Miss G, in front of the HR MacMillan Space Centre / Museum of Vancouver, after her very first day of being taken care of by someone other than Mama or Papa
Because we lived overseas for Gracen’s first year and we’ve lived here in Vancouver, five hours away from her closest grandparent, for her second year, Grae hasn’t really ever been taken care of by anyone but Brad or I. We have snuck out a total of FOUR evenings after she’s gone to bed thanks to the Grandmas and Uncle Brett, and she used to spend about 30 – 45 minutes at a time with our lovely nanny and housekeeper, Amita, when we were living in Kuwait and I had to leave for tutoring before Brad’s bus returned to the Dunes, but I don’t really count those… She was so young when she stayed with Amita, plus it was such short periods of time. And because she was already asleep, she didn’t know we’d even left the house on our evenings out.
But that all changed today.
Last week, I won a free ticket to Leading Moms: Inspiring Talks by Extraordinary Women on fellow Top 30 Mom Blogger Lisa’s blog, The Sprog. When I first heard about it, I had really wanted to go. They were even offering free onsite childcare by Nannies on Call – but with tickets being $100 and us having a couple of weekends away planned for October, I had decided to skip it this time around. Needless to say, I was thrilled to find out I had won the giveaway and even more excited when I learned that there was still space for Grae in the childcare room.
Despite my excitement, I must admit that I was a little bit nervous to leave Grae at the same time… I really liked the idea that she would be right there in the same building as I was and that she would be taken care of by professional, caring nannies, but I worried about how she’d react to me leaving her there and how she’d be about going to the bathroom. Questions that crossed my mind: Is she going to bawl when I say goodbye? Will she know who to tell when she has to go to the bathroom? If she does know, will she be brave enough to go up to one of the nannies and actually tell them? How will she do without having a nap? (I hope I’m not the only mom who thinks about these things the first time they leave their child…)
So yesterday afternoon, we began talking about our special day ahead. I explained that we would be going to a special place where there would be lots of mamas and lots of kids, and that I would be visiting with the mamas and she would get to be with all of the kids to play. We filled her new backpack with extra clothes and her family and friends photo book, and her new bento box with a yummy lunch and lots of easy to eat snacks, making sure everything was labelled along the way. Bright and early this morning, we talked some more about what a fun day it would be for both of us. I explained that there would be some ladies taking care of all of the kids and that they were like mamas – they would be the ones she could go to if she needed help or needed to go to the potty.
We arrived to the space centre nice and early, took our time registering and looking around, made sure to get in a good bathroom break, and went to meet the nannies in the childcare room. They were all very nice and Grae seemed happy to stay with them when I told that I loved her and that I’d be back later to pick her up. As I went to walk out the door, however, panic set in a little bit and she decided that she wanted to “clum wif Mama and Mama’s friends”, but the nannies were great, swooped in, and invited her to go and colour with them. With that, she said goodbye and was off.
The morning was lovely. I finally got a chance to reconnect with a bunch of the other Top 30 Bloggers in person again, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast by Nature’s Path, and spent a couple of hours listening to the stories of several very inspirational moms. At lunchtime, I poked my nose into the childcare room to check on my little miss. She was doing just fine, having fun, and had already been to the potty twice, so I left unnoticed to join the other ladies for some lunch in the sun.
At the end of the day, after soaking in the tales and talents of several more influential mamas, I {quickly} made my way to the childcare room to scoop up my little lady. I opened the door, and there she was, in the middle of the floor, rolling around and giggling. Her ponies were disheveled, her lunchbox was empty, she was in the same outfit I dropped her off in, and most importantly, she was happy… A total success in my mind. She was full of wild energy (a telltale sign of tiredness), but that was to be expected. On the way home, I thought for sure she’d fall asleep, but instead, she told me {bits and pieces of } things that happened during her day – “Man and puppy upstairs”, “Laid on mamas’ laps at show” (they went upstairs to the planetarium to take in a show about seasons), “Played with yittle friends”….
It was a truly wonderful day. I left feeling refreshed, inspired, and thankful that I now know, without a doubt, that Grae can be fully content when cared for by someone other than myself. And at the same time, very grateful that she doesn’t have to be. Knowing the stories behind the bits and pieces of her days means the world to me.
♥
One of the {MILLIONS of} things I absolutely adore about Gracen is her enthusiasm and appreciation for little things… Today, while shopping for a few craft supplies, we came across these {$2} foam letters and she could not have been more thrilled that I agreed to let her take them home when she asked. For the rest of the day, she held them, prepared for bath time, and talked about how she would show Papa when he got home and he would say “Wooooooooow!” During bath time, it was as though she’d won the lottery – “ABCs, Mama! ABCs! Grae Grae loves ABC toys!” As she carefully placed each one up on the tiles, she attempted naming them with enthusiastic guesses (as of now, she knows A, G, S, Y, and Z really well) and every once and a while got her ‘squinty Uncle Gary concentration face’ on, looked up at me for assistance, and said “Dis one a hard one?”
It may be the first of October, but the flowers in our front gardens would never let you know it. Today Miss G took some time to sniff her way around our yard and comment on each of the flowers she found – “Dis one soooo beautiful, Mama!”. 
Here’s our line up of ingredients… Old-fashioned oats, pumpkin seeds, raisins, ‘just apples’ applesauce (we just used the store bought stuff this time around, but homemade would of course be better), ripe bananas, cinnamon, and organic coconut oil and vanilla (which somehow didn’t make it into the photo…)
To start, my mini sous chef peeled our bananas and popped them into the food processor.
Then she added a capful of pure vanilla…
A generous amount of applesauce…
Some cinnamon…
And a dollop of coconut oil.
Then we blended everything up until it was mostly smooth, with just a few little chunks.
With our wet mixture transferred into a large mixing bowl, Grae added some organic old-fashioned oats…
Some raw pumpkin seeds…
And some raisins…
And gave everything a good stir.
The result was oats that were completely coated in the banana/applesauce mixture, but not ‘wet’ or batter-y (if that makes any sense).
We then dropped large spoonfuls of the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, using the back of the spoon to shape them into little mounds, and popped them into the oven.
Fifteen minutes later, out came these soft, moist little oatmeal mounds. Now… Do they taste like a real cookie? No. Do they taste like a healthy bowl of cinnamon oatmeal compacted into a portable little serving? Yes! And the best part is that they’re not at all crumbly. To the point where I let Grae snack on these while in the Ergo on our recent house hunting adventures because I knew they wouldn’t crumble all over our potential landlords’ floors… Win!
Striped coral romper: Old Navy / Gold braided belt: H&M (stolen from Mama’s closet) / Multi-coloured sandals: Joe / Recycled milk pouch book bag: 
Felt flower headband: Handmade by mama / Striped dress: Baby Gap / Multi-coloured sandals: Joe
Ruffled tank: Carter’s / Polka dotted skirt: Handmade by Auntie Judy
Red blossom clip: Handmade by Mama / Navy tee: Joe / Red tutu: Baby Gap / Glittered flats: Payless / Scowl face: All Grae ☺
Embroidered Tunic: A gift from Mexico / Black leggings: H&M / Glittered flats: Payless
Floral ruffled vest: Baby Gap / Babydoll tank: Old Navy / Pink shorts: Baby Gap / Gladiator sandals: Joe
Floral blouse: Joe / Stretchy denim skinnies: Levi’s / Glittered flats: Payless
We’ve been back in swim classes now for a few weeks and Miss G is just loving it. The classes are upbeat, fun, and filled with songs and play, but teach beginning swimming skills at the same time. So far, we’ve been practicing most of the same skills we learned last session… Front starfish floats, back starfish floats, wall push offs (front and back), jumping into the water from sitting and standing positions, blowing bubbles, and dipping different parts of our faces in the water. 
Breakfast // All-natural cream cheese on a 4 seed wholewheat bagel thin. Cantaloupe sticks.
Breakfast // Bear toast (multigrain flax bread, all-natural peanut butter, bananas, and raisins).
Breakfast // Plain organic whole milk yogurt with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and sliced almonds.
Breakfast // Baked blueberry banana currant oatmeal with whole organic milk.
Breakfast // Eggs ole. Country-style potatoes. Toasted squirrelly bread.
Breakfast // Shredded organic wheat with walnuts, almonds, strawberries, and blueberries.
Breakfast // Toasted omega seed bread with all-natural cream cheese and strawberry slices. Raw almonds.
Breakfast // Low-sugar organic cereal with walnuts and frozen blueberries.
Snack // Apple chunks. Wholewheat pita crisps broiled with havarti.
Snack // 
Lunch // Turkey, rice, spinach tomato soup.
Lunch // Wholewheat pasta with spinach asiago pesto and baby peas.
Lunch // Roasted salmon and mozzarella sandwich. Veggies and dilly yogurt dip.
Lunch // Greek wholewheat couscous salad with avocado. Orange slices and grapes.
Lunch // Curried apple tuna on omega seedy bread. Red peppers and blueberries.
Lunch // Spicy Asian noodle salad with grilled breaded chicken. Sugar snaps and avocado spears.
Lunch // Organic veggie shells and cheese with tuna, steamed broccoli, and carrots.
Lunch // Greek rice. Steamed broccoli. Avocado. Chicken souvlaki. Lemon roasted potatoes.
Snacks & Lunch {on the go} // All-natural peanut butter and granny smith sandwich. Fresh strawberries and blueberries. Sugar snaps. Raw almonds and walnuts. Old cheddar cubes. Red pepper slices.
Lunch // Veggie sandwich on multigrain (cream cheese, cucumber, red onion, red pepper, and avocado). Watermelon sticks. Gouda cubes.
Dinner // Spicy black bean and chicken rice bowl with avocado and sour cream.
Dinner // Steamed broccoli, beets, and carrots. Lemon and herb salmon. Fresh spinach pasta.
Dinner // Chicken souvalki. Pita. Greek salad. Lemon roasted potatoes. Greek rice.
Dinner // Roasted Carrots, onions, and garlic. Wholewheat couscous. Lemon and herb roasted chicken.
Dinner // All-natural turkey kolbassa. Cottage cheese perogy with sour cream. Roasted brussel sprouts. Steamed spinach with balsamic and feta.
Dinner // Tempeh and veggie stir fry on brown rice.
Dinner // Wholewheat couscous. Barbecued chicken and veggie skewer. Fresh avocado with cilantro dressing.
Dessert// 
Dessert // 
Dessert // 
Here are the ingredients for our go to dough, adapted from the lovely 
First, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and set it aside.
Next, add the flour…
And the salt to the bowl of your electric mixer. (This could be done by hand too, of course.)
Put the paddle attachment on your machine…
And give the dry ingredients a quick mix.
Next, measure out the olive oil…
And slowly pour it into the bowl while mixing.
Next, give the yeast and water a quick stir…
And with the mixer on, slowly add the yeast water to the flour/salt/oil mixture. Mix on low until the dough starts to come together in a sticky mass.
Prepare a separate large mixing bowl by drizzling it with olive oil.
Use your hands to pull the edges of the dough downwards and shape it into a ball. Place your dough in the bowl and gently toss it to coat it in olive oil.
Now cover your bowl tightly with plastic wrap. It can be put in the fridge and stored for 3 or 4 days, or it can be used later on in the day. If we’re making pizza the same night, we just leave ours on the counter. 
Now, for my favourite… A very simple roasted veggie pizza. Chop up a bunch of vegetables of your choice (these are my favourites), drizzle them with a little bit of olive oil, and put them in a 400 oven for about 10 minutes.
While they roast, grate some cheese (we use fresh mozzarella or, like tonight, an all-natural extra sharp cheddar) and slice some fresh mushrooms.
Take your veggies out of the oven when they’re slightly soft and just beginning to turn golden in some spots.
With your toppings ready, it’s time to retrieve the dough you made earlier in the day. By now, it should be well over double its original size and soft and spongy to the touch.
Prepare a baking pan by lining it with parchment paper and sprinkling on little cornmeal (this is completely optional, but it does add a nice texture).
Using 1/2 of the dough, press it down into a thin rectangular shape. Don’t worry too much about holes – just patch them up as you go along.
For this pizza, we often use a fresh pesto sauce, which is really yummy. Equally delicious, however, is just a drizzle of olive oil and a tiny sprinkle of sea salt.
Next, arrange the veggies on the dough {stuffing as many of the red peppers into your mouth as possible, if you’re like Gracen}.
Top with cheese (adding some feta into the mix is really good too!} and pop it into the oven.
Remove when the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown and let cool for a few minutes.
Now onto the one Brad prefers… A BBQ chicken pizza. Tonight we used roasted chicken breasts cut into small chunks, raw diced orange pepper and sweet onion, and some white kernel corn (adding jalapeños is really tasty too).
Prepare your pan and dough the same way as before, then spread a thin layer of BBQ sauce onto the uncooked crust (this is one of Miss G’s favourite jobs).
Add the toppings…
Cover with cheese…
And bake ’til golden.
Photos of me and my girl are so rare that having just one is noteworthy… (But that’s all about to change very soon because we’re having our first EVER professional family photos taken in just a few weeks – yay!) This one was taken just before leaving the lovely Granville Island this morning. It was cool and dreary and quiet… Which was perfectly fine with us.
And after what felt my 53rd order, Papa eventually came home and relieved me of my customer duties (thank goodness – I don’t know if my belly could have handled another candy-covered cone).
