On the move . . . again!

I've seriously neglected this blog for too long. I have a bunch of post ideas lined up in my head, but haven't had the time to sit and actually formulate my thoughts. I'm hoping this will change once we make our big move back to NYC. Yep, it's official, I can't deny it any longer: we're moving . . . on SUNDAY!

I'm overwhelmed with emotions that span the spectrum: anxious about the preschool application process in NYC, excited about going to work at my *old* school, sad to be leaving family and friends once again, but oh-so-happy to have E at home all.the.time. No more of this traveling back and forth for him, leaving me and Indio alone in Toronto.

I hope you're all having a fabulous summer. I've kept up with some of my blog reading, though I'm still a bit behind. I'll catch you all up-to-date soon with a few posts about what I've been up to while in complete denial about this move all summer! xo

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Budding Chef

In an effort to keep Indio busy this summer we signed up for *Little Chefs*, a free cooking class organized by Ontario Early Years Centres. I was hesitant at first because the class is timed perfectly with Indio's nap and I didn't want to risk a cranky toddler every week, but he's been a trooper and has sacrificed his midday snooze for a little culinary education.

We have only attended 2 classes so far, but both have been loads of fun! We start the class with a circle of songs and stories and then get right into cooking. The instructors are great about teaching routines such washing your hands before cooking, waiting your turn [some seem to struggle with this one!], learning about the different food groups and actually measuring and mixing the ingredients. It's quite amazing to watch a room full of toddlers so engaged in creating their own snack!

During our first class we baked blueberry muffins and made watermelon juice. Indio loved pouring ingredients into bowls to prepare the muffin batter. However, he had a hard time grasping the fact that he couldn't just eat the watermelon off the plate instead of actually cutting it to put it in the blender.

pouring flour

mmmmuffin!

The end result was delicious, and I'm not just saying that as a proud mama. I think even pastry-chef-in-the-making, Summer, would be impressed! We ate the muffin hot out of the oven and Indio drank his juice so quickly that I'm not sure he even tasted it!

"mom, may i have a real knife?"

so refreshing!

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Bittersweet

Load the car and write the note.
Grab your bag and grab your coat.
Tell the ones that need to know.
We are headed north.

One foot in and one foot back.
But it don’t pay to live like that.
So I cut the ties and I jumped the track.
For never to return.

Ahh Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in.
Are you aware the shape I’m in?
My hands they shake, my head it spins.
Ahh Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in.

[... I and Love and You by the Avett Brothers]

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Snow day!

our local snow clearing service hard at work

In preparation for a winter storm that was supposed to hit Toronto last night, wreaking havoc over the city, a snow day was called at school for today. How anti-climatic was it then when I woke up this morning to a new layer of snow, no worse than anything we've had so far? No blizzard, no whiteouts, definitely nothing to fret about. But who am I to complain? I get to stay home with my boys, enjoy the snow outside and then some hot cocoa by the window as we watch the snowplows clear our already-cleared streets. Bliss!

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Slip Sliding in the Snow

Our good friends, Marta and John, lent us their toboggan to use while we had E's family visiting over the holidays, but we didn't have enough snow! We finally got the chance to test it out last Friday after a mini-snowfall on Toronto.

Indy loved "sledding" and kept saying, "Do it again!" each time he got to the bottom of the hill. Mama and Papa were cold long before Indy was ready to go home, but that's probably because Indy was a little Michelin Man in all his layers! Maybe I need to invest in a pair of adult-sized snowpants!

Do you like the snow? Is there any snow where you are? I'm secretly hoping for an early spring, but I do love the look on Indy's face when he's in the snow...

building a snowgoose!

tasting the snow

"wheeeee!"

all by myself!

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Snapshot Sunday: week 48

Woah, it's December and almost 2011??? In 10 days my baby turns 2. TWO! As exciting as this is, I'm feeling pretty bummed about it actually because I want to stop time and keep him little for a bit longer. I finally finished his "first year" photo book and ordered it from Blurb. I'm trying to finish year two before the end of the year. It's a lofty goal, but I think I can do it.

This week's photos are missing day 338 [yesterday] for the mere reason that I'm too lazy to wait for my photos to upload right now, but the rest of the week was pretty colourful.

Hope you're all enjoying the last month of the year. Are you preparing for the holidays? Have you received snow yet?

[day 332: This restaurant reminded me of a friend who shares its namesake.]

[day 333: Washing dishes or just making a bigger mess?]

[day 334: Crazy-beautiful sunset filtered through a dirty windshield.]

[day 335: 'Tis the season for a festive CN Tower.]

[day 336: Would you accept a kiss from this yogurt monster?]

[day 337: Funky mural on west Queen St West.]

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It's beginning to feel a lot like...

blank canvas: rockefeller center circa 2006

I know it's still only November, but I'm already getting giddy thinking about the holiday season. This year, I will finally have my very own Christmas tree! Growing up in a Hindu family, we didn't celebrate Christmas [though we took advantage of the Boxing Day sales!], and I did exchange gifts with friends and spent a lot of time at my cousin's place, whose house was always festive and traditional.

E grew up celebrating Christmas, and though we both don't like the commercial aspect of the holiday, we are excited to begin our own family traditions and continue those he shared with his family.

To jumpstart my ornament shopping, I joined the lovely Micaela's Ornament Swap! I was paired up with a fellow Canuck, Erin and after perusing her fantastic blog, I set out today in search of the perfect adornment for her tree. As I was walking along Queen St West in downtown Toronto I stumbled upon a fabulously ornate store called Ten Thousand Villages.

From their website:

"Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit Fair Trade Organization (FTO). FTOs are non-governmental organizations designed to benefit artisans, not to maximize profits. They market products from handicraft and agricultural organizations based in low-income countries, providing consumers with products that have been fairly purchased from sustainable sources."

I only had about 20 minutes before my parking meter ran out, so I had to move fast. [I have bad luck with trying to outrun meter-maids...] TTV had so many gorgeous ornaments decorating their faux trees that it was hard to narrow down my choices, but in those 20 minutes I managed to collect about 20 beautiful, handmade embellishments that would be perfect on almost any evergreen.

I can't share my wares just yet because I want Erin to be surprised when she receives her swap package, but as soon as my tree is up and decorated, I will be sure to post it here.

Do you celebrate Christmas? What are your holiday traditions? Have you started any of your own?

one of the ornaments i had to pass up...though i may go back for him b/c he's utterly adorable!

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All Hallows Even

Indy has been obsessed with pumpkins ever since the first orange squash was on display for the season, so the build-up to Sunday night was exciting, to say the least.

We carved a pumpkin for our porch and walked around the 'hood in search of ghouls and ghosts. E wouldn't let Indy trick-or-treat because he didn't want him to feel bad about not being able to eat the candy. I was hoping to distract Indy and eat it all myself. Oh well. At least E saved a few mini Coffee Crisps for me.

modeling their costumes before the big day. cassius wasn't thrilled that his was so small.

scooping out pumpkin guts.

waiting for trick-or-treaters

our first family jack-0.

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Mall Walking

[ready to feast on pad sew noodles]

Recently, Indy and I ventured to a mall together. [This is a big deal since Indy already abhors shopping though I think it's more the sounds and lights in the mall than the actual shopping...he's much like his papa in this respect.] We met up with Paula, who came prepared with toys and books for Indy...and she didn't even have her own kids with her! Now that's a prepared mom!

I was amazed at the number of other moms with strollers crawling the mall and kept thinking, "Why are there so many moms here in the middle of the day?" only to realize, "Duh, I'm one of them and this is the best time for us because all the other people are at work!" Only difference? My kid wanted to run amok and touch everything while all the other babes were either sleeping or watching the world go by perched in their strollers.

Though we didn't stay as long as I could have sans bébé [that whole nap schedule thing got in the way] and I didn't buy anything for myself, we had a great day and Indio was so tired that he fell asleep before we left the parking lot. [Guess it's tiring trying to outrun your mama at every clothing rack!]

[dollar store treasures that complement the current firetruck/garbage truck obsession...just hope they don't contain BPA or whatever other chemicals I should be scared of.]

Paula and I have already set our next mall date, but this time Indio already has other plans!

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How many foliage photos can I take before you get bored?

Indy and I spent lots of time at my elementary school playground this week because we were staying at my parents' place [E is away...again!] and I was in awe of the amazing colours in the grove of trees behind the archaic slide and swingset. We jumped in piles of leaves, tried to eat berries [Indy tried, I freaked out and quickly slapped them out of this hand...I know, way to make him want to eat them more!], and of course climbed up the ladder to go down the slide which is at least 25 years old!

I played with the macro setting on my camera and loved how the depth of field looked in some of the photos, especially the *sparkly* white dots in photos #2 and #4. I also used Picnik to edit the photos, basically just playing around with their *Lomo-ish* action. It's so easy and fun!

Hope you're all having a grand weekend and spending some time outside while the weather is still nice [for those of us in temperate climate zones...for those of you in warm climates, I'm very jealous.]

You're lucky there are only four photos in this post. ;)

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Lions and rhinos and goats, oh my!

On Friday, we decided to take an impromptu *Family Fieldtrip* to the African Lion Safari, just outside of Toronto. It was a bright and sunny day, perfect for mingling with the animals. We drove through 9km of game reserves that included animals from Africa, Asia and the Americas, but disappointingly, no elephants! Apparently, the only way to see the pachyderms is to watch their show, *Elephant Roundup.* After the hour-long tour, we didn't have the energy to stick around for it. Maybe next time.

Of course, I took a million photos. Here's a sample of a few of my favourites:

before heading on the safari, we stopped for a visit with the goats...hilarious, isn't it?

And now for some fun facts:

a giraffe's tongue is about 18 inches long!

rhinos love mudbaths but can't roll over because of their protruding spine.

did you know the ostrich's brain is smaller than its eyeball?

king of the jungle overlooking his pride...lions sleep for 15-20 hrs a day...what a life!

African Lion Safari is now closed for the season, but if you're ever in Southern Ontario, you should definitely plan a visit!

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Snapshot Sunday: week 39

I know you were all having doubts that you'd ever see another timely Project 365 post. Well, I thought I'd surprise you and get a jump start on the week with this Snapshot Sunday. Only 4 photos long, but now I'm caught up until next Sunday!

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

[day 273: Waiting for Papa to get his hair did.]

[day 274: Tabla player extraordinaire, Talvin Singh at The Great Hall in Toronto. I hate to say it, but with all the technical malfunctions, the opening act, Omnesia, was more entertaining.]

[day 275: Yes, I let my son eat crayons. We ran out of string cheese.]

[day 276: A bountiful day at the park--met new friends who shared their Lay's and Ruffles chips. Even strangers know how to win over my boy!]

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Technicolour Thursday: week 38

I'm really getting good at missing my Project 365 deadlines! Maybe it's a secret blessing in disguise that you can see two weeks worth in one shot...what do you think? It's funny how *not working* makes me feel more busy and overwhelmed than when I had a job! Hmmm... Well, we were in NYC for 5 days, which always throws me off and then I had my photos in so many different cameras that it took forever to download-then-upload them all.

Thanks for sticking with me this far. I don't know if I'll do this project again next year. Maybe I'll follow Paula's lead and do a *Project 52* next year: one photo a week!

[day 260: Picking up cupcakes in the rain from the Flour Studio, mmm....so delish!]

[day 261: Breakfast at St.Lawrence Market--peameal bacon sandwiches--YUM!]

[day 262: At the playground with Papa.]

[day 263: The best stop on the road--Sheetz gas station and coffee bar all in one! I always seem to stumble across new M&M's on our trips to NYC. These coconut ones were oh-so-tasty!]

[day 264: Riding the NYC subway always revs up my appetite too.]

[day 265: I always thought this place was called *Tea and Honey* until I finally looked at the sign up close...really close! Now I know where everyone is going when they say, "I'm going to grab an ice coffee from Ted and Honey!"]

[day 266: A little boy's dream--posing with a fireman and his truck. Extra special fact: Ladder 110 is from my old 'hood, Fort Greene!]

[day 267: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially when it's enjoyed with Aja (grandpa) before heading out on the road back to Toronto.]

[day 268: Crazy-cool flower in North Park, Toronto.]

[day 269: Another day in the park with Papa.]

[day 270: Crazy-cool clouds. Crappy phone pic.]

[day 271: It is officially cool enough to test out the new fuzzy Australian slippers given to Indy by my aunt. And another crappy phone pic.]

[day 272: Late night laundry. The joys of cheaper *time of use* electricity rates.]

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