Archives for Misc Ramblings category
Posted on Nov 3rd, 09 at
11:50 am under Food, Misc Ramblings, Raw feeding
3
Nov
Sometimes, the weekly specials at the grocery store just work for you…
I make my weekly menu according to the specials from the grocery stores in my area and I am also trying to stay within budget. I was not being careful for a while and the amount we were spending on groceries was going up a bit more than I would have hoped… So I have been being careful of using what we have in the freezer and pantry and stocking up on things that are on special…
Now that I also have Nala to feed I am really keeping my eye out on cheaper cuts of meat…
I felt I hit the Jackpot this week… Turkey was .99 a pound and so were chickens at another store. I bought two turkeys, one that has been put away in the fridge to defrost for the weekend (which will make a great turkey meal, pot pie, stock and soup along with leftovers) and one for freezer for a later date. I also bought 4 chickens and a 4 bone in chicken breasts. Along with other food to complete the menu plan, including 8lbs of apples and a box of clementines, I managed to keep the cost at about 100$ which I find to be quite remarkable…
The 4 chickens were not the nicest looking or the best quality but Nala won’t mind… I took the time yesterday morning to cut them up and separate them into baggies for about 3-4 weeks worth of Nala’s meals… I am hoping to do the same whenever I see that special so that we have a good stock of food for her in the freezer at all times.
(Ready for the Freezer)
At the same time I was cutting up the whole chickens and was in the groove, I also cut up the chicken breasts that I used in last nights supper which was Fried chicken Sandwiches (recipe to come)…
The bones of course did not go to waste and got thrown into a pot with a few onions, carrots and celery stalks and will become the broth for tonight’s soup and there should be broth left over to freeze for other meals…
(Chicken stock before and after about 20 hours of simmering)
So for about 100$ I will be getting weeks worth of food for the whole family…
Planning meals and stocking up on specials can really be quite rewarding…
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Posted on Sep 30th, 09 at
11:40 am under Misc Ramblings, The Boys, Unschooling
30
Sep
Took a while to get this post up but I guess it is better late than never…
Last Thursday we went apple picking at an orchard on Mont-St-Gregoire, south of Montreal. It was an activity with the Homeschooling group but it was supposed to be on Wednesday and was cancelled because of rain and then put for Thursday as a non-official outing which ended up being nice because we were a smaller group then intended and it was nice to be able to talk to people more…
The day turned out to be gorgeous and the kids got to play in the park and eat their lunch while us mom talked and shared until we decided to buy our bags and head out to the Orchard on the tractor ride…
We were let off of the tractor in the orchard where there was another park and we were able to go pick apples and the kids played and we talked more…
Xavier didn’t stay long to pick apples.. but he did pick a few…
Colin and Khéna though loved it and I sat on the ground and they filled up the bag completely…
When it was time to go the kids didn’t mind at all because it meant another tractor ride and they were getting tired from a day full of playing and fresh air… a quick stop in the shop and a few purchases and we headed back home…
This is what we ended up with…
A BIG bag of apples… I don’t know how much exactly but at least 30 lbs, probably more… A few pounds of plums, Local Blueberry blossom honey and some Apple Ice Cider for Simon…
Over the weekend a few pounds of the plums and apples got made into some yummy treats… and I still have a lot to do…
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Posted on Aug 2nd, 09 at
5:18 pm under Alternative Parenting, Family Life, just cool!
2
Aug
Today is the last day of Simon’s vacation, it is raining so we are having a quiet day at home…
I am really happy with the time that was spent while he was home.. we got out often, did quite a few things but didn’t wear ourselves out… Of course it would be great if he could have a little more time off but he is keeping two of his weeks to take a bit later in the year or add to his parental leave when the new babe comes…
On Thursday night Amy left a message on the post I wrote about 6TZEN saying that she had contacted them in Montreal and that they would be meeting her for a picnic on Friday… I couldn’t pass up on the possibility of meeting the family again so on Friday morning we went to Montreal t meet up with all of them…
I am so happy that we did… the kids played, the parents talked and it was amazing to find out how much we all have in common.. In Normandy, Estelle gives workshops on Nonviolent Communication, teaches babywearing, is a homebirther and helps moms breastfeed, … though the system is set up differently there and there is less educational freedom they believe in life learning and non-coersive parenting and are in no way helicopter parents… Arnaud commented to Simon that it is amazing to things that we come from half a world away but that we have so much in common…
After a few hours of talking and get to know each other and the kids playing in the park and the water feature it was time to say good bye… It is probably the last time that we will meet but I don’t think it will be the end of communication…
Here is the family (taken in Jeanne Mance Park in Montreal)
Saying goodbye!
After we said goodbye we did a few more things in Montreal…and I loved seeing in what ways they are making the city a bit greener…
The BIXI bikes are good example… with a subscription you can grab a bike from any BIXI station to ride to your destination… then you just park it again at any BIXI station… the first 30 min are free and then there is a small fee after… not only is it a great idea but it is also widely used based on the amount of people I saw on them…
Another little thing that I saw while walking were lane ways that used to look all dingy now making people smile…sometimes it is the little things that make a difference…
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Posted on Jul 25th, 09 at
9:12 pm under Misc Ramblings, just cool!
25
Jul
As we were leaving the Chambly Fort yesterday some bikes caught our eyes…
I asked if I could take pictures and then we started to talk to the family…
Last month in June this beautiful family of six arrived from Normandy and started on a 10 month journey that started in Quebec city and will end in South America. Each bike holds 3 people and all of them can peddle except for the youngest.
The largest bike in front holds Noé who is four, Arnaud (Dad), and Nathanaël, 11.
The other bike has Gabriel (9), Mom (Estelle) and 2 year old Eva…
They try to bike at least 30km a day and they never know where they will be sleeping that night. I wish we would have lived closer, or at least in the direction that they were headed so that we could have had them over and been able to talk more…
What a beautiful Family and amazing journey they are taking…
Though their site is French, please check them out at 6TZEN.org
There is a link to their blog (in the section “SUIVEZ NOS GUIDONS”) and Maybe if you keep a tab on their journey and they pass near you you might be able to send them a message and offer them a place to stay for the night 
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Posted on Jul 13th, 09 at
12:58 pm under Misc Ramblings
13
Jul
My mom came over last night and left early this morning with Xavier and Colin to head to the cabin for 2 nights… they were so excited to leave! Xavier even wanted to sleep in the clothes that he would be wearing today so that he didn’t have to get dressed in the morning… We got up and the boys came upstairs to wake up my mom and after a quick breakfast and a shower for my mom, they were gone…
The house is so quiet though and I can see that Khéna is feeling a bit bored not having his brothers around to play with, follow around and bug…
When I told my mom that I am expecting, she extended the date she was going to be leaving from the end of July to the beginning of October and she would like to take the boys a few times before she leaves. Honestly, I think that it will be nice once in while. The cabin is a really nice place to hang out at and they plan on heading to the local beach and heading to a bigger beach also and hanging out at the cabin, walking and exploring and making fires etc…
Here are some pics that I took from the road on the way to the cabin last week….
Corn Fields
an abandoned farm
the farm again…. Xavier kept on asking to go explore it…
mountains in the background…
Church in St-Félix-de-Valois…
This bug came a spent the day with us…
I found out what it was later… a Pine Sawer Beetle… It was not a small bug!
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Posted on May 31st, 09 at
10:09 pm under Medical Maladies, Misc Ramblings, The Boys
31
May
Last night Simon was called into work… he wasn’t even on call but on Saturday morning there was an electrical problem and an electrician died and there was a small fire in his building…They had to transfer the system and the people that were on call were called in and needed to sleep so Simon had to go….
This morning he arrived at 9:20 and we left soon after for a friends birthday party at an indoor play area… we got there at about 11:15 and the boys disappeared in the tunnels and slides… Khéna didn’t want to go so Simon watched over him as he went around the arcade games… I was talking to another mom and I turned around to see Simon with Khéna in his arms and full of blood… I tool him and headed to the reception desk and asked for help… his face and shirt and hands were really covered in blood and looked for what was bleeding and found a long and deep gash on his forehead… Simon explained that he was just running along and feel and hit his head on one of the arcade games…
The girls at the reception desk called 911 for an ambulance… we applied pressure and cleaned up most of the blood and the gash stopped bleeding… the police arrived before the ambulance with a small emergency kit and stayed until the ambulance arrived, and as we thought, a trip to the emergency room was needed…
Khéna cried and screamed not wanting to go on the gurney… but the minute we got in the ambulance he was OK… looking out the back window and naming the things that he saw… trucks, cars, trees… it felt good to see him a bit more calmed…
We got to the emergency room and went right into Triage… the nurse asked a few questions and then came to the dreaded question… “are his vaccines up to date?” To which I responded that we don’t vaccinate… she said “OK” and then whispered… “I don’t vaccinate either”… and then she warned me that they might push the tetanus vaccine but that it was my choice…She said that the wait would be a few hours and they put a wet compress on his forehead so that the wound would stay soft and clean…
I got Khéna into a Wheelchair because he was heavy and a bit groggy… and went downstairs to get something to drink and get him a stuffed animal at the gift shop… he was happy and choose a stuffed cat that he has almost not let go of since…
I was able to keep him in the wheelchair for about 2 hours until he decided he had energy again and was wanting to walk… and then we walked and walked all over the small portion of the emergency room while we waited… about 2 1/2 hours later he finally sat down and nursed a bit…a few minutes later he was asleep… and they called… we went and waited in the suture room until the doctor came… when he got the he again asked the same questions.. what happened? how old is he? are his Vaccines up to date? I answered that we don’t vaccinate and he just said Ok… and left it at that… he looked at the gash and decided that glue was the best thing for it.. a nurse came in to help hold him while the doctor glues his wound and within a minute it was done and though he cried a bit because he was scared, he let them do what they had to do and the minute it was done he was OK…
I got him ready and headed outside with my little Khéna back to normal besides the wound on his forehead… I called Simon who had since gone to the house of the friends who were having the birthday with the boys. and they came and picked us up… we were at the hospital for more that 5 hours…
We just got home and he is asleep on me…and now we all are heading to bed… What a long day…
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Posted on May 27th, 09 at
5:59 pm under Misc Ramblings
27
May
I can’t find any other word than Blah for how I have been feeling…beware… this post is all about complaining…
I am just so tired and have no energy… we have been dealing with some financial stuff and my stress levels have been up… and appts at the bank with three boys alone is not the easiest thing to do…
The housework is not being done and things are piling up and the more it does the more worn out and stressed out I feel… today it has been raining nonstop and they are saying the same for the next two days and not being able to send the boys outside means that they just get restless and make even more of a mess with the house…so of course I have less patience and being a parent is just hard on days like these…
I make supper and the smell of it just turns me off and I don’t feel like eating and I have heartburn that won’t be calmed…
Tomorrow I have another appt and then I should be going to a homeschool meeting… I wasn’t to sure on going but there will be a new mom there that I am friends with and I am looking forward to seeing her….
I think I am going to make some Lime-Cardamom Pumpkin seed cookies to make me feel better…
only 2 more days left until the weekend…
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Posted on Apr 15th, 09 at
10:13 am under Misc Ramblings, New Beginnings, UP/UC
15
Apr
This is going to be a lot of TMI (to much information) so skip if you wish…
Read more… »
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