hearts and cupids arrows :: a valentine’s crafts.

January 13, 2013 by mama lola

valentine’s day is almost upon us.

the stores are already filling their shelves with heart shaped boxes filled with chocolates to suit everyone’s flavour preferences. there are cardboard cut outs of cupids hanging in windows and there are lots faux red roses around town.

here are some cute and simple craft projects i’ve gathered from pinterest. i especially love the little cupid arrows made of twigs and felt.

1. sewn hearts from: pinterest

2. valentine twig arrows by: carolyn at homework

3. heart bookmark by:martha stewart

4. paper hearts by crafty dream

5.heart garland by: kristina and e.j. at toddler approved

6.heart quote from: found on pinterest

rice pudding :: riisi puuro

January 12, 2013 by mama lola

in finland eating rice pudding/ riisi puuro in and around christmas is very traditional. my boys love it so much, that i’ve extended the yummy stretch and have made the rice pudding into a winter favourite. i often make it on the stove and then the oven, but now that i have my beautiful crock pot i have slow cooked it too, which is kinda easier. no transferring of ingredients etc!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups uncooked sticky rice (or brown rice)
5 cups whole milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar

add all of the ingredients into your slow cooker and cook for 4-6 hours. i cook mine about 4.5 hours.

i got a recipe from vegetarian slow cooker recipes and then tweaked it a bit to suit my tastes. her recipe includes more sugar, raisins, vanilla and lemon zest among other things. i like to keep my rice pudding simple, so that it can be jazzed up with toppings instead.

when i serve the kids their bowls of rice pudding, i sprinkle a tiny bit of sugar and cinnamon, and add a bit of milk. sometimes i will also add some berries or fruit. the kids love this snack, especially for ilta pala, our bedtime snack.

this moment

January 11, 2013 by mama lola

as inspired by souleMama; one photo from our week, no words, only an image to sum up our time as a family. one that captures a moment in time and is a visual reminder of where we were at this moment. feel free to leave a link from your moment this week.

self-care, starting with small steps.

January 10, 2013 by mama lola

so, i’m trying to change some bad old habits and am trying to incorporate more ME time into each day. it’s hard tough. with the kids schedules of school drop offs, lunch, bum wipes and nap times and then school pick ups, meal prep, it really leaves shockingly small windows of time for me to do something for myself. i used to be able to do some things in the evenings after dear hubby got home, but now that bear is in school and our days start so early i find it harder to motivate myself to leave the house after dinner. maybe that will change once spring arrives and it’s not so dark so early.

but, i am making some progress. i am back to blogging regularly, which i really enjoy. i am spending small amounts of time out of the house, alone or with friends and i am working hard not to feel guilty about it. i know that sounds ridiculous, but i really do suffer from a serious case of mother’s guilt. i feel guilty about so many things. in fact, in a sick twist of irony i feel guilty for feeling guilty. sigh.

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i am learning to let go.
let go expectations. those ridiculously high expectations i have. of myself.
and, i am learning to be more realistic about what i can and should do.

i hit the gym after school drop off, and before lunch yesterday morning. it seems like it’s the optimal time to get that small task done for me. here’s hoping it becomes a new habit. it felt pretty good to do something for me, even though my stint at the Y was short and sweet. we’ll see what happens next week.

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i am moving onward and upward in this new year. away from the hard and destructive old habits, to healthier ones. new habits are still hard, but at least i’m moving towards something positive, instead of sitting in something stagnant.

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i love all of these quotations i found on pinterest.
i feel like i need some positive affirmations, some positive vibes thrown my way.
a friend recommended a book to read about mothering, and guilt, and all that fun stuff.

slow cooker vegetarian chili

January 9, 2013 by mama lola

i love me a good chili, especially during these cold winter months.

this is my own version of a veggie chili. there are lots and lots of recipes out there, and sometimes it’s good to try something different with an old favourite. but, here is my tried and tested vegetarian chili recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 can of black beans
1 can chick peas
1 can stewed, diced tomatoes
1/2 jar of tomato pasta sauce

1 large yellow onion
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery
1 zucchini
1/2 red bell pepper

3 tblsp olive olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
1-3 tsp chili powder (depends how spicy you like it)
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-3 bay leafs

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. chop up onion and garlic. stew in pan with heated olive oil.
2. throw in chopped carrots, celery, zucchini and red bell pepper. add to slow cooker.
3. add beans and spices to the slow cooker. mix ingredients well before starting cooking process.
4. i cook mine for about 5 hours, but i have done it in less time when in a time pinch!
5. serve with a dollop of sour cream or shredded cheese on top!

my kids love chili! sometimes if i have pasta sauce or rice left overs in the fridge i will throw those into my chili. and, if i feel like we need a protein kick i will add a block of tofu of any density.

enjoy!

discover the fun of discovery bottles!

January 8, 2013 by mama lola

my bear got some homework for this past holiday season. he was to make a “discovery bottle” and then was to share his bottle with the class during their “show & share” time. it was an assignment that he completed with the help of dear hubby and lion, too. lion actually made his own little discovery bottle.

for his bottle bear included some balsam and cedar branches, shells and crab legs from the various beaches out east collected during our road trip, acorns and chestnuts from central park collected from our trip to NYC, some beads and lots of glitter for good measure. it’s a super fast and as easy or difficult project as you make it.

the boys collected a bunch of items to put inside the bottle, popped them inside, filled the bottle with water leaving a little space for air, so the bottle can flipped and the items can easily move around. finally, dear hubby hot glued the lid on ensuring no leaks or other messy disasters!

pinterest is full of various ideas for this project. you can use all sorts of ingredients n your bottle. water, beads, sand, toys, yarn, food colouring etc etc. we got the idea of using tree branched from the website “teach preschool”.

have you ever made on of these? what did you put inside?

winter fun!

January 7, 2013 by mama lola

last winter sucked! there was one day of snow, every other day was grey and miserable and awful. this winter, is a hit! we have had snow, we have played in it, frolicked in it and we went for a fantastic toboggan morning with friends the other day.

the air was filled with laughter.

and screams.

the adults behaved like kids.

and, it snowed all day. from morning to night, giving us an ample source of the white stuff for some serious snowman building! my guys are actually building their own hill in the backyard for tobogganing. dear hubby gets right into it and has been shovelling snow from our driveway into the backyard. it’s going to be fast and fun!

i love the winter.
it’s my favourite season. my family loves winter too.
what’s your favourite time of year?

happy or content, which is better?

January 6, 2013 by mama lola

are you happy?

what exactly does that mean? people claim to be happy, but are they really? and, what actually constitutes as happy? what makes happy, happy?

i wrote in a previous post about the drudgery of my life. my dear hubby was a little miffed and confused by this critical description of my current phase in life. i explained that it wasn’t meant to be negative, but rather an observation of my life at this moment i7n time. he seemed to understand, but i don’t think he actually did. our lives are actually quite different; his and mine. he has this whole other part that does not involve me at all; another part that i can’t really even talk with him about because it’s about computers and tech things that i know nothing about; another part that includes a myriad of people i don’t know. his life outside our home is a bit of a mystery to me in many ways. not because he is secretive, but because it is beyond our family and the four walls of our home.

my life is not a mystery at all. dear hubby knows all the ins and outs of my life, the routines, the people we see and the places we go, because he participates in those activities. in fact there is nothing fascinating, stimulating or intellectually challenging about it. my life, my every day revolves around the needs of my family. my kids are top priority, as is my husband, then the house, the car and i guess i fit in after the car, but before the garden? not sure.

this shattering realization about myself hit me smack in the face several weeks ago. like really, SMACK, in the middle of my brow leaving a mark to remind of the lack of value i place on myself. and, because i place such little value on myself, others follow suit without even realizing and without meaning to be hurtful. how is it that my needs, however big or small, have been worthless enough to ignore for so long?

my life is pretty dull as it cycles through the daily, weekly routines meeting the needs of others. a few weeks ago someone close to me asked what i wanted to do in life, where i saw myself in 5 or 10 years. i sat there and was unable to come up with an answer. i have no goals, no aspirations, which is honestly quite unlike me. i have always been working towards something whether it’s been with schooling or saving money for a big purchase or whatever.

it’s as though i have given up on myself. my life. it’s as though i am here only as a vessel to help my children navigate through childhood into adulthood, and to support my partner in his goals and aspirations.

(augh, i write that and i am embarrassed and ashamed that i have allowed this to happen.)

it doesn’t even matter how i got to this place, but what does matter, is that first i find a path that will eventually take me to the road i want to be on in life. in MY life. i have to step away from my kids and dear hubby, and allow myself space to focus on my needs, so that i can start to feel whole again. so, that i will re-learn how to place value in myself. my worth cannot come from others, but must come from inside myself, for myself.

how did i not know this before? isn’t this the kind of thing oprah has been jabbering on about for years? how did i not hear it or understand it?

so, am i happy? i think, at this point in my i’m actually looking for long term, consistent contentment and satisfaction in my life, rather than happiness. because, as surprising or confusing as it may sound, i think i am actually already happy with my life. i am happy for everything that i have, the people, the things, the experiences, the adventures, the heartaches… i am happy with all of it as it is all a part of my journey.

my self worth obviously is not connected to my happiness.

my happiness obviously has come from external elements.

my happiness does not guarantee satisfaction with my life.

this mama has some self-care to get to right about now.
how you at tending to your needs?
are you happy?
how do you know you’re happy?

kids books.

January 5, 2013 by mama lola

the kids weren’t gifted any books this christmas, which is kinda odd (well, dear hubby and i bought them a couple of books). point being, i’m looking for some book suggestions for my kids. lion is 2.5 yrs and bear will be 5 yrs in about a month (what?!).
i’m looking for interesting books in fiction, non fiction, whatevs! My sister bought personalised childrens book for her three children and they adore them, I may be purchasing some for next christmas!

i prefer reading books about non-branded characters, books that are thoughtfully written and full of pictures that are interesting and beautiful to look at. i love it when the children’s book illustrations are more impressive than the story itself because your kid can get lost in the beautiful pictures. when i’m reading to my kids, i want to inspire them with the words they are hearing and with the images they are looking at. it always astonishes me how many poorly written kids books get published. we happen to own some of those terrible books, but i try to sneakily “lose” some of them when the kids aren’t looking!

so, do you have some fave’s you enjoy reading to your kids?
a favourite author? or book?
what do your kids like at bedtime?

we do hit the local library often, and enjoy a large selection from there, but i do like to add some good titles to the children’s book selection as well. we’re book people. we have bookshelves full of books, collecting lots of dust. it’s just what we do!