My little Tuna is all grown up... 21 months and counting

My little Tuna is all grown up... ok not really... but I can't believe how quickly she went from being a baby to being a toddler. She use to cry when she was hungry... now she goes to the fridge and looks for what she wants or she ask for Mommy's milk (yep we are still going strong after 21 months of breastfeeding). She use to wake up in the middle of the night crying... now she wakes up in the middle of the night... crying... ok not much has changed here. lol She can pick her clothing. She can go to the fridge and bring mommy a Perrier if I ask her. 

But I think her greatest achievement so far this summer is how quickly she is improving as a swimmer! I am even starting to think she might swim a full pool length BEFORE she sleeps through the night.

On her spare time, Hudson likes collecting rocks, throwing rocks in the water and stashing rocks in her sun hat. She loves going on the trampoline and playing in her sandbox. She loves long walk and afternoon at the park. You know... the good life ;-)

We have yet to enter the terrible two phase (although we had a preview of what is to come last week during our trip to Ottawa)... For now, I will cross my finger that what we went through at the Canadian Mint Museum will NEVER EVER happen again...

Have you thanked a farmer today?

I did not post about week 3-4-5 of our weekly Harvest Share Food Box! I totally could! The boxes were awesome! They were FULL to the max of fresh and very varied produce. We tried new recipes and discovered new vegetables. 

I really wanted to put up a picture every week, but I was not there when the box arrived. I forgot to ask my mom to take a picture...

But it doesn't matter, I am sure by now, you get the idea ;-)

There is however something I would like to share! Something VERY special that happened in my household! Something that just 2 months ago, would have been thought IMPOSSIBLE! (I hope my husband will forgive me for telling this story...)

My husband is Chinese. My husband LOVES chicken and rice... My husband is POWERED by rice... breakfast, lunch, dinner. My husband also happens to not really like vegetable. Except for a few select greens (asparagus and zucchinis). We've been together for 9 years and it has always been a recurring subject of argumentation! We now have a lovely daughter who needs good role model into building good eating habits. So my husband stepped up to the plate and 1 months ago decided that from now on, he would eat ANY vegetables I put on his plate! (As long as they are cooked). Well it has been a month and he is still sticking to his words!!! Not once has he complained! 

Buying into the weekly box was also part of the plan in making sure we were eating MORE vegetable, while supporting our local economy. I have to admit, everything we get in the box taste BETTER than the same product at the grocery... is it because of the freshness??? 

And this week, a miracle happened. Hudson was having a bad day and I ran short of idea for lunch. I ended up serving some chicken with broccoli, peas, beans, and snow peas (all from the box). My husband asked where the rice was.... OUPS!!! So he sad down with a grumpy face and he started eating. Half way through the meal, he said to me "Look at my plate!!!!!! I ate all the vegetables and I still have some chicken left." I think he surprised himself! He loved the beans, he loved the broccoli, he loved the peas and the snow peas... and did not even miss his rice!!! This was such a GREAT day for us!

Harvest Share Food Box week 2

So we just picked up our second box...

I wished the picture would tell how yummy it looked!

This week the featured item is Kale.

There is also Garlic Scapes! I had never heard of it before getting some in the box. I already used some to add to one of my smoke salmon-radish dip!

The featured recipe is Kale Chips! Although I have eaten kale before I had never tried to have it that way. (I know, I know... somany people on my friend's list swear by it!) So we baked some... not only did it look and smell yummy.... it tasted great! A perfect by the pool snack!

An added bonus... Hudson LOVED it.

Little Tuna is 20 months!

Well it just occurred to me that I never posted about Tuna turning 19 months... You can blame it on a very busy life at home and at school... mix with a bit of sadness as Ayumi left us to go back to Japan. So, with that being said, what have we been up too... 

Tuna is still breastfeeding, we are still working on the potty training which now stands at 90% (basically we are still working on overnight and long car ride), Tuna speaks speaks speaks... she also has a mind of her own and is really good at saying No! and AGAIN!!! Tuna loves the park, loves the pool and loves the sand box. Basically Tuna loves being outside. A typical day looks like... breakfast, outside, outside, lunch, walk+nap, outside, snack, outside, dinner, bath time, bed. I roughly calculated that on a good weather day, she is outside for over 7 hours... ouf... but isn't that where a kid should be!

Tuna also loves Hello Kitty and cars... She loves her hot wheels and she loves her blinged out hello kitty gears.

Tuna is also getting really excited about "Bébé"... she insist on sharing everything with "bébé"... needless to say my belly is generally really sticky... between the fact that she tries to feed bébé and she likes to share her stickers with bébé... you get the picture. Bébé also gets lots of kisses! We started preparing things for "bébé" and she loves to help. She has also been practicing how to put diapers on her doll.... 15 weeks to go....

As for me, I am doing fairly well. It has been so far a much easier pregnancy (knock on wood) and time is flying by... mostly because I have been so busy with school and Tuna.
 
 

Buying local... 20 weeks of summer

So a few weeks ago, we received a pamphlet in our mail box about a Harvest Food Share Program. 20 boxes full of locally grown fruits and vegetables for 20 weeks. We do have access to a farmer's market near by, but in the last few years, I was something surprise to find out that what we were buying was not always local... (Happened with corn, more than once...) I researched the program a bit more and read lot's of positive reviews... we decided to give it a try. There were two different size boxes available. We took the biggest one (28$ a week) and decided to share it between two family (so 14$ each family a week). With the weekly box, we receive a feature item and a recipe to go with it. We are also provided with information about each product (which farm it comes from). 

This week we went a head and picked up our first box. I will be honest, it was a lot smaller than we expected... and a lot smaller than the pictures I had seen from last year. We were explained that the season was a bit delayed because of the weather and that they would make up for it in the next few weeks. (Fair enough!) That being said, I quickly did the math and we really were getting our money's worth. 

I decided for the next 20 weeks (as much as possible) to post a picture of the box. We will also attempt to make every recipe provided. If you would like more information, you can visit the facebook group. All the recipe can be found there in their "Note" section.

So this week's feature item is Rhubarb! The recipe is a rhubarb custard pie! Mom and I with Hudson's help got it ready in no time! It looked delicious and tasted amazing! Definitively a recipe we will make again!

For dinner tonight, we also had some of the pepper, mushroom, zucchinis and spinach. Now everything was good, but let's talk about spinach!!! Seriously... I didn't even know spinach could look as leafy and full of life as the one we received. It really did not look like what we buy at the grocery!! And let me tell you, they were GOOD!!! At this point, I have to say we are really excited about the box and can't wait for the next one!

Recipe - Natural Bug spray

I use to buy a very effective all natural bug spray but unfortunately I found out today that the company no longer exist... But have no fear, the internet is here... and I started scavenging around for ideas. First I decided to use the exact same ingredient that could be found in the spray I liked... then I consulted numerous DIY recipe to have a better idea of the quantity I should use for all the ingredients... so here is what I found out and what I did.

• First! Different essential oil will have different repellent properties. Some are better for mosquito, some for tics.... so depending what you need, you can easily find online list. I decided to go with a good mix that works well against both mosquito and tics.
• I do not have a definite step by step recipe... reason is... You can pretty much play it by ear to make it work for you! The only thing that really matter is RATIO!
• You can want to achieve a ratio of  10% essential oil, 90% carrier. If you are going to use it on young kids, you can go as low as 5% essential oil, 95% carrier. 
• There are many option for the carrier. Any oil (grape seed oil, olive oil, almond oil....) will do. I decided not to do mine with coconut oil because of it's tendency to harden. But I don't see why you couldn't use it!
• Essential oil is not that hard to find and can be use for so many DIY natural product! It is worth investing a few dollars on a basic assortment of oil.

What I did:

• I used a small spray bottle (travel size, from the dollar store.) I measure 1/10 or 10%. And marked a small line.
• I filled the bottle with essential oil to the line. I use Citronella for half and then a mixture of Lavender, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus and Tea tree oil for the other half. You can play around with the different oil if you want a specific scent to come out stronger. How ever, Citronella remains your main oil... and will be the strongest smell of them all.
• Fill the rest of the bottle with your carrier. (I used Olive oil)

 And that is it! It is ready to use!

I do suggest, before you use it on your kids, to try on a small area to make sure there is no reaction. Essential oil are really concentrated and in some cases, Tea tree oil can cause small rashes. As I said, you can play with the overall ratio... but I really don't recommend going any stronger than 10%.

You can find most essential oil at your local health store. 

Recipe - Bath Fizz Balls

For Christmas, Hudson received those cool fizz balls for the bath. She loved it until she started breaking out into a rash!!! A few months later, I got her a different store brand without thinking and same thing happened again. I went out and about and looked at the ingredient list and it occur to me, most of what was included on the list was completely unnecessary. So last week, I started looking online for an alternative and came across many recipe to make it myself. Best part... the only ingredient truly needed were not only safe but also beneficial for the skin. 

I have now made a few batches and here is my version of what worked best for us. And I should add, it is very easy to make!!! No baking, no cooking!

You will need :

• 2 cups of Baking Soda (500gr)
• 3/4 cup of citric acid (this might be a bit hard to find, I ended up ordering mine only from the USA for a very very cheap price. Apparently some grocery will carry it in their baking aisle since it is use in canning, essentially citric acid is vitamin C)
• 1/8 cup of corn starch
• 1/4 cup of coconut oil (or any other vegetable oil) in liquid form but not heated)
• A few drops of essential oil (how many drops really depends on which oil you use and how strong you want the smell to be.) So far I have used grapefruit and lavender essential oil. 
• Food coloring (totally optional, how much will depends on how dark you want the color to be)
• Water in a spray bottle (mist setting)
• Parchemin paper
• Fun Mold (optional)

How to do it :

1. In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredient. MIX WELL!!!
2. In a separate bowl, mix all the wet ingredient except the water.
3. Slowly add the wet mixture in the dry ingredient bowl. I use a fork to mix it and work through all the clumps. It will take a few minutes but make sure there are no clumps left.
4. With your hand, check of well the mixture holds it shape when pressed. Spray a little bit of water until you can easily make it stay in the desire shape. IT WILL NOT LOOK LIKE A DOUGHT! It will still be in a loose powder form. But it has just enough moisture to keep it's shape when you press it.
5. Use a mold to make fun shapes. I used egg molds for bento box to make my bunnies. I find it works best with a solid mold as oppose to a silicone soft mold. When you put the mixture in, you have to press really hard. You do not need to wait for it to set, you can unmold it right away. It you do not have any molds, you can simply make little balls with your hands.
6. Let it dry and cure on parchemin paper for about 24-28 hours. Make sure they are in a very dry place. Once dried, you can store then in an air tight container. This weekend, I will try to vacuum seal a few. Use within a month for best results.

Tuna is 18 months today!!!

Tuna is 18 months today, but to be honest, I feel it is more of a milestone for me than for her! Today, I have been breastfeeding Hudson for 18 months! Even thought my original plan was to breastfeed her until she is 2 years old (as recommended by the World Health Organization), we had many many rough patches along the way, and for a little while, it really seemed like we were not going to make it.

First Hudson was born, and my milk refused to come in... blame the c-section or perhaps the very rapid (much to rapid) weight loss I had in the first few months following birth. Then there was all the dietary cuts I had to make because of her severe reflux. No spice, no diary, no acidic food... really other than boiled chicken and rice there was not much left for me to eat (and we all know what I think of chicken and rice......). Then when it finally looked like we were doing well, I contracted Dengue Fever. Hudson was nine months and during those 8 days, I completely lost my supply. I was so sick. I was not able to breastfeed for a week... and when I finally came out of the hospital, all milk was gone. Gone... gone... gone... I was heartbroken. I think Hudson was too. But even worst... she was loosing weight very quickly because she had not quite started solid food yet and would continually throw up any brand formula we tried to give her. So I did what I could, and pumped, and ate, and ate oatmeal cookies and after two weeks, it started coming back. It wasn't enough but it was something. By the time Hudson was 10 months, we were back on track! She had a little strike at around 13 , but it only lasted a few days... But then came 14 months with a whole new challenge. I got pregnant! Yeah!!! Except, once more my supply tanked. But to my relief, it did not seem to phase Hudson too much, as she is still going strong! 

At this point, I really don't know if we will make it to 2 years. Baby number two (or tadpole, as we like to call it) is due right before Hudson's second birthday. In order for Hudson to nurse until 2, I would have to tandem nurse... It probably is a decision I will not really make myself. I will probably just go with the flow. There is a strong chance that before we get there Hudson might even stop on her own, and that is fine too. (And I kind of hope she will) but if she doesn't than so be it ;-)

In other news... well yes! I am pregnant. I am 16 weeks today. I am doing much better than last pregnancy (although the morning sickness have been 100% worst)... but that will be the subject of a later post.

Hudson is sleeping better as well. She still wakes up a lot but most the time, she will not require our assistance.

Hudson is still lacking in the teeth department! Last months I said she had 6 teeth and more on the way... well I lied... she only had 5 back then... and now at 18 months, she still only has 5. But the good news is... there are 6 little white bumps on the way and two none white bumps as well... so hopefully soon, she will have 8 more ;-)

Hudson is also speaking a whole lot. In french, in english... and in japanese. She loves fishes, fishing, cats, hello kitty and her sand box.

I also just finished my winter semester in University. I did much better than last semester. Thanks to Ayumi. I now only have 1 classes left to take (this summer), and I will be done my course load!! I am so excited about that. Next step will be passing in front of my comity and setting up a date for my comprehensive exam. If all goes well, I am hoping to write my exams next spring.

This weekend I am presenting at a conference and then I get 2 weeks off before the start of the next semester. I am looking forward to a little time off at home!

Happy Earth Day!!!

Happy Earth Day!!!

I just thought I'd say,

What did you do today ;-)

Green, green, green... nothing but green

Some of you might very well be aware of the many changes that have taken place in our household, well before Tuna arrived... For some times now, we have been working really hard at making environmentally and chemical free friendly choices. I have to say after 2 years, most of the these changes have been great! For our health but also for our budget... So I just thought I would share some ideas, and links about some of the products we use and why we made the change.

I will spare you the first one... the obvious one... the one I ramble about almost nonstop on facebook... CLOTH DIAPER! But seriously, if you want to give it a try... talk to me... I can help you out! Here is also a great opportunity to buy Canadian! I am telling you.. this is something we should be proud off... we make some of the best cloth diapers! Check out AMP from Manitoba, Applecheeks from Québec, Hipkiddo from BC and Motherease from Ontario... And if by any chance you are in the states, you too have great option of locally made cloth diapers!!!

No more scott towel either... RAGS can do the job! I know... it sounds silly... but do you know how much we save!!! And if you want to go fancy, invest in an unpaper towel roll! All over etsy you will find local women making them to match the color of your kitchen!

Have you heard of reusable menstrual products... If you still use moldy tampons, I would seriously look into the many other options! And here too, you will save TONS of money! Check it out here And for those who thinks it is gross.... You know what is gross... mold! Beside... how can it be any more gross than watching The Walking Dead ;-) And while we are here... why not buy Canadian!

Another place we made big changes was with our cleaning products! For our laundry, including my cloth diaper, we use Nellies Laundry detergent. It is a scent free, dangerous chemical free detergent that is CANADIAN made! And the best part... you can order the bucket from Costco for free delivery and it comes down to 11 cents a load... Told you... eco-friendly does not mean expensive!!!

Next up... cleaner product... oh-so-easy-and-baby-safe... put some vinegar in a jar with orange peel... let it sit on a shell for 6 weeks... and voilà... you can add some tea tree oil if you would like... you can use it to clean just almost anything... including your kids toys.For other great cleaning product recipe, visit the Queen of Green's blog!

Let's move on to personal hygiene... do you use coconut oil yet? tea tree oil? well you should! Easy to find and cheap, you can use it a million ways... And why would you do that... well... unless you are ok with the fact that Johnson and Johnson is poisoning your baby... unless you insist on spending more money than you need...  you really have nothing to loose... and if you really want that fresh smell, just add a dab of your favorite essential oil scent!

And since we are on subject of poisoning yourself... there are many more culprits out there... Myself, I am still leaning about them... Deodorant, toothpast, sunscreen...  so what are your options... well for deodorant, it is so easy to make your own!!! Yes! And it works!!! Here is the recipe we use. If you are not in the mood to make your own, I have yet to find a cheap alternative, but for a few dollars you can easily find them online... etsy, www.well.ca... and by the way, if you have never ordered from well.ca, you are eligible for a 10$ off coupon code! Did I mention they are in Ontario! Go buy local! When it comes down to sunscreen, we use green beaver product.... here too, I have not been able to find a cheaper option... but really... who wants to cheap out here???? We also use their toothpaste (sorry, I just can't do the baking soda...) You can buy their product online at well.ca as well! (I also love their natural bug repellent) 

So this is just the beginning!!! There is a lot more to it... And I too, am still learning... one change at a time... why... because if I can make a difference in my health, in my environment and SAVE money while supporting my local economy... then we all win.

Over the next few years, I am hoping to make even more changes... as I educate myself, as I discover sustainable option, and as these option become more easily available. 

If you made it this far, reading this post, then I encourage you to perhaps check out the Green Living Show in Toronto from April 12-14, 2013. If you look around on the internet, there are a few different ways to get free tickets.

Also, one last thing I would like to mention is the company Little eco foot print which I just recently discovered. They are Ontario based and proposed a subscription to a mystery box geared towards family with young kids between the ages of 0-3. So once a month you receive a box with eco product. You can subscribe for 1 months, 3 months or 6 months. I just did it and I am anxiously waiting for my first box!! I will blog about it when it comes ;-) If you are interested check out their facebook group, you also have a chance to win one there.And if you decide to order, you can use my affiliate link ;-)