Urban Suburban Mommy – Page 8 – Urban Suburban Mommy

That old fashioned fave – The Meringue

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

If you know from good, home-made meringue, just the mention of the word meringue is bringing that extra-sweet melt-in-your-mouth crunch and crumble sensation – and your mouth is probably watering.

Meringue can be so simple, or you can dress it up in fancy layers and flavours.

My boys love it plain.

This is actually one of the top choices they ask for whenever there’s a bake sale, school concert sweet table or a pot luck. Because it’s easy, sometimes I whip up a small batch as a treat. And what’s great is that it’s really not terribly hard to make, you can make a dozen or you can just as easily make 50 or more at a time.

What you need:

– 8 egg whites
– 2 cups sugar
– 1 tsp vinegar (white or apple cider)
– 1 tsp of vanilla

You can adjust the size of your batch by keeping the ratio of 1/4 cup of sugar per egg white, so make a small batch or a very large one.

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 250°.

Get your stand mixer out and be prepared to let it go. I couldn’t do this by hand and have no idea how they made these before modern appliances – but they did.

Whip the egg whites on high until they’re fluffy, and form stiff peaks. Don’t stop the mixer, just add the vinegar. The vinegar stabilizes the egg white foam. Add the vanilla too, and then start spooning in tablespoons of sugar, adding it in slowly, blending thoroughly.

Once the sugar has been completely mixed in, keep blending for another few minutes. It will look glossy and gooey, kind of like you might imagine how liquid marshmallow would look.

When it’s thick and stiff, it’s time to bake. You can scoop spoonfuls of it into mounds or you can use a piping bag to pipe out cookies. You can use an ungreased cookie sheet for smaller batches. When making large batches, I line an oven rack with tinfoil and cover the entire surface with meringues. I like to pipe little swirls.

If you want to get just a bit fancy, sprinkle crushed candy cane or shave a bit of chocolate onto them. The flavours should be subtle, just like the light and foamy soft crunch of the meringue. you can even add a few drops of food colouring before you stop blending and make them colourful.

Bake meringues for one hour at 250°, then turn the oven off and leave the cookies in the oven to dry out for another hour or so. They will caramelize and go slightly brown. If you don’t dry them for the extra hour, they’ll have chewy centres, they’re pretty good this way too. But the long drying gives them that signature melt in your mouth crunch.

These are a classic. I’m not sure who can turn one down, but this past week at the bake sale they were gone before my boys could come back and buy seconds. Yes, my boys ate a dozen before I handed them over to the bake sale table and then proceeded to buy two more, and I love them for using their money to buy the treats I make. It’s satisfying.

Grocery shopping 2.0

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in The Struggle is Real .

The Lost Art of Grocery Shopping – Why don’t they teach this stuff in school? Shopping for groceries is a daunting task and very expensive.

Is there a strategy? A rule? An easier way?

Yes, there is! Start with menu plans and list making and then add on afterward.

1. MENU PLANNING

Jot down 7 breakfast ideas, 7 lunch ideas, and 7 dinner ideas. Here is a sample from my menu planning. The lunch section pertains to my school aged kids.

You don’t have to make each meal in order. There are no hard and fast rules here. Just plan and do what you can.

Great! Now that you have your meal plan you can start my making a list. I’m sure there are many, many different ways to do what comes next, but this is what I have found is easiest for me and the grocery stores I shop in. As you get used to this list writing technique you will tweak and customize it in your own style.

I divide each item I need into the category in which it is found in the grocery store. If you are just starting to do this and are unsure of the layout of the store you are shopping in try grouping your list into the food groups you learned in grade 2. I promise it totally works. (Dairy, Meat and Alternatives, Fruits and Veggies, Breads and Cereals, and then add the stuff that doesn’t fit in the groups Pantry, Non-Food, etc…)

Shopping List

You will save money by planning, and if you find you are enjoying the menu planning and list making then go ahead and add coupons, rebating, collecting points, etc… I price match with a flyer app on my phone. The stars on the list indicate where the price matching is.

Feeling inspired?

Don’t do it all at once.

Start with the menu planning and list this week, then get into price matching. It’s a lot to learn and figure out. Getting overwhelmed and giving up isn’t a good start. In time, you will come up with your own grocery protocol. You will be able to tweak the above list into categories that make sense to you. Always start with menu planning and an organized list and groceries won’t seem so daunting.

Happy Shopping!

P.S. Go get a PC points card. NOW. (Or a points card to your local grocery store.) Its silly not to. Its free groceries! I spent $0.00 on Christmas dinner last year.

Crazy, right?!

Jenny DiPietro is a homemaker, placenta encapsulation specialist, blogger, and most importantly, wife to Paul and mom of 4 fantastic kids. She has recently formatted a brand TV show entitled, “Let’s Talk, Mom”. Jenny is having fun hosting guests and leading discussions through topics such as, “Planning for Postpartum”, and “Breast Milk”. In her quiet moments she enjoys hiking with her kids and dog and watching Netflix.

GoldenHeartBaby.com
Golden Heart Postpartum Services

Golden Heart Baby

This post originally published on goldenheartbaby.com

The kabob

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

Kind of exotic, so easy and the boys always fight over the leftovers in my house. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect thing to make?

I love making kabobs. I usually use pork, but sometimes chicken and sometimes beef. Lamb would be good too.

Kabobs are great because of the versatility. You can make them in the oven or on the grill. You can prep them a day ahead, or do them up right when you’re going to cook them. You can use whatever type of meat you have on hand, and use up whatever veggies you’ve got in the fridge that are coming to their end.

What you need:

– 1 nice sized pork tenderloin OR 3 chicken breasts OR a small sirloin tip roast, cut into irregular hunks, about an 1 to 1.5 inches
– 1/3 cup olive oil
– 2 garlic cloves, diced or crushed
– 1 red onion (white, yellow or Spanish will also do) chunked
– 2-3 peppers, chunked (red or green – or a mix)
– splash of lemon juice
– salt & pepper to taste
– 1 1/2 tbsp oregano (fresh or dried)

Optional veggies: zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, yam

What you do:

Use 6 to 8 metal skewers or bamboo skewers. If you’re using bamboo, make sure to soak them for 30 minutes so they don’t char.

Cube the meat andcut the veggies so that they’re bite sized but not too narrow – all the chunks of meat and veggies have to be able to be skewered.

Put all ingredients into a bowl. Toss well. You can refrigerate and let the meat marinate or you can skewer them up and get grilling. I like to alternate meat and different veggies on a skewer.

Get the grill heated to medium or heat oven to 350° and place skewers on a roasting rack. In either grill or oven, cook on each of the four sides for 4 to 6 minutes – it will cook faster on the grill, slower in the oven. You want to make sure meat is cooked through and veggies are softened and start to caramelize but don’t burn.

Serve with roasted potatoes or this rice. Tzatziki is also a great side to serve with these, it’s the perfect dip!

The leftovers – make sure you have leftovers! Put it all together in a container and the flavours just meld so beautifully. It’s a whole other amazing dish the next day.

Gone cruising: A review of Norwegian Epic

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Bon Voyage .

Over the years my family and I have cruised multiple cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Disney, Celebrity, Costa, and Princess just to name of few. Never being one afraid to try something new, for our past summer vacation I wanted to experience a new cruise line for our European Trip. The only requirements were that the ship had to leave from Rome and that it was child friendly.

We selected the Norwegian Epic as its itinerary was perfectly suited for the time frame that we were travelling and from my experience as a travel agent, I knew that Norwegian Cruise Lines had an excellent children’s program.

As of today the Norwegian Epic is the 7th largest cruise ship in the world at 155,873 tonnes, 19 decks and carries 4,010 passengers. This type of mega ship has many of the bells and whistles that most contemporary cruise lines offer including water slides, rock wall, multiple restaurants, full service spa, casinos, theatres and kids clubs.

I want to share my overall impressions of the ship and its amenities.

First impressions of the ship is that it’s big.

We had sailed other larger ships in the past (mostly notable the Oasis of the Seas which once held the title of the largest ship) so we were not overwhelmed or surprised. Upon boarding we found the ship very easy to navigate, just a few unexpected hallways that lead to a dead end that resulted in some back tracking, but I think that’s part of the fun of exploring a new ship.

In October 2015 this ship underwent a dry dock which resulted in many upgrades and refurbishments to the dining areas and Kids Aqua Park. We tend to cruise on newer ships, so we really liked the feel of the freshness of the whole ship.

Since the Norwegian Epic has so many specialty restaurants we upgraded to the dining plan which allowed us to enjoy some fabulous meals at Moderno Churrascaria (Brazilian Steakhouse), La Cucina (Italian), Cagney’s Steakhouse, and Tappanyaki (Japanese Hibachi).

Even when we ate at the main restaurants we were never disappointed in the quality or quantity of the food provided. Even the main buffet provided great selections for the whole family. The only meal which we found did not meet the rest of the ship’s standards was when we dinned and watched the Cirque Dreams show – however the show itself was so entertaining that the food was not the main focus.

The Kids Club was definitely a big bonus to this trip. The kids just LOVED it and would ask to go all the time. On occasion they also preferred to dine with the other kids as well. Each day the kids club had a new theme, like “Heroes or Villains?” and “Pirate Adventures.” They enjoyed pajama parties, made wacky tacky, participated in sports action and made friends with children from all over the world.

The Epic ship has some of the most interesting staterooms at sea.

The most notable difference is the split bath. Although convenient with families, it does cause some challenges when there are multiple people in the cabin at the same time. For example, if someone is using the sink, you have to climb over the bed to get past them. Another challenge that we faced was since we had a connecting stateroom, the connecting door was placed where the closet would have been so we did find that storage for 4 people was insufficient.

Here is a walk through of our Cabin:

The ship sailed a fabulous itinerary which included Livorno (where we spent the day at Cinque Terre), Cannes, Provence, Barcelona, Naples/Pompeii and one day at sea. Each port was anywhere between 9 to 12 hours which provided us with plenty of time to get off and explore without feeling too rushed.

In summary, I give this ship cabin a 6/10 taking points off for the layout. For overall value, itinerary and amenities I would give it a 8/10. Norwegian Cruise line provided an extremely memorable experience and a cruse line that we would cruise with again.

Clara Power is a mother to 2 well traveled kids, Andrew and Lauren. She is a Personal Travel Advisor at her own travel agency, Clara Power TPI, which is in association with Travel Professionals International. As an active traveler having visited over 35 countries and almost every continent, (still working on Antarctica), Clara is no stranger in understanding the unique wants and needs of families travelling together making her your expert choice for creating those special family vacation experiences. Her agency is also recognized as an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner due to her extensive knowledge and superior service.

Do not hesitate to call her today to learn about what she can do to help you plan a seamless and enjoyable vacation!
cpower@tpi.ca
clarapower.ca
ClaraPowerTPI

More great travel info on Epic Traveller.

You throw like a girl – be proud of that!

Posted on November 24, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Urban Suburban Mommy .

Throw like a girl? That’s a good thing – a great thing in fact! And we caught up with Dana Bookman, the Founder and Executive Director of Toronto Girls Baseball to find out more about getting girls in the game!

A friend told me a story the other day. His son’s hockey coach told the team they skate like girls.

Not ‘skate like girls’ because there’s actually a girl on the team and she’s really the best skater they’ve got. More like the ‘skate like girls’ in a ‘you guys suck’ kind of way. Those boys (and that one girl) have sisters and mothers. Whether that coach knows it or not, he’s teaching that team that skating like a girl, throwing like a girl, being a girl means that girls are weaker, less athletic and slower than boys.

Do you, as mothers believe that’s true of your daughters? I sure as heck don’t.

A recent study by Indiana University found that until puberty girls and boys are equally athletic. It found no difference in performance between boys and girls under 8. It also found little difference in girls and boys 11 and 12 year olds.

Last year, when my daughter was 6 years old, she wanted to play on a baseball team. She can hit the ball out of the park, but she didn’t want to play with boys. When I searched for baseball leagues for girls my daughter’s age (not softball) there were none. Not in Toronto, not in the GTA, not in Ontario. So I started one. And within weeks we had dozens of girls registered.

Within 6 months we had more than 200 girls on our roster.

And we’re still just getting started. But one program in one city is not enough. In Canada, 41% of girls ages 3-17 do not participate in sports. And young girls who are not physically active by 10 years old only have a 10% chance of being active as adults.

Two recent studies featured in the New York Times suggest that participating in physical activity, particularly sports, has benefits for girls including a reduced risk of developing cancer, better grades, and high self-esteem.

Toronto Girls Baseball shows the girls what they can aspire to be. The club has players from the Canadian National Women’s Baseball team as coaches. They bring their heavy silver medals from the PanAm Games and from the 2016 World Championships in South Korea, and players try them on and take photos. The coaches are role models, showing our girls what they can achieve if they find a sport they love.

Being part of a team is not just about being active, it’s about confidence, coordination and teamwork. And it teaches our daughters that throwing like a girl – and skating like a girl – is something to be proud of.

Dana Bookman is the Founder and Executive Director of Mighty Girls Sports and Toronto Girls Baseball.

She has two kids, ages 7 & 8 and lives in Toronto.

TorontoGirlsBaseball.com

Toronto Girls Baseball

Pancakes are happiness

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

I loved when my mom would make us pancakes. It was a rare weekend treat, especially if she’d add some chocolate chips! The boys love them and it’s become a favourite around here when my niece has a sleepover. It’s so cute how she will, at some point in the afternoon or evening, somehow work it into the conversation and make sure I’ll be flipping flapjacks for her in the morning. Sometimes she asks me if we remembered to buy syrup, sometimes she asks if I’d like her help in the morning – once she even promised to do the dishes.

I make them with love, hoping that my sweeties enjoy them as much as I did when they were made for me.

Pancakes, in my opinion, should be thick and fluffy. Over the years I’ve maxed out my mom’s recipe and found a way to get them to rise to over an inch thick without altering the flavour.

What you need:

– 1 1/2 cups flour
– 3 1/2 tsps baking powder
– 1 tsp salt
– 2 tbsps sugar
– 1 1/4 cup milk
– 1/2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
– 1 egg
– 1/4 cup butter, melted

What you do:

Start by souring the milk – you add the vinegar or lemon juice to the milk and set aside. It takes about 5 minutes for the milk to sour. You can use buttermilk or even plain yoghurt in a pinch instead of sour milk.

Put all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together to mix well.

Add the egg to the soured milk and whisk together.

Melt the butter in the frying pan you’ll be using to cook the pancakes. Make sure the frying pan is well greased on bottom and sides. Get it to the ‘barely melted’ point – over medium heat, not too high. Using a rubber scraper, scrape the butter into the egg/milk mixture and whisk together leaving just enough on the pan so that it’s lightly greased.

Pour liquid into the dry mix. With a spoon mix it all together, but don’t beat it. You want it lumpy. Seriously, lumpy is the secret to great pancake batter. Let the batter sit for a few minutes to let the baking powder do it’s thing. That’s the secret to the fluffy factor.

You can make one big pancake at a time or three to four smaller ones – or 6 to seven “Silver Dollar” pancakes if you like. These are great when you’re feeding a crowd.

Fry pancakes on medium heat. When bubbles start to come through and dry out it’s time to flip them. Don’t burn them but make sure they’re cooked through.

Serve with butter and maple syrup.

This recipe works well when you double it.

Variations, just mix into the batter:

A cup of blueberries – fresh or frozen

A cup of chocolate chips

A banana, sliced thin

A cup of butterscotch chips

An apple, sliced plus 1-2 tsps cinnamon

Enjoy!

Tech tips to help you manage your household

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in The Best You .

Being a working mom is probably one of the toughest things to figure out. Time management and organization are pretty hard to master. I want to share some of my tech tips and secrets to help you manage your household

1. Take a zen moment before you start your day. Before you can get your household in check, you must commit to some calm and some ‘ME time.’ Every morning I use an amazing yoga meditation APP called Headspace. It keeps me grounded as I start the craziness of my working day; leading a double life as a wife and mom to three growing boys. All you need is 10 minutes.

2. Meal Planning saves time, sanity and money. I basically decide on my meals and at the same time order my groceries online. But I take meal planning one step further in order to stay organized and maximize my time. Once I have decided that, let’s say, I will be making a lasagna on Monday, beef stew on Tuesday and chicken curry on Wednesday (etc.), I insert the meal plan of the day with corresponding recipe into my calendar. I send it to my husband as well. On days where I am working late, my hubby is able to stay organized and save time by looking at the meal plan and ingredients list so that he can get dinner cooked quickly for our 3 hungry boys. There is no guess work on what to make. We are all planned out for the week.

3. Ordering groceries online is a huge time saver. And time is well – money. I will either use Loblaws or Grocery Gateway depending on which grocer has the better deals that week. Every Sunday morning before my kids wake up, I plant myself at the kitchen table armed with my cookbooks and a huge mug of coffee. I decide on which meals I will prepare for the week and order accordingly. Ordering groceries online also goes hand and hand with meal planning.

4. Manage your budget online. I just recently started using MySpend by TD Bank. It is this awesome APP that I highly recommend. After you input all of your budget information, the APP will send you immediate alerts about spending habits. For example, you will receive a text message if you have spent more than your allotted grocery budget. It keeps spending in check. Budgets and expenses are key to managing any household.

5. Stay connected to your kids’ teachers with Facebook. If your kids’ teachers will allow it, a great way to communicate is through Facebook. It is so much easier to get updates on how my kids our doing via Facebook rather than the phone. My sons’ teachers will often reach out on their lunch breaks via social media. It’s great for me because I can multitask. I can be on a conference call and at the same time talk to teachers online through Facebook Messenger. I highly recommend doing this if you are comfortable and your children’s teachers are OK with this communication method. It’s the way of today and definitely of the future.

6. Keep track of play dates by handing out business cards. Similar to scheduling a doctor or dentist appointment, I too hand out business cards when we have booked a play date for the kids. I created a business card template that includes all of my pertinent contact information including social media handles. Parents then can reach out to me on social media to update me about play date anytime they choose.

I hope some of these tips will help you and please feel free to share some of the ways tech helps you keep things together in your family!

Kate Nash is Urban Suburban Mommy’s Tech and Biz Expert. She is a successful digital strategist and senior sales manager by day. By night, she manages a house consisting of her awesome husband and 3 growing boys. She juggles meal planning and prepping, hockey games and play dates all with a smile on her face.

Egg’s Benny with a twist!

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

2017 will be the 40th edition of the Milk Calendar. 40 years of great tips and recipes for meals to make, they’re celebrating by having professional food stylist and recipe developer Heather Trim create a few recipes for our dining pleasure.

This old fave is going to be a hit when you dish it up – it’s a great way to take brunch to the next level. Indulge yourself or show off for company, this Eggs Benedict with a Twist (featured in the calendar for December 2017) is surprisingly easy, and if you’re going to try to tell me you don’t like hollandaise I’m going to have to assume someone’s pants are on fire.

What you need:

2 tsp (10 mL) butter
4 tsp (20 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) milk
½ cup (125 mL) finely grated Canadian Parmesan
½ tsp (2 mL) mustard powder
¼ tsp (1 mL) each, hot sauce and salt
4 small slices olive, cheese or crusty Italian bread
4 eggs
4 thin slices Black Forest ham
4 slices tomato
1 avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
Chives for garnish (optional)

What you do:

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour. Gradually whisk in milk. Stirring continuously, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently 1 minute. Whisk in Parmesan, mustard powder, hot sauce and salt. Remove from heat; sauce will thicken slightly while preparing remaining ingredients.

Toast bread. Poach eggs in simmering water – about 3 minutes. Fold ham to fit on each slice of bread, followed by a slice of tomato, avocado slices then egg. Drizzle with sauce, then sprinkle with chives (if using).

TIP:

Add about 1 tbsp (15 mL) white vinegar to eggs’ poaching water; this helps eggs to hold their shape. Gently pat eggs dry with paper towel after cooking to prevent bread from becoming soggy.

Variation:

Try fried eggs instead of poached and prosciutto instead of ham

Eggs Benedict with a Twist is a take on eggs Benedict includes the fresh and creamy taste of avocado. Simply serve with a salad.

Parents, presents and profiteers

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in The Struggle is Real .

Hatchimals.

Effing Hatchimals.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a really cute idea – there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this toy! In fact, there will be a lot of excited kids come Christmas Day who will be lucky enough to find one under the tree.

But not my kids. This mom isn’t organized enough to shop ahead, and unless magical shipments flood the stores with a bounty of boxes of these little lovelies, my kids will be Hatchimal-free come the holidays.

And that’s okay.

Toys ‘R’ Us is sold out of all Hatchimals, which run from $60-$90 retail.

But a quick search of Kijiji, Craigslist and eBay tells me that it’s probably not okay for all families.

Every year there’s a toy that becomes the hot holiday ticket. Cabbage Patch Kids. Tickle Me Elmo. XBOX 360. Furby. Frozen costumes. And parents, desperate to keep Santa’s street cred intact, turn to the profiteers who had the foresight to hoard stock of the sold out toy and marked it up to its weight in gold.

Profiteers, I need to tell you, you suck.

I get it, supply and demand. But these are holiday gifts. FOR CHILDREN. There’s something so sad about holding a toy hostage for what may amount to a car payment or half a month of rent. It’s a crazy market where somebody can prize the dollar this highly. I know, capitalism and all, but CHILDREN.

It’s just like scalped tickets for a concert or hockey game. It IS supply and demand. But in this case, where children are involved, where little wishes are crushed because it becomes unaffordable and unattainable, it just sucks.

But is gift-giving about spending $$ to prove your love?

The other side of gift giving and holidays with children is managing their expectations. My kids will not get what the neighbour’s kids get. They won’t get the same things their cousins or their friends or the Kardashian-West kids get.

Even Snooki (Nicole Politi) of Jersey Shore infamy can't find a Hatchimal for her kids

Even Snooki (Nicole Polizzi) of Jersey Shore infamy can’t find a Hatchimal for her kids

We have mixed traditions and celebrate more than one holiday. We have more than one holiday party and our kids are so lucky to be showered with gifts from loving family and friends. If anything, the overabundance can be overwhelming.

Managing expectations means that they get what they get, and they don’t get upset. It means that they don’t ever demand presents and then become disappointed if they don’t get something. Of course there are going to be disappointments – my son asked for a brick of gold for goodness sakes.

So far we’ve been lucky in that our kids are gracious and grateful in this respect. I’m not sure if Hatchimals are on their list or not. I’m not going to lie, I wish I’d gotten them each one, but there is no way I’m paying the King’s ransom.

The truth is, it’s not going to affect their happiness one bit this holiday. There will be presents, there will be family, there will be fun and there will be food. All in copious amounts. We’ll enjoy our traditions regardless of the toys that get unwrapped!

And we’ll blame Santa’s elves if and when it comes down to it.

An open letter to anyone who tried to give me advice when I was pregnant

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in The Struggle is Real .

Dear Everyone Who Tried To Give Me Advice When I Was Pregnant,

There were so many of you giving me advice when I was pregnant for the first time. It was impossible to know what to listen to. Some of it scared me. Some of it seemed like good advice. Some of it confused me because I just couldn’t understand what the situation would be. And at the same time, the more I’d hear, the more I’d start to think “That won’t be me.”

As if I’m better than that.

photo: Phil Campbell

But now that I’ve gone through it – twice – and lived to tell the tale, I have to say that most of the advice totally missed the mark. So thank you for trying to warn me, advise me and prepare me, but here’s where it all went wrong:

1. Thanks for telling me to sleep when they sleep – and to get as much sleep as possible while I was pregnant.

But why didn’t you suggest I soak it all in with pregnancy number one, because nobody would be indulging me ever again once the baby was born.

2. I love that you told me “Breast is Best” and that I should really breastfeed because ‘choosing’ not to breastfeed is selfish.

But why didn’t you warn me how HARD breastfeeding is, how I should read up on the difficulties, on how to improve milk production or control over-production and be prepared to speak to a lactation consultant, not be hard on myself if I couldn’t do it.

And mastitis… You couldn’t have warned me about mastitis and blocked ducts???

photo: jonty.fisher

3. Your stories about labour? They freaked me out! Telling me not to worry because it was all worth it? Not helpful. And you – the one who described her labour as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” – you know who you are.

But why didn’t you reassure me that it doesn’t have to be that way. I found pre-natal yoga. I had a teacher who gave hypno-birthng tips. I have an amazing husband who kept me laughing through labour. And I had an epidural when I needed it.

4. We talked a lot about pregnancy. I read a lot about pregnancy. I’m a pro at being pregnant.

But pregnancy is fleeting – when the muppet came, I no longer had time (or the mental capacity) to read much. You could have told me that I should probably read up to prepare for the first 6 months. And poop – you should have given me a book on poop and what poop colour/shape/size/frequency means. I spent too much time trying to figure out the poop.

photo: Mahalie Stackpole

5. You asked me if I’d babywear, co-sleep, circumsise, do baby-led weaning, breastfeed, cloth diaper and more. We hit all the hot-button topics and you gave me your take.

But why didn’t you tell me to thicken my skin, pick what’s best for my baby, have confidence in my decision and not worry about the other mothers judging me? The lactivists, intactivists and the sanctimommies I’d inevitably come across? I was NOT prepared for that kind of confrontation.

A few other gripes – why didn’t you ever warn me about:

All the mucous that would flow like a river
The huge diaper pads that I’d be wearing after delivery. And those mesh panties!
The pain my breasts would experience as they changed to prep for milk production
The postpartum crazies – I was a complete wreck that first week, of course I was! all of my hormones were in rollercoaster mode as they switched to being non-pregnancy hormones
The back pain
The belly button itch and the line
The mucous – I really can’t stress that one enough. I never knew a body could do that!
The membrane sweep – wow that hurt!
The pregnancy mask – why does skin do that?

And what have I missed?

First-time mommies will always need some advice, and I have only one piece of advice I ever share: Don’t take advice from anyone. Ask your doula/doctor/midwife if you want to know something, be prepared to tell people you don’t want their advice, and trust in your instincts. You’ll be fine.

What to do with all that pumpkin (spoiler alert – vegan pumpkin balls)

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

On Halloween night the pumpkins were ablaze – from traditional Jack-O-Lanterns to creative stencils and magical patterns – oh, and the big pumpkin throwing up all the pumpkin guts – that seemed to be a popular one this year in my hood.

But the day after Halloween, they’re just hollowed out squash destined for the garbage, the decorative pumpkins sitting around go unused, and leftover pumpkins at the market are on deep discount.

So what to do with all that pumpkin? If you’ve still got some good ones around, there are loads of pumpkin treats. I make pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin soup and pumpkin cookies. But fellow mom, photographer and creative cook extraordinaire, Nicole had these amazing pumpkin treats posted on Facebook, and as my mouth watered, I knew I needed to share that recipe with you all!

Nicole says: With the holidays coming up – that means holiday parties, potlucks and general excuses for food and merriment. I don’t know about you – but I always seem to have at least one person in a crowd who is worried about food considerations, and try as I might, accommodating them doesn’t always happen. However after a recent

Pinterest scroll, I lucked out! London Brazil over at Gluten Free with LB saved my balls (pun intended) so to speak. And as per my usual I added my own twist to her recipe.

I needed sweets for two different events, one of which was going to include a vegan, with a known sweet tooth and a love of things pumpkin. So I did what all fellow sweet tooths who also love chocolate do – I found some GF vegan dark chocolate made by Good Life, melted it and covered those pumpkin balls! After the chocolate set just a bit I sprinkled some coconut sugar on top to give myself a way of setting them aside for said Vegan. I didn’t buy enough to do the entire batch, so I used regular chocolate almond bark to cover the rest.

Both were met with rave reviews.

Also included in the pictures are margarita balls, that I scored from Katie over at Butterlust. (for the non-adult drinking age types I did make a non-alcoholic version that I did not put a tiny piece of lime zest on so as to not confuse the two 😉 )

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