A Little Bit of Inspiring Food...

I have a few links to share today that I have come across in my hours and hours of blog reading ;)

This cute little video had me craving a treat from a real French bakery today...see it here!

(Once upon a time I really did eat many chocolate croissants in France!)


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I stumbled upon this website of photographer, Nicole Franzen. I sat looking at her photos with my mouth hanging open, they are so incredible! I'd also like to eat at the places she photographed, especially the first picture...

(Photos from Nicole Franzen's website)

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La Tartine Gourmande food blog pretty much takes the cake...sorry. I am bookmarking a ton of her recipes to try if I can, they all look so delicious, fresh and delicate, and again, French! Her baking makes our Canadian recipes look so heavy and bulky (cough*Company's Coming*cough). Take a look at La Tartine Gourmande, even if it's just to admire her beautiful photography and dreamy life in France :) She even has her own cookbook...!

(Photos from website of La Tartine Gourmande)

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And finally, I just started reading the blog Hither & Thither. She posted about the New Amsterdam Dairy Market in New York, and it looks amazing. It makes me excited to get out to our own Farmer's Markets here in Edmonton...although ours don't even come close to this one, I still can't wait to get fresh local produce and hang out in the market crowds. Okay I actually hate crowds, but I'm sure the excitement of our first trip to an outdoor market either downtown or in St.Albert will make it alright!

(Photos from blog of Hither & Thither)

P.S. She also posted about the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn and I wish I could be there right now! Was it already a year ago that we were there? Obviously we need to come during market season...

(Photos from blog of Hither & Thither)

My humble review of the Calma bottle nipple from Medela

Remember back in my breastfeeding post, I talked about wanting to try the new Calma nipple for our Medela bottles?

Well, as wonderful and high tech as it seemed, it actually has not been useful for bottle feeding Ellie so far. She will be 3 months old on Friday, and she has let us know loud and clear that this is not her bottle nipple of choice. We tried to give her one bottle of expressed breastmilk a day since she was 5 weeks old to get her used to a bit of bottle feeding early on. Once in a while she took to the Calma nipple, but mostly not.

The nipple itself it quite large, even though it can be used for little babies as it's supposed to simulate breastfeeding. At first we thought she was loving breastfeeding so much that she just didn't like a plastic nipple. However, we tried her on our other nipples for the Medela bottles, and she instantly took to them just fine. (See picture above)
Not to mention, the Calma nipples are a whopping $20 each!! Yikes.

Perhaps she will like them when she is a bit older and less picky about the size or shape of the Calma, but I can't say it's as glorious as the website makes it seem!


P.S. Soon I'd like to share my thoughts on our Ergo baby carrier and our now double Phil & Ted's stroller!

Potty Time or Party Time?

Before Ellie was born, I had sort of started trying Wren on the potty. Occasionally she'd go. But I was working full time so I didn't have time to work on it much with her. Our moms were trying to get her to start using the potty when they watched her during the week which helped but we didn't have anything super consistent happening.

Then Ellie came (early!) and it dashed my plans of trying to train Wren in the month I thought I'd have off. 

So training went on hold. And had been until now.

I kept saying she wasn't quite ready, but I think I meant that I wasn't ready. Granted, having a new baby throws things off in the house for a while, which is fine. Now that the dust has settled, it's time.

I literally cannot handle changing toddler poo in a diaper anymore! But I honest to goodness don't really know how to do this training business.

We're doing cloth diapers with Ellie (like we did with Wren), and I hate buying the disposable size 6 (the largest) diapers for Wren. Pull-ups are okay but she views them as diapers. Whatever. We've just started plunking her on her little duckie potty many times during the day while we are at home. 

I'm not going to be sharing much more than this in regards to potty training...because frankly, who wants to know the details?! But if you have wisdom to offer, I'd love to hear it!

We caught the smiles!!

The smiles have been caught on camera, for real this time!

In the great outdoors

We spent the entire day outside yesterday. And although that sounds lovely, easy, fun...it was actually hard.

 I really didn't think it would be. I had the girls packed up into the double stroller, snacks in the diaper bag, blanket to lay on, nursing cover, everything we needed to go to the playground and just hang out. But we couldn't just hang out.

Wren is at an awkward playground age- she is big enough to get up on things and play by herself, but too little to be left alone up on those big play structures with the bigger kids running around her. So unless Ellie is in the carrier on my front, I can't follow Wren around the playground with the stroller while Ellie sleeps. 

Dilemma. 

I also can't just let Ellie lay on a blanket and kick and try to watch Wren at the same time. If Ellie doesn't sleep in the stroller...I have to hold her in my arms...(I kicked myself for not bringing the Ergo with me today)...so what did I do?

I kind of tried to do both. I tried pushing Wren on the swings with the stroller close by, running over to it every several pushes to check on Ellie who was looking around and minutes away from agitation. Then there were tons of kids in the playground, so I suggested to Wren that we go to the other playground another block over because it might be quieter.

It was totally dead in fact, except for the teenage boys playing in the field yelling f-bombs in jest at each other. Super. 

And there was no bench in the shade. And the only shade was under one lonely tree. And I had to feed Ellie...again. 

Sigh. This should be easier!

As a result, we went home to our own backyard. So. much. easier. To an extent. It means I run in and out of the house a million times for things and it would also be easier with a fence there so I don't have to fret that a homeless person rooting through the trash might come into the backyard. 

But hey. 

The other day Wren was at the grandparents so I took Ellie on an errand to the grocery store. I was unpacking the stroller from the trunk (instead of using a cart), and about to plunk Ellie's carseat into it, when a sweet little grannie stopped and said, "Oh I don't know how you young girls do it these days! I used to just stay home!"

That made me laugh because in reality? We must just make it look easy, that's all.

Rachel's guide to Victoria

I can't believe I forgot to share this blog post that my dear friend, Rachel Synchyshyn did months ago. She sent me the link and it blew me away. If you are ever heading to Victoria for a little vacation, you need to check out her guide to eating and hanging out in the city. See it here! Kenton and I went to Victoria for our honeymoon and we would highly recommend it as a great vacation spot.

I think she could become a professional blogger, it's so thorough and well written. Great job Rachel!

(Ferris Grill- from Rachel's original post)

Faces

What a little chubby bunny...

Last night she was giving us big smiles! Kenton took pictures, we were so excited...and then realized there was no memory card in the camera.

UGH. 

We will try again. 

Actually these are my attempts at trying again. 

Getting that smile on camera is so tricky!

Wren has been loving this song- Not the Boy Next Door (the Glee version). It's been on repeat in our living room, dance actions included...

By the way, see photos of us on Amanda's blog here! 

It's obvious why we keep calling her back :)

Backyard fun

Wren is certainly no baby anymore...

Her first summer...

And second summer...

And third! It's sort of hard to believe. That pool looks like it's shrinking...and what a mane of hair!

Like a true red head, she spent an afternoon slathered in sunscreen and wearing her wide brimmed hat from Joe. I found her bathing suit on babysteals. I wish I could remember the brand, because it unsnaps at the bum to get it on and off easier- like if an accident were to happen...

Ellie hangs out in her new Peapod which I LOVE. If she wasn't comfortably kicking around in this, she would be squirming around in her car seat while Wren and I played in the backyard. Not fun. And I can zip it up to keep bugs off. It has a blow up mat that you slide into the bottom of the tent that you can blow up without a pump. No, this one does not self inflate... :) (Small inside joke there for some readers!)

It also sets itself up. When you unzip the bag it comes in, it literally flies open and nearly knocks you unconscious if you don't watch out!

See? Loving it...

Andrea and my mom helped (I mean, did ALL the work), in planting flowers for us in the backyard. I do not have a green thumb. At all. Ikea plants are in better shape being unwatered and indoors at the store than they do at my house. 

So I asked Andrea to pick out flowers that could withstand mistakes (like being over or under watered) and wouldn't die on me too easily. 

The ones she picked were lovely...

These flowers have some amazing colors!

And my herb pot. It's still waiting for another herb to fit in there. Andrea planted some chocolate mint (smells the best), rosemary, thyme, and basil. Basil drives me crazy. Out of any plant, it hates me the most, but I love to cook with it. Such a love/hate relationship, and it's hate for me usually wins.

The Sweetie Girls

Oh these two, they are real pals. 

We played with the neighbours outside, it was so nice and hot! I took pictures and will post those later. Wren in a polka dot bathing suit and Ellie in a polka dot romper. Cutest. I sit here and write while it gets windier and cloudy and maybe dumps some rain. I love when a hot day ends up cooling off in the evening.

The loads of laundry never end around here. Poo. Barf. Food. Kids need multiples of clothing just to stay dressed. 

However, Wren stayed in one lady-bug print dress all day, which signals summer days. It was full of watermelon juice, sunscreen, dirt and grass by the end of the day, just like it should be when a day is spent playing!

I caught a glimpse of this sweet little moment last night from the window. Ellie was fussier than heck and so Kenton took her outside for some quiet time. It sort of worked. She basically fussed from the evening until 2 am. UGH. The worst. 

But this little scene...the best...

We have been propping Ellie up on this pillow during the night because of her super stuffy nose (special thanks to big sister for passing on a cold a while back), but by morning she has wiggled and sunk down into the center. 

Then I walk in and see this chubby arm sticking out. Houdini.