Pretty little things

I promised to feature these cute flats close-up in one of my Style posts because they really are just too pretty and comfortable not to talk about.

The label is called Wishbone and it's a relatively new brand carried by Browns shoes.  I just love how simple and dainty these pinky/nude flats are complete with gold metal accents.  They remind me a little of ballet flats except that the sole of them are quite rubbery.  

I ended up going an extra size larger than usual (I bought a 7.5) because they are snug, but now that I’ve worn them in they are really moulding to my feet and feel like I’m walking on buttery leather clouds.  I LOVE them.  

I’m happy to purchase from Browns shoes which is a Canadian based retailer (straight out of Montreal).  The Wishbone Collection does not have a website that I was able to find, so if you love these you’ll have to go right into the shop to have a closer look. 

 

Really pretty box too!

Kate xo

Such a treat!

We love us some JOTI!

Teaching Scarly how to cook East Indian!

XO The cutest XO

She's so hilarious MOM!

Having Joti around once or twice a week is such a blessing.  As you can see, Scarlet loves time with her too.  I needed to feature this delicious vegetarian dish that she whiped up for dinner one night (and cleaned up afterwards too).  A spicy chick pea curry with flat bread and unfortunately, I have no idea what she called it, not Na'an, but something that starts with a 'p'.

Anywho, my mouth is watering just looking at these pics.  Fortunately, for someone who is currently being forced to watch GI levels and sugar, this was a fantastic dinner for me!  For those of you who were wondering from my last post about Joti - she is part time and does not live in with us.  She is at the house for a few hours and leaves us to have dinner on our own as a famjam even though I have asked her many times to stay.  She is just so amazing.  We definitely are one lucky family to have found her.

Basmatic rice - low GI
+

chick peas - perhaps some of the lowest glycemic loads
+

  salad on the side is also very low
=
Kate Can Enjoy!

  

I had one flat bread thing which was made with indian flour and spices so this was probably not the best for me, but they were tiny and I felt amazing after the meal, contrary to feeling dizzy prior to the testing.

Steve Jobs cried...a lot.

Although this biography is extremely well written (Walter Isaacson’s talented writing flare was what continually drew me back for more), I need to give this book a little break and come back to it in a few weeks.

Now halfway through it, I find I need something a little ‘lighter’.  I love learning and really appreciate all the new technology terms and ideas that I’ve come across, but I’ve been a little bit turned off concerning Steve Jobs and the type of person he was according to family, close friends and foes. 

 Not to be disrespectful, but he was a major whiner, with a capital ‘W’.  Crying on cue, begging, pleading, and then pouting when he didn’t get his way.  Yes - a grown adult behaving like a three year old.  I just can’t handle people like that.  It also states that he claimed other people’s ideas as his own and bawled in front of top professional executives and business people to get his way…on a regular basis!  That doesn’t jive with me.  He was known as calling his employees ideas ‘shitty’ rather than constructively suggesting a change and his compulsion for control was unmatched to the point he literally lived in a reality all of his own - for the betterment of himself.  For example, disregarding the fact completely that he had fathered a daughter named Lisa, who he did not ever acknowledge as his, even after a paternity test had been done with a 99.999999% chance that she was his.  He still claimed that there was a small percentage that she wasn’t in fact biologically from him.  (Cue major sigh and eye roll from me here…)

I’ll give it to the guy though - he revolutionized six different industries: personal computers, animated movies (Pixar), music, phones, tablet computing and digital publishing out of his need for perfection, I personally just have a hard time with the way it was done.  In my opinion, you can make all of that happen by working smarter rather than nastier and still get the same if not better results.  Inspire people into creating rather than scare them.  

Now, I say all of this as I sit and write on my new MacBook Pro (that I love) which is obviously slightly ironic; but, until I finish the book, I know I need to reserve FULL judgement of him and his motives.  Also, I say this as a student who would move mountains for people like Steven Jobs as I grew up.  I loved when a teacher expected more of me and gave me little positive feedback.  It always pushed me to do more.  So, maybe my conflicted thoughts about Steve are just that - conflicting.

(Halfway and needing a break)

In the meantime, I’ve had two very lovely ladies suggest the book: 'Looking for Alaska’ (which is on hold at the library for me) and another girlfriend suggested ‘The Apple Orchard’ that I’ll be starting tonight.  Never judge a book by it’s cover, but I gotta say that the latter looks nice and light and fun - a welcome break from all that talk about gigabytes and microcodes.  ugh...

PLEASE keep the suggestions coming here in the comments section below or Instagram or Facebook (even though I'm not on FB often).  I'm always hungry to learn more.  #thesmarterthebetter ;)

29 weeks pregnant

Weekly Pregnancy Update

How far along are you?

29 weeks!

How are you feeling?

Tired.  Really pooped.  

Any weight gain? 

1 pound for a total of 19 pounds putting me at 134

New symptoms?

Just more fatigue.  My belly button is really starting to flatten out which is a good sign of growth.

General mood?

Happy and excited.   

   

Gender?

BOY!
This was very obvious at the last ultrasound.  The technician, her assistant and I were all laughing out loud at what a little show-off this baby boy was being.  Also, there is absolutely no question - there is a prominent 'member'.  One of my friends who is a little further along than me by a few weeks was told that her second child was a little girl up until a month ago!!!  Then went to her last ultrasound and they said ‘Nope, it looks like you’re having another boy!’.  Can you imagine?!?!?!  So, I’m still really happy that things have stayed the same for us.  For the simple reason alone that I’ve bought WAY too much stuff to do returns at this point.  Oh!  That would be bad… so so bad.

What foods are you craving?

Unfortunately I’ve been craving some junky stuff but haven’t been able to eat any of it because of the low GI diet and almost zero sugar.  It’s been a struggle, but I’ve found some great recipes to help me get through the next 11 weeks that I’ll post up in ‘Eats’ really soon.

  Do you miss anything?

Honestly, I’m already missing the hot and long summer days.  I’m also missing my brothers and sisters and sleeping on my stomach...and wine.

Sleep?    

Besides the bathroom breaks and zombie dream that I had last night it’s been great.  I’m legitimately afraid of zombies and occasionally dream about them.  Weird hey?  It's situational, like, what would I do if this happened and how would I handle this scenario?  I'm a grown woman but they're still so frickin’ freaky to me!  

Working out?  

Walking and weights.  BOOOORRRR-ing.  Scar and I were out shopping today and when we were getting out of our car this huge black dude on a motorcycle came up to us and randomly starting talking to us (no joke).  He flat out asked me; ‘why haven’t I seen you lately at McKenzie towne Goodlife?’  and I go; ‘ummmm, I’m pretty pregnant’ and stuck my belly to this total stranger (no joke) and he says; ‘That’s no excuse!’ and then winked!  (I'm still not joking).  I kind of laughed him off and then felt like I was one of those people that always has a bazillion excuses as to why they don’t go to the gym.  I didn’t want to get into a long story about the complications that we experienced with someone I had just met so I just let it go.  But I really am looking forward to getting back there when our son is born.

  Best   Most embarrassing moment this week? 

I’m going to share a quick preggo brain moment.  I’ve been doing a bit of online shopping lately purely for convenience sake and I quickly purchase stuff right before I take a nap.  Well, I don’t really know how it happened but I must have been super tired because I ordered the exact same American Apparel little boy onesie twice.  Like, same size, same colour, same sleeve length and no pants, but at totally different times and in different orders.  Errr…my bad.  It’s a good thing this stuff is made in the USA and reasonably priced!  Luckily, my friend who is now having a boy (rather than a girl) said she could use it when I told her I had two.  Oops.  I'm blaming it on my lack of brain right now.

What are you excited about?

Getting into the 30’s in terms of pregnancy weeks.  I’m really eager to meet this nugget and because these two babes are so close together it kinda feels like I’ve been pregnant forever - it will be nice to feel like I have my stomach and my uterus back to myself.  I'm also dying about our top two names!  We obviously LOVE them and I really want to share but feel like it's going to stay a secret up until the day he arrives.  Something has to be a surprise right?!

Kate

xoxo

A few Fall purchases

Just to get the ball rolling.  

Even though the weather is nice, it's been a little chilly in the mornings so knits are always nice to have around.  Here are a few little things Scarly and I picked up for her and her little brother ;)

HnM leggings for the cutie pie!

We love you more ;)

Little knit dress for Scar from HnM

 Polka dot sweater from HnM for Scar

Warm socks!

Another #jj Instagram feature!

It’s still a big deal for my pics to be featured on epic Instagram accounts like Josh Johnson, #joshjohnson, but it’s a really big deal when it’s a set-up timer shot of my right foot in the dirty basement in an old pointe shoe while I’m six months preggo - just saying.  Makes me laugh too, and definitely pushes me to take other different and unusual shots.  I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY!  I really can't wait to get enrolled in those classes.

Munchkin Meals

What does my toddler eat?

Hey guys!  I thought it would be fun to do a little write-up of what my 16-month old daughter Scarlet eats.  This is what a typical day of food looks like for her.  She is and always has been a very good eater and I personally have a theory as to why that is, but I'll explain later.  Here are a few pictures of what we give her almost everyday.  But just understand - we're not perfect.  We're only trying to give her the most nutritious and delicious meals that we can think of and come up with easily.  

Hope you enjoy!

BREAKFAST

Healthy time Oatmeal made with water and a heaping spoonful of full fat greek yogurt.  1/2 a banana on the side.  Carbs, healthy fats and protein.  Winning meal right there.  I should also mention the oatmeal is jam packed with toddler essentials.  You read the box and immediately feel really good about giving her this stuff.

She's a true morning person - I can barely capture her pic when she's eating because of how excited and happy she is.

As you can see there are some cheerios in front of her.  I give these to her to nibble on while I'm prepping our breakfasts and hers.  Unfortunately, most of the Cheerios end up on the floor because we 'share' with Milo who LOVES cheerios.  She feeds them to him almost everyday.  It's really cute.

SNACK #1!

Edamame - no salt.  

I usually break the round beans into two and give them to her that way.  I'm slightly paranoid about choking but thankfully still have a valid CPR training under my belt if it does happen.  HAHA!

She also loves these little Goldfish crackers.  I'm not a huge fan of giving them to her (because of the salt) but I usually hide them until she's had a good serving of veg.

Fuelled up and off we go again!

LUNCH!

Full boiled egg, 1/2 an avocado, fruit and cheese toast.  Yes - she will eat every single bite of this meal.  It's awesome to watch.  Strategically, I have to give her the egg first or she won't touch it after she sees the other food.  Fruit comes last and we call it dessert.

 SNACK #2 and Milkshake

 Organic Homo Milk with the other half of the banana and spinach blended in.  

Nate is allergic to Milk and really Lactose Intolerant.  I myself have had some milk related problems - psoriasis flared up and minor Lactose Intolerance when I was younger.   We as parents both struggled with giving her cow's milk at all; but after hearing doctor after doctor after doctor and reading article after article about WHY it's important for babies and toddlers to have homoginzed cow's milk I felt it was right for our family.  She gets half of what is 'recommended' because this is what I was most comfortable with.  We supplement other nutritional needs with foods and dairy such as cheddar, cottage cheese and yogurt as you can see.  This is the only time during the day that she gets milk (right after her nap) unless she ever asks for it.  If she does, we do give her more but it's rare.  

I feel like we are in a happy balancing act right now.  I will continue to regulate and watch her very carefully with cow's milk and the first sign of disrupted sleep, or itchy skin, or whatever - you name it, we'll be trying something new.  So far, so good so we'll stick with it!

cottage cheese and 1/2 a mandarin orange

DINNER!

Someone looks hungry!  

Scarlet is at the stage where she can eat what Nate and I eat for dinner (within moderation).  Tonight she had steamed asparagus, sautéed mushrooms and pasta with some of the Salmon her Daddy caught on his fishing trip with his Dad.  And yes - she ate the entire plate.  My theory is because she doesn't have the full 16 oz of milk 'recommended' she is not overly full of liquid and can take all of the food offered (and more).  I have a few friends who struggle with their kids eating, but see that they have bottle after bottle of milk and I wonder if that might have something to do with it.  I know after I have a latte I'm not super hungry anymore.  Who knows, I just think that what's going on in our pad is working well and Scar has consistently been healthy, no sickness yet (knock on wood) and within if not slightly under a healthy height and weight.  There it is!  Hope you enjoyed.

28 weeks pregnant

Weekly Pregnancy Update

How far along are you?

28 weeks!  

How are you feeling?

Pretty good.

Any weight gain? 

No weight gain this week.  Total of 18 pounds so far keeping me at 133

New symptoms?

Glucose intolerance.  

I took the gestational diabetes pre-screening test and was told that I needed to do the second 

more intense test.  After completing the;

 drink-orange-syrup-every-hour-for-three-hours-while-I-poke-you-many-times-with-needles-and-make-sure-you-fast-for-a-day-beforehand-exam,

 I learned that the placenta is effecting the way that my body metabolized sugars into my system.  A possible complication is that the baby will be too large for delivery (SOOOO not a concern at this point), but the precautions must still be implemented.  So, unfortunately for the rest of the pregnancy, I will have zero sugar, minimum simple carbs and small meals every two-three hours.  Ok, I can do that.  But already, I can tell that with the change in my diet, weight gain and fundal measurements will be affected.  

This whole scenario was a surprise as I had no issues with any of this in my first pregnancy, but all along, the placenta has been a concern so I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked. 

General mood?

Still pretty darn happy.  

   

Gender?

BOY!

What foods are you craving?

nothing really.  With the change in diet, I find I’m unusually fuller for way longer.  Complex carbs are pretty good and tasty.  I especially like the Ezekiel sprouted bread!  

  Do you miss anything?

hmmmm.  Not really this week.  The weather is back to being beautiful so we’ve been out and about.  Actually, I miss my best friend Jenny.  She and her famjam have been up at the cabin for a few weeks and I’m needing some time with her.  Fortunately, we have a dinner date planed.  YAY!

Sleep?    

Really good.  You won’t hear me complaining.

Working out?  

Scar and I walk in the morning or go run errands, enjoy the park, the beach, a play date etc, and then we all walk as a family every night after dinner.  I’ve been given the ok to do this so I’m taking full advantage!

Best moment this week? 

Seeing my daughter full-on run towards me (with serious speed I might add), and then right into my arms for the first time.  It was so special.  She is now doing it to Nate too and it’s amazing to watch her run so fast and just plunge with full trust into his body.

What are you excited about?

-Decorating the nursery (that’s happening very soon)

-My sister-in-law coming in Sept with my nephew

-I’m excited about fall this year.  The gorgeous leaves, the scented candles, the new clothes and it’s all bringing us closer to the due date.  YAY!  I change out house pillows, decorations and our flower planters with seasonal items so I’ll have to go shopping to keep things seasonally current.  

hmmmm, poor me.  Haha. 

Kate

xoxo

Thug life

Today I felt like Scar looked like a sweet little gangster baby.  I think it was the rag head band and cardigan combo.  I don't know.  But even though she looks like a total thug, she's such a little quiet, sweet angel.   Gotta say - I'm diggin' the vibe Scar...

Although it was a rainy, we still wanted to get outside since I can just feel that the fall cool months are creeping upon us.  (Nooooooooo!)

Scarlet was excited to see the new park just around our place but I was a little disappointed that there weren’t any other little kiddies playing on it.  We’re very social ;)  Usually these places are packed but I guess the rain scared a few away today.  Oh well, we were able to have the place to ourselves which was still really fun.

See ya Mom!

Here are a few pics of Scarlet discovering the area.  She LOVES the slides and is starting to get more and more used to the swings.  She and I sat on one for a long time together without talking to each other.  So very sweet.  It's like when you have moments with your best friend where you don't need to say a word, you just both know.

I see a bump on Mommy!

I see a DOG!

Oh man, there is a DOGGIE there!

Cutest face.

Brave little chicky!

Our JOTI!

Our beloved Joti, but sometimes we call her Jasmine - only because she looks like the Disney character...not because she's East Indian.

Ok - again I went a little bananas prior to taking a picture of this absolutely delicious dinner and ate most of it.  I know I say this a lot because I’m such a food lover, but honestly, this butter chicken is the best Indian meal I have ever had.  Like - it totally trumps Moti Mahal (our all time favourite Indian restaurant that we’ve been going to for years).  It tastes like you’re eating the most delicious fancy meal straight out of the Taj Mahal in India, and you’re wearing a beautiful sari.  The rice alone!  I mean.  I’ve never had rice like this!  It’s like she puts a spell on it or something, or just lot's of fennel.  Ok, now I’m getting a little carried away, but seriously oh man.
 This dish and Joti are two very special treats in my life!

I had an entire plate and then realized - I DIDN'T TAKE A PICTURE!!!  So this is a little second helping.

We have Joti coming in about once or twice a week to help out.  She plays with Scarlet (so I can get a few things done around the house), cleans and cooks.  It is such a gift on the days that she is here.  I’m looking forward to next time as she has asked if she can do a vegetarian style dinner for us.  Ummmmmm, let me think about that…YUP! 

Kate 

XOXO