Happy Canada Day, eh?

We had some friends over last night for dinner, and without planning anything, I noticed that many of our foods reflected the colours of our national flag!  My friend had brought this amazing home-made salsa with tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, garlic and jalapeno peppers and I had red and white nacho chips for dipping.  I also had some cheese (of course I did!), and red pepper jelly, red wine (again, of course I did!), tomatoes and bocconcini and basil drizzled with balsamic and olive oil, AND home made spicy chicken wings with Frank's Red Hot Buffalo sauce!   A great Finger Food Friday and a terrific feast to celebrate our wonderful nation's birthday!

Buffalo Wings! YUM!

Red and White corn chips!
So festive!  

Tomatoes and Bocconcini

Sue's Canada Day Salsa!

Happy 145th Birthday , Canada!

Sue's Salsa

4 chopped tomatoes

1 - 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped, seeds in!!

cucumber (maybe 1/2 of one, chopped)

fresh garlic

cilantro

1 TBSP of white vinegar

1 tsp of white sugar

Weigh-In Week One!

OK!  So I am one week into my weight challenge!   I weighed myself on June 28th, and did it with my "routine"...you know, pre-breakfast, post-bowel movement, pre-shower.  I was up and down on the scale 3 times in a row (yes, I know...crazy).  The results?   161 lb, followed by 161.4 lb, followed by 161.2 lb.....SOLD!  for 161.2 lb!  Total loss after week 1 was 2.4 lb!

Yah me!   Now, if you'll excuse me, its Finger Food Friday, and my day off for weight loss.

Spend Time Right

We have such busy lives these days.  Whether we work in or out of the home, there never seems to be enough time to spend with family and friends.  Between errands, things to do around the house and kids activities time is always running out.  I read an article in the paper last week about the new movie with Steve Carell and Keira Knightly called "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World".  I have not seen this movie, but loved the main point of the article which was written by Mike Bell for the Calgary Herald.  The last line in the article summed it up nicely and got to me the most:  "Time is finite. It's not on your side.  So find the time and spend it right."  

A bit over the top, but you get the point!

Though this seems gloomy on the surface, the concept of this is empowering.  Spend time right with the people that matter most:  your partner, your children, your family, your friends.  As I read this article, I thought of my family, and how even though they are geographically far away from me, we are so close.  I thought of my husband and children, and thought that even though we have battles over homework, and school and disagreements over silly things, at the end of the day, I can honestly say that I am where I want to be.  I thought of my friends, and how though we don't see each other as often as we should, when we do get together it lifts my spirits and gives me positive energy that I so crave.  

So what's the bottom line?  Embrace where you are, and not where you want to be.  Spend. Time. Right.

So here's to Family...

Mom and I celebrating the
Summer Solstice last year

And here's to friends....

And here's to spending time right...

11:35pm Brownies!

Yes, it is 11:35 pm, and I am baking.  Am I crazy?  A little.  But, as usual, I have run out of time.  The day today was crazy busy, between end-of-the-year school activities, meetings, a lovely impromptu dinner date with the husband and add that we were determined to finish watching The Descendants (which we LOVED).  By the time this was all done, it was 11:30, and I really wanted to bake something for my daughter's field trip tomorrow.   I am usually THAT mom that bakes, but lately, the kids have gotten Oreo's for their treats (not that there's anything wrong with Oreo's!).  So I was determined to bake the easiest brownies in the world (no, not a mix).

Thought I'd share the recipe...its not the best recipe (will share that later), but in a pinch, if you need to bake something for school the next day, and need to do it quickly, efficiently AND peanut free, here's the recipe:

1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg
3 TBSP cocoa
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour

Melt the butter, and mix in brown sugar, eggs, cocoa and baking powder and vanilla.  Stir well.  Then add the flour, and mix til blended.  Bake in a greased 8 x 8 dish on 350 for 20 - 25 min.  PRESTO!  I usually double the recipe and bake it in a 9 x 13 pan.

And the result (shortly before midnight!)...

Baked, blogged and tweeted all in span of 25 minutes.
Hurray!  Brownies for everyone!

You bite it, you write it....

That's one of the things they used to talk about in Weight Watchers...you bite it, you write it.   So, here was my day today:

Breakfast:  Activia yogurt, berries and coffee

Snack:  home-made trail mix with raw pecans and 1 teaspoon of chocolate chips.  Chocolate makes my morning nicer.

Lunch:  Salad with lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers and some pecans from my morning snack.  Salad dressing was Paul Newman's Sesame Thai; 1 more Activia yogurt

Dinner:  BBQ salmon, chickpea and tomato salad and 1/2 an avocado and a glass of milk

Dessert:  1 glass of red wine (good for lowering cholesterol, you know!)

Bedtime snack: a bit more red wine (but only a bit).

What was good today?  I ate a fairly good quantity of fruits and veggies, had a good amount of dairy, had lean protein sources, and included some healthy fats like the avocado and the pecans. 

So all in all, today was a pretty good day.  We'll see how I do tomorrow when it's Finger Food Friday....I will have to be pretty creative to at least attempt to continue with this weight loss challenge!  Stay tuned!

Weight Loss Challenge!

It's June 20, 2012, and in one month we are going to a family reunion on my husband's side.  That means lots of fun visiting and lots of good food (have I ever blogged when I don't talk about food??). But that also means that I have 4 weeks to lose a bit of weight (two reasons...lose weight to have people say..."oooh....you look great!" AND...lose weight to eat more).

I have done Weight Watchers countless times, and it worked for the most part, but like a lot of people, I just didn't stick to it afterwards.  The first time I did Weight Watchers was when my now-10 year old daughter was 6 months old.  I was just under 180 lb, and went down to 160 lb!  Not bad!  Since that time, my weight has fluctuated, and a few years ago, I found myself at up again at 175 lb when I went for my annual physical.   A friend of mine and I decided to help each other out with a "Biggest Loser Challenge", and even though HE won, we both lost weight, which was fantastic -- I went down to 161 lb!   But, every time I do this, I can never crack the160 lb barrier.  And now...its time to crack that barrier.

My goal:  155 lb or less by July 20 by eating healthy and and I'll have to throw in some exercise.

My Stats: pre-breakfast, post bowel-movement nude weight today: 163.6 lb.  Not bad considering we went camping this past weekend!

But now, its time to own my weight!  Challenge myself into the 150's!  Bring it!!!

Camping 101

Our cute little A-Frame Trailer

I never thought I would like camping as much as I do.  My husbands family camps quite a bit, and years ago, before we had any gear, or anything, we decided to join them on a family camping trip.  We bought a 12 man tent with two rooms (yes, I may love camping, but I am a bit high maintenance).  We planned our meals, froze our food, bought our booze, and off we went.  What a fantastic experience!  We loved it so much, that 1 week later, we were proud owners of new (used) tent trailer!  We used the trailer for a few years, and last year recently upgraded to a Chalet-style A frame trailer, complete with bunk beds for the kids, a double bed for us, and it fits in our garage for storage.

One bunk on the bottom...

One bunk on the top!

I am by no means an expert camper, but have picked up a few things that I like to do to prepare for any camping trip.  Of course it all stems around food, booze, snacks, appies, wine, happy hour....and this weekend was no exception.  We went out for our first camping trip of the season with some friends and had a great time. 16 of us in total, counting the kids.  All things considered, our weather for the most part cooperated.  Of course on Saturday night, it POURED rain, but...thanks everyone being proactive in building us a wind and rain shelter over the fire pit, we sat around the campfire as it rained around us and it was fabulous!  Here are a few things that we did to prepare for the weekend....

• Plan all the meals and snacks, and don't forget to take some nice cheese and crackers!
• Pre-fry all the bacon and freeze it (works great, and you just reheat on the bbq in foil or on your handy Coleman stove)
• Pre-fry sausage and freeze it
• Bring some good pancake mix and make them fresh while you are camping.  Then....here's something new I learned this past weekend, since I forgot syrup....Pancakes + Nutella = Bliss......
• Pre-wash all veggies and put in ziploc bags or container
• If you  are planning to have ribs out at the camp site, pre cook them at home and then just toss them on the bbq!  easy, quick, and so very delicious
• One of our friends brought "Heluva good dip" (see link below). It was so yummy, and this dip has now been added to my permanent camping list
• Really, whatever you can do at home to lessen the work while camping....do it

Hard to see, but this is our
amazing shelter!  Awesome!

Cheers!  Definitely a great time had by all!

Even though it is a lot of work, it is so worth it in the end to get away from everything, and to just take a minute, and take a sip......and relax.  Thanks everyone for a great time!   

http://www.heluvagood.com/

50-50 party!

Both kids in 2009 donated to the Children's Hospital.
Their combined party-dontations totalled over $400.00!

For the past few years (can't remember exactly how many) we have done "no-present-birthday-parties" for our kids.   We are not mean parents, but we want to try and give something back to those in need.  It all started because our son was invited to a donation-party where we were asked to bring in a new stuffed animal, which was to be donated to the Children's Hospital.  Needless to say, we were inspired to do the same.  Since that time we have tried different donation-type birthday parties as  there are so many groups in need of help.  We have done Children's Hospital parties, Food Bank parties and Red Cross parties, where the invited guests bring a donation (monetary or otherwise) for the intended recipient.  The Children's Hospital parties were empowering for the kids as they got to sign and present an over-sized check to the Foundation and had their picture taken holding the big check!  They also sent a letter in the mail to the kids, and called them "Everyday Hero's", which was very inspiring. The Red Cross and the Food Bank also sent letters to thank the children for their generosity.  But since the those in need are too numerous to mention, it is important to us to donate to different charitable organizations.  Two years ago, one of the kids was invited to a 50-50 party, where you bring money, and half goes to a charity of the child's choice, and the remaining half is for the birthday girl or boy to save and/or spend.  What a great idea!  We now do the 50-50 party for our kids, and yesterday, our son's birthday was no exception.  I know it must sound strange, to have "No Gifts" written on the invite, and also to ask for money but I do specify that it is a 50-50 party and give details that half the money will go to charity.  A huge thank-you goes out to all the generous boys (and their parents!) who were here yesterday to celebrate our son's birthday, which raised 225 dollars, half of which will go to a charity of his choice.  This year he wants to donate the money to support children who end up going to school hungry because they do not have enough food and we are currently looking into a few options and will decide by the end of the week.  Our children have so much, and it is important for them to know that we can give back to our community and help others.  I will end this post with a few bullet points that you may be wondering about...

• Our kids get actual presents as well, and they are not completely "gift-less"
• There are lots of ways to give back to the community and various people and groups in need.  The 50-50 party is not for everyone, and I am not suggesting that children shouldn't get gifts
• It really comes down to what feels right, and what you are able to do.  For us right now, this is a nice compromise, and the kids get a bit of something, but also give a bit back to those in need

Blowholes and Craters and Tidal Pools (oh my!)

Haleakala Crater

The Maui Challenge Picture!   Friends of ours challenged us
to find this exact spot to take our family picture!  What a fun
thing to do!  Say Cheese!

Warning sign before the treacherous
hike down to see the blowhole

We did so many amazing day trips during our Maui vacation.  My husband read "Maui Revealed: 5th edition"  which is by far one of the best books to help plan your trip.  Besides some much needed beach time, we also planned a few field trip days to see some of the island sites.  Our field trips were definitely one of the highlights of our vacation.  Within the first 3 days, we saw the Haleakala Crater, the Blowhole on the northwest point of the island and the Olivine tidal pools.  The crater itself was breathtaking.  We drove up to the summit, and hiked up to a great picture spot.  We were 10023 feet above sea level!  The scariest part was when we were driving up to the crater, there were some extreme-sports dudes racing down the switchback roads at top speed on their skate boards, which completely freaked me out.  The Blowhole and the Olivine pools was another day trip and had its fair share of treacherous hiking....the sign says it all.  Thankfully we all made the hike with only one minor cut (yes, it was me!).  

I think what we enjoyed most about Maui was that there was so much to do, yet, there were also days where it was just as wonderful to sit on the beach and enjoy the view with a few Mai Tai's.   

The lookout before the crater...we were above the clouds!

 

The Olivine Tidal Pools

The largest pool here was great for a quick jump and dip!

Smile for the blowhole!

She's about to blow!

Amazing!

    

                                                       

Rite of Passage

Noah and Mena a long time ago!

Noah age 11 and 3/4.
He's 12 today!  HBD Noah!

We are slowly adjusting to our life post-Maui...back to school, back to work, and now just anxiously awaiting for the school year to end and summer holidays to begin.  This week, the big event was that our son had outdoor-school:  three nights at a camp for about 100 grade 6 students.  Here's how it went:  dropped him at school on Monday, equipped with a sleeping bag, clothes for every kind of weather known to mankind and footwear for all occasions.  Then, picked him up on Thursday afternoon, hoping he had at least one shower over the three days!  He didn't even want me to go into the school with him on Monday!  All I got was a "uhh....seeyalater mom..."  and just like that he was gone for three nights.  He was a little homesick, but he survived and more importantly, he now knows that  he can survive without mom and dad around all of the time. It's such an important lesson for both parents and children.  For us, we need to learn to "cut the cord" as it were.  For them, they need to know that they can manage without us.  While this was just a 3-day stint at a camp,  it was also a "rite of passage", teaching  many valuable lessons not only about how to make fire and shelter, but about survival and building confidence from within.

Aloha!

The Brown Goddess herself

Aloha!  It has been far too long since my last blog post!  We were in Hawaii to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary, for my husband's 40th birthday and for a much needed family vacation.   As far as vacations go, I don't think words can express how amazing it was.  We were in Maui for 12 glorious days and nights and had some phenomenal island adventures.  We did a 14 hour drive around the island...those of you familiar with Maui know that as the Road to Hana.  We saw a huge blowhole, drove up to the summit of the volcano crater, snorkelled with sea turtles, saw dolphins, relaxed on the beach, watched 12 amazing sunsets and most importantly, the four of us spent time together as a family with no interruptions.  No doorbells, no phone calls, no mail.  Our kids actually belonged to us for 12 days and nights.   I even think they became friends during this trip (when I mentioned this to them though, the kids were NOT impressed).  We are a close family and do enjoy spending time together, but at home, life happens when you are not paying attention.  On vacation, its like everything takes a break, and you can really spend quality time together. It doesn't always have to be Maui (though wouldn't THAT be nice?) but really, this vacation reiterated the importance of spending time as a family.

On the boat to Molokini!

Hey...its his last day of being 39!  And...he's smiling!

Father and son.

All around, a great day!

The kids on "our little beach"

Happy Anniversary Dance at the Sheraton Luau

A view of our beach from the deck

Our sunset deck....ahhhh......Mai Tai anyone?

Sherene and Christina
aka  rawchefchristina.blogspot.com

We stayed at an amazing place called Polynesian Shores Resort but rented our unit from "vacation rental by owner" vrbo.com  The condo complex itself was beautiful and the property was amazing.  It was a smaller place, with a shared deck where you could barbecue overlooking the ocean.  It was like clockwork everyday....people would gather on the deck between 6 - 6:30 with their sunset drinks and sit, and watch the sunset at 7 pm (yes, I took a few pictures of the sunset...about 10 - 12 per day....).  Then we would all BBQ, chat, laugh, drink...and we met some amazing people!  (Hello to Sharon and Cory and their family!  Hello to Christina and Gary!)

We have been back for almost a week, and all suffered from PMD....Post Maui Depression.  Of course, now, life goes on, and we have the memories of the trip (and over 500 photos and some assorted video clips).  What an amazing gift we were given.  I have dreamed of Maui a number of times since our return, and every dream has flowers, and water, and us.  Mahalo!