Battery Re-Charge

For the last week or so I’ve been on a bit of a vacation. Call it a staycation, if you wish, though I hate that term. I had a lot of appointments booked both for me and for my kids, and rather than trying to scoot to appointments and then hop on later trains and balance everything, I’d just book a few vacation days and enjoy being at home.

If you don’t do this, you should.

My rules were simple. Take a break. Enjoy my kids. My “schedule” revolved around making it to appointments, not exactly taxing. I also spent a lot of time watching Olympics, playing with my kids, and chatting with our nanny. In fact, the highlight of my days included my morning cuddles with my kids and several chats over coffee with our nanny. We happen to be big fans of pretty much all the same tv shows, so forget discussing my kids’ milestones, we always have Bachelor Pad stuff to catch up on. Being home also gave me the opportunity to give her a bit of a break.  It worked for both of us.

What I didn’t do? Stress. I meant to do a complete house makeover. Instead we organized some clothes and kids’ toys, and then had another cup of coffee and watched more Olympics. I was going to make a bunch of healthy meals to freeze. Instead we put on tank tops and shorts and hung out with the kids at the splash pad and worked on our tans, eating cheesies and laughing at some of the more interesting fashion statements.

I still ran. I still did yoga. But I also slept in. I let Chloe style my hair. I learned the names of Matt’s lego creations. I cooked dinner. I played with my kids.

Sometimes I work so hard toward vacations where we go away. We eat fancy dinners out and have every minute of the day planned. I like that. But, I surprised myself by really really enjoying just hanging out.

I need to do that more often.

Training ...

A few months ago I read the book Spirit Junkie by Gabby Bernstein. I was pretty inspired by this book. I went and met her and heard her speak. And I was totally influenced by what she spoke about. It's hard to outline it all here, but basically it was all about figuring out what you want in life, believing in yourself and believing in miracles.
Inspiring.
One of the key things I got out of this was that I needed to really figure a few things out.
Like how to be happier in my life with what I have. And, it's been pretty amazing to step back and look at the things I have in life to be grateful for: my family, friends, job, health, etc.
But when you start to get all introspective and grateful is that you statart listenng to youself, and over and over again I kept thinking "join a running group". Seriously. One day I was in yoga and I kep thinking I should really run with a group. weird - not my thing.
And then ...
I signed up for a half marathon and realized the only way I could hit my goal was by joining a clinic to learn how to run. And, by default that meant running with a group. And we got our training schedule - keep in mind I'm still working on 10k training and this schedule seems intense - and it's a lot of running ... with a group.
I have no idea why this is such a weird concept to me. I think it's because for me running is a morning thing. A super early morning thing. And I love it because no one can see my akward stride, my crazy pulled back hair, my spandex running pants (that aren't totally flattering), my red face OR hear me sing along to my music when I need a boost.
BUT. I'm kind of surprised, after a couple runs, how i'm kind of enjoying it. I like the idea of other people setting a pace, and telling me when to take a break. I like that at the end you get, and give, high fives. I was afraid I'd be the slowest in the group. I'm not (at least not at the distances we are doing at this point), but at the same time I like that the plan is that they don't leave the slowest person behind.
I think I'm learning to have a little more patience with myself.
And run run run!
I loved this picture from lululemon. So true.

Budgeting

Let's be completely honest here, I hate budgeting. I hate thinking about money, or lack thereof. I love to shop. I love to look at pretty things. I like to buy stuff for people I love, for my kids, for me. I love a good sale. I have a serious Starbucks addiction, and although I try to bring my lunch to work I have a tendency to buy lunch fairly often.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm worse (or better) than a lot of people I know. It's just that recently I've been looking at how much money I'm spending on stuff, and how that's limiting what I really want.
For instance, I was considering joining a local gym - an expense we don't need - and even though it was affordable I couldn't figure out where the money would come from until I realized that maybe I could skip my acrylic nails. Ya know?
So ...
I'm putting myself on a budget.
Part of this budget is because we're planning a trip to Disney in February.  So we definitely need to save for that. But that's only part of it. I'm also just really tired of worrying about money - for dumb reasons.
Since it's August 1st (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BECKY!) My official budgeting starts today, even though I've been working away at this for about a week now.
And, as my friend said, I'm not looking at this depriving myself. It's a bit like a year ago when I decided I wanted to lose weight and be healthy. I gave up a lot of stuff (chips/chocolate/sleeping in) but you know ... kind of working for me :)
So, here's the plan.
1) Stop buying stuff I don't need - that includes magazines, fast food, more clothes, shoes. Also, no more lunches out, food court meals, etc
2) Keep track of everything I spend. I plan to keep all receipts (when I get them) and write everything down. I hate doing this. My friend sent me a really helpful spreadsheet that is easy to fill out. I'm going to actually do that.
3) Keep track of what I'm saving. That's just to feel a bit better about myself! I love a pat on the back :)
4) Be realistic. I love Starbucks, and I'm proud of my gold card status. However, shouldn't give me permission to spend a fortune there. So, I'm filling my card once per week - for $20. When it's out it's out. I'm going to spend a bit more on groceries so that I actually enjoy the lunches I bring to work.

August budget here I come!

Run Princess Run

A few years ago, when I was training for my first 5k, a friend of mine sent me a picture of a running skirt. It was pink with a crown on it, and it was to advertise the Disney Princess Half Marathon. 

One Day.

I tossed the idea around numerous times. The thought of running 21km sounded incredible and also insane. Especially after I ran my first 5k and about 1km in thought I may die. Nice thought. Not happening.

Life went on, and every so often I’d debate signing up for a running clinic. And I never did. I put in my runs, and work to run a 5k, wish I could run further and then content myself with the fact that some people aren’t runners. I’m one of those people. My marathon is the 5k.

This year that changed. I don’t know why. I ran past that mental block. I just kept going. I started to change my mind set. And just keep going.

I kept going to a 10 k.

And when I ran over that finish line I knew exactly what was next. The Disney Princess Half Marathon.

Crazy? Maybe a little. When you look at training plans and think about all of the training that you need to put in to get there, I think crazy is a pretty fair assessment. But, crazy in a good way. I love Disney. And I love challenges. And nothing makes me happier than facing something head on.

So I signed up for this race. It’s in Disney World in February. My whole family is going. Mike and the kids will cheer me on while I run 21 km (or 13.1 miles which sounds infinitely better) through Disney World and Epcot. Dressed as a princess.

And then we will have ourselves a Disney vacation. Bonus for my family? I will already have run through Disney, so I may not be quite as anxious to make them run around the parks every day. (why yes, I have run for fastpasses!) In fact, there may be one or two mornings when I sleep past 6 am and don’t wake everyone up when I’m on my second cup of coffee with “who’s ready for a magical day?!”  And if all it takes is 6 months of training and a grueling race to let my family sleep in. I’ll do it!

Truthfully, I’m frightened by this. It’s huge for me, and it’s a lot of running. But, I’m also really excited and pretty sure that I will be ready when the time comes.

Run run run!

Training ... It's all I'm thinking about

So I made it through my 10k, and the next day I went and signed up for a 10k clinic at the Running Room. Why? I really want to do a half marathon. A very specific half marathon. More on that later. I decided that if I wanted to train properly I needed to take a step back and actually get some guidance on how to run. Yes. It’s awesome that I did a 10k. But, it was also really hard. And I felt like if I had better form, better pace and better breathing it would have been easier.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled with the result. I’m thrilled I did it. I just really realized I needed some help. It’s kind of like when I bought the Jillian Michael’s yoga video and thought I was rocking it, and then I went to a yoga class, and well … Most of the stuff I was doing wasn’t exactly right. (or was completely wrong). Side note – I went back and did this video recently and it is soooo much easier when a) I’ve been doing regular yoga and b) I know what she’s talking about.

Anyway. I’m getting excited about the group clinic.

Part of all this running is the training aspect. I’m trying not to think too far ahead. I mean, in 6 months I should be ready to run 13.1 miles. Or roughly 21km. And that’s almost 3 hours of running. OMG! So sometimes I’ll be doing something, like say running in the morning, and the idea of that much running starts to stress me out.

So … Train it is.  And these training schedules are a bit crazy. My morning runs (before work) won’t increase too much. I’ll go from about 4-5 km a morning to about 5-6 km a morning. That’s 2-3 times per week. The hard part comes on weekends (Sundays) when we do long runs. Long runs are long. Like building up to 14 miles. I don’t even know what that is in km. Again. OMG! Lots of people do cross training to stay in shape. I’m sticking with hot yoga. I’m already doing it about 5-6 times a week and managing my short runs (that don’t seem short, FYI). I think and hope that’s enough.

Next part? Nutrition. So, I stopped eating meat about 3 weeks ago. I’m fine with the diet, but it’s hard to plan meals. I have no idea if I’m following the right eating plan. I guess I will find out.

All in all.  I’m excited and scared. Some days I’m more excited. Some days more scared. But, what I know is that I am enjoying this sense of balance and control lately. I like having workouts scheduled. I love having something to work towards. I like the sense of community. I love that this all justifies more lululemon purchases (kinda kidding, but not really).

Quarter Marathon! Check One off the Bucket List

This weekend I ran in The Durham Quarter Marathon. That's right, 10.54 km!
The race was on Saturday. I signed up on Tuesday. Crazy, right? I'd been thinking about trying a 10k for awhile. I was pretty sure I had trained enough and that physically I was capable of it. I was completely lacking in the believing in myself category though. Here's the breakdown of race day!

(at the starting line!)

4:20 am - my alarm went off. This is when I normally wake up to run, so I was ready. I had a shower, and I'd read to eat a bagel and cream cheese. Awesome. I love bagels. I avoid them usually (carbs, white flour) - so this was a yummy treat!

5:20 am - I was more than ready. I put all the race stuff, plus snacks for the family in the car. I woke up Mike and the kids and we brought them to the car. It did not take them too long to wake up and get excited for the road trip ahead. They didn't know what we were doing because I really didn't tell many people - and my kids tend to overshare!

5:30-5:55 - The hunt for an open Starbucks!!! We finally gave up, grabbed coffee at Timmies and we were finally on the road to Oshawa (a good hour away).

7:00 am. - We arrived just as they were setting up. I had no idea how busy the race would be. It turned out it was pretty quiet. So we parked, got the race kit, and then took the kids to Tim Hortons to kill some time. I ordered 2 chocolate timbits for myself. My nerves were kicking in as I didn't even make it through one!!! We then just killed time for the next hour or so, stretching, playing with the kids, enjoying the entertainment and making our way to the starting line. Closer to the start they announced the pace bunnies, so I walked over and introduced myself to my pace bunny, Steve. I told him it was my first 10k (well 10.54) and I wanted to cross the finish line by 1:20. He was a 1:10 pace bunny (the slowest!) and he said stick with him, and if I needed to slow down I could. I never run with people, but this was pretty cool.

8:30 am - we were off. This was the first race I've ever done where I've started slow. I really wanted to hang out with the pace bunny, and he started, you guessed it, ON PACE! I will always do this from now on. I enjoyed the start.

1km - This was a cool first km. I usually stress the first kilometre. When i run in the mornings it always takes me awhile to find my pace and breathe and sort of shake things out a bit. I felt strong from the first step. When my nike+ app told me I'd hit my first km I was shocked.

2-4 km - This was remarkably easy. The pace was slower than normal and I was totally enjoying the scenery. I was listening to my music, but every so often Steve (pace bunny) would check in. I'd get a thumbs up or a smile. I loved this aspect. At one point he told me to swing my arms more and watch my breathing. (on the hill). I liked the encouragement without constant chatter. I think he would have talked the whole time if I wanted.

(that's me in the pink waving - right next to me is Steve the pace bunny!)

5km - I'll admit when I hit 5km I felt amazing. Normally I'd be exhaustend but I wasn't. Maybe this was a combo of adrenaline and training and you know the whole pacing myself thing. This is the moment in the race where I got a bit emotional. I pulled a bit ahead of Steve and picked up my pace a bit. I wasn't really trying to change my time, I just wanted to be in my own space. I realized that this was the halfway point and I was doing okay. I didn't really expect the sudden wave of emotion. I probably should have stayed on pace, but I don't regret having that moment of running alone and totally feeling it all.

6-8km - Of course there were hills. I need to train on hills. This was just a challenge. I couldn't find a rhythm. I'd lost Steve (gah!) and I freaked out a bit. These 2 km I kept telling myself "just keep going." Right around 8k there was a street closed and a police officer standing there keeping cars away. I started to walk and she yelled "keep running. just keep going." I wasn't expecting that. It made me laugh. I kept running.

8km - I'd never run this far. This was when it got hard. I slowed down. I wanted to quit. The thing is,  I wasn't tired or sore. I just hit a mental block. Luckily at this point Steve caught up to me. I was close to tears, and because we were by the lake and i'd slowed down so much I was shivery and cold. It was so nice to just run with someone. I yelled "this is soooo hard." He said "It's supposed to be. You're fine. Stick with me." There were all sorts of signs at this point. Funny ones. I just kept going. When I stopped he'd say "keep running."

9km - Seriously? Another km to go??? I think I was a bit walk run walk run. But I kept going. At 9.5 Steve said "you have 6.38 minutes to go. You can do it." I took off. I wanted to be done. That last km was tough because most of it was up hill. Everyone started to walk. BRUTAL. Finally it got flat. I ran. Finally I saw Mike and the kids at the end. They were cheering. I just kept going. The finish like was sooooo close.

10km. - WHAT????  My Nike+ app alerted me to the fact I hit 10km and I was impressed. I was also on a hill. Another half a kilometre did not sound like a good idea. I really wanted to quit. I was determined to find some sort of hidden energy reserve. (at this point I actually thought of one of my yoga teachers who always says "find that extra bit of energy" and I was seriously searching!). We were still going uphill. I wanted to die. And then I saw flags in the distance. And I took off. There was that little energy. Yay! I saw Mike and the kids and I slowed down enough to wave. Ha ha. Not really. That was me speeding up. Whatever. I ran past them to the finish.

10.54 km - I finished. My time: 1:11:09. I wanted to do this is in an hour and 20 minutes. Shaving 9 minutes off that rocked my world!

(almost at the finish line. Those are the flags.)

So, I was glad that was over. I finished and then turned around and found Steve and gave him a big sweaty hug because I really thought at 8 km that I may just sit in the grass for awhile. I don't think he was expecting it. And it cracked everyone up. A woman said "usually you don't hug the pace bunny." Well, you know. Learn something new every race!

Recovery after was pretty good. Immediately after I was super thirsty and kind of just wanted to get away from everything. I was kind of stunned, and really just wanted to sit down and not do any of the after race stuff. I felt a bit gross, but I think I was also a bit dehydrated. Once I had lots of water and juice and walked I was fine. I went to a baby shower after and it was great. And then the next day I got up and felt great enough to do a yoga class. I was a little sore, but I felt way better after yoga - I think because I needed a really good stretch.

So ...

Here's what I learned.
1) I like running with a group. I've done enough running now that I felt pretty comfortable with letting someone pick a pace. I liked not being alone. (but I like running alone too).
2) Pace. Pace. Pace. Pace. I don't pace anything in my life. I should probably try to start with running.
3) If I want to keep doing this I should probably join a clinic. I've avoided this mostly because I've been kind of self conscious. I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up. I think I proved I can. Actually - after I drafted this I went to the Running Room and signed up for a 10 k clinic and then I will do the half.
4) I really really really want to run a half. This was amazing. I want to keep going.

Spontaneous

This summer has been all about spontaneity.
Something that has always been true about me is that I'm happiest when I don't over-plan or over-think ideas. It's not that thinking things through is a bad idea, but I tend to pysch myself out, or come up with a million reasons why it's a bad idea. Also ... I set out expectations for myself.
So this summer we made a decision not to overbook ourselves. Of course there are some things we need to plan. Family events happen. Birthdays, anniversays, births, family get-togethers. That seems to be a big part of the summer every year. This summer it's been a little bit different.
If there's a summer festival in the area we go - but we don't overplan it. We get there when we get there. We see what we want to see. We leave when the kids whine. It's pretty easy. It's what summer should be instead of what it's expected to be. And so far it's been great. We've seen awesome concerts. We've eaten cotton candy. We've gone on silly rides. We've ordered giant ice cream cones - and not panicked when the ice cream melted all over our hands.
We've also been a lot happier.
This didn't just happen though.
Earlier this year I had a long conversation with Mike about stress. We realized that every weekend and holiday our family was having huge arguments. Doors were slamming. People were screaming. I was leaving in tears. It was not pretty. So we decided to change that. I decided to change that. And by that I mean me. And so I stopped with this whole plan the weekend, clean the house, be a perfect parent thing that wasn't actually happening anyway.
We've accepted a few things.
1) Our house will never achieve the perfect level of clean. We mop. We do dishes. We try to tidy. But, we will always be a little cluttered. My treadmill is in the living room because it is used (less so in the summer but it still reminds me to run). I won't feel guilty about that
2) Who cares if everything isn't done. We may not squeeze grocery shopping in on the weekend. We may go to the farmer's market and get only fruit and veggies and need to pick other stuff up during the week. It's not worth a fight. If you have the choice to make strawberry jam over spending an hour at a grocery store - pick strawberry jam. Or a concert in the park. Or hanging out with a friend and a glass of wine. Or running in the sprinkler.
3) Walk away from a fight. If I'm being a b*tch I leave. If there's a yoga class I go. If not I run. If I'm tired I call a friend for coffee. Or go for coffee with a book. Or all of the above. (and yes, my baristas know me pretty well) Usually what we're fighting about is inconsequential. And we're tired or grouchy. Trust me - just try focusing on the thing you're stressed about when you're trying to beat your best mile or hold a plank or when you're giggling about someone from highschool. It's pretty hard. And starts to seem irrelevant. And sometimes when you take a break it's pretty clear that what you're upset about isn't the fact you ran out of bread, but that it's been a crappy week.
4) PICK FUN. Back to spontanaity. Just go. Go for it. Maybe it will be worth it. Maybe it will be kind of a waste of time. But, I'm starting to believe that getting out of the house and trying something new isn't going to be a waste of time regardless of whether the activity you try out is that great. I got tired of saying I couldn't run 5km before work so I did it. I didn't want to go through a summer and wished we had gone to a music festival. So we went. I got tired of saying no to the drive to my in-laws, so I booked it and we had soooo much fun.

The more we do. The more I look forward to. I'm starting to set some amazing goals for myself. I'm feeling so excited about life. And about my family. And I'm seeing a huge change in all of us. My kids are happier. They are kinder. They are fighting less. We're not dreading weekends. We're embracing them.

I have some big plans for this weekend. Too big to share right now. (I don't want to jinx myself).

What I'm sure of??? Life is good. Summer is good. Go have fun!

Happy

I've been thinking a lot about being happy.
More accurately, I've been spending a lot of time being happy, and I've been spending a little bit of time thinking about why I'm happy.
I'm a summer person, so I know for 100% sure that this beautiful warm weather has been helping. Last year I made the decision to get outside when I can - and enjoy the sun and the warmth. This year is no different. If it's nice out I'm outside - that may mean sipping an iced beverage, chasing the kids or playing in the sprinkler. But, it's more than that.
I was just so tired of feeling crappy about stuff. It seems like no matter who I talk to, people have had bad stuff happen this year from pets dying to job losses to illnesses, and everything in between. And sometimes I feel like it's a slap in the face to be happy when people are struggling.
Except I've had my own stuff to deal with this year. And I'm realizing that as much as in the moment you don't want to be smiling and laughing, it's okay to choose to be happy when you can. Even in the middle of the crappy stuff.
So I've focused on finding the happy.
I think it also helps that I've been making some really good decisions health wise.
I've pretty much maintained my weightloss, and I'm making a conscious decision to eat healthy foods as much as possible. Organic produce, quinoa, etc are playing a larger role in my life. I've cut way back on eating meat, and when I eat meat it's in smaller quantities. I'm taking my daily vitamins daily - and I sware I notice it when I skip them.. That's such a weird thing to say.
I'm also working out a lot.
My weekdays tend to start bright and early at about 4:30 when I lace up my running shoes and hit the road for a run. Most of my weeknights end with a hot yoga class, and I'm home by 10. I often hear people call this ambitious or crazy. Part of me agrees, but we're talking about me here. If I didn't want to do it, I'd make up an excuse to skip it. And some days I do.
But, here's why I'm happy.
It can stink to wake up and know you're facing a stressful day. It's hard to hear your alarm clock and know you have to get up, have coffee, watch the news, read your email and then face the day.
How much better is it to know you're waking up, you're doing something purely for you, listening to awesome music (and singing along) and knowing that no matter what hits you after your run, you've done something for you that no one can take away.
AMAZING.
Same goes for yoga.
It's not about the postures I can do (or can't do) or some imaginary check mark for attending a class. And let me tell you - as awesome as yoga is, it's also really humbling. It's the point that no matter what has gone on in my day I can go in there and let it all go. I love that. And I come home happier. And I sleep.
The other day, one of my teachers said (and I wish I had the direct quote) to stop waiting for happiness to come or looking back on a time that you were happy. Instead find happiness in the moment.
It's not easy, always. But, sometimes it's incredibly easy and you don't see it staring you in the face. Sure it comes in different forms. It can be my kids laughing, a chocolate cupcake (yesterday), a great run, a quiet afternoon, an amazing song on the radio, a good hair day, or even just a short line up at Starbucks.
Be Happy.

Chloe Rocks Out!

I'm not sure it's possible that anyone doesn't know the song "Call Me Maybe" because it is everywhere this summer! And by everywhere I mean being sung obsessively by my daughter and I ... in the car, in the house, in the sprinkler, on my runs. I love it!
And, when we heard the girl who sings it, Carly Rae Jepson, was going to be doing a free concert in our hometown, we were not going to miss it.

So, Chloe and I rocked out. And I made a very short video. Please ignore my voice, and focus solely on the adorableness of Miss Coco!
I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've posted video on here. I hope it works!

We also saw the amazing Walk Off The Earth! But, that's another story for another time.

Getting Gourmet ... Vegan Lasagna

I know ... vegan lasagna. What????

Since when did Miss Make-a-Pilgrimage-to-a-Butcher-Shop  become vegan? I didn't. Exactly. But I've been really really trying to eat less meat. So, when my in-laws and my parents came over for dinner one evening, I decided to make a meat lasagna and a vegan lasagna.
The end result?  The meat eaters tried both and though they preferred the meat, the vegan was a hit and they would have it again. The vegan (my mom) LOVED the vegan lasagna. I sent her home with the leftovers, and we're going to be having an evening where we make a few to freeze.

My verdict? Loved it. I didn't feel the need for meat. And it didn't feel heavy like normal lasagna. Definite keep. I didn't exactly follow a recipe. I just kept looking up various recipes and took what I could deal with and what seemed reasonable. So ... enjoy

Here's my mash-up recipe for:

vegan lasagna

Ingredients

• Rice Noodles - lasagna noodles (the no bake kind). just look in the organic section 
• Tomato Sauce - Whatever you have on hand. (vegan obviously)
• Vegan cheese - Shredded "mozarella" vegan cheese. I just bought the kind that said it melted
• Container of organic baby spinach
• Vegetable filling
• Olive oil
• lots of garlic
• lots of basil
• 1 big white cooking onion chopped up
• 2 zucchinis chopped up
• 1 container of mushrooms (pre-chopped if you are lazy)
•  2 cups(ish) cooked broccoli
• Base Mixture for the lasagna (so the noodles cook)
• One can of chopped canned tomatoes
• half a bottle of pesto (or however much you want)
• some garlic
• Vegan Ricotta Cheese
• 3/4 lb tofu
•  more basil, pesto and garlic

 How to make it

 1) Chop up the veggies for the veggie mix. Basically, you kind of just want there to be lots of veggies, but you want them all nice and soft.

So I really just cooked it all until it was really cooked. I heated the broccoli separately and threw it in after (I ran out out room in the pan), I also maybe had some red peppers in there. The point is I just made lots of veggies. If you don't like something, skip it. I also added lots of garlic and basil because it's lasagna (yum) and lasagna needs garlic and basil.

2) While all that was going on I made the base tomato pesto mixture.

Although when I think about it, it is possible that i just used basil not pesto. And definitely garlic. This just goes on the bottom to make the noodles cook. I also think it makes the house smell good while you are cutting up all your vegetables and acts as inspiration to keep on chopping. (really). It doesn't need to get too hot. I just cooked it so that it all mixed together.

3) The tofu part. Okay - so the goal here is to hide the tofu. So, easy peasy. First I ground it in a mini food processor. So it was ricotta like. (it would probably be better in a big one, but that's way up on a shelf i can't reach) Then it just seemed weird to throw it in and I got thinking it required more flavour (I read tofu takes on flavour) so I just fried it up (minus oil) with, you guessed it, more garlic and basil. I didn't taste test it. It looked gross. I just hoped for the best. At this point when it looks a bit gross, you can't quit or you'd be very wasteful. Also - at this point remember you're feeding vegans who have a different criteria for what they eat. My friend eats raw tofu. Keep that in mind.It will all be okay.

4) Putting it all together. - this is is lasagna. It's layers. So. I put my base as the base. I layered on some noodles. Then I kind of forget the order i threw everything on. I just put it on. I think I used some canned tomato sauce because the package said make sure it is moist so the noodles cook. IMPORTANT - I layered spinach in there. Lots of it. I did this kind of like noodles then spinach. I didn't cook the spinach. Then the fake cheese. (sorry if this offends people. it was good - but it's not real cheese. i also call processed american cheese slices fake cheese)  I didn't use much. I figured if it was gross it could make the whole thing gross. It was good though. Then at the top I put a light layer of it on. Definitely not heavy handed like you'd put on mozzarella. A little goes a long way.

5) cooking it. I went with 400 degrees for an hour. But I did this around 11 pm and fell asleep and left my husband watching. I have no idea if he added extra time. He may have. Or he may have turned it down because he likes to do things like this. So the point is - keep an eye on it and don't really trust my time and temp. Also, this is a guide because my oven is 30 years old and runs super hot, so we are always guessing anyway. But i also broiled it when I reheated it cuz the "cheese" looked a bit odd. (fake cheese does not cook the same. this goes also for processed cheese and cheese whiz. aside - if you're not vegan, try broiling cheese whiz. It's odd - delicious - yet odd) Broiling made it look good.

Okay - that's it.

Yum yum.

Time

Time is a funny thing. Sometimes it seems to go so slowly. Sometimes you have no idea how it went so quickly. This year I’ve gone back and forth. In some cases this year has dragged on.  And suddenly it’s June. Matt is finishing grade 2! Chloe is planning for junior kindergarten. (and by planning I mean trying on new outfits nightly)

And … the crazy thing?

Both kids just finished up a year of dance/drama.

Matt was in 101 Dalmations – he played Patch. It was a cute performance, and I have to tell you. Matt was not exactly the star of the show and centre stage. But his smile? His pride? The knowledge that he completed a year of drama and went on stage and knew all the lines in the songs?  He was thrilled. I was thrilled.

We have tried so many things with Matt. Different sports, dance, etc, and we have never made it through the year. This? Huge. And to me it shows one huge thing. If you believe in kids and meet them where they are at, they excel. 

And then there’s Chloe. She did a year of baby ballet. She loved it. LOVED it! Her whole group was unbelievably adorable, and they just all did so well.

Chloe’s comment to me after: The only thing that would make ballet class better every week is if we always had people cheering for us.

I think I see many dance classes in our future!

Happy June everyone.