Tis the season..

It's been over 5 months since my lost post, but alas I'm baackk! We are busy ramping up for Christmas time and have already revelled in a few get together's with all the fixings...yum. Last weekend was spent in Toronto with friends and family which always warms my heart and encourages my spirit. Nothing like crazy gift exchanges, long hours talking with dear friends in cozy Restaurants, and experiencing city life again all lit up with lovely festive decorations.

First Christmas parade

Making salt-dough ornaments

First Christmas recital-Teo was a real performer!

Waiting for the Holiday train to come through

Lots of hikes this season!! The dogs love it too :)

 

I've been busy buying, wrapping, and sending presents and cards this season. I told myself last year that this year we would be in Florida for Christmas, but finances didn't come together so smoothly this year, so we are hoping to do it next Christmas instead. Our desire is for us to just go away as a family and let Teo experience the wonder of Disney World at such a magical time of year. It's been almost 5 years since a vacation so we are really looking forward to that!

 

 

Teo is now 3 1/2 and toilet training is a daily struggle. He doesn't mind doing his pees in the toilet but #2's are a little more of a struggle sometimes. It's 1 step forward 2 steps back. I've started a sticker chart for him and treats which seem to be the incentive he needs right now. Lots of praise, and waffle underwear, make him feel like a big boy. I was chatting with another lady at starbuck's the other night and her boy was the same age and having the same struggles. She's one of many I've talked to that say most boys are definitely tougher than girls to toilet train. So it puts my mind at ease, and I know that by this time next year he will be trained and in school!!! Can't believe it, seems like yesterday we brought him home from the hospital.

 

 

Our house renos are coming along. Tom ripped out all the rads and put in new duct work, and we had to have a new furnace put in as an old one we bought was toast. 2 days and much moolah later we finally have proper heat for the first time this year! We still have to put a counter top in our kitchen and spray and attach the cupboard doors, varathane the new stairs, paint the patch work from changing over heat, and then we are done!!! Our reno house across town is also complete and on the market.  A large 3000 sq ft house that we've been alternating taking turns at hosting open houses. I have faith in time it will sell, as it is gorgeous inside and out, and will be a wonderful family home for a somebody and it's close to schools.

 

 

Well I think that brings you all up to date, there are so many day to day excitements and activities and milestones I cannot possibly all write down, but life is speeding ahead. And we are embracing every minute of it with trust and awe in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the next week Teo will be helping me make a birthday cake for Jesus, the true reason for the season.  

Summer's here!

Well it's been over 3 months since my last post, so I figured I should update the latest Armstrong family news...

On May 31st, Teo turned 3! We had a wonderful Curious George-themed party for him, as he is obsessed with this cartoon:) Tom did a wonderful meal including blueberry and goat cheese stuffed chicken wrapped in prociutto, homemade burgers, mushroom and garlic bake, etc, and I made a curious george cake.

Festivities!

Started his morning with a few presents to celebrate him!

 A very excited little boy!

Elmo Pinata time

Some downtime with his friend Ben, watching Curious George of course..

Hanging with his cousins

Another fun event we had was Teo`s first train trip! We took a 35 min. VIA train ride to Kingston. We also had numerous bus rides, and Teo`s first ferry ride to Wolfe Island, where we watched an outdoor horse competition. I got burnt to a crisp, but we had a great time checking out all the cute boutiques and shops along Princess St. Teo fell asleep by 2pm and slept for 3 hrs through bus trips, and a coffee shop visit, he was all funned out.

A sad event that occurred in May, was the passing of my Aunt Jill. She was a fighter and had lived her life beautifully and strong, despite a heart condition, and numerous surgeries over the years. We had a memorial for her 2 weeks ago, where many family members flew and drove here to Belleville, to celebrate her life together.

Teo and his cousins, and Jill`s grandkids watching a movie

Teo and Christopher licking the beaters

Beautiful family photo taken after the memorial

Tom also went away to Colorado for 10 days to work on a deck for a client. It was nice for him to spend time with his brother`s there, and I`m glad he had the chance to do that. We also attended a wedding for friends of our`s in Belleville, Farah & Peter, which was a really good time. Another sad event was the passing of the Mom of a dear friend of mine, Pam. I drove down to Milton and stayed over in Georgetown at Sylvia`s to attend the funeral. Carol is very much missed by her kids and grandkids, but is now made healthy and whole and enjoying the presence of her Saviour.


We also had a break-in next door a few days ago, and  the same people broke in within the hr. down the street, but 2 were caught. So I`m praying for God`s restoration and healing power in this location of town, and throughout Belleville.

Our house reno's in our flip across town are going well. I have been busy continuing to paint, pick out colours, designing, and gardening in this extreme heat. But it is definately worth all the hardwork, watching such a dive come together and become an amazing stately home that will be a wonderful house for some family to share memories at, is amazing. Well I better be off to bed, Tom`s golfing with my brother tommorrow, and I will have Teo for most of the day. So I need to gear up for another exciting day in our lives!

Spring thoughts

My mind is constantly musing. I often wonder about things and people, pondering why and how and hmmmm.. I think it drives Tom a little nuts when I say things like "what do you think they do for a living?" or at an accident site "What do you think happened?" "How should I know?" is usually his response. At which point I say "Well can't you just make something up then to satisfy my curiosity?" I suppose the fact that I took Journalism in College, and worked in the field for several years, was a natural career choice then for me. I remember my friends posting "Brooke-ism's" on the wall of our apt. which were regularly updated. It's funny, the thoughts going around in my mind seem normal but when they come out they seem part hilarious, part revelation to many. I guess I say the things people are thinking but with a little Brooke-twist substitution.


"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." -Albert Einstein


1. I think it's so strange that people I see once in passing, like while driving, I may never see again. They have no idea I exist and will continue to go on living their life, because it's their reality. What's important to me is my family, and the same goes for them. We would exhaust ourselves if we really got to know everyone in our community, so I guess some people are merely images on the way to our own destinations.

2. I wonder what I would think of me if I wasn't me, but someone else.

3. Do people really like eating escargots, and shrimp, and sushi, or do they just pretend to like it, so everyone else will think they are really sophisticated?

4. I honestly think that a lot of societies mental and emotional problems come from Aspartame, MSG, and Sucralose. I also believe it's a conspiracy on behalf of the Government to market and put gum at the front of the grocery aisle and everywhere you turn. They've also added these chemicals to gum that never used to have it, like Bubbalicious and Juicyfruit. If people are messed up emotionally and physically they need to go on meds. And more meds mean more bucks for Big Pharma. Hmmm..




As you can see I like Einstein, he has so many brilliant quotes. I like eccentric, can't-figure-them-out, kind of people. So refreshing, so unassuming, so rare.

Life is so short and there is so much beauty to explore. I've come to the conclusion that I really just don't care anymore if my norm is the norm, as long as I'm true to myself and living a life worthy of my calling. God has made no two snowflakes alike nor too people, so embrace your "isms" and refresh the world.

"I'm a big kid now!"

Well it's the end of an era. Teo has officially been weaned for over 4 days now, and it's bittersweet. After a very rocky start of establishing breastfeeding, we eventually made a really good run of it lasting 2 years and 8 months!

Teo had a rocky delivery because of the vacumn assistance, so his head was bruised and he found it painful to open his mouth to nurse. We had one successful nurse and then he got frustrated in subsequent attempts. After spending only 15hrs in the hospital we had such a frustrating time at home trying to feed him. He got so hungry and cried all of the time, poor guy, but everytime I tried he would latch and then get impatient for milk to come, and give up and scream with hunger. I was also injured badly through delivery so I had to try and nurse standing up with someone holding him, or lying down. Finally my midwife told me to call Tom in the middle of the day and have him go out immediately and buy a pump for me. She weighed him and he had gone from 8lbs 15oz to 7lbs 15 oz in one week. I got acquainted with the pump which was a whole nother story in itself, and then we tried bottle feeding it to him but it came out too fast for him and he didn't like it.
I then received some amazing advice from another of our midwife's who visited (they wouldn't give up on us!) She brought a syringe and a tube and some surgical tape. We rigged up a contraption so that the the tube was taped to me. We filled up the syringe with my milk and pushed it through the tube so he thought he was getting it from me directly. They also had me go on herbs to get my milk back up since my demand had gone down from him not nursing. During this time I was also seeing a lactation consultant, where we vented our frustration and got so much encouragement and guidance. At the 2 week mark she said "don't give up, just give it one more week, I think he's almost there" I remember my Mom going to the local pharmacy to get some more syringes and the Pharmacist just looked at her funny.
It took 3 full weeks of tube feeding which was an art in itself , and then one morning I had simply just had enough, and I said to him "Teo just take it already" and I latched him on and it worked!! What a miracle and such a relief! I didn't have to sterilize syringes and tubes anymore. I didn't have to tape myself up anymore either. I was free to nurse him anywhere and everywhere and it gave us the freedom to go out to restaurants and enjoy our lives again.

After-Much happier, and look at those cheeks:)

But what a journey it has been. A few days ago I knew it was time, so I started just saying no and substituting with a nuk or a bottle and at first he complained, but then he started asking less and less for it.
It's bittersweet because I miss the closesness and our bonding times, and being able to give him something that no one else could. But it is nice to have my body back, and to not feel like a milk machine anymore! Tom and I are not sure whether or not God has another little one instore for us someday, so Teo may be the only child I nurse. I wouldn't have changed any single part of it. The challenges, the intense frustration, the "ah ha" moments, and the joy of success. It was worth every moment of this journey with my son.

Everything "old" is "new" again.

There's seems to be a current trend these days towards hand-made items and organic foods. Sites like "Etsy" for example show members from all over North America touting their creations for sale via the internet. Everything from the famous triangle cloth banners and jewelry, to wooden toys and personalized t-shirts can be purchased there. These sorts of things were a given when I was growing up. We simply made our own Christmas decorations, we hemmed our own pants, and we baked our own goods. No one ever would have thought you were part of the the "new wave", or have given it a second thought. These were just lessons and ideas of creativity that were passed down by generations from one woman to the next. It's quite ingenious actually that so many stay-at-home Mom's on the internet have cashed in on their creative sides and have thriving businesses, that otherwise would have taken years to establish at Farmer's Markets and little mall kiosks.

And that brings us to Organic foods. The health guru's out there are saying if we want to lose weight we should eat smaller portions and exercise. Oh and choosing organic produce and meat goes a long way to keeping pesticides and hormones out of our body. While I agree that organic in some cases may be better for you, they are acting like they've just reinvented the wheel here. GOD made the first organic chickens, the first organic apple, and the first organic carrot, no one else. It shouldn't be a mystery or a new revelation that fruits, vegetables and meat in their original form, before human altering, are the best way to go. I think it borders on the ridiculous that supermarkets can hike up the price of God-given foods simply because they haven't had anything added to them! Crazy! I think it should be the other way around, we should pay more for added pesticides and hormones as that costs money. Simply letting your chickens run around free, feeding them grain, and air chilling them seems like a no-brainer. Yes, the chickens may be a little smaller, and it may take a little more time but if everyone started buying organic, the prices would eventually be brought down.

Our abnormally large (33lb) non-organic Thanksgiving turkey that didn't fit in the pan.

It kind of reminds me of my Mom saying " I wish I'd kept those shoes or those pants. Who knew they'd come back in style all these years later" I think people just get tired of thinking up the next big craze and simply pull something from the past and repackage it. Our society is partly to blame for this. We shop the middle parts of the grocery store and skip the outer produce sections because we like fast. And I have to admit frozen is fast. I was also mentioning to my hubby as we went out for dinner the other night, "why do none of these restaurants have any openings tonight?" He replied "That's the society we live in, people don't want to cook anymore" Scary..

Carrots we grew in our own garden Summer 2011

Some turned out a little different than other's..

Teo helping to wash them

I'm on a mission lately to try lots of different types of veggies, and find the best way to cook them. We've tried Bok Choy, lemon grass, swiss chard, and we hope to try more.

Whether we use organic or not, and hand-maid or store bought, I'm doing my very best to embody the Proverbs 31Woman. To provide the very best I can and to instill in my son the lifeskills he will need to be a hands-on father and husband, who can cook and clean just like his father.

"Basket Weaving"

When I was growing up I always thought the idea of church denominations was peculiar. I could never understand how God's VERY Word could be divided into so many different Bible versions, or that people could so differently interpret

God's daily design for living. So much so that we would need to compose completely seperate Denominational boundaries and the logistics that follow these.

I'm reading a book right now called "Love has a face" by Michelle Perry. A Missionary in Sudan who had several different people all different ages and from different walks of life, enjoying a camp-out fire at their school and orphanage. Some were students, some were visiting, and some lived there. She remarked how they were all bonding and enjoying the presence of God and community over marshmellows. She likened it to the baskets the ladies make in Sudan, that involve different types of dried grasses and varying colours, that interweave together to make a beautiful end result.

 "How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!"- Psalm 133:1

Now, I'm not saying that different church backgrounds can't come together in celebration and be effective in the Kingdom together. Far from it. I used to work at and attend a wonderful church in Toronto that incorporated and allowed people from all faiths and walks of life. It taught me a huge lesson in the blessing and power of inclusion. But I often have this dream that everyone will just kiss and makeup, and realize that Jesus' original vision and way of teaching included lowering people through roofs in houses, preaching by the seashore, mixing mud and spit for healing eye paste, and other unconventional methods. I honestly think people simply muddle things by putting too much organization, program, and a human-spin onto Something that is entirely God-breathed. Boy I can just hear the toes crunching as I gingerly speak my mind here...

"I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved Me.-"John 17:23


I want to meet all those fellow believers across my town that I've never seen before because they attend a different church; They must have the same love for God that I do. What a wonderful way to make new friends in the faith, and what a beautiful basket would be weaved.

bakity-bake-bake-bake

I l.o.v.e EVERYTHING about baking. The way the dough feels beneath my fingers, the alone time that gives me a chance to catch up on my thoughts of the day and just take a breath.


Some of my earliest memories of baking are helping my Mom in the kitchen with pies. She would save the dough scraps for me and let me make my own little miniature pies. It always made me feel so important and special that she would take the time out to include me in making a creation. Often she would make raisin scones on a Sunday night and we would smother them in butter and jam and retreat to the basement with the whole family to watch an episode of A-Team or Magnum P.I. I guess it's no surprise then, that anything involving baking would conjure up feelings of family and togetherness.

Trying out Spelt flour for the 1st time

"How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young?" -Paul Sweeney

I love to bake through my Grandma's recipe book she made for all of the girl's in the family, and including another generation in the process, my son. Sometimes it turns into something that more closely represents an Olympic sport, but regardless I tell myself that we're building memories and it's the journey that matters not the end baking result. Tom and I have a kind of schedule worked out as he does a good portion of the meals and I do the breads and baking. His attempts at baking are very touching and at times, downright comical, poor guy, but I got to give him an "A" for effort. On the otherhand, his meal creations are something worthy of making the front cover of a gourmet foodie mag. I've been working at trying different low-cal options lately and trying to substitute certain ingredients, like agave for sugar, and unbleached, whole wheat, and spelt flours, low fat milk and even soy milk. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, for instance never try to make rice pudding with soy milk, and don't interchange parchment paper for wax paper (it will smoke out your kitchen) Just saying...I also noticed that tweaking some recipes doesn't work as well in baking as it does in cooking. There are some substitutions that I've learned over the years, but for the most part you have to follow it as closely as possible. It seems they may have done most of the tweaking already for you! The next thing I'd like to purchase for my kitchen is a gas range. Tom is almost finished installing the gas piping in our house, so maybe that will be an option in the near future. I'd love to get one of those refurbished old-school gas ranges from the 40's, and I've been doing some searching on Kijiji and Ebay to see if I can snag a good price. To all of you baker's out there, may this post encourage you in all your culinary and baking pursuits and never forget that baking is to life, what Chocolate chips are to cookies.

"Don't rush me!"

"I'll get my own food!"

It never ceases to amaze me how much toddler's just have no sense or care of time. It's literally just not on their radar, and nothing you say or do is going to change that for them. I read recently in a child-developmental magazine how it's important not to rush the morning routine of a toddler. They simply need time to doddle around with their pajamas on, and messed up bedhead, while sipping their bottle and mellowing out. This morning was no exception. I allowed Teo all of the above and an episode of Curious George, and he still wasn't ready to get dressed after an hour. I decided to let him be a participant in the clothes-picking out routine and he seemed to take great pride in that, and bribes of a trip to Toys 'R Us didn't hurt either!  



Morning routine, petting Gus & drinking his bottle



Copying his 2 dogs

"Honey, I said you're hat, not your underwear.."

I suppose it's not such a bad thing to have no concept of time, Tom and I have had a chance to experience this lately as we both don't have cell phones with us, and neither of us wear watches anymore. When we're out, we just enjoy our time together and don't feel the rush to get to our next appointment. It's quite freeing to not feel like time has to run all, or that we have time allotments for every single activity of the day. Just simply living and breathing in the day is good enough for a toddler and should be good enough for me too. He doesn't feel any anxiety, or a tug to perform or arrive on time, he just has to be Teo, how beautiful is that?!

Everything Construction.

Helping Mom load the dishwasher

Very dear to Teo's heart are tools, trucks, and heavy equipment. Not only is his father a construction worker, but reno's are all he's known since birth. Now on our 4th house reno, he gets his daily fix from going alongside Tom and "helping" him where Tom gets it wrong..

Daddy & Teo after ripping down the ceiling

Opened the basement door and found Teo on top of the ladder hammering with a BIG MAN hammer. Gulp.

Cornmeal works great when he misses his outdoor sandbox in Winter

Insisted on wearing his Grandpa's old hardhat at the pirate park.

His most favourite places to visit include (but certainly not limited to)

• Scrap metal yard
• Garbage dump
• Any Construction site anywhere
• Train station (which is also undergoing major renos at the moment. Double the fun)
• Grandma & Grandpa's workroom
• John Deere dealers
• Truck stops
• Lowes & Home Depot, especially the riding tractor section
• Daddy's garage and workshop
• Daddy's worksite
• Early Years Centre tool section

Tom and I find it somewhat amusing when he corrects us about the type of heavy equipment or it's function. He eats, dreams and sleeps construction and I often hear him talking in his sleep about it. Our car trips often include a DVD on Mighty Machines, and I find myself saying "heah Teo, look at the cement mixer" while driving along without him sometimes, only to have my dog or Husband give me a quizzical look. Do you ever do that, talk to your child because you're so used to them being attached to the hip that you find yourself swaying in the check-out line, not realizing you left them at home with Hubby. They grow on you something fierce in everything you see and do, and somehow, someway, they wiggle themselves into your heart and mind and every fibre of your being, and you wonder how you ever lived without them.

Daddy's a little more "lax" than Mommy

Very serious about his construction mags