iF it's wiseman mOnster apprOved...

I have a new blog I just started. This blog will concentrated on food and recipes that are toddler friendly....

Check it out and please do tell me what you think.

http://wisemanmonsterapproved.blogspot.com/

A Summer in Photos

It's been a busy summer for us all.  "C" attended his first wedding for the parents of his friend "Z":

We took advantage of the warmer weather to get out to Riverdale Farm:

And the Science Centre:

And to Monarch Park:

And within the past month or so, "C" has clearly shown that he understands that he speaks two languages.  He still emphasizes English a little more than we'd like, but he does at least know that we speak French and English, and knows equivalent words in both languages.

That last photo is, of course, not current, but it was processed recently, and it's cute.

I hope you all had wonderful summers as well.

 

 

Fire Prevention Week 2010

We've been to a fire prevention week down at the 'South Command Centre' on Eastern Avenue, not too far from our house in the past. Now that we have a toddler who's exceptionally appreciative of fire trucks, it seemed worth going again. Unfortunately, we couldn't find very much information on the web about this year's events, only the schedule for events in 2006.

So I contacted the email address on the City of Toronto website for fire station tours and the like, and Stephanie Gauci tracked down the information for us. Since it was hard for me to find the information, I thought I'd post it here in the hopes that it might help someone else.

Toronto Fire Safety Week Open Houses:

• Sun 2010-Oct-03, 10am-4pm at 895 Eastern Avenue
• Tue 2010-Oct-05, 5:30-8:30pm at 200 Bermondsey Road
• Wed 2010-Oct-06, 5:30-8:30pm at 4560 Sheppard Avenue East

Events include:

• Inflatable Fire Truck Bouncer
• Mini-Combat Challenge
• Fire Truck Displays
• Celebrity Reading Room
• BBQ
• Displays and demonstrations by Fire Safety Experts

Anyway; if you have a child who's loves fire trucks, this is probably worth a look-see.

Tomatoes everywhere

On Sunday we went to the farmers market and picked up 2 large baskets - I think they were bushels of tomatoes and then spent all day Sunday canning tomatoes.

I have to say canning tomatoes is a lot easier then I though - time consuming but easy.

I saved 3 dozen plum tomatoes so I can make and can tomato paste - that is what is on tap this afternoon.




And latter this week I will be canning pears.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It's my birthday

Just wanted to say a big thank you to my husband for everything he did to make my day special.

And to C Monster "thank you" for not napping today ;-)



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

life's been busy...

I just realized it's been more then 15 days since I last blogged - such a bad little blogger I am.  I find things get busy and well our blog is what suffers.  What have we been up to these days?

Put up a fence last week...

The picture tells you all.

Play dates with friends.

I just love this picture of C Monster and his "BFF" yes I think my 2 year old has a BFF.  Z Monster lives next door to us - so I think he sees her more like a sister.

Sand Box - Part 1

On Canada Day we spent the morning building a sand box. We used 2x10 for the sides, some 2x8 for 2 seat to sit on, some 1x6 for the bottom along with some gardening weed barrier stuff...  It was surprisingly very easy to build.  Today I hope to get out to sand the sides down (make sure all the splinters are gone); then tomorrow we are hopping to build a lid for it and then fill it up...

C Monster has a swing

Also on the toddler fun front; I made a swing for C Monster. I used an old piece of 2x6 that was lying around from all the construction that happened to the house in the last 5 years. Sanded it down and primed and painted it with the left over paint from the house projects.  I also had tones of rope left over; I braided 3 nylon ropes together - that way it's sturdier but also a bigger rope for him to grab onto.  Then we hung it in the back under our walk out.  When it's not in use I can lift it up and hang it away. I have to say I was pretty impressed with how it turned out...

Sluggy

Our garden is doing great this year except for a few crops that slugs are eating faster then I can deal with.  And I think Sluggy might have had something to do about it...

I guess a 4" slug eats a lot and fast because since we relocated him to the park my garden is doing a whole lot better.

 Berry picking

This morning we spent the day raspberry and black currant picking - here is our loot.

We went to Organics in Markham - definitely will return again next year or sooner.  They have much more then just raspberries and black currants.  We also got some home made jam and some fresh bread made on site in their stone oven... It smelled oh so yummy.

They had some chickens and a turkey roaming about - C Monster quite liked that.  If you live in the Markham area make sure to check out their website or visit them.

 Drying vegetables

One of the things we love making is crackers - but if you want to hide veggies in crackers it's best to dry them up first.  About a month ago now I built a frame out of wood and attached a mesh bottom to it - simple drying rack like our ancestors used to use many many moons ago.  Here I am drying carrots and onions.  As I write this I have zucchini drying.  The carrots so far turned out fine; still waiting on the others to dry up.  Will let you guys know how it goes.

Looking forward to...

The pride parade tomorrow.  (HAPPY PRIDE EVERYONE)

The Last Few Weeks in Pictures...

Every day I take picture thinking I am going to blog about the picture... I often never do because life just gets busy. So here is a quick look at some of the things that happened during the last 2 weeks that I wanted to blog about.

Baby Gets a Back Pack

My favorite pans for C Monster ripped at the knees when C Monster took a dive on the side walk.  C monster knees were fine but the pans had a great big hole in them.  He had these since he was 9 months old (We used to roll them a lot).  They were bought at Wall-mart in NB then C Monster had a poopy explosion in the store.

I took one of the pant pockets and transformed it into a backpack for baby.  C Monster was oh so delighted when he saw it.

Mama Gets New Boots

It has been since C Monster was born I was looking for rain boots.  I have thick legs so I have a hard time finding boots that work for me.  I also wanted real rubber boots not some of those boots you can get these days loaded with all sorts of chemicals.  I also wanted something that looked good on me.  I decided almost a year and half ago I wanted low Hunter boots but well they are not cheep - I finely went out and splurged on them.

In the picture to the left  C Monster is modeling them for you.

Canned Eggplant 

I finely got around to can eggplant and pistou in oil.  You place raw eggplant with spices and onions in sterilized jars and add lots of olive oil.  Wait one month then enjoy.  I also may pistou with basil from my garden that I also canned.  Once I open these and try them I will let you know how they turned out and post recipes if they were good. 

Which Towel is Yours?

A little while back I blogged about reusing our towels more then once. The problem with this is how do you tell your apart from Geoff's or C Monster's - all our towels are white and match.  I used some clothespins and labeled them with our initial and some identifying stickers. When we hang our towel to dry we add the pin to the side.  Problem solved you always know "which towel is yours"

Hole No More

As much as I will be the first to admit I love to shop, I also hate getting rid of something that is 100% still usefull or tossing out something that is broken - because I know no one else would want to use it.

So when C Monster bran new organic sheet ripped only a few months after we bought it I was not ready to down cycle it to something else. I decided to patch it -  I found this extra cute dinosaur patch for only a couple bucks on Etsy and sowed it on to the sheet.  Since the whole was on the side of the sheet I did not need to worry about the treads being uncomfortable under you when you are sleeping.

C Monster quite likes his "new" dinosaur sheets - that is a bonus too.

Sippy Cups

OK so we are in the hunt for a new drinking cup for C Monster.  Our main requirements are:
- does not leak when tipped over
- C Monster can not shake out the contents
- not made from plastic (at least the inside parts that touch the liquid)
- shock resistant - i.e. not made from glass

The reason this came to is that we have owned many different cups for him. (see past post) but still have not found the perfect cup.

Cup number 1 - The Kleen Kanteen is great as he can drink from it, he likes it cause it looks like ours and now he even uses a sports top like ours - however he can also shake the water out all over the place when he wants to.

Cup number 2 - The Born Free we converted 2 baby bottles that we never used into a sippy cups again the issue is C Monster can shake out the contents also they are glass and well he got mad one day a pitched one - you can guess what happened after that.

Cup number 3 - The Foogo it's leak proof, shatter resistant, made from metal and so on but their is just one problem - we have owned 3 in a year and half and all of them have broken. The first one lasted a long time about a year or so - after a year the lid stopped closing and then yesterday the plastic base fell off.  The second one we had cracked at the base after about 3 months and started leaking water.  The 3rd one's lid broke just 2 weeks after we bought it.  I had call Foogo and they said they would send me a replacement lid - that was over 3 months ago now and well I do not have a replacement yet and don't think I will ever get one.

And yes for any of you wondering I am going to send a link to this blog post to Foogo.

Any other cup we tried with him can't really be counted as they were tried when he was only 12 months old and well he has changed a lot since then.

Do you have a favorite Sippy Cup? if so please share with me.

Looking Forward To?

Having a sippy cup that I like  - I know I am not very creative today

Pizza pizza - has no change tables

Ok so I am sitting at pizza pizza waiting for G and C to be done in the washroom. C is getting his diaper changed in a not so clean washroom that has NO change table in the washroom.  I repeat Pizza Pizza - a restaurant that is loved by all toddlers has no change table.

To Breastfeed in Public or Not

Most of you are aware that C Monster nurses, he is now 2 and 1/4 and still loves his breastmilk or lolo as we call it in our home.

I decided just before he turned 2 to call my milk lolo that way when a 2 1/2 year old screams at the top of his lungs "I want lolo" when you are in the middle of the grocery store you do not have to worry about what others might say.  I know I really should not worry about what others say but I do.

When C Monster was about 18 months old a stranger addressed him while he was nursing and told him he was to old to be doing that - I corrected them immediately.  When C Monster was 18 months old it did not phase him one bit I am not even sure he knew what the stranger was talking about; however now that he is older and understands a lot (more then I sometimes realize) I don't want this situation to repeat itself again.

So after that incident we slowly started encouraging other liquids on the go and kept nursing for at home, nursing rooms and at friends or places that I knew would not be judgmental.  Am I doing harm to C Monster with this I don't think so.  If he asks for lolo when we are out I usually try to figure out why he wants it - is he hungry, tired, hurt (beyond a kiss fixing it)  or just needs mama time. Typically it's because he is hungry - if it's for any other reason we find a quite spot and nurse - this is rare.

The reason why I started questioning if I am doing the right thing today is...  C Monster had an appointment to get a vaccine today as I always do I nurse him during and after the vaccination.  The nurse was surprised but ok with the fact I wanted to nurse my 2 1/4 year old during his shot. Christophe barely even flinched during the shot - just another breastmilk miracle.  After the nurse was done she said take as long as you need and started to close the door, I said no no it's ok we will finish nursing in the waiting room.  (I know they don't typically like it when you occupy the nursing station after the nurse is done - I think and hope she was just trying to be polite)

We sat down in the waiting room across from a family with a little new born (maybe 2 months at the tops) and started to nurse.  The father asked me if my son just got a shot and said wow he is so big we don't even think we heard him cry - what a brave boy.  I answered yes and explained that if you nurse your child during a shot they don't feel it as much.  The conversation when from there and the mother and father poured their hearts out to me on how they want to breastfeed but they can't seem to figure it out and so on.  We talked for a bit - I am pretty sure all her issues where due to a horrible latch and well by the time C Monster was done nursing and fast asleep in my arms; the mother decided to try to breastfeed her little one instead of giving her a bottle when she started to fuss and guess what she said it did not hurt, and we could all hear and see the baby girl gulp down her milk.

I gave her all the names of the various resources in the area for breastfeeding support and she said thank you and we parted ways.

Did the fact that I was nursing a toddler in public help this mother and baby maybe - would she have reached out to a total stranger otherwise maybe - we will never know.  However a situation like this make me think twice next time I ask C Monster to wait 5 minutes for us to get to a more convenient spot to nurse.

PS - if you are wondering what are the resources I gave her:
La Leche League Toronto Help Line - (416) 483-3368
Toronto East General Breastfeeding Clinic - (416) 469-6667
http://www.drjacknewman.com/

So I ask you are nursing a toddler? What do you think when you see someone nursing a toddler? Would you nurse a toddler in public?

Cheese Crisps

I was in a crazy baking mood today: I made muffins, bread, cookies and crackers.  Well everything turned out great but the crackers were fantastic - So I just had to share the recipe with you...

Cheese Crisps

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature 

2 cup cheese, sharp cheddar or swiss 

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp hemp seeds

2 tbsp ground flax meal

Directions

Cream together butter and cheese. Add remainder ingredients and mix well. Form into 1 inch balls. Place on cookie sheet and flatten with a fork.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until pale gold around edges.

For a change add herbs such as rosemary or sage.  Or minced vegetables.
Enjoy.

Rain Rain Rain

We have been getting lots of rain these days.  I have been trying to enjoy the dry spots in-between the downpours.  C Monster wont stop asking me to go jump in puddles...

Painting

It's been a few weeks now that I am working on the back walk out.  It's all primed and ready for paint;  I went to our locale green hardware store - yes we have a green hardware store - and picked up some paint from yolo.  Will let you know what I think about them after I'm all done painting.  

Juicing

I have been trying to expand my juice repertoire.  C Monster will only eat fruit if they are dried or pulverized.  I checked out from the library the book "Juice!" - so far so good.  I have tried 3 recipes, C Monster drank 2 reused the other.

As always I only use the book or insparantion here is one of the recipes I made that was C Monster approved:

Blueberry Quinoa

Ingredients

1 cup  blueberries

1/2 bananas

1  tbsp quinoa flakes, (prepare by adding 3 tbsp boilling water and let sit covered for 5 minutes) 

1 tbsp honey

1 cup milk or yogurt

2 large handfull ice

Directions

Process all ingredients in blender until smooth

Looking Forward To

Eating my preserved eggplant (in oil) - I need to wait at least one month before trying it

Greening Your Laundry

Greening our laundry

For a long time now we have been using eco-friendly laundry soap and washing in cold water (except for diapers); but there are so many more thing we can do to green our laundry.

Last week I bought a retractable clothesline from Home Hardware.  I think the reason we never got around to this sooner is that we have been working on the backyard and house now for 8 years - everything pretty much done so we are now adding the finishing touches.  I have to say I look back at things I have done in the past that were not the best for the planet and one that stands out in my head - is taking down the existing clothesline that was up when we bought the house.

I also picked up from Home Hardware bamboo clothespins.  These are sustainable and very strong compared to your typical plastic or wood clothespin.

The last thing we decided to do is start using towels twice before washing them.  In order to tell mine, papa and C Monster's apart I decorated some clothespins with stickers.  We clip the pin on our towel to tell who's who's.

Looking forward to

Making some eggplant packed on oil and dried blueberries.

sewing day

I spent the 2 hours C Monster was napping today sewing....

Baby Goes To The Doctors

What seems like a very long time ago we bought C Monster a doll; he never really liked it until just recently.  However the beautiful Waldorf doll we bought does not stand up to C Monster abuse (He really does not abuse it that much).  I have to say I am disappointed in this toy; when I undressed it today to give it a wash (C Monster dropped juice on it) I found not one but 4 spots were the seams were coming undone.

When I looked up my post regarding finding the Perfect Doll I realized this doll is not even a year old... Sorry Peppa but for craftmenship you get 2 thumbs down from us.

Luckily I can sew so C Monster Baby when to the doctors today for some stitches and is now all better.

Bag For My Clothespins

One of the many things that was on my to-do list was get a clotheslines - yes I did not have one.  Since I am finally getting around to this I decide to make a bag for clothespins using one of C Monsters old shirts that has a small whole in it and a child's coat hanger ( also from C monster's closet).  Here is the result - it was really quite easy to make. 

All you need to do it cut down the sleeves (if it's a long sleeve shirt); sew the sleeves and the bottom of the shirt shut; then hang it on a coat hanger.  The only thing is that you want to make sure you select a shirt that has a wide enough neck that you will be able to get your hand in to get the clothespins out.

A Dress For Baby

With various remnants, included the discarded sleeves from the project above - I made baby a dress.  I wish I would have had the camera handy to capture C monster smile when I showed it to him.

Now my son can chose to dress his doll as a boy, a girl or a boy in a dress...

Looking Forward To

Being done reading the Breastfeeding Answer Book

C opens a baby gate

I Can do it

C Monster learned how to open one of the baby gates yesterday - in our defense we installed one part in the wrong spot now that it is fixed I think he can't open it anymore; but I will have to keep a close eye in him.  It's the gate at the top of the basement stairs.

C Monster has also fully mastered opening the screen doors - they must be kept locked at all times now.  I try to make sure he does not see me use the little lock leaver.

Art

Yesterday C Monster painted in the afternoon.  Now that the hot weather is here it's time to switch our days out in the morning and in in the afternoons.  The paint used was home made I really like this recepie.  We made it on May 8th and store it in the fridge - so far it's still good. 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups water

1 cup white flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1 1/2 tbsp salt

food colouring

Directions

Combine first 4 ingredients in a sauce pan - stir very  very well

cook on medium heat for approximately 7 mins - constantly stirring

pour in little jars and add food coloring to tint

store in refrigerator

Oh so Hot

Summer is here so it seems - I finally caved in today and turned on the AC. Yesterday the cats were cooping in various ways some enjoying the hot sun and others trying to find the coolest spot - the sink.

Looking Forward To

Friday - and friends coming to the house

Holiday Monday Morning

My Garden  

My garden is growing so well this year; I was out there this morning pulling some weeds and could not bealive my eyes when I saw little itty bitty cauliflowers.

 

First Harvest

Used them in a potato, radish, cucumber salad.

Home Made Wood Blocks

We had about 3 feet of 1" quarter round left over after some repair that we had to do to our back walk out.  Basically one of the structural beams gave out - thanks to my dad we now have 2 new structural beams.

I did not want to throw out bran new wood that is perfectly fine - but it was really to short for anyone to use.  I decided to cut them down in various lengths and sand the ends - voila blocks.

And that was my morning; making blocks, gardening - now I am listening to Digital Gunfire while getting lunch ready and blogging.  C Monster is outside enjoying the fresh air with Papa.

Looking Forward To

Seeing my friend Kim and her little ones at the park this afternoon.

Bread Machine Question

I was recently asked by a reader: "I just got a bread machine and would love to know what your favorite recipes are"

I only have a few recipes that made it to my recipe box for bread.  I had previously shared one on the blog for Cranberry Raisin Loaf.  Another one that I am particularly fond of is my Harvest Bread; it's a simple whole wheat bread that also taste very yummy.

Harvest Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups milk

2 large eggs 

3 tbsp butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup brown sugar, or sucanat or panella 

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast

Directions:
select 2 pound loaf size
whole wheat cycle
place all ingredients in order listed in bread machine

Another favorite bread machine recipe is my Everyday Pizza Dough.

Everyday Pizza Dough

 

Ingrediants

  1 1/3 cups Water
  1 tsp Honey
  2 tsp Kosher Salt
  2 tbsp olive oil
  2 cups whole wheat flour
  2 cups all-purpose flour
  1 tbsp flax seeds
  1 tbsp hemp seeds,  
  1 tsp teff seeds
  1 tsp amaranth seeds
  1 tbsp wheat germ
  2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast

Direction

Place all ingredients in order listed in bread pan fitted with kneading paddle. Select your machines dough setting and press start. When cycle is finish divide dough in 2 and make your favorite pizza.

We had a few cookbooks over the years and the only one we kept is "Best Bread Machine Recipes" by Better Homes and Gardens.  

 

When it comes to making bread these are some rules I found that almost always work when trying to muck arround with a recipe.

 

• you can always switch out one sugar for another; as long as you keep the same quantity.  For exempple if a recipe calls for a TBSP of sugar you can use a TBSP of honey or sucanate or panella or anything other sugar.
• you can almost always subsitite up to half of the white flour for whole wheat, spelt, kamut or rye flour. Before doing this make sure their is not alread some of these flours in the bread if so you should never have more then 1/2 of the total flour being other then white - unless you add gluten flour.
• you can add up to 1 cup of nuts and seeds (that do not absorbe liquide) to a 2 pound loaf 
• you can add up to 1/4 cup off seeds that absorbe liquide to a 2 pound loaf

Now the rules above will not always work sometimes you will screw up.  I recommend if you are going to change a recipe after the machine has been going for a bit check on your bread you should be able to tell if it's too dry or wet.

stinky and not so stinky

Stinky...

We have been in our home now for 8 years I think and have done reno work on all the rooms... now all we have left is to tie up loose ends - one being the cold air return that is in our front hall.  See it's a large 12" x 36" ugly vent that has old scratched up paint that matches noting in that area - solution paint it.  The only real way to effectively paint a vent is spray paint.  I hate spray paint, it's toxic, it stinks, it's bad for the environment. But when you think about it which one is worst dumping the old vent or painting it?

We decided dumping it would be worst - so we got a can of spray paint.  Today I cleaned the vent and sprayed it ( it was so stinky I had to wear a mask - I though I was going to toss my cookies from the stink) I still don't know if we made the best environmental choice - I guess we could have left it the way it was but I really did not want that.

Not so stinky...

Last week I picked up a Abeego Food Wrap.  I had been looking for a reusable sandwich wrapper for a while now and was so happy when I saw these at Grassroots. So far we have only used it for plain bread and nut butter sandwiches - so far so good.  It does the trick seems to keep your bread fresh and soft.  C Monster loves opening and closing it himself - a plus. Best of all it smells so good - they are coated with beeswax to make them waterproof - it smells divine.

I might even need to get a few of their Abeego Flats.

Looking Forward To

My cold air return vent to be dry and back in the house.

Lets talk nursing bras...

Nursing bra fashion has come a long way...  especially for us larger chested woman.  When you walk in specialty stores such as Evymama the shelves are lined with gorgeous nursing bras for women that wear a DD or smaller - but for the rest of us for a long time we were doomed to wearing very simple nursing bras with no frills. This time is over I tried 20 different bras at Evymama - some fun others plain. However if I was less endowed I probably would have had twice as many bras to chose from.

My first set of nursing bras I bought about 2 years ago were all the exact same one just in a variety of colors - lets be honest the variety of colors was black, white and ivory.  First I had a little one with me, did not feel, sexy and well was way to tired to keep on looking for something fun.  This time around I wanted bras that made me feel beautiful, flirty and fun - not a mom bra.

Here is what I found after just going to 2 stores.  First I went to Secrets From Your Sister. (PS if you are chesty and need - nursing bra, regular bra or any bra you can imagine - this is the place to go first they are amazing but be ready to spend 100$ a bra.)

I picked up 3 bras from Freya:

Then I went off to Evymama and picked up 2 bras from Royce:

If you are going to go to either of these store give yourself time as you will be there for about an hour.  Both stores have toys to entertain you toddler :-)

Looking Forward To

Having a back walk out that is painted.

Doll House

One of the many things that were on my list to get for C Monster one day was a doll house. I think all children need a doll house it's a great way to help them act out feelings and emotions and tell stories with the little dolls.

I was so happy and appreciative when one our friends text-ed and said she wanted to give us one of her daughter's doll houses. I knew C Monster was going to like from the get go as he has played with it at her house before.

So before I continue - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU AYELET.

I set up the doll house that night while C Monster was sleeping and well as soon as he saw it he had to play with it. He quickly realized that his dolls did not have a bed. I tried flipping one of the tables upside down to make a bed but that was not sufficient. So what do I do? - I made him a bed. I used an old jewelery box for the base and made a mattress and pillows out of a small piece of white felt and used a small square of fabric to make a blanket. I only made 2 pillows for the bed I should have known better and made 3 as he always puts 3 dolls in bed together - mama, papa and him.

I guess this is his ideal sleeping arrangement - in bed with his parents.

Looking Forward To

Landscaping my front yard.

Sorry for being absent...

I always tell myself that I am going to make sure I blog at least twice a week if not more frequently and well life happens....

I don't know how blogger moms that update their site everyday do it - cause I can't - well anymore.

I am going to give you a condensed version of what I have been up to for the last week and a bit - and hopefully I will have time to elaborate on some of them a bit latter.

• Memere and Pepere are visiting
• Garden is mostly planted - frost attacks - we win
• C Monster get a doll house
• I make a bed for C Monster dolls - as per his request
• C Monster get new shoes - he must sleep, eat - basically live in them
• I make broccoli waffles - not my best creation but edible
• C Monster vocabulary expands at mad speeds
• "I am working girl again" - my boss is horrible (he he he I love you Geoff)
• C Monster learns to unlock doors
• E Monster gives me flowers 
• Mothers Day comes and goes

I am sure many other things happened but these are the ones that stick in my head at this time.

AGO Response to cost for Off The Wall

A little while back I blogged about Off The Wall at the AGO.  Despite the fact that everytime we have been there no one has ever asked us for tickets or proof that we paid admission this is AGO official reasponse on the cost of admission for Off The Wall.

"Hi Pierrette,

Thank you for your email.

Access to the Off the Wall centre is included with the purchase of admission.  It isn’t free, you have to buy an admission ticket to show the staff at the centre.  If you have any more questions, please let us know.

Regards,
Information Desk
Art Gallery of Ontario"

A week in Images and Words

The TTC

We started the week last weekend with a trip on the TTC.  C Monster loves the TTC.  What is not to love about trains, buses and street cars.  We tend to walk everywhere so going on the transit is a treat for him.  He also loves being a big boy and holding on the bars and so on.

The subway is a "chocho"; the street car is this weird gesture with his hands and the bus is the gesture from the wells on the bus go round and round.  I love how with everyday C Monster us communicating more and more with us.

By the way we were taking the TTC to go to my friend Lisa's birthday; she wanted to go bowling.  Happy belated B-day Lisa.

Drop in Fun

Since the weather turned to well almost summer; I had not been out to the drop in's in a bit.  So on Tuesday we decided to go to Blake.  C Monster loves it there and best of all we bumped into one of our friends Darlene and her grandson.

C decided that he had to paint not with one brush but will all the brushes... I don't need to mention that he made a mess do I.

That being said his artwork was quite nice - we have to go back next week to pick it up.

During the nice weather the teacher brings the kids outside;  they have such a nice playground there - really well designed for little ones.  If you live in Toronto - East End this is definitely a spot you should check out. (Blake Street Junior Public School, 21 Boultbee Ave, (416) 393-9415.

 The Garden is Growing

I played rusian roullet with the weather this year and planted early.  Well Toronto is well past frost warnings but I did not know how the garden would react to be planted in April instead of may.  So far so good. I noticed my carrots are srpouting same goes from my radishes and most of the seaddlings I transplanted are surviving and growing. 

Chocolate?

I just had to share this video with you guys...

Looking Forward To

Seeing Grandpa Roy Tomorrow.