Thankful

In the grand scheme of things, i am a pretty lucky girl.  always have been, and i hope i ride the wave of lucky for the rest of my life.  at times when i was low, good things came along and made life good again.  sure, maybe not as quickly as i would have liked, or maybe not the way i dreamt, but in the end, all those things made me who i am today, and who i am is one lucky person. 

thanksgiving is always a little of a let down, because it is such an american experience.  no matter how much i try to emulate it here, it just doesn't match up.  so we eat a little better on that day, skype to family back home, and look forward to christmas time when Santa, Nana and Papa Arty will be here.  Nevertheless, I am thankful for many things, and reading friends reasons for being thankful, i take stock of how lucky i am every November.

I am thankful for my little family, my healthy, happy, smart, funny, loving girls.  My sarcastic, loving, hard-working, witty husband. My daft puppy dog.  I am thankful for all my friends, both old and new.  I am thankful for being comfortable, having a house and heating, and food.  I am thankful that I get to be at home and raise my daughters.  I am thankful for my family back home that i don't get to see as often as i would like, but they are still there if i need them.  I am thankful for my health, and the fact that i get to wake up everyday to this life.  and right now i am thankful that david didn't eat all the chocolate last night so i can have a little after the really stressful walk to school.  it is the little things that make you realize just how lucky you are......

Election

Thankfully common sense prevailed. Bigotry, Hate, Repression, Classism have no place in America.  All power to the 47%!

20 Questions with Ruby

20 questions
1. What is your favorite color? pink and purple
2. What is your favorite toy? strawberry shortcake, polly pocket
3. What is your favorite fruit? orange, strawberries, grapes
4. What is your favorite tv show? Doc McStuffins
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? sausages
6. What is your favorite outfit? leggings, hello kitty shirt, pink hairband, silver shoes
7. What is your favorite game? snakes and ladders
8. What is your favorite snack? bear yo-yos
9. What is your favorite animal? giraffe
10. What is your favorite song? wind the bobbin up
11. What is your favorite book? Strawberry Shortcake
12. Who is your best friend? Libby, Maxie
13. What is your favorite cereal? Rice Krispies, Coco Pops
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? slide, ride bicycle
15. What is your favorite drink? chocolate milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? teddy bear
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for dessert? snowball
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? pasta
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? own an ice cream shop!

20 questions with Esme

20 questions
1. What is your favorite color? blue and green
2. What is your favorite toy? dora and winnie-the-pooh
3. What is your favorite fruit? orange, strawberries, melon
4. What is your favorite tv show? Dora the explorer, Scooby Doo
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? pasta
6. What is your favorite outfit? jeans and a t-shirt, my sandals
7. What is your favorite game? puzzles, I spy
8. What is your favorite snack? doras!
9. What is your favorite animal? elephant
10. What is your favorite song? Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
11. What is your favorite book? Rapunzel
12. Who is your best friend? Katie
13. What is your favorite cereal? Alpen
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? go down the slide or go to the beach
15. What is your favorite drink? apple juice
16. What is your favorite holiday? father's day
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Dora, Pooh, my blankie, my elephant pillow
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for dessert? ice cream
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? mac and cheese
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? have a dog!

Free Time

Now that the girls have been in school for over a month, I have made the realization that i do need to make the most out of my little bit of free time that i have everyday.  It isn't much, but if i don't harness it, I really can't complain that "I have no time to do what i want to do!" 

Between all my volunteering gigs (school library, Friends of Winterfield Park, Parent Council, Civic Week) and housework, most of my free time is getting gobbled up.  But on Fridays I try to go on a nice long walk with Gratchy, clear my head and relax.  This week, i am going to dust off my running shoes and wear them and see how that goes. if you don't hear from me, you know how it went!

School year

Ruby and Esme have begun school!  It actually began August 16th for Ruby and the 22nd for Esme, but i have been so completely busy that i am having a hard time keeping track of the days.  My life seems like it is a continual walk back and forth from school, and although it is fairly close, it still makes it hard to get anything done!  here is my school schedule for this school year:

8:45 Ruby starts school, return home with Esme
12:45 Esme starts nursery
2:50 Ruby done with School
3:10 Esme done with School

Essentially i am walking to school 3 times and walking home 3 times.  Up until today, Esme has refused to go on her own little legs, so she has been hitching a ride on the back of my bike.  Both girls are exhausted at the end of the day, but Esme still tries to take a nap, so she is besides herself by the time we get home from school.

I keep getting asked "what are you going to do with your 2 hours of free time?" and so far, the answer is "absolutely nothing!"

Book Club August

This month I hosted, so I got to choose the next book for our book club.  A few members had NEVER read Science Fiction before, so I had to go with something good. Of course it being only 1 book, i could not pick any of my favorite series of Fantasy, and I also didn't want to go too out there for the Scifi newbies.  This was my choice.  Funny thing is, it happens in Portland in the 1990s (it was written in the early 70s) and thankfully the Portland I lived in during the 90s was nothing like it was in this book.  Only half way through it, but very good and very thought provoking.

low expectations

a few weeks ago, i made it a point to say to david "see, i have barely complained about the weather this summer!" he looked at me and said "yeah, i was noticing that. why?" and i explained to him my Theory of Low Expecations. I finally realized after living here for 6 years, that if i went into the summer NOT expecting a summer at all, then when the weather was good it was sorta like a remarkable and surprising bonus.  And it seemed to have worked for the most part, even in this summer that has not been a summer.  It has been such a particularly bad summer, that even david has bemoaned the lack of it, and on nice days (meaning no rain, and no need for a jacket) David makes it a point of saying "this counts as a summer day!"

This is Ruby's last summer before school begins. a 6 week countdown to the beginning of that childhood that is determined by the ringing of bells, and learning of lifeskills, and the eating in cafeterias, and the running out of the school at the end of the day seeking a freedom that is elusive when one is kept behind walls most of the day.  She is now 5, and to me it seems like such a young age to have to be constrained by school, but at the same time she is ready to learn, ready to spread her wings. I was hoping for a fantastic last summer for her, but money is tight and 6 weeks go by oh-so-fast. Between swim lessons, playdates, errands, daddy's work schedule and days that are total washouts, we have managed some day trips. Sometimes Ruby would like to stick around the house on beautiful days so she can work on her art, but I then give the speech about "when the weather is really bad you are going to wish for a day like this, and wonder WHY we stayed indoors....." and rally them for an adventure.

Last week, we had a glorious day with storm clouds closing in, so i packed the girls up and headed them off to Seacliff Beach.  It is a beach that we had never been to, and I knew it had some cool suff- like an old castle, and the smallest harbour in Scotland- to show the girls.  But in typical Scottish fashion, by the time we got there, the storm was coming in fast and all we managed was a few pictures (and tons of moaning about the wind) before we got back in the car. Upon our return home we found Dunbar still warm and sunny! we shouldn't have left home.... take THAT for raising your expectations!

Happy Birthday Ruby!

Happy Birthday to our Ruby-Roo! Love you so much big girl! 

Happy Birthday Esme!

Happy 3rd birthday Babes!  We love you so very much, our little munchkin!



bookclub

i have wanted to be in a bookclub for a long time.  i love books, i love friends, i love chatting, so it seemed like a perfect fit.  one day over at my friend polly's house we decided that we would start up a bookclub and invite a few of our friends to join it.  we didn't want too many people, or too many rules, we wanted it to be laid back and fun. it is.
we have had 2 meetings so far.  our first was a small gathering to get it off the ground, decide how it would be loosely run, and who would be in it for certain.  Oh, and come up with a name.  We decided to call it "Book & Bitch", because we will all get to talk about books, and also other things that are on our minds.  fantastic!
We are now all reading our second book, and looking forward to our next get together at Mel's house.... happy reading!

florida

we had a fantastic trip to florida, thanks for asking.  it was for only 2.5 weeks, and it was a crazy whirlwind of going places, and seeing people, and laying on the beach, and eating yummy things, and shopping.  we must do it again soon.
when we were leaving, ruby was quite upset and didn't want to go home to scotland.  i had to explain to her what a very lucky girl she was for having 2 places to call home, and for having so many people in so many different places that love her.  that made it all a little better.

4 weeks

Almost a month of gluten free living! To be honest, it has been easier than i expected. I am feeling good, and only crave wheat goodies every now and then (why can't there be a gluten free double stuffed oreo on the store shelves?). The only relapses i have had were accidental (putting the rest of the girls bagel in my mouth before knowing what i was doing) and once on purpose. We ordered Chinese food, and I went with my normal order that i share with the girls. I was curious to see if i would feel poorly after ingesting gluten (the coating on sweet and sour chicken), and it was amazing how awful i felt. I guess it isn't all in my mind after all!

here are a few things i have noticed about a GF lifestyle so far:

1) realizing the difference between bloated and full: at first it was hard to think i was full because my belly didn't feel like i was going to explode, but then i got used to the sensation.
2) cooking from scratch more: when tired, i would fall back on prepared meals or meat. now we are eating less packed foods, and i am cooking more to make sure we are not getting wheat in our diets.
3) eating out less: we normally didn't eat much fast food, but occasionally we would. Now, we avoid it because of the gluten. Luckily, Indian food is mostly gluten free, so we can still eat that! But no more Chippy, no more take-out pizza!
4) being more aware of my food: reading labels is great, you really know what you are eating. I realize that alot of pre-made GF foods are high in fat and salt, so to that end i am attempting to cook more, bake more, and look into alternatives for sugar and oil in those recipes.
5) it can be expensive: most of the GF flours, pre-made foods, and cereals are double the price of non-GF. I guess it is supply-and-demand, i guess it is because you have a captive audience. Maybe it is because i live in a small town where not many people are GF. It does make an impact to our weekly grocery bill, and I have to figure ways to cut costs to make being GF viable for the long term.
6) higher energy levels: i am feeling good, and even the winter blahs are not as prominent as usual.
7) IBS issues: i have to admit that since living in Scotland, I have had few issues with IBS. I think it is because there are less preservatives, and chemicals in the food over here. With GF, and cooking more from scratch, this is helping too.
8) less aches and pains: i would wake up really sore in the morning, or i would get very stiff if i sat for too long. now that i am GF, these aches and pains are virtually gone!
It has also been important to make it known to the girls, that GF is not a "diet", that i am GF because gluten makes mommy feel bad, and that I am not eating it anymore. Ruby has said that "gluten is yuck", but i assured her that gluten is great for most people, but it seems that mommy has a certain intolerance for it. She has a friend that is allergic to milk and eggs, so she understands that some people just can't eat certain things, and that she is very lucky to not have that problem.

Now if only i could stop craving donuts......

first week

Gluten free for the first week has been fairly easy. I think it is the novelty of it all, and well i don't eat out too much, so it is quite easy to watch what i am eating. This week has been one of trials- trying new recipes, trying old recipes tweaked to be GF, and trying some of the GF foods that the grocery stores sell here in Scotland.

I have made 4 kinds of muffins, 3 of which were great with the Doves Gluten Free Flour that I have been using. I also tried to come up with a pizza dough by using a gluten free recipe mixed with my fave pizza dough recipe. Total disaster! Instead we ate GF pasta which is fantastic by the way.... And lastly, tonight i made some vanilla cupcakes, which again were really good without the wheat.

I really want to attempt Gluten free bagels this coming week, and maybe making some other types of bread that i am beginning to miss. the one thing i have learned with gluten free baking is that once you remove the wheat taste, you really taste the other ingredients in the food. vanilla is stronger, chocolate is more pronounced. i am thinking with bagels i will have to make a flavoured bagel in order for it to taste like something. perhaps cinnamon or garlic?

David and the girls are going GF light, they are more on a low-gluten plan than a gluten free one. David is GF in the house, but when he is out of the house he eats what he wants. The girls are too picky in what they love and will eat to make them adhere to any drastic changes in their diet. Plus, i feel it wouldn't be fair to them. fine if they had some health problem that we had to wrap our diets around, but they don't, so why make them worry about what they are consuming.

So, am i feeling better? is there a difference? I think so. I can definitely tell that i am feeling less bloated after a meal. I don't know if it is psychological, but i do feel like i have more energy, that my mind is less cloudy. It might just be because i am trying something new, but i do think it is helping so far. I am also trying to take my vitamins regularly and change up some of the things i would normally eat on a daily basis, so that could also be having some effect.

Ready for week 2! woot!

gender neutral

before i had children, i had some serious opinions about them. Opinions like kids shouldn't be at the movies, they should be given sleeping pills and muffled when on an airplane.... you know, that sorta thing. I also swore that if i ever did have kids, they would be brought up gender neutral. down with the pink and blue, up with the green and yellow!

Then i gave birth to ruby. before she was born i put a moratorium on pink things, the nursery was earth-tones, stroller was black, and car seat was black too. The only things that were pink were bought for us, although most people who knew me knew to try to find things in anything but pink. At first it seemed to work, Ruby loved her overalls, she loved her duplos and her trains and her soft toys. Ruby also didn't seem interested in playing with dolls or babies. It appeared we were on our way to gender neutrality! so easy peasy, and we didn't have to be too wacky nazi-esque about it for it to take hold. what was all the fuss??

Then the shoe dropped. Ruby wanted to only wear skirts, no trousers. Ruby declared that her favorite colour was pink. Ruby fell head over heels in love with the Disney Princesses and slowly stopped playing with her trains and cars. It seemed no matter what we did, Ruby's personality was to be girly, and we couldn't and ultimately wouldn't fight it. We decided to step back and let it rip, we didn't want to force boys toys on her, it would not be fair. If we were going to have a girly girl, we may as well embrace it and let her character show.

Next comes Esme. We didn't fight the pink as much, it seemed to us that it might be a losing battle. Again, we let Esme play with what she wanted and did not only buy girl toys for her, instead buying whatever she seemed interested . Amazingly, it went differently. Since she could talk, Esme has told us that she is a boy, wants to be the boy characters in her favourite shows, wants to play with cars, trains, and her favourite colour is blue. Esme still likes her playmobile doll house and some disney princesses, but is definately more of a tom-boy than Ruby ever will be. It is Esme being Esme, simple as that.

To be honest, i do think gender neutrality did work on both girls, to a point. Both of our girls have learned that there are no toys that are just boy-toys, or girl-toys. They learned they had a choice, and that as girls they shouldn't be pigeon-holed into having only pink/girly things. Truthfully, Ruby is more girly than Esme, but still not over-the-top girly. She loves riding her bike, playing in the garden, using her RC car, building things, and is still not very interested in dolls or babies. She much rather do drawing or crafty than get out her princess toys. Esme loves her Cars and Diego, but she still loves to wear her Rapunzel. This is neutrality in the best sense; Ruby and Esme know anything is an option. What didn't work was us trying to push either girl into a personality that wasn't theirs to begin with.

I do see other little girls who are brought up with stereotypical gender roles, and i cringe. How could someone put such limits on someone they love? But then again, there are still people out there who think whites are superior, or that homosexuals are going to hell, so i guess i shouldn't be surprised.....

gluten free

starting on monday our house is going gluten free. i know this may sound weird to anyone who knows me. how could i live without my staples of bread, bagels and pasta!?!?! it is a little daunting, but i have committed to do it for a month to see if gluten free living is right for me.

I don't think that i have celiac disease, but i have been reading up on the ties between some health issues and gluten. there is much information out there that a gluten free diet is good for people with thyroid issues, and GI issues, both of which i have. supposedly a gluten free existence will help my energy levels, and this is something i could totally use, especially in the throws of winter.

in the past i have gone processed sugar-free, because like carbs, i love me some sugar! the cutting out of sugar didn't make me feel much different, but it did make me pay more attention to what i was putting in my mouth. like most people, i eat on the run, or eat when i am doing a gazillion things at once, so i don't really stop to think about what i am consuming. i just grab and go. but if i am paying attention to what i am not supposed to be eating, i make better choices, and i tend to plan my meals out in advance. plus, like sugar-free, gluten free is quite hard to do, and to do it right you end up doing more cooking/baking. i like making things from scratch, especially baked goods. they taste better, and have less crazy additives that we don't need to be taking into our bodies.

so wish me luck. david has agreed to go GF with me! this will make it easier, but he thinks it is going to be really hard for him to do. tomorrow i am going to attempt to make some bread (for his toast) and some muffins (for my breakfast) gluten free. i wonder if i can find a good GF bagel recipe online.....

hibernating

Christmas break has been a time of low activity here. It isn't that the weather has been horrible, it actually has been quite mild. But with Ruby off of school, and David off of work, any sense of schedule was thrown out the window, and there were days where we stayed home and just enjoyed the cozy life of hibernation.

Christmas was great. Ruby is at the perfect age for all of the excitement, and her enthusiasm was easily taken up by esme. Christmas through the eyes of a 4 and 2 year old is very magical, and I really enjoyed it this year. Getting ready for Santa's arrival was possibly the best part, Ruby was so worried that we would forget to put out his cookies, or the reindeer dust, or that for some reason Santa would not come to our house. The girls went to sleep easily, but Ruby was up at 3 am wondering if Santa had come yet and if it was time to go downstairs yet. Luckily I got her to go back to sleep until 7:30!

Esme has now joined the ranks of the "big girls"! we took advantage of the holiday slowdown and finally potty trained her. It has been 6 days now and she is doing fantastic. We are very proud of her, and she is quite proud of herself. She is enjoying the freedom of wearing only underpants, and she keeps telling us "i have a bum!" We keep trying to reassure her that she always had one, but i guess it is easier to touch now that it isn't covered up in a diaper.

Although i don't deal very well with the winter, this year has been quite easy on me. There has been more blue sky than normal in late fall/early winter, and the tempertures have not been as

debilitating as the past few years. No snow so far, and only the occasional freeze! Strangely my spring bulbs are starting to break through the soil, and i guess they are probably about 1-2 months ahead of schedule. i usually get a little perk from this first sign of spring, but this year I am worried that the mild weather might change and my bulbs might all get killed off.

the quiet hibernation is coming to a close. david was back to work today, and ruby heads back to preschool next tuesday. time to kick the cobwebs off and get back into action....