Diet Cookies

Today we made gingerbread houses. They turned out great, and the kids had a lot of fun.




With some of the leftover cookie dough, I made some mini cookies...


Aren't they cute?

I thought they were so adorable, and I chuckled to myself that they made great 'diet' cookies. Oh, what fun. Although, I'll have to explain to people, that they really aren't diet, just in size. I didn't replace the sugar with splenda... I don't eat that stuff... wait a minute... sugar? Crap.

Yep, I forgot to add the sugar.

Even with the sugary decorations, and all the sugary icing, they don't taste that great. But, hey... sometimes it is the looks that count right?

Note to Santa...

Please get my 2 year-old daughter a tea set for Christmas. She is adorable with her pretend play... but watching her sip from the imaginary tea cups being her forefinger and thumb... well let's just say that onlookers might wonder what exactly she is doing.

Oh, and don't worry about the new front teeth that Katelyn (7) asked for. Her dentist was able to repair those. She may be asking again when she is old enough for crowns, but we'll just keep our fingers crossed.

- Katelyn fell down the stairs earlier this week and landed with her full impact on her two front teeth. Her fresh, new, still bumpy, Permanent, front teeth. She quite literally broke them in half. Luckily, the dentist did a great job and filled them - you can't even tell where they were broken. We are all very thankful, and Katelyn was very brave.

Menu Plan Monday

Here's this week's Menu.

Monday: Baked Ziti casserole

Tuesday: Pizza Night

Wednesday: Meatloaf, potatoes and veggies

Thursday: Beef Skewers, rice, veggies and dip.

Friday: Fish n' Chips

Saturday: Lemon Chicken and rice

Sunday: Beef Stew, fresh bread and butter.

For more menu plan ideas, check out Laura at Organizing Junkie

100 Things

From Pink Stinx.... you are supposed to bold the ones you've done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland - WORLD
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run - I couldn't tell you... but my guess is, probably not.
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - Guides here in Canada
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own :)

F.Y.I

Tip Junkie is having a 12 Days of Junkie where there will be 2 winners announced each day for the next 12 days!

It's to help promote the women who are selling their products in the Mom-preneur Shop-a-thon. So be sure to head on over to Tip Junkie and enter the contest and check out all the amazing gift-giving possibilities in the shop-a-thon!

My first daughter...

I've been having troubles lately with Katelyn age 7. She was just recently suspended from school for 2 days, and in general, we've been having a tough time getting through to her.

There are many times when life just seems so stressful and overwhelming with her... but there is something that brings me right back, every time.

This is the song that I heard on the radio one time on my way to work. I was pregnant with Katelyn, and it really struck a chord. I can't find a link to the song on its own, so I encourage you to hear the song without looking at the video, it is far more profound.

That day I was brought to tears. Sobbing, heaving, full-blown tears. Everyone at work wanted to know if I was okay, because I looked like a wreck. Well, still to this day, more that 7 years later. That song still brings me to tears.

Here it is, a song by Amy Sky... dedicated to my first daughter. Katelyn. I love you.

Check it out...

Laura, at Wild Parenting is hosting a giveaway. She has some great stuff, especially for mothers in the Toronto area.... be sure to check it out!

Trick or Treat

What a great Halloween!

The weather was beautiful, and the kids had a ton of fun. Fiona was especially busy with her dance card filled up with many Halloween parties. Halloween parties are great, especially in this neck of the woods, where the weather isn't always the greatest complement to a costume.

Here's a few pics!

This is Fiona, my little Minnie Mouse, learning how to Trick or Treat.



This one's a little blurry, but I just love the cute little pose she is in. She is in a gym program on Friday mornings, and this was their party.




The kids made Mummy dogs for their halloween dinner. (that's my nephew on the left)



Add some Frogs' legs....



And some Witches' warts... and you have yourself a meal!



Spooky!!

If you haven't yet.... you really should check out Little Momma and Company, she came up with the great idea for the Mummy dogs!!

Note to self...

Disposible bathroom cleaning wipes work great to pick up after a trail of puke.

Also, when leaving the kids with dad on the day after Halloween, it might be a good idea to lock up the candy....

When manners just don't cut it...

I love how she starts out so sweetly, the way her mother taught her... "No, I don't want it in mine hair", but is then driven to the squabbling sibling mode. *sigh, it's annoying, but it works.

Did you catch the part about the Moongee woongee? She loves making up names for things, and we will often make a game out of changing the made up words to each other. We had a blast with the moongee woongee, choony woony, and the doony goony. Fun times!

The Sky is Falling!

I love the Fall weather!

Unfortunately, since these pictures have been taken, our thermometors have gone for a dive - we've even had our first snowfall. The year we got married, we actually had the first snowfall on our wedding day! It was beautiful, just like big fluffy pieces of confetti that gracefully drifted to the ground. That was November, this is October, snow is just not welcome.

Now, we are busy scraping together some Hallowe'en costumes, I'm sure that by Friday we will have it together.

In the meantime, here is a glimpse of some fun in the fall.

Katelyn and Fiona have a quick minute of sisterly love.

Tossing away any inhibitions (not many with this one)

Ah, if only life really were that simple... maybe it is. Go on, take the plunge!

Having fun at the fair!

This weekend we went to our local fair. We had a blast, which is good, because the pocket book definitely took a beating. Can you believe $15 for 3 kids to ride the merry-go-round??? Yeesh!

This is Katelyn and I, at the milking demostration. The cow is plastic, and water comes out - but it is very close to the real thing. It even let out a Mooo here and there...

This picture's a bit blurry, but corn tables are one of my favourite things that the farms put out for the kids. So much more fun than sand, and less messy too.

Here's Katelyn taking a pony ride.

Fiona's turn! I don't know what is up with that guy's beard... we are a long way from Utah!

The bunnies were so cute and cuddly..... but I think Travis has his eye on something else....

Having fun with Muffin Tin Monday!

I decided to try an attempt at Muffin Tin Monday, hosted by Sycamore Stirrings.

Here's my muffin tin:

Clockwise from top left: Cucumbers, peanut butter, fruit juice,

wheat thins, cored and sliced apple, Hungarian salami.

This one was made for Travis, my picky eater - and he loved it.

I'm excited about the next challenge - it should be fun!

ETA - What's with the spacing today? I put spaces in, but they didn't stick.

Having fun with a picky eater!

My son Travis is a very picky eater. He wasn't as an infant, but sometime around the age of two, he became the worst eater ever.

That being said, I'm glad to have found The Picky Palate. There is still a lot of her stuff that Travis wouldn't eat... but I have to say, the Shortbread Cookie Crusted Peanut Butter Mini Cheesecakes with Chocolate Ganache is what prompted me to add her to my blogroll.

Also, check out this very *ahem... different, restaurant in China.

A great find! Thank-you Simple Mom.

Having fun with tiny fish?????

Check out this video, for the latest in pedicure trends!

So what do you think? I think that it's an interesting concept, but I doubt that it will really take off. I personally couldn't imagine sticking my feet in that water!

***edited to add - I can't get that video to work, for the full story, check here.

Having fun at the....

There were frogs...

Lizards..

and... Jay Leno?????

Does this match my shoes????

Having fun on the first day

Fiona wanted the kids to have a great first day, so we got up early and baked some...

Butterscotch cinnamon buns.

Aw, they're getting so big!

All set to butter up their teacher's with a gift on the first day.

This great idea was inspired by - Today's Creative Blog.

Having fun in the Sand

Our town hosts an annual Sandcastle competition. Two years ago, I won second place in the adult division, so this year we entered as a family.

This is the mermaid that I made.

Isn't she gorgeous?

The tail underwent a few changes, especially after being stepped on by my 7 year old.

Notice the detail underneath the tail, yes it's carved out underneath.

This was the kids' masterpiece. A big hole with a snake thing that they sculpted. They called it 'Mulgrath' - It's from some game or show I think... Chaotic maybe? Anyways, it kept them busy and they had a lot of fun making it.

Would you believe that we didn't even place in the competition???

For more beautiful mermaids, check out Nightshore... he's amazing!!

C'mon - THAT'S funny!

Fussypants has a running contest on Mondays - Name that Inappropriate Photo. Go check it out, and don't forget to vote for the *ahem* funniest comment.

An Inquiline!

I had to share this amazing picture, taken in the front yard of my parents' house. I find it amazing that this flower is growing upwards of 10 feet in the air, in a tree.

Of course I had to google the definition, and came up with this:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Inquilinism)
Jump to: navigation, search
In zoology, an inquiline (from Latin inquilinus, "lodger" or "tenant") is an animal that lives commensally in the nest, burrow, or dwelling place of an animal of another species. For example, some organisms such as insects may live in the homes of gophers and feed on debris, fungi, roots, etc. The most widely distributed types of inquiline are those found in association with the nests of social insects, especially ants and termites — a single colony may support dozens of different inquiline species. The distinctions between parasites, social parasites, and inquilines are subtle, and many species may fulfill the criteria for more than one of these, as inquilines do exhibit many of the same characteristics of parasites. However, parasites are specifically not inquilines, because by definition they have a deleterious effect on the host species, while inquilines do not.

It's party time!

One of my favourite bloggers, The Nester, is hosting a mistreatment party!


Head over to her site to see what the abuse is all about - you'll be glad you did!!


Also, Head over to Sycamore Stirrings and check out the muffin tin idea!! I hope to get in on this soon!

So, are we having fun yet?

Let me introduce myself. I am the Hautemama. I find that name very comforting - I'm not just any old sloppy-dressed housewife with whiny kids, I can be more... I AM more.

Although I've managed to avoid writing my own blog, blog reading has entertained me with countless hours of:

• Escape
• Inspiration
• Humour
• Knowledge
• Organization skills
• Decorating ideas
• Comradeship

I hope that I can provide at least some of these things in return.

I don't know much about blogging, but I figured it was time to jump in. Wish me luck!