Birthday Recaps

I've noticed a trend. I start each post off saying 'I haven't posted in a really long time', or something similar. But time passes by so easily, and especially with February jam packed with Birthdays and then getting slapped by 30 (now my excuse is old-age?), I can say it's been busy.

Cara turned 1. We didn't hold a cray cray party - not bouncy castle, no 25 kids running around with kazoos, a creepy clown.... etc. I didn't do all that either with Colin, but I do remember putting on more of a 'party' for Colin when he turned 1... and then realized - they just don't care. They just want cake.

So, for good old #2, we had a nice little family dinner on her actual birthday, with a homemade carrot cake (which she inhaled), and for her 'party' we invited 2 families. That's right. 4 kids total. It was a nice quaint way to eat a nice bbq meal with close friends, and to say we celebrated Cara's first birthday with a party.

For Colin, on the day of his birthday, Joe took the day off work and took the whole family to the zoo. Low key, and just good family quality time. We hit up the Olive Garden in Langley afterward too - we felt so.... American.

Colin's birthday was a little bit more exciting. He had a party - a real birthday party. Last year, he didn't get much of a party, since we had just given birth to Cara a few weeks earlier and I couldn't be bothered to put on a razzled dazzled show, but this year I asked him what he wanted - and he wanted a pinata. And a pinata he got. He had a dinosaur themed gig, with an egg hunt, and pin the tale on the dinosaur, and good tiny friends and food - it was the perfect way to celebrate him being just a boy.






Then came mine. Thirty. We just had a simple dinner with family on the night of my birthday, and then got together with some friends at our local steakhouse (Onyx).

I found that 30 wasn't as daunting as it appeared. Joe asked me how I felt about turning 30, and I told him that I'm pretty proud of it. Having met Joe, married, bought a house, had 2 kids, and raising a family (and a pretty happy and healthy one at that), makes me feel like holding my head up high at this ripe old age. Well, and also getting my ID checked in Hawaii didn't hurt either ;)

Anyway, I'll do an April recap too, but these weeks have just flown by!

Colin Says - the 'Why' Stage

Ah. Why.

Why this. Why that? Why why why why why - I'm am currently in this stage. And I must say, I'm embracing it... I do enjoy the curiosity, and I feel like if I somhow answer all of his questions correctly, he'll continue to be curious about everything else in life, and then bug smarter people for better answers.

But, the why got a little personal today.

Colin: Why are your eyes so big Mommy?
Me: Because that's the way I was made.
Colin: Why is your mouth so big?
Me: Because that's the way I was made.
Colin: Why is your belly so big?
Me: .


I'll just go eat my lettuce leaf for lunch today, thank you.

Colin Says

Before he went for quiet time in his bed, Cara and I were accompanying him in his room. He was in his bed getting his books and stuffies ready and said to Cara and myself, "Come on in my bed girls!"

................................

Colin was awake still by 9pm (after we had put him to bed at 7:45) but he wasn't yelling for us, we just heard some thumping. Joe decided to use this time to just spend with Colin, and told him he was very proud of him for 2 reasons.

Joe: Colin, Daddy is very proud of you for 2 reasons. 1. You went on the potty all day today, and your diaper was dry!
Colin (interrupting Joe): and 2. I'm proud of you for playing the pizza game Daddy!
Joe: Yes, well... then... 3. I'm proud of you that even though you were awake, you didn't yell and you just stayed in your bed and tried to sleep. I'm so proud of you Colin.
Colin (interrupting again): and 4..... and I like Daddy.

Potty Mouth

Colin's potty training. And He's just turned 3, and it seems like the tantrum gods have poured out their rains on me all at once and all I've experienced this morning are stomping, the word 'no', crying, and all around toddler pms.

But, he had his moments. He still went poo on the potty, and as he was doing his thing and analyzing the product (like all men do), he had an epiphany.

He said to me, "Mommy, I'm making a poo poo snowman!".

The Story of a Pinata

I haven't blogged in a while. Well, there were 2 kids with birthdays in February, so you can imagine how busy it has been. For Colin's birthday, I asked him what he wanted. He was allowed to wish for ONE thing. I was thinking of a toy. Or a game, or going somewhere special (like Koko's) or food. He loves treats, Pocky or really - anything he wanted I thought I was able to guess and just go out and buy it. Well, he told me. He wanted.... a piñata.

Seriously kid? A Piñata??? Where, and what and how do you know about piñatas?

Regardless, he is one of the apples of my eyes, and I would do just about anything for this boy. Even a frikkin Piñata. So, here is the story, of a triceratops piñata.

It didn't start off very promising. I was a bit deflated, as it started to look like a flying pig with a cape blowing in the wind.

I then asked my neighbour to use their newspapers - I was going to fix this thing, and do some serious plastic surgery. A nose job here..

A butt implant there....

some horny additions

And a final coat of tissue paper and paint makes it a for shizzle rizzle be-dazzled piñata.


I actually let Colin paint something abstract on it afterwards. And, instead of letting 3 year olds bat it to death (my poor husband would probably lose several appendages), I had a trap door with random strings for them to pull. I'll post the final photo from the party in a later blog. But this is all I have for now. Enjoy!

Cara Climbs.... everything.

These are the places I have discovered Cara this morning so far. I've turned away to do just a couple things, and have come back on separate occasions, to find her:


inside the ottoman

on top of Colin's art table

on top of the filing cabinet, tinkering with all the crap on our computer desk

Note the markers she found, and has inside her mouth. This is actually the second time she did this today, and the first time I found a huge cube of paperclips spilled, and her gnawing on a few of the paperclips.




She's an unstoppable beast.

Easy Cooking: Sticky Lemon Chicken

Don't you love delicious, easy, and one-pot(pan) meals?? Well this is surely one that will keep the husband happy, the guests talking, and your kitchen clean.

I've actually known about this recipe for ages, but recently just remembered it when I had a ton of chicken I had to use up.

I don't really follow a lot of chefs, but this is Gordon Ramsay's recipe. He's a bit of an OCD freak in the video, he claps his hands (a lot), looks like he's been a little medicated and high-strung... but hey, if I think I can even attempt something like this, you know that it's lazy mom friendly.

Ingredients:

8-10 Chicken thighs (you know I always go for these - they're cheap)
salt & pepper
soy sauce
Sherry (in Gordo's recipe, it calls for Sherry vinegar. I only had Sherry, and vinegar, so I just put 2 together)
Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Lemons (slices, and another one for juice)
fresh thyme
water
honey


What to do:
1. season the chicken, and then fry if skin-side down. if your pan isn't big enough, do it in batches. you want a nice delicious crunch golden skin.. mmm... and if you're a health diet freak, i'm sure skinless will be fine too. but hot dang... fried skin is so good.

2. turn chicken to brown other side (and drain the oil)

3. add soy, sherry, vinegar, lemon juice, and thyme. use your judgement on measuring these - it's up to you if you want it saltier, more sour, sweet... etc. I'd recommend anything between 2-4tbsp of each.

4. put a slice of lemon on top of each chicken, then slap a lid on and let it cook for... 7-10 minutes.

5. Open up the lid, put some honey in it... and let it cook for a little bit longer 1-2 minutes, and then take the chicken out.

6. Technically the meal is done, but if you want to go the extra mile - reduce the remaining sauce, add butter, more honey, and then pour it over your chicken.

It's so freaking good, and so freaking easy. Here's the video if you want to watch good ol twitchy Gordo make it.