Spa

My wonderful sister-in-law invited me to the spa downtown. (www.elmwoodspa.com)

Had a pregnancy massage. Water therapies. And a fancy lunch. It was heavenly.

Benjamin got is first professional haircut. He was sooooo good. He doesn't look like a baby anymore though...

Cleaned half the livingroom today.

Hubby took sirloin steak out of the freezer. It's not raining. Looking forward to BBQing it and eating it.

Back to cleaning.

Sorrow drowning completed

Well...not exactly completed. But I did have the latte. A GRANDE, not some wimpy tall one.

Glanced at the magazines. There was a fascinating picture of Katie with Suri. Apparently they decided to write about what it's like "inside Katie's prison".

Didn't pick it up though.

Seems Jen has a new man.

Didn't pick that up either.

Her hair hasn't changed in years.

Walked through the gadget section. Got bored.

Glanced at the parenting section. Bored.

Left.

Still bored.

And hungry.

Blah.

Sorrow drowning

Right now the only thing I want to do is go to Starbucks, order a tall latte, and drown my sorrows.

I want to read all about how superwoman Angelina can do it all (having $ helps).
I want to read all about why so-and-so is wearing their hair this way this week.
I want to look at expensive gadgets that beautiful homes need to display (not mine).
I want to sit and feel sorry for myself.

Hubby is pissed off at me. He says I need to find a way to make an income so we can get ahead. He's pissed off at me because some chick called me during my flu days and left a message about how I'm a good fit as a Quality Assurance Proofreader.

Took me till middle of last week just to get myself back on track with my health, then the rest of the week to clean up the house that has severely suffered neglect during my illness. My health is almost back to normal but I'm suffering from pregnancy-related discomforts (mostly nausea) so I've been procrastinating. The house is only half cleaned up. Most of the laundry is done though....check that.

Then "he" was sick and hovering around me, picking at me to call her back. Made me irritated.

Then there was the 2-year old who was just so happy to have his mommy back on the floor surrounded by lego. After abandoning him to grandma's house for a weekend, how can I neglect him further?

I'm tired.

Blah.

Alive

Finally over the flu.

Ever had a flu that completely incapacitates you? Along with a 2-year old in the house? During March break (no school)? And a husband who works irregular hours?

How about all of the above AND you're pregnant so you can't take a thing to help relieve the symptoms?

Mom was around for some of the time....otherwise I would be dead and buried by now.

...

Sick.

The effects of non-organic meat on toddler poop

Disclaimer: If the mention of poop offends you, stop reading now.


We buy most of our meat from a reputable butcher. He gets his meat from farms who treat their animals the traditional way. Chickens from the Mennonites, beef from a farmer who is letting his cattle graze on pastures, no additives, antibiotics, etc.

Meat doesn't have to be certified organic to be good for you.

Did you know that a single pound of pre-packaged ground beef, purchased at a local supermarket, is made from up to 200 cows? I recall mention of this in Fast Food Nation, a book that describes in excrutiating detail the mistreatment and complete disrespect of animals grown to feed the North American public. (note: this is not a direct quote, only a vague recollection)

They combine beef from hundreds of animals and grind it together to make ground beef which is then packaged and sold at grocery stores, or shipped to places like McDonalds.

The traditional way of making ground beef is to go to a butcher, ask for ground beef, and the butcher then selects an apropriate slab of meat and places it into the grinder. One piece of meat (from one cow) becomes purer ground beef.

So.

The other day, we purchased ground beef from the grocery store. We just haven't had time to go to our favorite butcher.

I made chili and spaghetti sauce.

Both of which my toddler likes.

Then, he developed diaper rash.

He never has diaper rash.

He's never had diaper rash.

I blame the ground beef. I truly believe that this is true.

Ben pooped twice that morning, within 20 minutes, and I was barely able to clean him up from all that sticky, smelly mess. He didn't let me either, and once I saw the rash I realized why. All that rubbing must have hurt him.

So I threw him in the shower. The lukewarm water on his bum was tolerated better, and I was able to wash with soap, and rise off directly with the detachable showerhead.

Then I applied a thick coat of baby bum lotion (Gerber I think) to prevent further discomfort.

It just makes me so sad that our respect for the food on our table has become practically non-existant.

Rüeblitorte (Swiss Carrotcake)

Today I baked a Swiss style carrotcake.

What's different about this type of carrot cake compared to the North American ones is that
a) there is much less sugar and icing involved, and
b) there is very little flour included in the ingredient list.

The cake consists mostly of carrots, almonds and eggs. It's very moist and flavourful, and preferable without icing, or with just a touch of lemony icing sugar poured over it.

And, it tastes better the next day.

For details, recipe and conversions (grams to cups) see my food blog Quick Slow Food.

The challenge today was to let Benjamin help without causing me too much of a mess and grief. He's been a little on the rambunctious side, and after his little friend Sebastian was over for a visit, not exactly docile. In fact, the way Benjamin acts at home with visitors is the complete opposite of how he behaves when he's visiting other people. At home, he's rough, hyper, overly excited and not always nice to the other kid(s).

At their house, he's a model child. Go figure.

Note to self: find a way to positively reinforce good behaviour when he gets out of control.

Courtesy Flush

Ok look.

Perhaps I will never understand this need that men have to sit, with piles of literature, in a small room filled with vile odours.

But for crying out loud, if you've got other people living with you, and some of said people have a heightened sense of smell even when they are not pregnant, why would you not flush it down immediately, before resuming other activities involving toilet paper and aforementioned stack of literature??

HUH?

Sheesh.

PS I added the label "Toilet training" to this post even though we're not taking about the toddler.

History lesson

I never really liked history, truth be told. The way they taught Canadian history in highschool didn't exactly evoke the kind of thirst for more knowledge that is supposed to be happening. Although it is questionable if any public school system these days evokes thirst for knowledge...but that's another day's rant.

Then one day, I saw this book on a library shelf:











This book is fantastic! It is, in a sense, a book about Canadian history, but it focuses on the culinary aspects of the early settlers who came from everywhere, particularly Europe. It talks about the customs that people were used to, the pioneering adjustments that were inevitable due to the completely different nature of the environment, and many other interesting tidbits.

There is a mention of several cookbooks that I would love to get my hands on one day. Perhaps one day I will search for this book and buy it to add to my library.

If anyone is interested in food, and/or in Canadian history, this is a highly recommended reading pleasure.

For other books of interest, visit My Book List blog.

List continued

My to do list which I started yesterday continues here:


Repeat of rules for self:

1. I reserve the right to add to the list at will.
2. I reserve the right to cross off items that have been successfully completed.
3. I reserve the right to ignore the list but recommend I do not do that.
4. I will start right now:

To do list for the remainder of this week:

• Plan shopping list for supper and cake on Sun, and include other groceries to last us through to next Friday Check 1:01 Fri
• Follow up with Brian about Ministry of Health contract job Check 12:41 Thurs
• Tidy up crap in living room In progress 1:01 Fri
• Replace microwave into its rightful spot and start using it. Check 12:17 Thurs (If microwave fails, take it out and throw it on the front lawn where someone will pick it up. Then write a nasty letter to Sears and Kenmore.)
• Finish letter for Muschi; she's desperately waiting for the photos
• Dust bedroom, and tidy crap on shelves in there
• Get clothes and toys ready to bring to Once Upon a Child next month for sale Check 1:01 Fri
• Finish DotMom query and send it already
• Dust Billy Bookcase
• Organize paperwork for taxes
• Take soup bones out of freezer and make the friggin' soup already
• Reduce coffee consumption Working on it
• Follow up with Dr. E's office for test confirmation Check. It's official. 1:01 Fri.
• new Remove hooks on doors, fill in with polyfilla, replace hooks on thicker part of doors
• new Paint doors
• new Organize backdoor shelves
• new Plan new menu for Sun, as additional family member is now coming
• TBA

Lists

I used to make lists. I love lists.

Then I stopped.

It seems that there are just too many pieces of free floating papers flying around this place.

Just yesterday, while in semi-slumber, I woke up in a panic that I may have misplaced the little piece of paper my doctor gave me with her pager number on it, in case she needs to arrange a rhogam shot for me. Found it, and stapled it to my calendar.

There are piles of paper that need to be sorted to the left of me right now, and to the right of me as well.

My mom, with her good intentions, keeps certain pieces of junk mail, German newspapers, or clippings of interest for me which then take up residence in my already paper filled home, to be read at some point.

I do get around to reading it sooner or later. Usually later.

But enough already.

Every single moment I take a walk through my house these days I see a bunch of stuff that needs my immediate, or sometimes not so immediate attention.

I plan in my head to get to it during daycare, nap time, etc, but it doesn't happen.

Like for example, Benjamin is in daycare right now and I don't have to leave for another 20 minutes to pick him up.

But am I currently sorting through pieces of paper? Or making lists?

No.

I'm blogging instead.

So, in order not to discredit the time it takes to write and post this blog, I'm going to publish my list in here.

Rules for self:

1. I reserve the right to add to the list at will.
2. I reserve the right to cross off items that have been successfully completed.
3. I reserve the right to ignore the list but recommend I do not do that.
4. I will start right now:

To do list for the remainder of this week:

• Plan shopping list for supper and cake on Sun, and include other groceries to last us through to next Friday
• Follow up with Brian about Ministry of Health contract job Check 12:41
• Tidy up crap in living room
• Replace microwave into its rightful spot and start using it. Check 12:17 (If microwave fails, take it out and throw it on the front lawn where someone will pick it up. Then write a nasty letter to Sears and Kenmore.)
• Finish letter for Muschi; she's desperately waiting for the photos
• Dust bedroom, and tidy crap on shelves in there
• Get clothes and toys ready to bring to Once Upon a Child next month for sale
• Finish DotMom query and send it already
• Dust Billy Bookcase
• Organize paperwork for taxes
• Take soup bones out of freezer and make the friggin' soup already
• Reduce coffee consumption
• Follow up with Dr. E's office for test confirmation

Crappy appliance

Today, I've been doing this. In case it's not clear from the photo, that is my microwave taped up with newspaper on the kitchen table.



















For two weeks now we've been living without a microwave.

We don't really cook with microwaves. And it hasn't been THAT much of an adjustment.

But I have to say I miss it. When Ben wants milk, he likes his bottle slightly warm. So instead of placing his bottle into the mike for 20 seconds, I place it into a bowl of hot water for 2 minutes.

It's not the end of the world.

Sometimes, I miss not being able to defrost something quickly. I don't normally plan meals, I just cook on a whim, and since we try to keep our freezer stocked with good organic meat, I can usually choose to cook whatever I feel like eating that day.

Now?

I have to plan the night before and place the frozen food in the fridge for defrosting.

Like I said, it's not the end of the world. But I miss the convenience of spontaneity.

Anyway. The reason the mike isn't working is because there is a little bit of paint chipped off the bottom edge on the inside of the door. We noticed a burn mark because underneath the paint there is metal. And like most of us know, you can't have metal inside the microwave. It'll short out.

So we finally bought the heat resistant spray paint. Cheaper than buying a new microwave.

I'm spray painting today. I hope to be done by tonight (it needs a couple of thin coats) so I can use the flippin' mike again tomorrow morning.

Figures that this thing, a Kenmore from Sears, decides to chip its paint one year after purchase. Warranty doesn't apply anymore.

Crappy appliance.

Chicken with fettucine

Made this for supper the other night. With fresh pasta!!















Go to my Quick Slow Food blog for details.

Good things

No, I'm not trying to imitate Martha Steward. But lots has been happening lately, most of it good, and I just haven't had time to write about it!

But I will.

Just not now.

No time.

Mood

This is what I instant-messengered to my friend in Germany today. It pretty much sums up my current mood:

I have decided that I hate this house
Everywhere I look there's chipped paint, cracks, stuff falling apart
It looks like shit
Then there's dust
doghair
and dirt from winterboots
everywhere
there is no closet space
no place to put towels for 3 people, much less for 4
and no place to store anything
there is paper clutter everywhere
the floors are being bleached as we speak but I may have to go over them again
How can I concentrate on doing the stuff that is important when this crap is preventing me from doing it?
I can't concentrate when everything around me is falling apart
blah

Annoyed continued

Canada Post is trying to help me out here. They really are. But frankly, I'm getting tired of them contacting me to provide them with more information.

If I knew the exact address of the postal outlet that provided the insufficient postage, I would have indicated it on their online form. Instead, I gave them the name of the Drug Store and the street it's located on. Also the name of my pre-algamated neighbourhood of Toronto called New Toronto. New Toronto is nestled between Mimico to the east and Long Branch to the west. It's not big. It's walking distance for crying out loud. AND, there are only two Shoppers Drug Marts on Lakeshore in my neighbourhood. And only one of them has a postal outlet.

But they are "very sorry" that they do not have the correct address including postal code. Until I provide them with this information they can't proceed with their investigation.

Look. The chick gave me insufficient postage. It's not the end of the world, just an inconvenience. The digital scale at the postal outlet and the high-and-mighty-one at the main post office don't match each other. Big Whoop. Welcome to the electronic's age.

But now, they want ME to pull out the Yellow Pages, or call the Drug Store, to get them information they have access to at their fingertips. Ever heard of Google Maps? If you don't like Google, you can go to Yahoo Maps. Or contact Bell or something.

But no. They want ME to do it.

After I've been inconvenienced already.

(I do realize that the time it took me to write this post I could have done their job and researched the exact address and postal code, pulled up the online form, emailed them the information, and hoped for the best. But then I would have wanted a paycheck from this Crown Corporation for doing someone else's job. One that would have never come. And besides, I prefer ranting about this than researching an address.)

And since I am rating...

There was a guy in a little sidewalk snowplow/salter thing speeding down my street today at about the same time I was getting ready to take the child and the dog out for a walk. He was salting the sidewalk.

Of course, the sidewalk was completely clear of snow, ice or any other debris. All the snow from this morning had melted and washed away. The sidewalk was however littered with recycling boxes which the recycling guys carelessly tossed every which way. Into the street, onto the sidewalks, into flowerbeds (ok, there's only snow there, but still), and into driveways. My next door neighbour was just trying to access her driveway when she realized she had to leave the car sitting in the middle of the street, get out, move the boxes aside, get back into the car, and drive into her driveway. People walking their babies in strollers, they were walking on the street. No room on the sidewalks.

Anyway, my maniac guy in the salter was driving over my green bin. This greenbin is a City of Toronto thing where we can compost food waste.

The jerk drove over it right in front of me, and when I started yelling, he glanced at me and continued speeding down the road. He was in some kind of hurry to melt the nonexistant ice and snow on the sidewalk.

He cracked the lid on my green bin.

Which means that now, if I put the food items in there, it will attract wildlife.

I had wildlife in my garage twice this past year. Cute, fat racoon families. They like the green bin. I'm not particularly happy about having racoons take up residence on my property.

As I'm yelling at the guy to stop speeding, in front of my child and my dog, I see him turn around and cross the street toward the other side. He proceeds to speed northbound now, dragging along my neighbour's greenbin up at least three or four houses. I continue yelling at the guy to STOP before he causes some real damage, but he just sped off.

Asshole.

When the neigbour from across the street came out a little later, she asked me if I saw the recycling guys damage her greenbin. She found her bin up the street but it had it's lid missing.

I told her it was only partially the recycling people's fault.

To make myself feel better I wrote a very professional email titled "monumental waste of taxpayer's money" addressed to the greenbin people, my councillor, the mayor, and to the recycling people. I wanted to know why they were spraying salt on clean, dry sidewalks, why their driver was a maniac, why the recycling people can't get it together with the empty bins, and why they were wasting my money.

If I get a response I may post it.

Blah.

Annoyed

Considering I'm so tired these days, I'm letting little issues fester and annoy me more than usual.

For example, I'm more than a little annoyed at a what I would otherwise see as a stupid mistake made by someone at a postal outlet in a drug store.

But I'm tired and want to blame my bad mood on something. So I may as well blame my bad mood on Canada Post.

Last week, I specifically went there to mail a letter to Italy, with some photos in it, because I was too lazy to take our own digital scale out and weigh the letter myself, then affix the appropriate amount of postage that I have in the house.

I figured, it gets us out of the house and provides us with a change of scenery during this long deep-freeze we've been having. We're all a little sick with cabin fever.

Well.

Today I get the above mentioned letter delivered back to my house. Insufficient postage.

?

I mean, the lady there at the postal office had a digital scale, and she weighted it in front of me...she had a Canada Post uniform on....

I hate idiots. Especially incompetent ones.

Now I have to go back and re-mail it.

Later. Canada Post responded to my complaint via email. This is what they said:

Thank you for your message to Canada Post.

I have opened an inquiry, which will be sent to the Local Area Manager
that is responsible for this postal outlet so that they can look into
this concern and ensure that the employees are properly trained. Your
customer number is XXXXX and your case number for this inquiry is
YYYYY.

I apologize for the inconvenience caused.

Burning calories

You ever wonder how many calories you burn when you're trying to dress/undress a squirmy toddler?

I actually had to lock him in between my legs and apply pressure with my upper thighs to finish getting him dressed. That must count for squats or something.

Note to self: perhaps it's time to teach offspring to undress himself.

Kibble and poop

The first time I came across the idea that baby poop wasn't always squishy was while 8 months pregnant and reading Ann Lamott's Operating Instructions.

At one point she recounts how she chased after the little pebbles of poop (or whatever she called them) because they rolled out of the diaper and onto the floor.

I found this fascinating, horrifying and very weird.

Tonight, I was tidying up random toys and clothes just before bedtime when I came across a dog kibble on the dresser/change table.

I remember wondering how the it got up there. Yes, Benjamin helps to feed the dog, but he can't reach that far up yet.

Did he throw it up there?

I picked it up and realized that it feels too soft for dog kibble.

It's a piece of poop.

Which rolled out of the diaper earlier when hubby changed him.

Hubby is killing himself laughing at my disgust but then chases me to the bathroom with the liquid soap. God forbit I would touch the regular soap with my poopy hands.

Traffic in -30° C Windchill

The weather this morning was beautiful, sunny, crip, and very, very cold. There is TONNES of snow everywhere.

Because of all the snow, slush, salt and debris everywhere, the streetcars were getting stuck on the tracks all over the place. The same thing was happening yesterday while it was snowing, and at one point there were several streetcars sitting empty at a major crosswalk by a community college, waiting for buses to take over.

Considering this was happening already yesterday, I wonder why they didn't automatically switch to buses today.

The drive to Benjamin's daycare takes, on average, 7 minutes.

Today, the way back took over 20 minutes. Abandoned streetcars, idling cars, and moutains of snowbanks really hampered the smooth flow of traffic.

Stupid chick yapping on cellphone nearly smashed into me in her frustration to cut across two lanes.

Another idiot (woman in SUV) ran a stop sign and dared to honk at me when she almost smashed into me. Didn't see if she was yapping on a phone too, but I would bet she was.

Morons shouldn't be allowed to drive at all.

Black line on map is the regular route home.
Orange line the route I had to take today.