new start

i haven#t posted in over a year!  that is just nuts.  i think i always want to post but never do.  i have an idea for posting more this summer, and i think i will see if the girls are game.  about time they helped me with this thing!

20 Questions with Ruby

1. what is your favourite colour? Pink and Mint
2. What is your favourite toy? Lalaloopsy
3. What is your favourite fruit?  apple, pear and grapes
4. What is your favourite TV show? Lalaloopsy
5. What do you like for lunch? Ham sandwich
6. What is your favourite thing to wear? Grey sparkly shirt, jean skirt, leggings, high tops
7. What is your favourite game? Party! Party! Party!
8. What is your favourite snack? Ketchup crisps
9. What is your favourite animal? dog and cat
10. What is your favourite song? Call Me Maybe
11. What is your favourite book? Rainbow Magic books
12. Who is your best friend? Lottie and Eliza
13. What is your favourite cereal? Rice Krispies
14. What do you like to do outside? Ride Bike, trampoline
15. What is your favourite drink? Chocolate Milk
16. What was your favourite holiday? france and USA
17. What do you take to bed with you? Lalaloopsy and a book
18. What is your favourite dessert? Ice cream
19. What do you want for dinner? Pizza
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Fashion Designer

winter

the days are starting to get longer,  the weather is getting a tad bit better (knock on wood!), and some of my bulbs are starting to peek through the soil.  i am looking forward to spring.

Quiet Time

I am really enjoying these last lazy days, the ones between Christmas and going back to school.  The girls are playing at their natural pace, enjoying doing the things they want to do when they want to do them.  We get to lay around in our pajamas until lunch time, and there is no morning rush where (no matter how hard i try) i lose my cool.  We have stayed fairly insulated from the outside world, and it has been nice to reconnect and to spend quiet and not-so-quiet time together.

365

I decided to do a 365 photo challenge this year. I will be posting my photos toy Flickr stream as well as a tumblr that I started for this purpose. If you would like to see my attempt at taking pics that aren't 100% about ruby and esme, please have a look occasionally. I can't promise they will be great, but I can promise that they will be there.
A few of my friends are joining me in this endeavour. We have decided in retrospect to go with a daily prompt, after beginning the month with a colour idea (tungsten glow).  where we are getting our prompt is at:  photo-a-day

End of year

The last month of 2012 was incredibly busy.  Ruby was getting ready for her P1 nativity, in which she was a Twinkling Star.  Esme was getting ready for Santa, and everything that comes with that when you are 3 years old and actually "get it" for the first time.  We were all doing a count down until our visit from Nana and Papa Arty.  We spent time getting all decorated, and presents wished for and bought.  It is a crazy month when you have two little girls who are enthralled with all the magic that happens at the end of December.

With the wish list came the realisation by the girls that they really didn't have anything they truly needed.  Sure there were some new toys that looked very cool, and crafty things won't go wrong when found under the tree on christmas morning.  But the girls needed to realise again how lucky and privileged they are, and not everyone has such a carefree life as they do.  We spoke to the girls and suggested that in lieu of one of their gifts this year, that they use that money towards a charity of their choice.  Of course we had to explain what a charity was, and all that, but the girls were really excited to be able to choose a charity and then help others in this world.  Ruby has been learning to read in P1, and i have told her that not all girls get to go to school let alone learn to read, and that in some countries there are no books or schools for children to go to.  Ruby decided that she wanted her money to go to those children, especially girls who wanted to learn to read like she is doing right now.  For Ruby we chose the charity Room to Read http://www.roomtoread.org/.  Esme, is completely enthralled with elephants right now, so she wanted her donation to go to "elephant babies who have no mommies or daddies", so we chose The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/.  We hope to have this become a tradition that we do every year with the girls.

It has been a long year with many milestones, great memories, and we have much to look forward to in the coming year.  It is hard when you are in the midst of the daily grind to step back and assess your life and realise that it is wonderful and that you have much to be thankful for.  This year, whenever I hit a tough patch I thought of my friend Becca whose son Ben has been battling cancer this past year.  He turned 2 in October while undergoing Chemo for a cancer that he was given a 5% chance of beating.  I can't imagine how hard things are for them, and I think about them daily.  when i am frustrated with esme getting her shoes on or with ruby not wanting to practice her phonics, i try to remember that it is  nothing compared to what Becca and her partner Tom are dealing with everyday.  They have spent Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years in UCLA medical centre, and here's to the hope that Ben will be home soon, and cured, and able to show us how wonderful and beautiful life is for decades to come.....

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!