A weekend with kids...

While Norm was 'sightseeing' in Boston, I got to experience life at my brother's house.  They were expecting me right after work on Friday night but Ev twisted my arm to stay downtown for some shopping and dinner with Di.  Early Saturday morning I made my way to Meadowvale where Flo had breakfast ready (I can get used to this).  Jeremy was awake so I was lucky to spend some alone time with him as he tricked me into taking me out of his exersaucer.  Most of my time there was spent carrying this 28lb little boy. I think I may need a hip replacement now. Soon after, Hazel heard the chatter downstairs and quickly got out of bed to see me.  She so sweetly cleaned her room from top to bottom just for me.  Flo says I should come over more often since she has never seen Hazel's room so clean.  And then there's my little man, Hayden.  As soon as he saw me he asked, "Tita Mel, what took you so long?".  Apparently his mother made the mistake in telling him I 'might' come over as early as Friday night. There's no such thing as 'might' in a child's vocabulary and so he stayed up until 3 am waiting for me.  So what's a girl to do with three kids and a sister in law? Two words: Vaughan Mills.  I took Hayden to the racetracks, Hazel shopping and pushed Jeremy around the mall.  A few hours later we made our way home, ordered Frederick's and called it a night.  Life with kids is definitely a challenge but anything is possible when you have a brother who picks up food, moves my car at night to avoid a ticket and Flo's famous chocolate chip cookies that followed me all the way home. 

And now, it's back to reality...

Ev's favourite things

As per Sally's blog, Ev invited us over for her birthday dinner.  Just to name a few, she received Glen's favourite toilet paper, oregano oil which is Di's favourite home remedy, sun screen from her favourite Pharmacist and Pocky from her most favourite, fobulous friend.  It makes shopping a lot easier when you shop for what you like versus what you think the receiver will like.  Although it is always hard to buy something for Ev (as we all know she has everything) it was a lot easier this year.  I walked into my favourite store, Banana Republic, and purchased a bracelet I absolutely would have loved for myself.  I was thankful there was a sale but I still went over the $25 limit. Ev, buy me a coffee and I'll call it even. 

Another road closure

Looks like I have a theme going. I am happy to report any road closures this summer in and around the city.  This weekend College St was closed for the Taste of Little Italy.  Everyone seemed to be enjoying the patios but we were on the look out for something "different".  They had rows and rows of BBQ's that were serving chicken and beef kabobs, burgers, and of course corn.  What caught my eye (and my appetite) was a bakery called Riveria.  We had something called "arancini" which is a rice ball with peas, onions, cheese and ground beef.  It resembles an orange (hence the name) once it is rolled in a ball and fried until golden.  We also treated ourselves to some pastries filled with sweet ricotta cheese.  Thank goodness we went to gym.  In fact, it may have been still within the 'power hour' time limit.  At that same bakery, we heard a few people ordering ice cream sandwiches.  I figured it must be good since so many people were ordering them.  To my surpise, they were actual sandwiches - kaiser bun with ice cream inside.  I actually remember my Grandma making me these same ice cream sandwiches with plain white bread.  How could I have forgotten something that was so good?  After we strolled over to Augusta/Kensington Market and had a late lunch at El Trumpo.  Norm had a craving for mexican so we enjoyed 5 beef tacos, nachos and guacamole.  As usual we opted for the patio seating where we people watched and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  After lunch we decided to walk off all the food and ended our day off at Spadina.   I feel lucky and privileged to live in a city so diverse and full of culture.   

Happy Birthday Twins (kinda)

First let me explain my title - my brother and my sister share the same birthday but they are one year apart.  They have always shared birthday parties, shared cakes, and maybe even shared gifts. 

This year my brother decided to leave the kids at home so we headed to Terroni's  where we had pizza, pasta, belini's and red wine.  And what's a birthday without cake so we ended dinner on a sweet note with an array of desserts - tirimisu, creme caramel, and chocolate torte.

After dinner we headed over to Pravda for some birthday drinks.  Norm's choice of drink was a espresso martini, Has went the James Bond route, and Flo & I enjoyed the lychee martini.  It was our first time in their new location which was bigger and more beautiful. They have Happy Hour Monday to Friday from 5- 7pm.  Half price martini's. Good to know.  

 

Another closure

Tonight Yonge Street was closed for the NHL Awards.  I was hoping to see some of my favourite hockey goons but had no luck.  The red carpet was already being rolled away as everyone was already inside the building.  We continued our walk along Yonge street in our quest for a good pad se ew.  I have not found something comparable to the one in SFO and even tonight did not quite compare.  Still, it was a beautiful evening to dine on a patio.  As we walked back home we found the NHL award ceremony had ended and to our surprise we ran into Jarome Iginla.  Iggy!  

Woofstock, North Pole and Sex in the City

It's always nice to start the summer with road closures and street parties.  This weekend they closed Front Street for Woofstock, the biggest dog party ever.  Most dogs were prepared for the hot weather as they were wearing visors and sunglasses.  Those that needed to cool off jumped into the pool (yes, there was a canine pool party) while those that were tired retreated to their doggy strollers.  After some fun at Woofstock, we made the trek to the North Pole for some burgers and beer on the newly, finished deck. What a beautiful day to spend outside with the small kids, the big kids and the young at heart kids.  My last stop was at Milestones where I met my girlfriends for dinner and ended the night with a late Sex In the City show.  Don't worry, I won't divulge any information for those who have yet to watch it so I will end this entry here before I slip...

A few of my Favourite Things

This year we will be buying each other a few of our favourite things.  I know, it's seems odd that you wouldn't buy the celebrant what they want but in doing this, we might learn more about each other and find something new on your own favourite list.  This year I bought Sally a lululemon headband that came with a lululemon bag.  I like this headband because it actually stays in place and neatly tucks away my growing bangs.  I also scored Sally a big lululemon bag which is great for grocery shopping or in her case, lugging 'drawer worthy' things back and forth to Ron's house. Inside the bag was a booklet that includes all Yoga studios in the GTA.  I am hoping Sally will give it a try so that I have someone to do the downward dog with. I also included a pair of Gap socks.  I love these socks because they are soft and thick and they have a nice padding for the soles of your feet.  Lastly, I bought Sally a waterbottle that is not plastic.  This was initiated because I saw a few plastic water bottles in Sally's car.  I guess the theme of my gifts surrounded the idea of staying healthy and to think green!

Big Brother

I don't usually have a heart to heart with my brother (I save that for my sister) but even though I don't tell him everything, he always knows when I need a little boost.  This weekend they came over and he took us shopping at Eaton Centre and later treated us for dinner at Wah Sing. Growing up, I always remember my brother working whether it was at the corner video store or summer jobs at the CNE and every pay day he would take me out to eat or even buy me something I needed (shoes for school).  After all these years, I guess some things don't change and even though I am grown up and have my own job, I will still let my big brother treat me every now and again.

 

Thanks Mama Lee

We all helped in bringing everything up to the rooftop patio for this weeks' WND.  As we unravelled the table cloth, we found some food Diana was saving from last year.  It must be the secret ingredient to the delicious kalbi we had that evening.  As we eat, Gerwyn gave us a history lesson on Marco Polo and Columbus.  We were all impressed until the sangria wore off and we found the the true story thanks to Wiki.   The evening ended with a beautiful, red sunset.  You know what they say, "Red sky at night, sailor's delight".  

Thanks Mama Lee for the kalbi.  And Happy early Birthday Di!

Good Eats

Last night we took Stu to our favourite Chinese restaurant.  You guessed it, Wah Sing.  As usual, they left the ordering to us so we ordered the usual:  soft shell crab fried rice, cantonese chow mein, green beans, spicy squid, fillet of sole, and of course, lobster.  Everyone thought it would be too much food but it all disappeared an hour later.  Wah Sing is always a sure thing. 

Welcome Home

WND was held at Ev's but this time she had a little help from her fiance, Stuart.  He's back...but now he's back for good.  Norm is so excited now that he has another male join our WNDs.  He has definitely been through a lot of 'rubbish' talk about Sex In the City, Oprah, explicit details of our trips/experiences.  I think that's what makes him such a great husband!  And now that Stu has joined our group, I'm sure he will learn a thing or two from our girl talk.  Welcome home, Stu!

Happy Birthday Hayden

Normally little 4 year olds ask for toys on their birthdays but our little boy, Hayden, being the unique boy that he is, asked for ties and a bowler hat.  When he is misbehaving, instead of taking away his toys, his parents will take away his tie.  It all started when the whole family started playing Toontown where Cogs walk around in ties and suits making the neighbourhood gloomy and grey.  Your goal is to make them laugh using gags such as throwing a pie at their face or squirting them with water.  When asked why he wanted to be a Cog, his response was, "Because they are strong".  This is coming from a  little boy who barely cries because "boys don't cry".  Not too sure how long this will last but I'm sure next year, instead of running around looking for the latest and greatest toy, he will probably want a calculator or perhaps a bowling bag. I am so excited to watch our little boy grow.  Something tells me he is going to give us a ride of a lifetime.

Healthy Living

Norm and I always try to stay on the healthy side but as we pealed our winter clothes we noticed what was keeping us warm throughout the harsh winter season.  It was an awful sight.  It gave us the kick in the butt that we needed to get back into shape.  Normally we go our separate ways at the gym - Norm goes towards the room with big, grunting men and I, to the ladies only room. Today we did something different.  This time we trained together and I got a dose of those crazy workouts Norm finds in Testosterone.  First he started me on dips and pull ups.  I've done this before but he was literally standing beside me yelling and hitting my butt to go faster.  Luckily no one was there to see the abuse.  Next I did leg lifts - because I refuse to do Norm's version of a sit up.  Try lying down on an incline, sit up, and ever so slowly go back down.  You only have to do this three times to get abs like Frank. I'm sure that's his secret.  Next we found an empty squash court and he made me do the unthinkable. It's hard to explain but picture me walking with my hands while my feet dragged a mat.  I was only able to do it three times across the court as my wrists were starting to give out.  Off to another room where we picked up heavy weights and just walked around the room.  Sounds easy enough but give it a try and you will be surprised at how much you sweat.  

Working out is easy enough to do but you have to pair it with healthy eating. Today we ate fresh fish, chicken, omelettes, brocolli, bok choy and instead of rice we had quinoa.   Looks like we're on our way back to our healthy lifestyle.  It's not going to be easy (or cheap) but at least we still have time to look good for bathing suit season.  

 

Patio Season

I got a call from a Blogger Police (who, i should mention, does not have a blog).  I guess the warm weather has kept me outside and away from my computer.  On Friday, Rachel & I decided to go out for lunch but only to a place that had a patio.  We headed over to Zelda's, home of the best sweet potato fries, and found their patio was booming with people who didn't seem to be in a rush to get back to work.  I guess we get really excited when the weather starts to warm up, especially after such a long and hard winter.  Although we skipped out on Baskin Robbins, our afternoon lunch in the sun was exactly what I needed.  Had it been a Laura Secord, I definitely would have ended it with a french crisp. 

At last...

I am now part of the Mac family. Today we bought our very first MacBook. It's not a Pro - which only experts like Sally can handle. Instead we bought a white 13". So to all of you Mac owners, Let's chat! But give me some notice so I can look presentable for my debut!

Bird's Nest

Something I've always wanted to learn was how to make a Phoenix Nest or sometimes called a Dragon's Nest. The nest was made by arranging thin pieces of taro in a bowl and quickly deep frying until it comes out of the bowl and is able to hold it's form. Once that is done, everything else comes easy. I made a quick chicken, shrimp and vegetable dish and put it in my edible bowl. I am really going to miss cooking classes this summer. The school is undergoing renovations so I guess that means I will have to find another hobby. For those of you who are interested, my teacher is offering classes at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Scarborough. See website for more details: http://www.cccgt.org/F.cgi/(en)/courses_by_category.html

Our Savior Sue

Sunday was Hair Day and as all of you know it's a full day affair. The three lovely, big haired ladies met at Pacific Mall where Sue and her crew were stretching their arms and wrists in anticipation of the 7 hours they will be spending with us. Knowing full well that it takes them even longer with me, I came with freshly clean, showered hair so off I went straight to the chair where they started the tedious Japanese straightening procedure. For me, it has to be done every 6 months and although it's expensive and long, it's worth my time and every penny.

A day with the kids

It's always amazing to see how fast kids grow right before your eyes. Jonathan has grown up to be a lovely young man with a mustache that Hayden wished he could have. Hazel is wonderful at being Mom's little helper. As we all pack into the van, she buckled both her little brothers into the car seat and made sure they had everything they needed within reach. Hayden has great fashion sense as can be seen when he sports his skinny, black tie. He apparently never takes this tie off, not even for bed. And lastly, Jeremy is the best baby in the world. He never cries and is content just watching everybody and slowly he drifts away and falls asleep.

All of these kids bombarded our place in the afternoon for lunch. They dragged me and my wallet to the Eaton Centre but thankfully the two younger ones were asleep. Whew. After we worked up an appetite, we went to Wah Sing where we met Mom and Wendell and had a feast to celebrate Jonathan's belated, belated birthday.

Triple J

Last night we met up with Jeff, Jen and Jasmine. It's been a long time since we've seen them but we just picked up where we left off had a wonderful evening at Richtree. We finally had a chance to meet Jasmine who is a little energizer bunny that keeps going and going...I wish I had pictures to share but I forgot my camera (i know, it never happens. must be old age). As always, kids shy away from us in the beginning but by the end of the night we wanted to take her home and I don't think she would have complained. Actually, Jen and Jeff probably would have welcomed a good night's rest! I have tried to recruit them to our blogger world in hopes that we can get weekly updates of Jasmine. Hope you can help me convince them, too.

Earth Hour

Of course we took part in Earth Hour, did you? We started off at home and watched the countdown on CP24 as if it was New Years all over again. When we saw Nelly Furtado at Nathan Phillips we decided to walk down and enjoy it...live! We sipped on hot chocolate to stay warm as we watched the unplugged performances by Nelly Furtado, Fefe Dobson and the Philosopher Kings. After the performances we went home, turned on the stove to cook dinner, watched TV and surfed the net during commercials. I guess it only lasted an hour but in my opinion, we're doing our part. We have a small living space that is sufficient for our current needs, we have one car that we use only on occasion, we take the subway or walk to work and we walk to the market to buy local products. I am guilty, however, of having my computer on from the minute I get in the door but how else am I going to be the Blogger Police?