I don't know how I'm going to top this

My kids will forever share their birthday parties. We didn't plan it that way but their age gap is 2 years and 3 days. Last year was my younger son's first birthday so I wanted to do some thing special as well as appeal to both kids. I decided on a theme. Thomas the Train goes to a carnival. It was decided by the cake we got.

I was pretty proud of myself because I worked on a shoestring budget. I made train tracks and stuck them on the wall for decorations. The hubs helped make the actual trains which were way better than I could ever come up with. I hung up colored streamers and matching balloons and that completed the "I'm having a party at my house" look. For the actually party I invited guests to show up after lunch and reminded parents that it was a birthday party so to expect treats. I planned an ice cream bar with lots of toppings to add, a few snacks for the adults and of course cake.

Keeping kids entertained for an hour was a task in itself. I did a classic "Pin the tail" with a Thomas theme game that I picked up from the dollar store. The kids thought it was hilarious being blind-folded and spun around. In fact my kids still like to close their eyes and spin around a year later. I also had a tin pan alley with Solo cups and soft balls. Note kids don't have the best aim so keep an eye out for a stray ball or six. This was also a favorite because kids love having things fall down. The highlight of the afternoon was a bit of a surprise for the kids as well as the adults. I put on a magic show. I practiced for at least a week and was a nervous wreck at the start of the show. I don't know what I was thinking, hosting a birthday party and being the entertainment. But the kids enjoyed every minute. One kid even said "You're amazing!" You know coming from a 4 year old, I was floored with pride.

I had some help though form this amazing website I found. The tricks I performed were from ActivityTV

The Appearing Wand
A Card Trick
I can read your mind
Ghostly Straw

I really like this website for magic tricks. It was easy to learn each trick and the kids had such a fun time thinking I was a real magician. It probably had a bit to do with my expressions. Like this one ----------->

<-------- Or this. Since the kids had a ball, I don't know what I'm going to do for an encore. I have 1 month and I have no clue. I might continue to look like this. Help!

Yummy Enchiladas

I'm going to start off saying that I'm not Mexican so this is not authentic but it is delicious so I thought I would share. This merely a guideline so feel free to use what you have in the pantry. Here are the ingredients:

2 pkgs Uncle Ben's Bistro Express (Long Grain & Wild - Roasted Chicken Flavour)
1 pkg  Old El Paso Taco Mix
1 cup Water
1 can  Catelli Thick & Chunky (Tomato Basil Blast)
1 lb     Ground Beef
1 can   Corn
1 can   Black Beans
10" Flour Tortillas
Salsa, Sour cream, Shredded Cheese, Shredded lettuce


Brown beef in a skillet.
Add taco mix to 1 cup water. Pour over beef and let simmer for 5 minutes. remove from heat.
Heat packages of Rice in microwave.
In a bowl, add a cup of Tomato Marinara and Rice. Stir to coat rice.
Preheat oven to 400 deg.
Arrange an assembly line of beef, rice, beans, corn, cheese.
Add a spoonful each of the above ingredients to 1 tortilla shell.
Wrap each tortilla like a burrito (see note at the end) and lay seam down on a foil lined pan.
When the pan is full of wrapped tortillas, pour a little sauce from the taco/beef mixture on top of the wraps.
Add shredded cheese
Bake for 10 mins or until the cheese is melted.

Serve 1 or 2 tortillas on a bed of shredded lettuce with a dollop of salsa and sour cream. Enjoy
Note: if you like things a little spicy, add jalapenos to the assembly line or hot sauce to the taco/beef mix. Also make lots because this tastes just as good for lunch the next day.

*How to roll a burrito*
Take one tortilla slightly warmed. Lay flat and place filling in the middle forming a line.
Tuck the ends of the tortilla that are closest to the filling.
Gather up the one of the remaining ends and fold over to the middle covering the filling.
Hold the fold with your index and middle finger of both hands.
Using your thumbs, push wrap up and over your other fingers.
Roll wrap until the remaining edge is now lying seam down.
That's a wrap. This takes practice so don't give up.

There is no easy way to like it

My 1 year old has a new fascination with taking off all his clothes. I don't know if he is too warm or it is just to gain attention. I'm thinking it is a bit of the later because it is February in Canada. He started off by pulling one arm from the sleeve of his shirt. My hubby and I thought this was hilarious and even referred to this anecdote to friends and family as "Julius" did this. Get it, Julius Caesar? Maybe he is a little fashionista and trying to start a new toddler trend.

Anyway "Julius" progressed to removing his pants and now his diaper. If he is too quiet, I know he is taking off his clothes. When he pees, the diaper comes off and so does the rest of his clothes. But the last few times, the clothes came off when he pooped. Can you tell where I'm going with this. It is probably the moment in a parent's life where their sanity is truly tested.


I have picked up poop from the carpet, couch, coloring pages and the television. Who knew that brown was a great color to use when you finger paint? Now that you are totally disgusted, my house is now super sanitized. I also am thinking that I want to revert to plastic on the furniture. Now if he poops one of us is changing him right away before he gets to it first. I can't wait to start on the potty training with this one.

As I was talking to my girlfriend, who is a mother of 3, about said incident. She said "I know it is your kid, but there is no easy way to like it!" I couldn't have said it better. Poop, you suck!

Best friends make the worst enemies

 Two years and three days. That is the age difference of my two boys. My older one is three and my younger one thinks he is three as well. They ask for each other as soon as they wake up, eat meals together, bath and usually spend a lot of time giggling their heads off.

I could not have asked for a better set of kids except when they want the same thing. Then the waterworks start. The screaming and the whining are enough to make anyone’s blood boil. I am usually acting as a referee deciding who gets what, who had what first, whose toy does it belong too and the list goes on.

In my younger days, my sister and I played together but I mostly remember the vicious fights we had. We fought over everything and I think it is because my parents always picked one kid over the other and didn’t provide a distraction. I’ve learned from this and now I feel like the cruise ship director doling out random activities.

 I know that I am a little harder on the older one as he should know better. Then I think he is only three. But when they fight, I feel the gray hair popping out my head like daisies. My blood pressure goes through the roof, and I don’t know how many times I’ve counted to 10. The kicker is that when the boys fight, they still want to be within an arm’s reach of each other. Should I leave things be and say let boys be boys? What do you do when your kids fight? 

Eggnog with an*ahem* alcoholic twist

If you are new to my blog, I am from a tiny Caribbean island called Trinidad. In Trinidad we do not need a reason to party but since it is Christmas time in Canada, I thought I should share one of my favorite drinks.

In North America, eggnog is popular around this time of the year but in Trinidad we do it island style with rum of course. We call it Ponche a Creme. I did some research for a few recipes and every single one is different. I decided to go with one that calls for a lot of rum. With me so far? I thought so.

My first batch was okay but after a bit of tweaking, the second batch is a keeper. Maybe it was the alcohol talking since I was doing a lot of quality control. *Wink Wink* 

Ingredients

1 carton (250g) of pasteurized eggs

1 1/2 tins of condensed milk (each tin was 300g)

2 cans of Evaporated Milk (each can was 370 ml)

1/2 Bottle of Rum (about 1 1/2 cup) 

2 Tbsp Angostura Bitters

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1 lime rind

I used dark rum but you can use what ever brand you like. 

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and lime rind together. Add all the other ingredients and continue whisking. Remove the lime rind. Pour in a clean empty bottle. This will fill 2 rum bottles. Chill and serve on ice. Note this drink tastes better the colder it is. Always keep in mind when you are serving products with milk or eggs the expiry dates. I use the date of the eggs as a guidelines as to when to finish drinking it.  

By the way, did you know that Angostura bitters is from Trinidad? I hope you enjoy this drink as much as I do. Merry Christmas and please enjoy responsibly. 

Tis the season

This year I am feeling extra nostalgic as the Christmas season approaches. I don't know if  it because every commercial is telling me to spend time with the family or can't beat home sweet home. For me, my home is in Canada but I was originally from a small Caribbean island, Trinidad.

Last year I took my boys for an extended stay in Trinidad to experience what it like to be a kid in a tropical country celebrating the Christmas SEASON. It is definitely a season because it lasts from the start of December till the first week of January.


So many people in North America say that Christmas is for the kids but no place says it more than Trinidad. Every weekend there was a FREE Christmas party for kids. Although the gifts Santa gave were not the best or the biggest, my kids didn't care. They were so excited to get something and was happy to play with it. Isn't that what it is all about? Not what the gift is but the joy it brings?

I must mention that the highlight of Christmas, is the presents delivered by the local Santa via truck and loud speakers. My kids would run out of the house the minute they heard the big trucks passing by.

For the adults there is Parang which are songs that are sung in Spanish/English with a soca flair. The food is in abundance especially fruits that you don't get year round in Trinidad like apples, grapes and pears. The "island life" is definitely apparent during the Christmas season. My friends and family that still live there post pictures and talk about the fetes that are going to and it is enough to make me buy a plane ticket right now.

Even as I prepare for Christmas here with the boys I (which is magical in itself), I am looking for recipes that bring home the "Trini" holiday spirit. My favorite tradition is getting up early (before the kids) and baking fresh bread for breakfast. For the adults I am going to have a "Trini" eggnog with the in-laws.

I think that I will have to save up my pennies and take the boys again before they get too old. As the saying goes,Trini Christmas is the best. Do you have something that brings back great memories during the holiday season?

Mommy Brain .... Is that a what they're calling it now?

I watched my mom for years being distracted while I was talking to her. Most of the times I thought she was ignoring me or thought I was boring. However, as I became pregnant I heard someone use the term "mommy brain". It was supposed to be an excuse for being forgetful or doing things out of the norm. I could totally relate as suddenly I had to manage 100 other things that I normally wouldn't be thinking of.

As I was still working, I think my mental aptitude was still up to par and I could function as a normally human being. I soon realized that my "mommy brain" started to kick in after my son was born. No longer did I care what day it was, or what I needed from the grocery. All I could focus on was my son and his needs.

After maternity leave I headed back to work and for those 8 hours, I was alert and focused. No "mommy brain" allowed. I got pregnant again and suddenly I was juggling being pregnant, working and caring for a toddler. I can say that I didn't get a break during that time for just me. I felt like I was on overdrive.

My hubby and I decided that I would be a stay at home mom to my two kids for awhile. Some people think that being a SAHM is so easy because you stay at home all day doing whatever. Well I got into a rut because everything got into a routine. I no longer could see myself as being a career woman. My days consisted of speaking to toddlers all day and repeating myself over and over again. It was like I was part of the movie Groundhog Day.

Then IT came back. The dreaded "MOMMY BRAIN". This time I was writing myself notes and saying things out loud so that I would remember it for the future. It reminded me of studying in college except there was no exam at the end just a big fat FAIL if I forgot.

I started playing a few games on Facebook that challenged my puzzle solving skills and guess what, my "mommy brain" is gone. I think that if I can keep mentally alert this will help in all aspects of my life. My hope for those who will read this is to engage your brain, always!