new mom

I forgot what it's like to have a newborn in the house.  It's amazing how our recollection of life with babies seem so different when viewed in retrospect.  Sometimes those early years of exhaustion seem to pale in comparison with the new challenges each life stage brings as your children grow up with their own mind, voice, determination, and opinion.

After a few weeks of settling in with our new puppy, I was re-introduced again with that "new Mom" feeling of adjusting to a schedule that is dictated mostly by a creature no bigger than ten pounds. Trying to prepare for hosting our annual Mother's Day gathering this weekend, along with chauffeuring kids to school, swimming, birthday parties and hockey games all while trying to keep with a training-in-progress puppy's schedule has definitely been trying, and as we manoeuvre through this new phase in our lives, there are some things that I've kept reminding myself.

I looked back to when I first became a mother and tried to apply some lessons learned.  Surprisingly this has (somewhat) helped us get through this "new mother" phase with the puppy.

1)  They will sleep through the night eventually.  Just hang in there.  Be strong.
2)  What goes in, comes out.  So only feed the best you can afford.  If it's not organic, then get food as pure to it's original source that you can. (i.e. no dyes, preservatives, chemicals, artificial anything).  Remember they are what they eat.
3)  Setting a precedent with good habits as early as possible helps make things a little easier, so they don't have to be re-taught again later (usually with defiance).
4)  You don't need to buy EVERY toy/gizmo/hot-designer-item...usually just a few key basics to start will work.  As they grow, your needs and their tastes will change.  Buy accordingly.
5)  It does get a little easier (at least, less labour intensive!).  You will settle into a routine and find those moments where you can get a "break" again.

So for Mother's Day this weekend,  I hope all Mothers, both new and experienced, enjoy a little break.  Because even when the little ones don't listen, wreck the furniture, have accidents in the house, and constantly demand your attention, just stop and look into their "puppy dog" eyes...their love usually puts things back into perspective.  And that's what's being a Mom is all about.

Happy Mother's Day

Crockpot Cocktail Meatballs 

(adapted from Allrecipes).

This recipe can be made even easier by using pre-made frozen meatballs.  I go back and forth between both (although I like the taste of homemade meatballs a little better).  When you're time crunched, this recipe is quick and easy, serves a large crowd, and can give you a little break from the kitchen so you can enjoy the company of guests.

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup ketchup or bbq sauce
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (or cornflake crumbs)
• 1/3 cup parsley
• 1/4 cup parmesan (or 1 tsp. soy sauce for asian flair)
• 3 tablespoons minced onion

Sauce:

• 1 (8 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
• 3/4 cup chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, water, bread crumbs, and minced onion. 
• Roll into small meatballs.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once until cooked.
• In a slow cooker blend the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice.
• Add meatballs, and simmer for 2-4 hours on low before serving.

Enjoy.

chocolate and flowers

While going through Easter pictures on Pinterest a few weeks back, I saw many beautiful Easter eggs and thought that since the egg represents birth (as written in my post here), it would naturally be pretty dessert for Mother's Day. 

When my children opened up their Kinder chocolate eggs, I liked how the eggs were the "wrapping" for the gift inside. 

Inspired by the egg cups as mini flower vases (as seen in my last post), I thought it would be perfect to create the flower vase that's both pretty...and edible. (I love to eat!).

Below is a really simple way to make chocolate eggs as "vases".  Fill with whatever you would like...I thought I'd just fill mine with ice cream (use ice cream that doesn't melt so fast...I used a mango sherbet that melted faster than I can place them!) and heart shaped candies that, when you put four of them together (like a clover), with another on top, they look like flowers.  Chocolate?  Check.  Ice Cream?  Check.  Candy? Check.  So simple!  

Happy Mother's Day!

Easy Chocolate Egg Vases.

These eggs can be made 2-3 days in advance, keep eggs in the fridge in an airtight container.


Ingredients
1 cup of chocolate chips
2 tbsp. of butter.


Melt the chocolate chips and butter slowly in a saucepan.  Remove from heat.  The chocolate should be thick, not watery. Let cool and stir so it has the consistency of icing.


Grease the egg cups with butter.

Using an icing spreader (or the back of a small spoon), coat the inside of the egg cups, making a thick "wall".

Chill overnight, then using a sharp knife gently push out the chocolate.  

Remove eggs from the fridge about 10 minutes before serving. Fill with desired contents.  


Enjoy!

may flowers

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Mother's Day is synonymous with flowers.  The giving and receiving of them.  Here are some beautiful flower arrangements using every day household items as vases.  They make the flowers seem so much more personal...and easy to create for Mother's Day.

Here's a floral arrangement using a 3 tiered serving tray (with floral foam).

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Simple votive candles hold little flower tops, or single roses with the stems removed.

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Here's a simple candlestick holder, topped with floral foam and carnations.

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Here's a very very easy arrangement I used one year for Mother's Day...just use pretty colour coordinated gift bags.

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April showers definitely brought May flowers.  Enjoy!

What is The ROI of Your Mom?

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Priceless.  For all you Moms out there, I hope this week leads up to a...

Happy Mother's Day!

Simply Pretty Mother's Day Table

First came love, then came marriage…now let's honour the ones who push the baby carriage.

Usually men don’t organize parties (although I have a friend who’s husband loves to organize parties, so he’s a rare breed...but I digress)…so when Mother’s Day comes up, my husband usually takes care of details like what we're going to eat (usually BBQ if the weather is nice), but decorating the house “pretty” isn’t usually top of mind (and no, vacuuming and re-arranging chairs does not constitute decorating for a party).

When we hosted a Mother's Day get together at our house last year…the night before everyone was to arrive, I was in search for a quick table centerpiece.  As I was putting together little gifts for the Moms, I thought, why not put flowers in a gift bag like it's a vase?

I like that it’s easy to coordinate the colour to a party theme, table cloth or the flowers.  And it costs almost nothing.  And it looks cute on the table, with not a lot of effort.

Pretty simple.  Simply pretty.