just add water

tattly, a brooklyn design company founded by tina roth eisenberg (aka swissmiss), has a great selection of 'designy temporary tattoos'. they are fun and cool and cute.  i want to get me some :) 

 

 

have a lovely weekend.  and...

my little drummer boy

this advertisement for a drummer made me smile.  i spotted it displayed in a local record store some time ago - it's been on the wall forever - and was told that i am not the only one who has asked to photograph it.

kai told his dad and i that he wants to be a drummer when he grows up.  i probably mentioned on this blog before that kai takes drum lessons but we discovered that he's actually good.  last week his drum instructor surprised him with a double kick drum to practise on.  i learned that it's a drum kit often used in heavy metal bands.  kai loved it. 

while stefan is looking into this rockband school so kai can also have some fun playing as part of a band - but (thankfully) he may need to wait a few years - i am thinking about taking him out of his lessons... this tiger mama would agree with me but i won't.  for now :)

the stock market

the highlight of getting braces - yes, there actually is a highlight - has been eating the stock market soups.  in preparation for the braces i stocked the freezer with a variety of their soups and have loved them all.  so. very. flavourful.  you can't go wrong with any of them but my favourites have been the split pea, yam, or lentil soups.

we don't eat much pre-prepared foods so i never gave their soups much thought until the braces came on.  unlike the usual fare of pre-prepared foods, these soups contain no additives, preservatives or msg.  buying frozen saves you a few dollars too.

 



 

the stock market is located in the granville island market.  it was a family run business for over a decade until a few years ago.  the original owners retired to be closer to their grandchildren and sold their soup business to one of their loyal customers/employees; at least this is the story i have been told :)

thank you stock market! you were such a comfort to me during those first weeks with braces!

weekend pics

our weekend was devoted to kai's activities - he participated in a soccer tournament, attended his soccer skills class, had a friend over for a play, and rode his bike in a pedalheads event - yet i did fit in an almost 10km run (this is a big deal for me!), we watched the very intense and very good star trek into darkness movie (i'm a bit of a star trek nerd thanks to stefan), and we hung out with friends for chinese food and donuts.

 hope you all had a lovely weekend too!



i have been running on the treadmill at the gym lately but running outdoors this weekend was really nice despite the rain!





kai played soccer and i ran... both in the rain.





    we are big fans of our friend's little guy.

 



the pedalheads event was held at jericho beach

 

 





trials stars action

 

monkey smoothie

one of the devastating facts about braces is that your relationship with food changes.  take peanut butter for instance;  i love the stuff yet chewing a peanut butter sandwich has become more of a chore than an enjoyment.  argh!

but then i started making what i call monkey smoothies.  so. very. good.  i can't get enough of this smoothie.  will you try it?

recipe: monkey smoothie

you will need:
bananas
medjool dates, pitted
peanut butter
almond milk
hemp seeds

what to do:
toss all of the ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth.

pour and enjoy.  delicious!


have a lovely weekend.

weekend pics, a long weekend in victoria

we took this three day weekend to spend quality time with the lovely melanie and family before they jet off to spain for a month or so.  i know, so lucky!

during the first part of our weekend we stayed put at home and also played on the beach.  the kids found a 'shortcut' to the beach which involved trespassing through someone's garden and then proceeding down a slippery, treacherous, and steep cliff face.   they loved it and of course the adults put an end to it (so much sadness)... the next day we took the long way round.







kids are 'mining'

  

 

 

the latter part of our weekend was spent in a quaint little cottage on shawnigan lake... it is such a peaceful spot.  if you want to slow down time, this is the place to be.  we happily swam (well, except me), read, ate, and relaxed. 

it wasn't as warm as we had hoped but sitting on the jetty breathing in the fresh cool air was lovely.  when the sun did poke out through the clouds it warmed us up instantly.

 

 







kai was the first to jump into the very cold lake...





... and he didn't stop jumping in!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

water fun...



... it didn't take them long to get wet!

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

we discovered the merridale cider farm and bistro, near shawnigan lake, and it has easily become a favourite place to eat.  and that snakebite drink was refreshing, delicious, and really strong - although i didn't realize just how strong it was until i drank it all up!  the kids enjoyed running around the orchard where they found a fairy garden, butterfly cocoons, and the most beautiful dog named stella.  we wanted to steal her away with us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 





photo credit: ruben

  

 

i don't always know that i crave these types of escapes until i am in them but i do know that i am craving a snakebite :)  and kai, at the end of the long weekend, was craving his bed... he had so much fun.