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Help! Food has Taken Over My Freezer! Freezer De-Cluttering Tips

Thanks to that cute little ground hog named Phil, we’re supposed to be getting an early spring this year. So, I’ve decided to take this opportunity to start my spring cleaning early and the first items on my list?  The dreaded freezers!!!

I absolutely love having a deep freeze and a top freezer in my fridge as it allows me to stock up on many food items which saves us lots of money throughout the year. The problem is that I have absolutely no idea what is actually in my deep freeze right now as it is literally overflowing with food stacked from floor to lid! It’s like playing Jenga every time I need to pull something out…”you take a frozen chicken from the bottom and you put it on top, you take a roast from the middle and you put it on top.” Not to mention, the three dozen frozen bananas I have stored in there for when I decide to bake those 100 banana muffins I’ve been saying I’d make for the last year.

I’ve also been wanting to make weekly meal plans but it’s hard to do when you have no idea what is actually available to you in the freezer. ”Hmmmm, so we’ll have steak on Monday if there is steak in the freezer, and ham on Tuesday if I manage to find the time to spend 30 minutes digging to the bottom of the freezer to find it.” Doesn’t work. Clearly something had to be done.

So, this weekend I learned about what kind of “freezer person” I am by facing and defeating my mortal enemies (the freezers) with a few simple ideas to help maximize and organize them both.

1. Make an itemized list of everything in your deep freeze.  When I open up my deep freeze, I can see that I have some ribs, a few pizza crusts, and a bag of beans but what the heck is three feet below these things?

View when I open up my deep freeze. Where's the rest of it?

I don’t have the time to lug out 100 pounds of frozen food every time I need to see what I need to add to my grocery list. And I can’t tell you how many times I have gone out to buy a ham or chicken at full price only to discover the following week that I had two of them buried at the bottom of my freezer!  So I pulled out everything made a list of what was in my freezer. That way, if I am making my weekly meal plan or grocery list, I simply look at the list taped to the deep freeze and I know exactly what I have . If I use something in the freezer, I simply white it out and if I buy something, I just add it to the list. I’m still waiting for someone to invent a see-through deep freeze… Hmm, maybe I should just go on Dragon’s Den with this great concept minus a prototype, blue print or sales… Think they’ll invest?  Tee-hee.

2. Turn those bread end pieces into breadcrumbs. Okay, so I know that most people never eat the end pieces of bread and my mother taught me years ago that the best way to use these end pieces is to throw them in the freezer and then use them to make bread crumbs later.  The problem with this is that over time, those end pieces are forgotten and accumulate, ending up taking up precious room in your freezer. So I came up with a solution:  Make the bread crumbs with the end pieces BEFORE you throw them in the freezer.  That way they are ready to use when you need them and they take up a fraction of the space.  As I had found about 12 bags of end pieces this weekend, I pulled out the food processor and made one big bag of bread crumbs that I then put back in the freezer, saving me tons of room and hassle.

Don't let your freezer look like one at the actual grocery store!

3. Don’t overstock your freezer. Only store food items in your top freezer that you plan on using in the next three months.  Turns out those fridge freezers do not keep food frozen as long as deep freezers do. In fact, they only keep food for about three months compared to a deep freeze that can keep food for close to a year. So make sure to store the freezer food you use on a regular basis in the top fridge freezer and keep the larger and less used items in the deep freeze.  For instance, I kept the frozen turkey and big box of chicken in the deep freeze and moved my steaks, sausage and salmon portions as well as frozen vegetables into the top fridge freezer because we create meals out of these on a regular basis. Note:  if you really want to maximize your deep freeze capacity, DO NOT buy two large turkeys just because they are on sale!  I did this last Thanksgiving thinking I would make them in the next couple of months and guess what…they are still in my freezer!  I’ve since realized that there are several opportunities to get cheap turkeys through the year…Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter…so there is no need to stock up on them unless you really plan on using them soon!

Sadly this is what I had to throw away this weekend! Poor freezer burnt leftovers.

4. Don’t freeze food items unless you’re really going to use them!  I don’t know how many times I’ve made dinner and had plenty of leftovers and so, instead of just planning to eat them over the next couple of days, I have packaged them up and thrown them in the freezer thinking to myself, “Great.  I will simply pull these out later and use them for another dinner. How smart am I?” Answer: Not very smart!

There are some smart people out there who have the memory and diligence to make food, freeze it and then pull it out later for dinner … I am not one of these people!  I thought I was until I went through my freezers, only to discover Tupperware containers filled with lasagne, chilli and spaghetti that I think I made about 2 years ago!  So,be honest with yourself and, if you are like me, don’t freeze your leftovers as they will only end up wastefully thrown in the garbage. (Sorry Mr. Landfill…I promise to eat my leftovers from now on!)

Deep freezers and fridge freezer are wonderful creations but only if you know how to use them properly based on what kind of person you are. For those of you like me who really haven’t been using them properly, I hope some of these tips will help you de-clutter and make better use of your freezers.  If you have any other freezer tips, I would love to hear them.

Coupon Tip of the Week:  Following the theme of freezers, it can be very economical to stock up on meat items when they’re on sale but make sure to only buy what you will use in the next 2-3 months. Otherwise, you run the risk of buying too much and having that meat get freezer burned and going bad before you get a chance to use it.  Remember, there are always sales going on each month so you don’t have to worry that you didn’t buy enough chicken breasts just when they were on for such a good price because they will be on sale again next month!

The Best Backstage Pass in Canada: Victoria House Concert B

That's me and Jay Semko singing together!!! Tick this one off my bucket list!- picture courtesy of Rob Porter, Snap Victoria

I got to be 14 years old again on Sunday night!  And no, I have not discovered a magical time machine to transport me back to the days where dirty diapers, laundry or really any responsibility what so ever was a very foreign concept.  I went to my friend Andy’s house to see Jay Semko, the lead singer of the Northern Pikes, play a concert for a crowd of 50 people in his living room!  As soon as I heard “Kiss Me You Fool” and “Teen land” I instantly became that giddy, carefree teenage girl who would ride around in her friend Trisha’s “boat” (a huge, gas guzzling 1972 Malibu) blasting the Northern Pikes.  In fact, the first CD I ever purchased was the Northern Pikes’ Snow in June.

Here's Andy standing behind a frame filled with song playlists from previous concerts at his home

My friend Andy Briggs has been running small house concerts out of his living room in Fernwood, Victoria since 2007. He came by the idea rather organically when he went to watch a hockey game at a local pub where it turned out Tom Hooper from the Grapes of Wrath was playing. Andy’s a big fan so after coming back week after week to see Tom perform, he finally asked him if he’d be interested in playing a concert in his living room. Tom agreed and from this grew a local musical phenomenon called “Victoria House Concert B.” (BTW, the “B” stands for Briggs which Andy added just in case the name “Victoria House Concert” was already taken…what a smart cookie!)

I was lucky enough to meet Andy about four years ago through my friend Delani who had casually mentioned one day that she’d seen one of my favourite artists play at Andy’s house the previous year.  I think I scared her as I screamed, “You what???? How? Why? Where?  When can I do this???” Being a huge music lover and concert goer, I got very excited over the idea that I could possibly see one of my favourite Canadian artists play to a small group of people at a house party! She introduced me to Andy and over a couple of beers we discovered that we both shared a love for Canadian music. He promised me he’d let me know when the next concert at his house was.

A couple months later, thanks to Andy, my dreams came true. I got to sit a few feet away from my Canadian musical hero as he belted out song after song on his acoustic guitar, transporting me back in time to where I would lock myself in my room, blare his CDs and dance for hours (or rather flail about like a lunatic as young adults do…I’ve since tried this as a 32-year-old woman and I think I managed to get through one song before I had to sit down and grab my inhaler. Note to self:  get going on that New Year’s resolution to work out more. Geez!)

At Sunday’s Northern Pikes concert, Andy graciously offered to answer a few questions for me (Yippee…my very first interview!) about this amazing music venue he’s created and why he continues to open up his home to musicians and fans alike. So here we go:

What is your favourite/most memorable moment from a house concert?

“Perhaps my most memorable moment was the first time I realized that it was not a dream to watch my idol musicians play close and acoustic —  just a touch away, let alone in my own house; to greet, watch, occasionally jam or chat into the early hours, have them stay the night, chat over breakfast, or more importantly facilitate others’ listening enjoyment.

This realization occurred almost immediately with the arrival of my first artist (Tom Hooper, The Grapes of Wrath). I was setting up and returned to it after a short greeting as he showed a desire to settle in to his room and practice/do a set list.  I must have seemed like a giddy, elated boy as he walked out of the living room.  I later found that it was his first house concert and that in actual fact he felt like a nervous child as well.

Not much later the house filled with a voice and song I could not help but recall, but it emanated far crisper than the radio. He was singing one of my favourite songs; ok, all of his were.  Memories of places, best friends, and circumstances were triggered.  I couldn’t help but gravitate respectfully to the adjacent hall to admire and adsorb such clarity.  I was surprised to find the hall empty as well as the staircase to the upstairs.  I quietly and slowly peered up the stairs and followed the music.   Much to my amazement, he was not at the top of the stairs and in fact was down the hall behind closed doors.  I was blown away!   It was just a sign of the sounds that would soon be a part of my new world.

I thought that this was surely a magical time. What started as an inebriated suggestion with a little believing by Tom Hooper, self craziness, and a bit of luck had dropped greatness into my lap.  I would have been elated and awed forever with this chance alone; a privilege I felt that could never be surpassed as he is one of the top dozen Canadian icons. Little did I know the extent of me and my groups’ fortune.”

What artist has played at your house that you thought you would never get?

Without question, each and every artist that has come to play for Victoria House Concert B seemed unlikely in the beginning. I have been both lucky and aggressive in getting some of the best musicians that I possibly could; my thoughts were “why not try?”

With being the sole facilitator I could not help but be initially biased in my choice of musicians. I am very fortunate to have drawn many of the well known Canadian personalities, all of which have surprised me with their professionalism, moralistic kindness, and energy. Canadian musicians are awesome! (I concur with this statement 100%!  Canadian musicians are the best!)

I have never had a bad concert; I look out into the crowd each night to see the elation of smiles and nary hear a pin drop of sound, except when they are encouraged. Who would be dismayed or distraught at such a low cost to see someone like Barney Bentall, Shaun Verreault (Wide Mouth Mason), or Jay Semko (Northern Pikes) close and personal and at length? Perhaps what makes it all my hours of work worthwhile are these times, the music, and the reactions expressed by the viewers.”

The crowd at the Jay Semko concert elated and in awe!

What is the strangest thing that has happened during a house concert?

“I suppose I am fortunate to have return and/or very respectful patrons who come specifically to listen to great music, so not much out of the ordinary occurs. On the positive side, since the industry is so close-knit, quite often other musicians show up (like Tal Bachman or Steph Macpherson or most of a band like Acres of Lions who jammed out a few piano tunes) and play and contributes or an artist like Aidan Knight brings a repertoire of sounds and voices.

I guess my worst nightmare occurred but once during a Vince Vaccaro concert when one of the attendees showed up already on his way to being very inebriated. Since my friend Todd at Hooge Studios graciously records most of the concerts as a gift for the musicians and if they also choose, for us as well to remember, it is usually very quiet and calm; for everyone is essentially there for the music and courteous or just awed into silence very quickly.

Vince Vaccaro jamming in Andy's living room

Anyhow, even just continual talking affects everyone including the artist.  Well, after only a few songs it was suggested that we take a break.   I was fortunate to have the group support and two larger members’ desire to back my decision to refund this man’s ticket if he would exit.”

Who are you currently working on to play in your house in the future? Also, what is your approach to asking artists to play at your house?

“I suppose now that reputation may make it possible to get other musicians it might seem that the sky is the limit.  At the moment I do have a favourites list.  At times they seem impossible to attain and then I recall whom I have already had. Venue size and fame cut into some of those names but others seem plausible. Now that I just had Jay Semko, I’ll press Andrew Cash (Skydiggers) and Neil Osbourne (54-40); both of whom I worship and have negotiated with.

There are many artists both local and abroad so I always keep my ears open.   I occasionally venture out to listen and learn and recruit; one such great artist that returns frequently to Victoria is Jeremy Fisher; he seems like an easy candidate but he is an example of how it is never easy both getting in touch, making them believe, nor making them want to try (the venue can be intimidating to their personal space).  Carly speaking here:  Jeremy Fisher is my favourite artist. Jeremy, if you are reading this…please do a show at Andy’s house!!!  I promise you won’t regret it!)

I am always looking and finding singers.  I suppose the best way to know would be to join the Facebook Group as there is a listing that continually gets updated.  Planned so far is Aussie, David Ross Macdonald (a personal favourite so I can!), locals Mike Edel, Acres of Lions & Steph Macpherson, a Nashville return from Stacey Earle (Sister of Steve) & Mark Stuart, and Lilith Fairs’ top rated 2010 singer Dayna Manning with Ryan McMahon.”

End of Interview

Thanks so much Andy for taking the time to talk about this amazing and intimate music venue you’ve created for everyone to enjoy.  I have so much fun everytime I attend one of your concerts as it’s not only a way to see amazing musicians but I always end up meeting such wonderful and interesting people of all ages and walks of life:

This was Rob and Andrea's first house concert...I'm sure we'll see them at the next one!

And the best thing about these concerts is really anything can happen!

For instance, on Sunday night I got to sing WITH Jay Semko, one of my musical heroes.  It was a wonderful and completely unexpected surprise…someone asked him to play a song off his first solo album but as he began to sing the song he realized he couldn’t remember the next two lines. I quickly mentioned that I had his CD in my purse with the lyrics and so he asked if I would go get it for him. I brought it up to him at the front of the room and rather than just reading over the lyrics quickly and giving them back to me, he asked if I wouldn’t mind staying up there to help him out with the song as well.  It was one of those moments I will never forget and would never had the opportunity to experience if it wasn’t for Victoria House Concert B.

Thank you again Andy for sharing your beautiful home with such talented musicians and all of us crazy Canadian music fans!

Valentine’s is all about those three special words. . . Breakfast in Bed!

Okay moms…picture this: you wake up on the morning of February 12th (Valentine’s is unfortunately on a Tuesday this year, so Sunday morning makes a heck of a lot more sense) to the smell of freshly brewed coffee instead of freshly brewed diapers!  The loud sounds are strangely coming from the kitchen rather than the kids’ room.  Suddenly your partner bursts into the bedroom with the most amazing breakfast you have ever seen, served to you on a platter with love.

You’re thinking, “Boy, that sounds like such a nice dream,” but NO, this is not a dream!  This CAN be your reality this year with a few subtle hints e.g., emailing your partner this post or maybe printing it off and subtley leaving it on his pillow the day before. Okay, so it’s not very subtle, but do you want the romantic breakfast in bed or not?

Plus, I found the most amazing recipe that is an absolute a no-brainer. Trust me, your partner can easily prepare this breakfast even if he’s the kind of guy that only cooks when it involves using the BBQ. I actually think I saw God when I took my first bite of this…probably the best breakfast I have ever eaten. And again, soooooo easy to make, but it looks and tastes like you actually drove to a restaurant, purchased it and tried to pawn it off as your own.

Baked Banana French Toast (Courtesy of bakerella.com. Thank you!!!)

Ingredients
1 small loaf french bread
4 eggs
3/4 cup whipped cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large banana
6 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup

This is really all you need to make the perfect breakfast!

 Here’s how to make it:

Cut the french bread into 1/2 inch slices

 Whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, sugar, cinnomen and vanilla

 Dip the pieces of bread in the egg mixture and place in a greased ovenproof dish

Cut up the banana into slices, dip the slices in the egg mixture and then coat them with 2 tbsps of brown sugar

Place 2 banana slices between each slice of bread. Then combine 4 tbsps of brown sugar and 1 tbsp of melted butter and sprinkle over entire dish. Place in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut up some fresh strawberries and place in a small dish

Fresh squeeze some orange juice and pour into a champagne flute and you’re all done!

Once the french bread is done, pour syrup or maple sugar over it and lightly dust it with powdered sugar. Finally, combine everything you’ve made plus a fresh cup of coffee onto a serving plate and serve it to the one you love! And I’m an equal opportunist so if you ladies feel like your man deserves this treat, why not surprise him this Sunday! Just remember to also make yourself a plate as you really don’t want to miss out on this dish. I seriously now know what heaven tastes like!  Actually, I’m planning on making it again for dinner tonight just to give myself an early Valentine’s Day gift!

***

Coupon tip of the week:  I’ve mentioned before that flowers are atrociously expensive right before Valentine’s Day which is why I never ask my husband to buy them for me for Valentine’s Day.  So why not give a different kind of bouquet this year….like a chocolate bar bouquet.  Simply go to the dollar store and get 8 chocolate bars, a small vase, a bag of glass marbles and some wooden skewers.  Tape a skewer to the back of the chocolate bars and then arrange them like flowers in the vase (the glass marbles help hold the bars in place in the vase).  This will cost you less than $10 and tastes much better than roses!

DIY Fancy and Frugal Valentine's Dinner for under $25 (including wine!)

All of these ingredients cost less than $25! Thanks to RCSS

Pre-child, my husband and I would use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to make ourselves a gluttonous and fancy dinner. We’d have filet mignon, king crab legs dipped in melted garlic butter and for dessert, some yummy, gooey chocolately goodness from the bakery. All this topped off with a fancy bottle of champagne (and then we’d end up the rest of the night curled up on the couch, slowly dozing off as our rich dinner digested and lulled us to sleep…not exactly romantic but still worth it!)

Well, now that we have an 8 month-old-son and I am currently on maternity leave, our champagne wishes and crab leg dreams are all but dashed this year. But I didn’t want to give up on the dream of a delicious and romantic Valentine’s Day dinner without dipping into Grayson’s college fund.

I began scouring the internet and managed to put together a wonderful, easy three course Valentine’s Day dinner, complete with an entire bottle of wine for under $25. See, proof!!

It was actually only $21.24 as I bought an extra beef broth just in case

I know….I couldn’t believe it either. Plus I have to say it’s pretty healthy as well (minus the wine…it’s healthy if you have ONE glass of wine a day but a whole bottle…unfortunately that doesn’t make it four times as healthy by drinking it all in one day….darn!)

Here is the menu I have prepared and already test drived last night for February 14th.  I was so happy that nothing was burned or hurt in the making of this dinner:

Valentine’s Day 2012 Fancy and Frugal Menu
French Onion Soup
Roasted Stuffed Chicken Breast with Goat Cheese and Basil
Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Using all the ingredients I purchased, here’s how to make it all:

First Course: French Onion Soup

This is seriously one of the best French Onion Soups I've ever had. Not just braggin!

Ingredients
1 box of low-sodium beef broth
1 cup caramelized onion (click on link to see how to do this…can be done the day before)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Thick-sliced french bread (for topping)
Swiss cheese (for topping…it’s cheaper than gruyere but tastes almost the same)

Directions
Heat broiler. Bring low-sodium beef broth and caramelized onions to a simmer over medium heat; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Top thick-sliced country bread with swiss cheese and season with pepper; broil until toasted. Serve soup with cheese toasts.

Second Course: Roasted Stuffed Chicken Breast with Goat Cheese and Basil

Try not to cut into it to see if it's done like I did....you lose all the yummy juices.

Ingredients
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
1 small package of goat cheese
4 large basil leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
3/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 375° F.
2. Wash each chicken breast and pat dry with a paper towel. Place in a pyrex or ceramic baking dish.
3. With your fingers, loosen the skin from the meat on each breast, leaving one side attached.
4. Slice the goat cheese into rounds and place half of it under the skin on each breast. Place two basil leaves under the skin of each breast.
5. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over each breast and evenly sprinkle breasts with salt and pepper.
6. Bake chicken breasts for 40 to 45 minutes, until cooked through. Serve with rice.

Third Course: Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Ingredients

One pint of strawberries
One bar of semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Wash and pat dry strawberries making sure they are completely dry
2. Break up chocolate into smaller pieces and place in a microwavable bowl. Microwave for 1 minute on power 5 and then stir. Repeat until chocolate is almost melted with a few small pieces.  Take out and stir till chocolate is smooth
3. Grab strawberry by the stem and twirl in chocolate in a circular motion.
4. Place onto a baking sheet covered with either parchment or wax paper.
5. Refridgerate for at least 30 minutes before serving

Voila….a romantic yummy meal that won’t break the bank. Oh, but I’m guessing you’re still wondering how I can fit in a bottle of wine with this meal for under $25. Well, we bottle our own wine so it only costs us $3 to make a wonderful bottle of shiraz…I simply went down to the basement and grabbed a bottle.

I actually bottled this when I was 9 months pregnant! That was a sight!

Now you’re thinking “but I don’t make my own wine!” Well, I’m sure you know someone who does, so before Feb.14th, call this friend up and see if they’re willing to sell you one of their bottles at cost and there you go…an entire three-course meal complete with a bottle of wine for under $25.  Bon Appetit!

Coupon tip of the week:  Pass the coupon karma around…next time you’re shopping at the grocery store and you have your coupon binder with you, keep your eyes peeled for people with items in their cart that you have coupons for and offer some to them. Same goes for great deals you are aware of…I was the grocery store last week and this woman was buying 3 boxes of granola bars and didn’t even notice that only some of them had coupons for free juice!  I pointed this out to her and she was so happy I did and switched the boxes to the ones with free juice coupons! I promise these good deeds won’t go unnoticed and the next day, you’ll suddenly find more coupons that normal while hunting…don’t you just love karma!

Top 5 UnValentines Day Gifts fors Moms

As I’ve said before, I’ve never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day as I don’t believe people should be forced into being romantic on one specific day. Plus everything that is considered “romantic” is ridiculously expensive…flowers and chocolates cost ten times more than usual and don’t even think about going out for dinner without spending an entire pay cheque.

But this year, being a first time Mom, I’ve realized there are plenty of things that my husband could do for me on Valentine’s Day that would blow chocolates and roses out of the water! I’m sure most of you moms out there will agree that there are certain things that you took for granted prior to motherhood that you wish you’d cherished more. And so, here’s my  list the top 5 Valentine gifts for moms:

1. Sleep!  If you have children under two, you probably can’t remember the last time you had a full night’s sleep (unless you are one of those really lucky moms whose baby has slept through the night since 3 months old…now I know how the devil gets all those souls!)  The gift of sleep on Valentine’s Day would be better than any 5 star restaurant and it doesn’t cost a thing.

2. A homemade dinner cooked by your man. Now that I’m on maternity leave, I’ve claimed the role of dinner maker which seems fair as I’m able to prepare it throughout the day plus I really do like cooking. But there are days where I spend ALL DAY thinking about what we should have for dinner and it becomes daunting and stressful and by the time five o’clock rolls around, I’ve ended up pulling out the KD box with shame. Wouldn’t it be nice for your partner to surprise you in the morning by letting you know that he will be cooking dinner on Valentine’s Day so you can rest your brain? And it doesn’t even have to be fancy… just not KD!

3. Alone time. Hubbies and boyfriends, go out to your local book shop, pick up the latest book by your sweetheart’s favourite author as well as a Starbucks gift card.  Wrap them up and when she opens them, send her straight to the coffee shop and tell her she can’t come home until that book is at least half read.  Trust me fellas, she will be melt over this one!

They usually started out with "Roses are red, Violets are blue..."

4. Help the kids make mom a homemade Valentine’s card.  I remember when we were kids; my sister and I would spend hours perfecting cards for our mom and even write her a poem. She always said these were the best gifts she could ever receive and now that I’m a mom, I see why. Because as your kids get older and go through those fabulous hormonal teenage years where they don’t even want to talk to you, you can still pull out those homemade cards to remind yourself that your kids really do love you and were very sweet at some point!

5. Do all of the above for the mother in your life. But why not surprise her with everything on Feb.11th or Feb.12th instead of Valentine’s Day? She’ll be shocked beyond belief which will only make the sentiment that much sweeter.  And maybe think about doing this again at some point during the year (but not on Mother’s Day!) to show her how much you care and appreciate everything about her.  See, I’m a romantic…but only for 364 days of the year!

Good luck and Happy UnValentine’s Day!
Coupon tip of the Week: Not finding the coupons you want to use? Try online coupon trading.  smartcanuck.com has a coupon trading forum where you can post what coupons you have to trade and also a wishlist of coupons you need. Also if you search on facebook, you are sure to find a local coupon trading group to join which will help trade your coupons more quickly.  So the guy with pets can trade his diaper coupons to a mom for pet food coupons!  Everybody wins!

DIY Valentine Mailboxes for Adults

I’ve never really been a fan of Valentine’s Day as an adult.  I’m a romantic at heart so I’d much prefer my husband to surprise me with flowers on a random Tuesday than on the one day that he’s “supposed” to do something romantic. In fact, I have told him since day one that he is not allowed to buy me flowers on Valentine’s Day for the simple ridiculous fact that a dozen roses that would normally cost $10 are suddenly being sold at 6 times the price (for $60 I would assume they would last 6 times longer but they do not!).  I’d rather he spend that same $60 buying me 6 seperate dozen roses throughout the year! Makes sense right?

But Valentine’s Day was different when I was a kid. It was more magical. A week before the big day, my teacher would bring out the red and pink construction paper, glitter and stickers and have us create out Valentine’s Day mailboxes to hang on the side of our desks.  We’d spend the entire week perfecting our mailboxes to ensure they would grab the attention and hold the 30 (hopefully) small Valentine’s Day cards from our classmates.  And every year I’d wait with anticipation to see what my boyfriend would write in his Valentine to me.  You see, I had a boyfriend named Jamie Caan from kindergarten till grade four but unfortunately it wasn’t by his choice!  I’ll explain.

I was a full blown tom boy when I was a young girl.  I played with GI Joes and Hot Wheels and only wanted to hang out with the boys!  I couldn’t really rough house or play fight with them as I was also the tiniest kid in my class (this was the case until high school!!!) plus a girl so I figured out the one thing I could taunt them with that they couldn’t do to me…kissing!  I’d chase them around the playground threatening kisses for whatever reason.  They even had an alert system for me and when they saw me coming out of the school at recess, they would chant, “Woot, Woot, Carly Alert! Carly Alert! Woot, Woot! I was obviously very scary to them with this new found kissing power.

As well, I recently found out that I would also threaten them to be my boyfriends!  I was digging through some old school papers a couple years ago and found this note that I had written when I was about six to my boyfriend Jamie Caan but had never given him.  It simply read “Jamie, be my boyfriend or I’ll beat you up, love Carly xo.”   Now that was a fair argument, right?  Simple and direct and obviously very effective because he was my boyfriend till he moved away in grade four (I’m still not sure if that was partly to do with me!) Don’t you just wish you could do this now?  I’m sure some of you secretly do!

Anyways, remembering those wonderful days of finding all those Valentine’s Day cards in my glittery homemade mailbox on Feb.14th made me think, “Why can’t we do this as adults?”  So I’m making my own homemade Valentine’s Day mailbox this year in hopes that my friends will ask me to be their Valentine this year!  I’m going to put the word out letting them all know that it will be hanging on my regular mailbox outside if anyone feels so inclined to drop by with a Valentine. As well, I’ve suggested they do the same so I can reciprocate.  And I don’t want a $5 hallmark Valentine card. Oh no!  I think it would be so much more fun to trade those cheesy small kids Valentine’s with cute sayings like these:

You can actually print off these kids Valentine cards online for free.

So here is a quick and easy tutorial to make your own Valentine mail box if you want to join in the fun.  It’s seriously so simple that even a monkey can do it and based on my current sleep deprivation brain, I’m being kind when I say I’m slightly smarter than a monkey right now!

Don't you just love the dollar store! The monkey isn't for the mailbox. I just thought it was cute!

Cut the construction paper to the desired size ( I made mine big...wishful thinking!)

fodl the bottom of the paper up and tape the sides together

Write your name and decorate it any way you like! Awww...so pretty!

Voila! Hang it outside on your regular mailbox and then let your friends know it's there!

Warning!  Do not attempt to create your mailbox masterpiece while cooking. I was so enthralled with my creation, having so much fun decorating it, that I completely forgot about the grilled cheese sandwich cooking on the stovetop!

luckily only one side was burnt beyond recognition!

If you do decide to create your own Valentine’s Day mailbox this year, I’d love to see it.  Please send me a photo of it and I’ll make sure to post it on my blog for everyone to admire. 

Coupon tip of the week:  Rebates are a great way to get free stuff.  Many companies offer items for free simply by buying them first,  completing a form and sending it back to them with proof of purchase.  I’ve received pasta sauce, snack products, cleaning supplies, pet supplies and even free grocery store giftcards just from completing rebates.  Pepsi/Tostitos has a great one right now where if you buy $20 of select product, you will receive $20 in FPCs back from them.  We already eat tostitos so this is a great deal.  here is the link to the rebate form:  http://www.tostitos.ca/en/images/home/PBC12001_MailInAdPad_ENG.pdf

Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit”: The Newest Lullaby for Baby

I know what you are thinking, “What the heck is she talking about? There is no way Nirvana’s 90’s grunge anthem Smells Like Teen Spirit is going to help put my baby to sleep!”

Come on! Who WOULDN'T want this guy to sing your baby to sleep?

Oh contraire, mon frere! (FYI… I have no idea if that’s proper French but in English I’m hoping it translates to “On the contrary, my friend.”) My son fell asleep to this song all the time when he was a newborn. Okay, I’ll explain as I know you probably still doubt me and/or are ready to call Child and Family Services for heavy rock noise abuse against a defenceless baby.

For some reason, when my son was born I assumed that the post-pregnancy hormones would magically turn me into the mom who knew all 100 lullaby songs in order to gently sing her baby to sleep.  Turns out, like my many other ideas of motherhood dreamed up while pregnant, this definitely did not happen! In fact, due to what is commonly known as “baby brain,” which I believe is your baby actually taking a large chunk of your brain with him on his way out, I ended up only remembering 3 lullabies in full and several in which I could only recall the first two lines.

My repertoire included Rock-a-bye Baby, (which is actually a really disturbing song when you think about it. How is singing to your baby about him falling from a tree a soothing concept?) Baa Baa Black Sheep, (a great song if we still lived in the 1800’s where men were called masters!) and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star ( I have nothing but respect for this one..an all-time classic if you ask me).

For the ones in which I only knew the first few lines, I simply covered my tracks by making up the rest of the words. I.e. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know dear how much I love you…Ummmmmm…Even when your diaper’s full of poo!”  (I know, not too shabby eh?)

After about two weeks of singing the same three songs to Grayson, I was at my wits’ end and ready to concede that my son would be stunted from his lack of creative musical stimulus. Luckily a mommy friend of mine saved me in my time of redundant music need by giving me this CD:

It’s from the Rockabye Baby set of albums which take some of the most popular rock bands of the 70s, 80s and 90s that we (the parents) loved to listen to and converts them into soothing lullabies with the use of xylophones, pianos and flutes. And don’t worry, they’re instrumental only so your baby has no idea he’s listening to songs about sex, drugs and rock and roll (but you are!).

I really can’t get over how good these albums are  and that even though they’re instrumental lullabies, you can still easily recognize the songs that flash you back to your teenage youth and even sing along with you want. And if Nirvana wasn’t your cup of tea growing up, they have many others like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Tool, Metallica, Pink Floyd and even Nine Inch Nails!

My son enjoyed all of the albums but for some reason Nirvana’s Smells like Teen Spirit put him to sleep every time. And I also must warn you that these albums are so soothing that they may also put YOU to sleep so use caution and make sure not to listen to them while driving!

So if you’re like me and can’t possibly find the brain cells to learn new lullabies or are currently going insane from singing Twinkle, Twinkle for the 1000th time, I would highly recommend investing in some of the Rockabye Baby albums…if not for your own sanity, then for your child’s.

Coupon tip of the week:  Stock up on kid’s winter clothing now for next year.  Most stores are putting most of their winter and outerwear stock on for 50-75% off and if for some reason the clothes end up being too small by next winter, you can always resell them online, donate them to a charity or give them as Christmas presents or baby shower gifts.

New Year Resolutions to be a Better Mom (Not Just a Better Me)

Every year I make the same resolutions that I think I should make, starting on January 1st, but for some reason by the end of month, I’m back to the same me that I was on Dec.31st:

Carly’s 2012 New Year Resolutions

I PROMISE that I will go to the gym at least 3 times a week …even though I hate the gym and can’t stand the idea of forking over hundreds of dollars to work out because , as I said, I HATE the gym!

I PROMISE that I will try my best to eat mostly REAL food and purge my cupboards of processed food… I end up throwing out hundreds of dollars of groceries ( I don’t actually throw them out, I donate them but then someone else has to eat unhealthy processed food), only to cave and restock my shelves with the same food the next month. It’s a vicious cycle.

I PROMISE that I will have more patience… like controlling my road rage when someone drives thirty kilometres in front of me in a sixties zone and I’m already late for an appointment… or not blowing a gasket when the list I made of things to do around the house only has one item crossed off it after 2 weeks and I wanted everything done NOW! ( Unfortunately my poor husband is usually the one getting hit by shrapnel from the gasket…last year I made a list of things I wanted done around the house before my son was born.  There were 15 things on the lists and because I was pregnant, I couldn’t do 90% of them so my husband worked like a dog to finish everything before my hormones attacked him. Sorry babe!)

I PROMISE that I will watch less t.v. (which I have an addiction to…especially now that there is reality television. Love it!)…and spend more time doing fun and interesting things like reading more, playing card games with my husband, going for hikes and generally taking time to relax. (One year I decided I would even cancel my cable in order to keep my promise of not watching t.v. but I ended up just renting a ton of movies instead which probably cost me more money and wasted more time in front of the television…but at least I could tell people I didn’t have cable…how silly was I!)

As usual, I made the same resolutions this year but when Jan.1st came around, I realized things were a lot different now because this year I’m a Mom! So I’ve decided that I will use this new role as my motivation for 2012.  Because by sticking to these promises, not only will I become happier and healthier but so will my son ( and also my hubby). As the saying goes ,“ If Mommy’s happy, everyone’s happy!” Plus I want my son to grow up in a healthy and relaxing environment and not learn my bad habits. The resolutions may be the same but I’ve tweeked them in order to stick with them this year and  fit my new mom schedule:

Carly’s ( aka. Mom) 2012 New Year Resolutions

I PROMISE to workout at least 3 times a week this year…but I will incorporate my workouts with spending time with my son and doing things I actually enjoy doing (Forget the gym!).  I will go to Mommy and Baby yoga classes, go for walks around Thetis Lake with the stroller, take my son to swimming lessons and work out my arms lifting my son in the air about 100 times a day and my legs when I jump with him while he’s jumping in his jumperoo (it’s like doing squats for 20 minutes but you don’t realized you’ve done them until the next day…my husband did this and could barely walk.) Plus the money I save on not buying a gym membership means we can save more for a family vacation this year.

I PROMISE I will eat mostly REAL food…but my motivation is that my son is now at the age where he is going to start eating whatever we eat so I want to make sure I’m giving him the healthiest food for his fast growing body.  He’s also going to learn about food through me so I need to be a good teacher and show him all the wonderful healthy fruits and vegetables there are out there and that they can taste good. And if I slip a few times and go through the drive-thru at Mickey Dees, I’m make sure to do this after he’s gone to bed because let’s face it, nobody is perfect and we all have cravings from time to time…he just doesn’t need to learn this one for many years!  Also by eating real food, it will force me to learn to cook better!  It’s a win-win!

I PROMISE to have more patience…because I want to teach my son this as well.  Plus I don’t want him learning the bad words that mommy says when she’s in the car and loses her patience (this seems to be the place where most children learn these words based on talks with my other parent friends…quick tip:you know you have a problem when the kids are also yelling at the driver in front of you to” F*&@#n  speed up.” Not Good!) I’m going to change my expectations and put that list in a drawer in order enjoy every fleeting moment with my son as he learns to walk and talk and take in all that is new in the world around him.  I will have to take out the list eventually but when I do I won’t freak out and simply try to complete one task each month.  My husband will be very happy about this resolution.

I PROMISE to watch less TV because…

a) As it turns out I  don’t really have time these days to watch TV ( so much for bon bons and soap operas like I was promised!) unless maybe while I’m breast feeding…maybe this is why they call it the boob tube? Hmmmm.

b) I’d rather do more productive things with my limited time (which is really only a couple hours a day when he’s napping.)

c) I want to use that time to recharge rather lose brain cells. I never thought reading a few pages of a book would become a luxury but it has.  My friend Nicole used to always tell me what a treat it was when she got to sit down and just read for a bit and I never understood until now!  Another friend once told me she used to get excited to go to the dentist because she’d get a chance to read a magazine for 5 minutes! And now I understand!

d) I don’t want my son to spend his childhood glued to the television…when I was a kid we were allowed to watch 1 hour of t.v a day, otherwise we were sent out to play outside till dark…and it was wonderful!

And unlike most years, I don’t need to print off my resolutions to stick on the fridge as a reminder because every time I look at my beautiful son Grayson, that will be reminder enough.  I’d love to hear what your New Year resolutions are this year and how you plan to achieve them.  Sometimes telling others really helps you stick with them. Happy New year everyone!

Coupon of the Week:  So I’m sure some of you are thinking that your coupon binder is looking mighty empty after pulling out all the expired coupons on Dec.31st but do not fret: TODAY Proctor and Gamble are releasing their newest coupons and there are a ton of them.  You can find coupon inserts in your local paper AND order them online at www.brandsaver.ca.  Plus I’ve found a bunch of manufacturer coupons in the grocery stores this week.  Happy Hunting!

Baby's First Christmas: A Survival Guide for Parents

Awww…our first Christmas with our six month old son Grayson is over and while it was a bit more stressful than past Christmases with just the two of us, it was well worth it!  I’m sure part of the stress was the fact he’s been teething since December 1st but we still managed to get through it with very little scrapes and bruises.

It definitely was different for other reasons this year, partly because of our own expectations of how his first Christmas should go and partly because we had to work Christmas around his 6-month-old schedule.  From it, I gained some insight on what I would do differently or things I learned and so I thought I’d pass it on to the other first time parents out there who will have a baby before next Christmas.  (Note: if your baby is under 3 months old next Christmas, very little of this will apply to you as he or she will most likely sleep through the entire Christmas! Merry Christmas to you!)

1. Try to go get the picture with Santa done early in December.  If not, you will be standing in line for a long time and most likely lose your small window of opportunity to get a picture of your baby smiling (rather than crying) on Santa’s lap. We learned this the hard way as we waited in line for 45 minutes at the mall only to have our son start rubbing his eyes and whining just before we got to the end of it. And that was it… Window closed! We had to come back the next day and do it all over again and miraculously managed to get a smiling photo (although I believe this was his “I’m so tired I’m starting to go crazy so I smile and laugh for no reason before having a total meltdown” smile.)

Santa told us Grayson wanted an electric drum set for Christmas

2. Don’t wrap too many presents.  It takes your young child about 10-15 minutes to unwrap a gift as well as look over the present. Since most babies under a year need a nap every 1 ½- 2 hours, this only gives you…hold on…let me do the math..okay…enough time to do about 8-10 presents.  And really how many presents does a six month old need?? As we found out, wrapping paper and boxes the toys came in are way more fun to play with (and eat).

Barely touched the piano but spent 10 minutes playing with the box. Go figure!

3. Babies will put everything, I mean EVERYTHING, in their mouths so make sure to grab that wrapping paper quick before it becomes baby’s lunch. We were a bit late and before we could grab a small piece out of his mouth, it was gone!  I thought about checking later to see if it had made its’ way through him but then decided I wanted an appetite for Christmas dinner and just let it be. He was fine.

The moment before it happened...only took a second!

There it goes...those two teeth of his sure came in handy for him!

4. Space out present opening….and give yourself at least the whole day to get through them all. (If your baby is teething, add another day). After we managed to open a few presents at our house, we made our way to the grandparents house for more gift opening. Needless to say, we had to come back on Boxing Day so Grayson could finish opening his presents.

5. Don’t eat too much turkey as the tryptophan combined with the sleep deprivation will knock you out and leave baby to roll or crawl around the house by himself. We were in bed by 7:30am on Christmas day.

6. Take toys out of boxes and put batteries in them before wrapping so baby can play with them right away…they don’t have the attention span at this age (or any age really) to wait for you to read an instruction manual and put the toy together before play time. (and stock up on batteries as I’ve learned that basically every toy you buy needs at least 3-4 double AAs.)

7. If you have the room,  save the boxes the toys came in as well as the manuals so you can reuse them when you sell your toys used online.  This always adds appeal to your item and makes it sell quicker.

8. Calling all Breastfeeding Moms! If you want that glass of wine with Christmas dinner, make sure to remember to pump that morning so you have some food for baby before dinner. Thank God for electric double breast pumps!!!

9. Make sure that camera of yours is charged on Christmas Eve and has adequate memory for the 1000 pictures you plan on taking on Christmas morning. But don’t worry, if you run out of room, those grandparents will always be there to pick up the slack…each with their own camera.

And lastly just try to relax and have fun. Your baby may be all smiles on Christmas Day or all tears but either way his first Christmas will be special for everyone. And remember there are still the next few magical years where your child waits in antipation for Santa to come and put all the presents under the tree… just don’t forget to put out the milk and cookies.

Coupon tip of the week:  Right after Christmas day is the best time to stock up on items for next season.  Most stores sell off their Christmas decoration at 50-70% off.  As well, they do the same for gift baskets so stock up on these for birthday gifts for the rest of the year.  You’ll save a bundle and have tons of new items to enjoy next season.  Also if you want to dress your little one up in a Santa sleeper again next year, now is the time to buy it as they also go on sale drastically after Christmas.Happy New Year!

Finally a Christmas toy worth standing in line for: The Elf on the Shelf

With only a few a days before Christmas, hopefully you have finished your shopping for everyone.  I have yet to wrap my presents but am thankful that at least I’ve bought them and don’t have to go to the mall, currently filled with last minute shoppers freaking out over whether to buy their loved ones dress socks or fruit cake…cause everything else is sold out! (Quick hint:  get the dress socks!  Nobody likes fruit cake and the only time they say they do is if someone gives it to them for Christmas: “Oh Fruit Cake!!! Thank you so much…it’s my favourite!”) Uh-uh. No. Not true.

And if you are thinking you can still get the “it” toy of the season, forged aboud it (insert Italian accent here).  Every year there is one toy or gift that is the must-have of the year. People stand in line for hours outside stores waiting for the doors to open so they can climb over each other in order to snag the “best gift this year!”

Personally, I usually can’t see what all the big fuss is about for these “it” toys or who has decided they are the best gift to buy each yer.  Plus how is it in the spirit of Christmas to play tug-a-war at the mall with a stranger over a toy that their child will play with for maybe a few months and then sell at next summer’s garage sale?

I actually have a memory of watching television when I was six years old and during a commercial, there was a breaking news story about mothers fighting over Cabbage Patch Dolls.  People had actually been injured trying to outrun each other in the store to the display case in order to snag this “it” present.  I admit that I did get a Cabbage Patch Doll that year and loved it but I don’t think it would have been worth my mother breaking her arm over it if she had.

Funny story: my husband accidentally told me that even HE got a Cabbage Patch doll that year because his mom had found out it was the present that every kid had to have for Christmas.  Unfortunately he was twelve years old so the doll didn’t bring on the squeals of glee his mom was hoping for.  ( He wanted to make sure that I mentioned it was a BOY Cabbage Patch Doll he received although I’ve never actually confirmed this with his mom…have to remember to check this fact next time I speak to her.)

And of course, who can forget the Tickle Me Elmo frenzy of 1996 where people were selling them on the black market for hundreds of dollars as the demand was so great.  Again, it’s a fun kid’s toy but was it really worth giving up a small education fund for? (I just saw a used one at a garage sale last year for $2 dollars…need I say more! I’m guessing this was from the new and inproved Tickle Me Elmo of Christmas 2008).

I was watching the news a couple of weeks ago waiting to find out what this year’s “it” toy was and to my utter surprise it isn’t a giggling doll or a video game console or even the new I Phone 4S (I know..shocking!)  This year there’s finally a children’s gift that embodies the spirit of Christmas and holiday magic that’s worth standing in the freezing cold for hours for. And guess what?  It’s a book! That’s right, this is not a typo!  An actual book about Christmas that families can use every year as a holiday tradition called “The Elf of the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition.”

Even the story behind this book is magical:  “After sending out The Elf on the Shelf to major publishing houses, only to receive rejection letter after rejection letter, Aebersold and Bell decided to self-publish. They created CCA and B, which stands for Creatively Classic Activities and Books, alongside Bell’s twin sister, Christa Pitts. Starting with only 300 copies of The Elf on the Shelf, CCA and B has since sold over 1.5 million copies.” (Courtesy of Wikipedia.Thank you!)

The book comes with a small pixie elf scout that the children can name and adopt.  The plot and premise is that this little elf observes the children during the day and then flies off back to the North Pole each night before Christmas to report to Santa whether the kids have been naughty or nice. (Can’t you just picture it now? Your kids are putting up a fight not wanting to clean their room and all you have to do is point to the elf scout on the shelf and presto…the room is clean! I told you this book is magical!)

The elf comes back each morning before the family wakes and never lands in the same spot so the kids have to go find him each day.  As well, they can’t touch the elf or he will lose all his magic and be unable to tell Santa if the children have been good or what they want for Christmas (they can’t touch him but they can tell him what they want for Christmas so he can report this back to Santa).

I know what you’re thinking right now, “I gotta have this for Christmas this year!!” But unfortunately because it is the “it” gift of the season, it is sold out everywhere. Trust me, when I heard about it I started researching online and couldn’t find it anywhere except from the Scrooges who demand five times the retail price. Now how is that in the Christmas Spirit? Their elf is not going to have a very good report to give to Santa this year!

But even if I can’t buy this gift for Christmas this year, I’ll be making sure to create a reminder for myself to look for it early in the New Year for my family. Because unlike those “it” toys that cause riots and injury each year only to end up on the front lawn, this book can become a yearly tradition that reminds the whole family to be nice rather not naughty.  And isn’t this what Christmas is all about anyway?

Coupon tip of the week:  In the spirit of Christmas, I would suggest, to those of you who have a stockpile in your house from couponing, to lighten your load this week and consider donating some items to the less fortunate.  A bottle of shampoo or a deodorant may seem an everyday thing to most of us, but to someone struggling, this is a luxury and would be wonderful to receive for Christmas.  Plus it will give you more Coupon Karma for 2012!  Happy Holidays!