If Im not mistaken…

Ok, so maybe cooking quinoa in apple juice wasn’t a perfect idea.  It was just a little “too much”.

Too tart, too overpowering, too warm?  It was better with a bit of milk which cooled it down and mellowed the taste.  I’m not one who likes milk in my porridge so; I wasn’t initialing going to eat it that way.  I put the milk in my son’s bowl—his first time trying quinoa—and he seemed to like it.

Next time, I’ll cook it plain and add applesauce.  That might be the way to go.

But the apple juice may be useful for a cold quinoa salad, a nice accompaniment to tuna?  I do enjoy tuna melts with granny smith apple and cheese.  Ah, something else to try.

Have you tried Quinoa yet?  It’s quite a strange little grain or seed, texture wise.  I’ve tried it a couple times as an accompaniment to stir fry.  The last time, I cooked the quinoa in pineapple juice which was really wonderful.  I think I will try it for breakfast next.  I see some recipes online that call for cooking the quinoa and mixing it with cooked apples.  My idea is to cook it directly with apple juice.  Wouldn’t that be easier?  Add a bit of cinnamon and whoo hoo!  I wonder if it will need some sweetener?   A little brown sugar? 

You can read more about Quinoa here.  Recipes. 

Looks like it contains about 6g of protein per serving.  (1/4 cup of dry)

Another plane and another and another, oh and a helicopter and yet another plane!

Yes, we spent the afternoon at the Air Museum.  Except for a few groups/classes of young children the museum was quiet and great for exploring.   My son had tons of room to run around—ok, to walk around at a brisk pace.  We wish they had planes you could actually climb into, not just the cockpits and partial helicopters but, other than that it was a good time.

I noticed on the walls there were emblems from air force platoons.  They all had different mottos and animals.  Some were nice like, “We Stand on Guard”, “Keeping the Peace” and others were scary like, “We Kill at Night”.  I should have an emblem with a turtle, its head in its shell, and the motto, “I’m Busy Procrastinating”.

A sixty year old woman gave birth to twin boys Tuesday morning in Calgary, Alberta.   

Sixty!  Can you imagine?  I feel, personally, that thirty-eight would be my maximum cut off age for having children (nice round number, huh?!) and this would probably have me becoming a grandmother in my sixties.  (If my children decide to have kids of their own…no pressure! Ha!) 

I do hope that this couple has close family that will help raise the twins.  Sure, babies are cute and all, but they do get active and adventurous before you know it.   

But then again, they say that having children keeps you young.  Maybe these new white hairs that seem to be sprouting from my scalp are an illusion?  Eek! 

Anyhow, congratulations to the happy new parents and I hope you enjoy your new bundles of joy!

(yes, donor eggs and IVF were involved.)

Are you thinking about inexpensive ways to treat your sweet tooth on Valentine’s Day?

Well, Dairy Queen has me craving the Chocolate Covered Cherries Blizzard (ok, Choco-Cherry Love).  What could be better for a mid-winter pick me up?  Two spoons?  Aw!

Little Debbie has Be My Valentine cakes, cute and pink and perfect to make someone smile!

Actually, if you are feeling creative, you could buy pretty much any cookie and decorate them with frosting and sprinkles like gingerbread men.  Or you could even write personalized messages or names. 

In the book Hello Cupcake! By Alan Richardson and Karen Tack there are instructions on making the coolest mini cupcakes that look like boxed chocolates.  (Brown paper liners and all)

Mmmmm….don’t forget the cinnamon hearts, chocolate covered marshmallows on sticks, and shall I go on?   

I just came across this article about tongue size.  Yes, studies have found that there’s a close link between fat content of the tongue and BMI.  So if you are overweight, your tongue will be larger and with that, you are at a great risk for snoring.  Sounds plausible, so will the next solution for people with sleep apnea, be a little liposuction to the tongue?  Is that even possible?

I also wonder, in the coming years, will they start measuring tongue fat or density at the gym? Will there be a whole new wave of workout videos targeting tongue exercises?  Will women start saying things like, “Oh man that cake went straight to my tongue!”  Just kidding.  Hmmm, does Gene Simmons, from KISS, snore?  He might be game for bit of tongue lipo.  LOL

Here are some of our favorite household chores to do together.

Setting the Table While you work on preparing dinner, your child can work on putting the table together.  Help them by announcing what needs to go on the table next, or set out a tray prepared with everything, so they simply need to put it in its place.  Don’t forget about condiments and napkins.

Unloading the Dishwasher  I always take the cutlery out myself first.  Then my little guy hands me the rest–plates, cups and bowls–to be put away in the cabinets.

Washing the Dishes  Warm water and bubbles, what’s not to like?  Just make sure there aren’t any knives or breakable glass cups that can slip.  Oh, and be prepared to fight over the tap to rinse your dishes.

Laundry  Sitting on the dryer, my son can pour in the laundry soap, help drop in the clothes and play with the dryers timer.  Beeeeeeep!

Dusting  Magic wand or Feather duster?  They can dust the baseboards and coffee tables in no time.

Windows  Children love playing with spray bottles.  Fill the bottle with water and vinegar not harmful chemicals.  You can also get them to spray the mirrors or sinks.  Getting them to stop spraying is the hardest part.

Cooking/Baking  Whether it be stirring, adding ingredients, cutting out cookie shapes or simply lining muffin tins, food preparation is always a hit.

Retrieving the Recycle Bins  The bins are big but light enough to drag.  How fast can they race you to the door?

Caring for Pets  Dishing out cat or dog food, brushing the pets fur and helping wash the dog are all great baby steps to learning the responsibilities of pet ownership.

More snow came down yesterday and this morning.  It covered everything with a fresh blanket of blinding white.   The snow is soft and fluffy and like quicksand when you are up to your knees in it.

I taught my son how to make tractor wheel markings in the snow by walking with his feet in a staggered “V”.  He, however, rather just play Follow the Leader, creating a maze of snow paths, while crawling on his hands and knees.  He stopped occasionally to rest.  I watched contently as he lay dreamily on his snow bed with his eyes closed.  Then for a bit of energy he’d grab a few mouthfuls of snow and zoom, he’d be up and off again.  Thank goodness the snow is freshly fallen.

I spy with my little eye; I see something cold and white!  Ah ha!  It is Day Four of my focus on snow fun. 

Today, inspired by the crafty folks online putting together a material version of this preschool game, I tried to create an “I Spy” or “Eye Spy” bag.  I used a large Ziploc bag, various small items from around the house and a few handfuls of snow.  I also typed up a check off list of the items hiding in the baggy.

It was a blast watching father and son squishing away at the snow trying so hard to find all the small objects that had gotten lost in white.   It definitely was a two man game.  My son lost interest before all the items were found and even my Hubby had trouble with the smallest button and sequin.

My son says he does want to try playing again tomorrow.  Maybe I’ll hide a few bigger items, like his Hot Wheel cars, inside and fewer items all around (maybe 10).  At least it’s easy to open the bag up and try over and over and over again.

Brrr.  The blowing snow packs quite a wind chill.  Let’s stay inside sipping hot tea and playing with, hmmm….SNOW!  Yup, it’s day three of my little snow festival.

Here’s my activity of the day to entertain the little ones.  Bring some snow indoors and give them a treasure hunt at the same time.

First the set up.  Put down large garbage bags on the table and on the floor.  Take out sand toys, spoons, cars, whatever toys that won’t be damaged by getting wet.  Print out some winter vocabulary and slide it into a Ziploc bag.  Taping the bag down to a tray is a good idea, an idea that I did not do but wish I did.  Cover the tray with snow, get the kids some thin gloves on and let them play!

By the end of our play session most of the snow had melted but we were able to make some tiny snowmen and the treasure hunt was a success.  I heard lots of “What does this say?” and we played “Can you find the word that starts with….”

The clean up was nice and simple too.  I just dumped the remaining snow into the sink and laid the garbage bags in the little bathroom to dry.