Birthday Tea

My friend Kathryn and I share a birthday - which is pretty cool!  In honour of our day Finley and I hosted Kathryn; her daughters, Sora age four, Mia age two and her lovely mother Diana for Birthday Tea. 

Table Scape

Hosting tea parties is my new little obsession.  I've enjoyed tea at some of the major hotels like The Empress in Victoria BC, The Chateau Laurier in Ottawa ON and The Plaza in NYC. Each time, we get dolled to up meet up with friends to enjoy a leisurely and indulgent afternoon of gabbing with the girls over delicate and decadent bite sized tea morsels.

Egg salad on cucumber

I've borrowed ideas from magazines, baby showers and my Aunt's recipes.  I've altered and tweaked other recipes until I make them fit in my gluten free diet - all the while musing over presentation.  No two teas are ever alike at my house which is absolutely positively FUN!

Endive with sockeye salmon salad, egg salad croissants
and peanut butter and banana triangles.

Endive with sockeye salmon salad with cream cheese, cilantro and red onion. 

Mini cheese cakes, blue berries and ginger cookies...Kathryn baked gluten free peanut butter cookies - so good!

Finley's tea set is also in use.  

Hosting a tea party gives me an opportunity to pull out my grandmother's tea cups, my great-grandma's silver, the tiered serving platters bought for use on our wedding table miss-matched with plates are paired with glasses gifted to me by my friend Rachel when she inherited new ones. 

Stole this idea from my seester.  The hummus is in the bottom  - prevents double dipping!
Well, unless you're dining with toddlers.

My grandma Dodie's tea cup.

My philosophy is USE it Enjoy it!   If it breaks  - at least we got some enjoyment out of it!  What's the point of having heirloom things stuffed behind glass and never used for their intended purposes?  Impermanence people, it's what I'm working on.

Our fabulous girls!
Left to right. Mia, Diana, Sora, Finley and Kathryn.

You might say I have too much time on my hands -but- such is NOT the case - believe me.  Teas like this are surprisingly quick to pull together and so much fun to enjoy.  

Fall Back

Okay, Day Light Savings Time,

Your fall back has wreaked enough havoc on my toddler's schedule.

I'd like my SEVERAL HOURS LOST battling

an over-tired, past nap time, toddler back.

Let's Spring Ahead NOW and call it even.

OKAY?

Thank You

For writing me to remind me I have not posted in a while. I will very soon. Right now my hubs is working nights and I'm currently growing two extra arms and four sets of eyeballs so I can be on full time chase the toddler duty. Finley's recent activities include; climbing EVERYTHING, bringing me dog poop from the grass ...in her hand, "Mommy poopie!", soaking then eating dog food, taking the lid off her sippy cup, taking her pants and diaper off and running around, putting things in the toilet that don't go in the toilet, saying "uh-oh" for kicks and throwing tantrums. Oh yeah, she's been biting me. She thinks it's funny ... or did until time -outs were begun. She is also talking in three word sentences says DUDE, and dancing and singing up a storm. GAWD SHE'S CUTE. I'm loving her and enjoying her like I never knew I would. We're playing all day and crashing out at night...that's why I've not had time to write!

Miss You ALL!

From The Mouth of Babes

This holiday I spent a lot of time with toddlers. They are pretty funny to watch. The way they interact with one another is wild. These little ones are my niece and nephews. Kaylee is 3.5, Gavin is 2.5 and Bastian is 2 years old. They are all in the MINE phase and sharing is a concept forced upon them. Playing (when I say playing I really mean clobbering each other, pushing each other off chairs, grabbing toys from one another's hands and biting one another) is a skill not yet mastered in a group setting. They do play very well on their own and with their imaginary friends. Don't get me wrong they did play well together sometimes. They participated in arts and crafts projects while under strict supervision quite well and for their ages their attention spans are excellent better in fact than most adults I know.

Here are some GEMS from the holidays:

On New Years Eve I decided to take the toddlers to my Yoga studio to teach them some yoga in an effort to keep them entertained so that they were not under foot in the kitchen while the seafood feast was being prepared. I rolled out four mats. The three children took their places on the mats facing me. I asked if they were all ready to begin yoga. All three faces smiled at me and then they began to follow my verbal cues and imitate my gestures. We all sat cross legged and then began to inhale and exhale while raising our arms over head. This was going swimmingly and next I asked the kids to make their hands float around their heads like butterflies. It is then that the 2.5 year old's expression changes. He starts to look worried and then begins to cry.

Michelle

Gavin what's wrong sweetie?

Gavin

I want to do yogaaaaaaaat.

Michelle

We are doing YOGA honey - it's an exercise.

Gavin (cries harder)

Then Gavin's Mom comes into the studio to see how we are making out with our yoga class and sees her son dissolving into a puddle of tears.

Dawn

Gavin what's the matter?

Gavin

I want to do yogaaaat.

Dawn

Oh honey, it's not yogurt- its yoga. They are different.

Gavin

But I want yogaaat.

Dawn and I try not to laugh too hard and then I say there is some in the fridge. Dawn takes Gavin away to the kitchen to eat some Yogggggggaaaaaaaaaaat. And the rest of us continue for a while with our yoga.

NEXT:

On Christmas day Steve's Mom and Aunt and I took the kids up to the bonus room to chillax for a while. We put on the Rudolf movie and the kids rested while watching and played a little really nicely. Everything was calm and peaceful for 50 whole minutes. Then the attention spans shifted, the boys left the room grandma chased after them, aunt was sleeping on the couch and just Kaylee and I were left upstairs. I picked up Finley and took her over to execute a quick diaper change. Kaylee came along to watch. She was pretending to be Princes Lillis a character from her repertoire of her imaginary world. (Some of these characters she transforms into others are just hanging around and you have to be careful where you step lest you squish one.) This when Kaylee's mom Jen arrived in the room.

Jen

Hi whats going on up here?

Michelle

Well Princess Lillis was just dancing for us.

Jen

Princess Lillis show me your dance!

Kaylee aka Princess Lillis

F#ck, F$CK, F*CK, F******CK

Jen and I are shocked and look at one another. I tuck my face into my shoulder so I don't give away my smiles because clearly this is not funny.

Jen

That is not a nce word we don't use that word Kaylee.

Kaylee aka Princess Lillis

F#ck, F$CK, F*CK, F******CK

Jen

Where did you hear that word?

Kaylee (points at me)

Aunt Shell!

Michelle

You DID NOT!

Aunty (who has now woken up from her nap on the couch)

She most certainly didn't hear it from anyone in here in the last hour.

Kaylee aka Princess Lillis

F#ck, F$CK, F*CK, F******CK

Michelle

I admit it's one of my favorite words but I have not said it even under my breath since I was getting in the car this morning to come here.

Jen

You were just the closest in proximity to blame. She could have heard it days ago.

So there ya go - a couple of little gems from our holidays... There s another cute one please check back ad I'll post it soon.

QUESTION???

What do you do when a toddler starts spewing out curse words? I remember having my mouth washed out with soap. How do you guys deal with it? I need to know before it comes up!