Oh so good arugula salade

Arugula Salad with Pears & Beets

3 cups arugula (washed and torn)

8 small beets

2 pears, sliced

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ cup crumbled feta

¼ cup chopped pecans

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the beets either by steaming them (it should take about 40 minutes either way). Peel and cut beets into thin wedges.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper; whisk until mixture is smooth.

In a bowl, toss arugula with 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette dressing. Arrange arugula onto four salad plates. Toss pears and beets with remaining dressing. Arrange over the arugula.

Sprinkle cheese and pecans over the salad.

I Am Not A Paper Cup

Pierrette bought this for me just before the kitchen renovation:



I've finally dug the coffee grinder out from one of the various boxes, and so I've started to use the cup, and I'm actually pretty fond of it. Besides the kitsch of a ceramic cup that looks like a paper one, it's a decent size, it feels good to the hand, it's got good thermal insulation (I can't even tell there's hot coffee in there once it's closed), which means the coffee stays fairly warm, and it doesn't seem to leak, which has been a problem for me with lots of plastic cups with rubber washers and screw threads that you'd think would prevent such a thing.

Anyway -- I'm pleased.

Livie Luca Shoes - giveaway from This Mom Can shop

Check out this great contest at This Mom Can Shop for some Livie Luca Shoes...

http://www.thismomcanshop.com/2009/08/livie-luca-giveaway.html

Bonne fete du 15 Aout

Today is Acadia birthday, the land I am from and I hope Christophe will love as he grows up. Like many of my ancestors did I left Acadia to settle elsewhere but you can never take the love for on lands out of an Acadian. Ask any Acadian or Cajun and they will tell you the same. The following video is one of my favorite Cajun songs by Zachary Richard it's called Reveille and is about the Great Upheaval (Grand Deportation).



Bonne fete du 15 Aout a tout les Acadien et Cajun au tour du monde.

Whats for supper

Summery Bean and Zucchini Salad

½ pound fresh green beans

1 zucchini

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup fresh mint leaves*

¼ cup white wine vinegar

½ tsp salt

1 clove garlic

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 cup toasted walnuts*

1 cup chopped red onion

1 cup feta cheese* (crumbled)

Wash beans and trim ends then cut into thirds. Parboil by dropping into salted boiling water for 2 - 5 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water for 5 minutes, then drain well and chill. Meanwhile, cut zucchini into ¼” semi-circles, fry or grill until crisp tender. Allow to cool. In food processor, combine oil, mint leaves, vinegar, salt, garlic and pepper and process 20 seconds then set aside.

Place beans and zucchini in a serving bowl and top with toasted walnuts, red onion and feta. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Best if made 2 hours ahead of time or the day before to develop flavors.

*Don’t have mint, walnuts or feta? Any herb, nut and cheese combination would work – Try: pine nuts, basil and parmesan; or almonds, parsley and a shaved hard cheese.

Recipe from Front Door Organics

We are not all perfect

After a small accident today involving our new stove (it's still not plugged in, so before you panic, everyone is OK) I started reflecting. We all try our best to keep our kids safe but they still get an "Ouch" from time to time. We are always blogging about how great parents we are and all the great products we love. It's interesting because what we type online is only one side of what we want people to know. We can chose to omit things as we please.

So, we as mothers and fathers are not perfect. Here are some of the less fine moments from the Wiseman house: I tripped with Christophe in my sling; Christophe wiped out on our wet kitchen floor; Christophe opened the stove door onto his head (it really sounds worse than it was); Christophe crawled into his crib rails while sleeping and gaves himself a bloody nose (this one scared the crap out of me)...

I know I am not alone out there in this world of "not as perfect as we seem" mothers. One of my friends' little one learned how to roll on the change table; another one had her little one surprise them in the middle of the night when they climbed out of their crib; someone else saw their little one tumble down 2 concrete steps because they could not react fast enough. (Everyone mentioned above is 100% A-OK)

I have also been witness to a mother lapse in judgement while trying to juggle a baby and toddler; the baby rolled to the ground from the top of a cafe table; another time in the same cafe a toddler accidentally poured a cup of hot coffee on themselves. (Once again everyone is fine)

So, are our kids made from rubber? Sometimes I think they are; but that is not the point of this post. The point is that we are all human. We try our best to be on guard for all dangers that lurk around the corner and sometimes the dangers win.

I just want to remind everyone that our first and foremost responsibility as a parent is to love and protect our kids.

Oh, and did I ever mention we think Christophe ate a rivet once?

I dare you to share some of our not so perfect moments...

World Breastfeeding Week August 1 to 7 - 2009

Happy Breastfeeding Week to all my nursing mama and baby friends out there.

In honor of world breastfeeding week here is a compilation of on-line links with breastfeeding information:

• World Breastfeeding Week
• Breastfeeding Committee for Canada
• Australian Breastfeeding Association
• Baby Friendly USA
• Baby Milk Action Coalition
• Human Milk Banking Association of North America
• The international Baby Food Action Network
• International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners
• International Lactation Consultant Association
• INFACT Canada
• La Leche League Canada
• La Leche League GB
• Global Breastfeeding Challenge 2009
• Well Start International
• World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action
• World Health Organization
• Motherisk
• La Leche League International
• AnotherLook Breastfeeding and HIV/AIDS
• National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy
• Dr. Jack Newman

Remember the WHO recomandes that all babies if possible are exclusively breastfed until they are 6 months of age; breastfeeding is to continue until the child reaches 2 years of age or outgrows the need.