I was going to write about my new fall DM resolutions. It was a good little piece. When I write it, I think you will find it quite helpful.

But you will not read it today because I am on my way to the doctors. As my Saturday went on, nursing became more and more painful. Like searing pain, people. And Sunday morning, I woke up feeling as if I'd been hit by a bus with flu like symptoms. Last night I went to be at 8 and was going back and forth between chills and hot flashes. And there was still the pain. The searing, searing pain.

It seems I have some sort of infection in the nursing area (I'm trying really hard not to get graphic here... but folks, it's bad).

Ugh.

And I guess this is nature's way of saying that when you are a new mom, you need to be able to relax and re-write your rules on the fly because while being a mom is no doubt a job, you can't really approach it in the same way as your outside the home job because whether it's your little boy or...ermm... your boob, being a mom is unpredictable and constantly changing.

Thank you, nature, for the knock over the head. I get it.

Food for week of October 19th

So, have we all had enough turkey? Last week, post-thanksgiving, I had hot turkey sandwiches, turkey rice soup, turkey casserole and without thinking, while on the go, ordered a smoked turkey sandwich. I guess I didn't want to go into sudden turkey withdrawal (an official condition, I swear)... and of course, having hosted thanksgiving dinner, I also had a lot of desert leftovers... yummm.

But back on the wagon this week! I'm going to try and embrace more fall-winter type food - lots of comfort foods - healthy comfort foods. And as always, I've got to keep it simple because my little pumpkin is running me off my feet these days!

Monday - Slow Cooker Butter Chicken & Roasted Veggies (recipe from Canadian Family magazine)

2tbl butter, 1 tbl ground cumin, 2-3 yellow or red curry paste (I used Pataks), 1/2 tsp ground cardamom, 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger, 1 cup tomato sauce, 3/4 cup milk, 3lbs skinless bone-in chicken pieces

Melt butter and pour in slow cooker, stir in all ingredients except chicken; season chicken with salt and pepper and add to sauce, turn to coat; Cook on high setting for 2 1/2 hours or low for 5 hours. Serve with Jasmine rice (try the whole wheat) and your fave roasted veggies.

Tuesday - Fettuccine A La Matriciana & Salad - fry 6 pieces of chopped turkey bacon along with one chopped onion in 2 tbls olive oil; add 1 large can diced tomatoes and small can of tomato sauce; season with basil, oregano and a few dashes of red pepper flakes; let simmer for 20 minutes and serve over whole wheat fettuccine. Serve with side salad.

Wednesday - Tex Mex Chicken & Rice Bake -

1 box Campbell's Cream of Chicken Easy Cooking Sauce (on special 2 for $5 at Metro); 3/4 cup brown rice; 1 1/2 tsp chili powder; 1 1/2 cup chopped onion, red and green pepper strip mixture; 1/2 cup frozen corn; 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb); 1/2 ccup cheddar and jack cheese

Mix cooking sauce, rice and chili powder in shallow baking dish, spread evenly with veggies, top with chicken and sprinkle chicken with cheese and additional chili powder if desired, cover. Bake at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes, remove cover and broil and cheese is golden and bubbly.

Thursday - Eat out/order in

Friday - Cola-braised pulled pork carnitas (Canadian Family)

Put the following in your slow cooker and stir: 1 tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 6 garlic cloves, minced, 1 chopped onion, 2 cups cola (not diet), 1/4 brown sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp oregano leaves 2 bay leaves.

Cut pork (3 lbs boneless pork shoulder) in half horizontally to lie flat, season with s and p and put in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours. When done carefully remove pork and keep warm. Separate grease from cooking liquid and reduce liquid in pot over high heat until thick - about 10 minutes. Using 2 forks, pull the meat apart into shreds. Mix some of sauce until just moistened and season with s and p.

Serve on warm soft taco with salsa, avocado slices, chopped coriander and lime.

Saturday - Chicken Broccoli Bake

Arrange 3 cups broccoli florets and 2 cups cubed cooked skinless chicken breast into baking dish. Pour in 1 can lf cream of broccoli soup and 1/2 cup milk. Sprinkle with light cheddar cheese and top with breadcrumbs.

Bake at 425 for 25 minutes and serve over tri-coloured fusilli.

Sunday - Prime Rib and Potatoes and veggies (get at farmers market while you can!)

Prime rib was on special this week at Metro - I got one for 2 people for $8! Cook according to package. Serve with mashed potatoes and your fave veggies.

Grocery List

Cumin

Yellow/Red Mild Curry Paste (Pataks)

Ginger

2 small cans tomato sauce

Coconut Milk

Chicken - Skinless legs and thighs and 2 packs skinless bls breasts

1 each of red, yellow and green pepper

red onion

Campbells Cooking Sauce - Cream of Chicken

Chili Powder

Brown rice (jasmine?)

Frozen corn

Light cheddar and jack cheese

Broccoli

Garlic

Onion

Cinnamon sticks

Boneless pork shoulder

lime

soft taco

salsa

prime rib

potatoes

other seasonal veggies

H1N1-2,3,4

Yesterday when Archer and I were walking home from our music class, we saw Feist jogging down the street... it was weird in a way because you just don't expect to see someone like Feist in her sweats and rock n' roll tee running just like the rest of us (well, not me, but those rest of us who actually jog).

And weirdly, seeing this, had me focus on a bunch of things that I've been thinking about lately. I thought maybe Feist is like preparing for the next phase of her career - a new album, a world tour, something altogether new and different and jogging is her way of focusing and preparing for this.

And this (stay with me, people) made me think about where I'm at in my journey with Archer.

With thanksgiving over (a *wonderful weekend btw), the cold weather upon us and Archer reaching such new and different development milestones (rolling around, teething, not content with just sleeping and eating) it seems like a time for this DM to regroup and focus on the next phase and what this means and how I might do some things differently.

Like for example, Movies for Mommies has become a little more difficult to go to with Archer - he's not really quite as content sitting there with me through a 2-hour movie. So what kind of activity should we add to our schedule that will make sure I get out of the house in those cold (and yes a little depressing) winter months but will also stimulate Archer?

And there are all sorts of other things on my mind right now - like this crazy H1N1 stuff. What's the right thing to do? Do we change the way we do our activities and interact with others because of all of this or is it all just hype?

Finally, ugh, what about going back to work? It's not that far away (Feb) and I'm already seeing some other moms who I have been hanging out with make that transition back. It's made me focus on the fact that I really want to be sure that I capitalize on my remaining 1 on 1 time with Archer as fully as possible. The summer with him went by so fast!

So all of this to say... 1) yes, seeing Feist jogging really did stir all of this up (whatever, I'm weird that way) and 2) I'm going to stay offline for a few days while I refocus and regroup and think about what it is that I want to talk about and say in this next phase of my life with Archer.

Unlike Feist, I'm totally not going to do this while jogging but maybe I'll do this during some brisk walking with my main man.

See you next week!

In between all your Turkey stuffing...

Short post today since the family festivities of the long weekend have already begun but wanted to share that all those Gap companies (Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy) are all having some pretty darn good sales this weekend.

30% at the Gap with a coupon that you can get if you're on their mailing list. BR has their version of the scratch and save sale - buy something, and at the counter get a surprise discount. And Old Navy has a bunch of items on sale for just $15. If you're not on their mailing lists, ask around and someone will be able to forward the emails.

I'd head to the Gap if I were you... they've been spot on this season and with the 30% discount, it's a pretty darn good deal. I have my eye on these khakis and love the way they've styled them in the picture here... plus I'll need the extra give in these baggy pants for all of the food I'm about to start consuming.

Random What the Heck

It is a cold and windy day today here in the t-dot (look how cool I am down with the lingo...). Not quite winter but those beautiful days of September are definitely gone for good. So I've started bundling up the little guy for our daily walks outside... yesterday, we put on the hat, and the hoodie and even the little boots (which are ridiculously cute and totally useless)... but as we were walking down the street, and holding hands (or rather me holding his hands, him holding my thumbs) while he was in the carrier, I noticed how cold his little fingers were... and panic started to set in. What kind of mother am I? Not having mitts to cover up his little fingers... shame on me.

Well, shame on all of us apparently because apparently mitts for babies just don't exist.

Actually, let me clarify this, mitts do exist if you are either a) a baby girl; b) a baby who scratches his face off at night but never goes outside; or c) a baby with adult hands.

Today I went to Walmart, H&M and BabiesRUs and not one of these stores had winter mitts for baby boys. H&M had really cute baby girl mitts but the mitts for boys were only for 12+ months. Apparently baby boys are like tougher or something? That's the only explanation I could come up with. BabiesRUs only had scratch mitts (which sorta look like mini oven mitts). When I went to Walmart, a sales person showed me the mitts in the picture above - she said they were for babies for 0-24 months.

0-24 Months?? People this age aren't the same size at all!! Apparently in the first year of life alone we do more growing then we ever do in any year in the rest of our lives so who the heck thought it a good idea to market clothing items generally to this whole group? And people, we live in Canada! It gets really really cold here! Babies need mitts!!

Hrmph.

As I was taking the picture above and expressing my general outrage to Archer (what? he listens...), another mom walked by and said gruffly under her breath, "Just use baby socks."

Huh, good idea.

Moms rock.

Broken Social Scene Presents Archer

There is a *lot of unspoken pressure on Archer to be musical... I mean, if he doesn't make the NHL that is. Or becomes a doctor. Or a really good hairdresser (oh, common, tell me the most important professional person in your life after your doctor isn't your hairdresser... wait, just me? nevermind...).

But yeah, music. With my hubby in a band (make that 2), me sorta working in the music industry (requires too long an explanation and isn't that interesting), my mom being super musical, we're all secretly hoping Archer doesn't inherent what is clearly a recessive gene that belongs to my dad - the gene that makes him entirely tone deaf.

I am not exaggerating. If you know him, ask my dad to sing to you his best Happy Birthday (but for the love of God, don't tell him I told you to do this). I dare you. It's like that part just doesn't exist in his brain. Like at all. But A for effort all the time, Dad. A for effort.

I believe there is good evidence already that Archer will be musical. His eyes light up when we sing to him, he is fascinated by his dad's guitar, and I swear to God, I'm pretty sure I heard him singing one time.

What? It could happen.

So it was this and my inability to actually relax, that led us to sign up for music classes. Baby music classes. Yes, they exist and have become an important part of Archer and my week.

It's actually pretty incredible - and probably a little silly, really - when you start looking into it, how many music classes there are for babies. Not toddlers, babies. The Royal Conservatory Of Music had one that I looked at that was several hundreds of dollars and probably put your baby on the path to becoming the next Mozart. But we took a bit more of a home grown approach and went with Rainbow Music which is located in the hood and several other places in the city. I actually found them by some posters that were put up on power posts around the neighbourhood - which in hindsight, is probably not the best way to look for things to do with your baby. But they had a website so that makes them legit, right? Yeeeaaah....

Anyway, Rainbow Music has been great. The classes are short and sweet and are led by way perky people that your babies will love. And they go for 13 weeks for only $200.

It was these kind of things when I was without child that sorta made me not want to be a parent. Me, becoming a bit of a baby myself, dancing around a class, singing songs about bugs, and tickling, and the like. But y'all, I can't tell you how much I love it. I love seeing Archer so happy and engaged.

And quite frankly that's what it's all about. I don't care if he ever actually picks up a guitar, joins a band, writes a song... it's about having fun and being happy and there's nothing like music to make that happen.

For more info on Rainbow Music classes in your area check out www.rainbowmusicshop.com.

Food for Week of October 5th

The aim of the whole week is to save enough room in your belly for Sunday. Thanksgiving - a meal that you may think is difficult to tackle but if you are ok with not making every little thing from scratch (and quite frankly I like the taste of Stove Top Stuffing...) then it's actually pretty straight-forward -especially with all my mom's great tips below - so invite some friends and family over - unless you have a really new born baby, in which case, be nice to everyone this week and see if you get an invitation to someone else's dinner (although note, not mine, we're already full up!).

And at the risk of sounding overly sappy, I just want to declare officially that this whole week will be about me thinking about - and maybe randomly proclaiming - how thankful I am for Archer (and trying not to start balling uncontrollably when doing so). He was a little miracle that we thought would never happen and now we can't imagine what life would be like without him. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Monday - Chicken soup
Tuesday - Stirfry of your choice –beef pork tofu etc
Wednesday - bs chicken breasts sautéed in a small amt of butter & oil then pour some balsamic vinegar over to glaze them – don’t overcook. Serve with spinach & br rice
Thursday - order in/eat-out
Friday - Family may invite you for dinner if they are visiting for Thanksgiving. If not you may want to do a ready made pizza or similar if you are cooking a big dinner on the weekend
Saturday - Veg chilli (St Ives mock beef)
S Thanksgiving dinner as follows:
Turkey (some may choose to use the President's Choice frozen stuffed turkey which my mom has heard good things about; if you're buying frozen and big, you pretty much have to start defrosting tomorrow and if you're ordering fresh, order it at your butcher tomorrow)
Stuffing
Gravy
Cranberry sauce - I use the canned stuff – we seem to prefer it
Mashed potatoes
Green bean casserole
Another veg - Frozen mixed is easiest but carrots & honey & butter is nice -your choice
Perogies ( for the Ukrainians or Ukranian wanna-bes)
Pumpkin pie & whipped cream
Stuffing: Sautee chopped onion & celery in butter. Pour into bowl that has a box of seasoned stuffing (Such as Brownberry). Add enough warmed chicken broth to make it mushy but not too wet). You can make this the day before , refridgerate until 1 hr before stuffing. As soon as the turkey is stuffed it must go into the oven . Follow direction for roasting the turkey from a cookbook or the internet regarding temps & time. I like to chop another onion coarsely , put in the pan & put the turkey over it. I also keep adding broth to the pan so that there is about ½ in of liquid at all times. This is the base for your gravy. When turkey is done, transfer to a cookie sheet or large cutting board & cover loosely with tinfoil. Let it rest for at least 20 before carving.
Now make the gravy. Put pan with liquid on stove top & bring to a boil. Turn heat down to simmer, loosening all the bits in the pan. Mix more broth ( cold) with flour ) about 2 c. broth & ¼ c flour til smooth & pour into simmering liquid. Stir til thickened & then strain & pour into smaller pot. Reheat when using. Don’t forget to season.
The mashed potatoes could be done in the morning & reheated in oven later.
Green Bean Casserole (corny but a fam tradition for us) 1 c. French style green beans drained1 c.French’s French fried onions (these are cans not cups)1 c. cream of mushroom soup; Dash worchestershire sauce; Combine the beans, soup , w sauce & ½ the onions crumbled. Pour into buttered casserole Sprinkle remaining onions on top & bake @ 350 til bubbling. This recipe can be doubled.
I’d say buy the pie this yr but use freshly whipped cream to cover the pie with. Can do this the day before.

Grocery List
Turkey
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 chicken cut up
Meat or tofu for stirfry
St Ives ground round
1 c kidney beans
1 c other beans
1 lge c tomatoes or tomato sauce
French’s fr fried onions
Br rice
Chilli pwdr
1 pkg Brownberry sage stuffing mis ( or sim)
1 c cranberry sauce
Worch…sauce
1 c Fr style green beans
1 c. cr mushroom soup
Ingredients for corn casserole
3 litres chicken broth
Soy sauce
Celery
Onions
Spinach
Carrots or other veg
Cabbage
Whipping cream
Pumpkin pie

How a Giraffe Reminded Me About My Dog and Random Conspiracy Theory

I literally had not heard of Sophie La Giraffe until I was pregnant with Archer which, in hindsight, seems crazy and goes to show that no one really cares about baby stuff except parents.

Because, as you know, once you are made aware of the magical Sophie, you realize she's freakin' everywhere... like everywhere.

I have yet to meet a new parent who doesn't have at least one Sophie and indeed, many have more than one Sophie on the off chance that one of the Sophies go missing which, as you know, would be like a total disaster. I'm not sure what exactly happens to babies who lose their Sophie - do the babies explode? go literally crazy? - I don't know, but the very thought instills the fear of God into all new parents. So they have more than one. And even though Archer is only starting to pay attention to Sophie, it is their fear that has led me to have an extra one on hand just in case.

But who knew there was another reason to have 2 Sophies (you know, other than the baby spontaneous combustion theory). And this, my friends, is where I introduce you to my other baby, my dog, Pudge.

I've just realized that in 70 odd postings, I don't think I've once mentioned Pudge. And I think Pudge has taken to reading my blog when Archer and I are out of the house (whatever, it could happen) because I think he knows this fact. Well at the very least he knows that all of a sudden he's no longer our #1...

This fact became painfully aware to both my husband and when randomly one of the Sophies went missing. Which is weird because we haven't taken either of the Sophies out of the house - no reason to do this yet (and btw, when you do, make sure you put some sort of marking on your Sophie so you know it's your Sophie because I again, I stress, literally every baby in the whole world has one; every baby).

We immediately had some suspicions that Pudge may have taken the Sophie because he had tried before - but only picked it up and took it a few feet away and let it go... but this time, he went further and on closer inspection, I realized that Pudge had taken Sophie all the way over to inside his crate.

Pudge, my friends, was making a statement.

It was right then and there that I vowed to again start paying more attention to Pudge. There is room in our hearts for 2 babies (oh yeah, I still haven't mentioned PeanutButter, our cat - but we'll save his interesting reaction to Archer for a later post). And if you're a DM who has a dog, it's time to start paying attention to him/her. This baby was around before your new baby and probably got you through a lot of tough times and made you very happy. They deserve our love and attention just as much as your little dude.

I have now tried several times - successfully I might add - to take both Archer and Pudge on a walk and we had a blast. There are even meetup groups on MeetUp.com that have specific baby-dog activities. And if you can't quite manage to do this, make sure that you at least take some time when your partner comes home to give him the baby to watch while you take your dog for a short walk.

Another suggestion? According to the Dog Whisperer (there is a Whisperer for everything, btw), every dog needs a job and with the baby his new job could simply be to be near you when you nurse or change the baby. I've got into the habit now of calling Pudge into Archer's room when I change him and Pudge seems pretty happy about it.

How do I know this? Well, after I found Sophie in Pudge's crate- and I left it there btw thinking he may as well have his own - Archer, my hubby and I were having a little morning cuddle in the bed and all of a sudden Pudge jumped up on the bed and no word of a lie, he brought with him Sophie La Giraffe and dropped it near Archer - a "yeah, I know you could use this more than me" - sorta gesture. Seriously cute stuff people.

Oh, and finally, the conspiracy theory. Have you ever thought about why every single baby has Sophie La Giraffe? And further, what kind of power could be yielded by someone who was... say... able to like control babies (and parents) through said Giraffe? Literally, this person could rule the world! Random thoughts like this occur to me in my sick twisted brain - usually, it should come as no surprise, at the 4:30 am nursing time. You can feel free to accept or deny this at your will (or your demise...waaa, haaa, haaa, haaa...[that's supposed to be an evil laugh, btw])....