It's Thursday and I'm Thankful...

Today I'm feeling thankful for....

• Airplanes... that will fly us home to Montreal tomorrow. And we get to spend the weekend at my parents place in the country (Yeah for free babysitting!)
• And again for airplanes... that will fly us to Florida exactly one week from now. And for palm trees and sunshine and the wonderful Gulf of Mexico!
• That I can see teepees out of every window of my house (I never would have envisioned that 2 years ago)
• My patience.... (even if I don't have an endless supply of it) as we go on this two-steps-forward-one-step-back roller-coaster of Zac's sleeping habits.
• Once again for my dearest husband for keeping me (somewhat) sane.
• My single serve Bialetti Italian stove-top espresso maker... it's simplicity & reliability brings a smile to my face and gets me through some particularly draining afternoons.
• And of course, I'm thankful that it's Thursday and the weekend is on the horizon : )

Spectacular Spiced Red Lentils with Refreshing Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

 "Oh my God, this is amazing", was what came out of my husband's mouth after his first bite.

And I definitely agree, this recipe is incredible.

It's all about the spice blend, and the fresh ginger, chile, garlic, and coriander, which gives the dish a deep, bold flavour. It's another keeper!

Read on for the recipe...

Just Because...

Because you slept more than 4 hours in a row last night (which may not sound like much, but for me it's revolutionary!)....

Because you think it's funny when I yawn, and laugh when I wear a towel on my head after the shower...

 Because you have the biggest, bluest eyes....

Because you love to knock your daddy's glasses off his face, and try to suck on his nose when he leans in too close...

Because two-and-a-half months just might be your cutest stage yet...

We are so hopelessly in love with you.

Two-Toned Beauties

So very perfect for spring.

From Seychelles.

Bringing up Bébé: why didn't I read this sooner?

Have you read Bringing Up Bébé? 

I had heard good reviews but didn't bother reading it because I thought it was mainly advice for mothers with older kids.... but I was wrong. 

And now that I'm finally reading it (and unable to put it down), I'm kicking myself for not reading it while I was pregnant.

This book is fascinating!

I've taken its advice and started to make some changes in the way I handle things, and I'm already seeing positive results. Mainly by instituting Le Pause, in which you literally pause and wait a few moments/minutes when your little one is waking up/demanding something. And this waiting time allegedly teaches him patience, independence and self-soothing.... even (and most importantly) at this very early age. 

This book has also helped me rid myself of any guilt I feel while taking a decent-length shower, or taking a little time for myself during the day. And in return, I see improvements in Zac's ability to entertain himself (albeit briefly) and self-soothe.

So there you have it. I highly recommend this book. I'd recommend reading it ideally before you have kids... but maybe (like it was for me) that topic is wholly uninteresting at that point.

Anyway, it's a great read, and thoroughly entertaining. I've even woken Zac up a few times by laughing out loud while reading it.

: )

Weekend moments in the north...

Oh this weekend just flew by, didn't it?

I felt rather spoiled to have my husband home from Friday to Sunday, which meant that I got to take long, luxurious showers, bake banana bread, go outside, and play around with my camera.

(my adorable little hoodlum)

There was a lot of reading & relaxing this weekend....

On Saturday we went for a drive to the neighbouring town and saw a beautiful sunset and a spectacular full moon rise up over the horizon.

And we decided to take Zac on his first snowshoe expedition into the forest. It probably took us over an hour to get all bundled up, but sadly Little Z wasn't too fond of the subzero temperatures (can you blame him?)... he kept blowing spit bubbles from his mouth that were becoming semi frozen to his face, and it freaked us both out. So needless to say, we didn't last very long out there, but it was still worth it. I got to soak up a bit of that glorious arctic sunshine.

 And we played around a lot. We practiced Zac's favourite new game: pulling up to a stand and supporting his own weight for a few seconds, then wobbling back down. He can do it over and over again (and truthfully so can I, because I'm such a proud mamma!).

On Sunday night we went over to our friend Alex's house for an eclectic ethnic dinner. 

It always surprises me how creative people can be up here in the north with very limited supplies.

It was delicious in every way, and felt so good to be doing adult-like things again! 

For dessert she made the most amazing chocolate bread (Chocolate Kantz Cake from Ottolenghi's incredible new cookbook Jerusalem, if you're interested. A version of the recipe available here)...

Turns out it makes a wonderful breakfast too (thanks, Alex, for the leftovers!)

I hope you had a marvellous weekend.

oxo

It's Thursday and I'm thankful...

Today is Thursday and I'm thankful for that because the weekend is almost here!

But today I am also thankful for.....

• Indoor heating, because it is just so darn cold out these days.
• My wonderful, loving husband - who tells me every single day that I'm beautiful and that I'm doing a great job as a mother. Sometimes I hear him talking to Zac in the living room at the end of the day and whispering to him "isn't your mommy beautiful?".... What a sweetheart he is!
• That Zac survived his first immunizations with just a few tears and that he got a clean bill of health. He has grown 10cm and has gained over 5 pounds since he was born!!
• Silly sitcoms like Community that keep me entertained while nursing.
• That I had enough free time today to have a shower and...gasp!... even blow-dry my hair!
• Amazon.ca, because they are one of the few companies that will ship stuff this far north.
• My dear baby boy who has the most kissable face and the most charming smile. I am grateful for the times he does sleep and gives me some rest... even if it's very little.

Power Protein Lentil & Quinoa Salad

This is what I call a power salad. 

It kind of started with me throwing anything and everything in a bowl, but it metamorphosed into something truly exquisite. Don't you just love when that happens?

This one is a keeper.

Read on for the recipe...

Warm weather dreaming...

I can't stop daydreaming about warmer days, and my upcoming trip to the sunshine state.

So in my little daydream, here's what I'm packing in my suitcase...

This rattan basket handbag is exactly what I need (I bet it would even fit my dSLR camera in it, which makes it all the more perfect)

The perfect, iconic yellow dot bikini

These crisscross boardwalk sandals

And a simple, versatile jersey dress that can also be worn as a maxi skirt

(don't you just love daydream shopping sprees?)

One handed.

One handed - that's how I do most things these days.

Eating, brushing my teeth, putting in/removing contact lenses, washing my hands individually (this takes mad skill!), typing, reading, and cooking... I've mastered all these tasks one-handedly while holding a baby with the other.

(although I must admit, I've yet to master the art of taking iphone photos one-handed... I find it impossibly awkward!)

I never imagined I'd require skills like this... but there's a lot they don't tell you about motherhood that you have the pleasure of discovering on your own ; )

Modern. Rustic. Minimalist... Love.

I think you are beautiful.

I want you in my house.

That is all.

(via Anthropologie)

Weekend Moments: just hanging around, staying warm

We had a cold & quiet weekend up north. The temperatures are still between minus 35 and minus 40 degrees... so we of course stayed indoors.

My poor husband had to work a 24 hour shift at the hospital on Saturday so I was left alone with Zac. Thankfully my friend Alex came by for tea in the afternoon, and my neighbour came by with a bag full of frozen caribou meat for us (the benefits of living in the great north and having hunters as neighbours... although I have NO clue how to cook caribou!).

 So me & Z, we spend a lot of time playing on the kitchen floor. I don't know why I choose the kitchen floor... that's just where we hang, 'cause we're cool like that ; )

He loves to watch me eat my cereal in the morning. He stares at my mouth and seems so intrigued. I think he's going to love eating solids and we will probably have to introduce them early. 

This guy loves to eat!

I started setting up Zac's nursery up here. It's pretty hard to decorate in the north since there are no real stores and you can't really bring much on the plane when you come. But I did bring up this little Ikea canopy and I think it looks rather adorable. Not that Zac has ever seen the inside of a crib before... he's been sleeping in our bed since day one and has always been incapable of sleeping anywhere else. But still, I'm optimistic for the future!

(Zac is all about the awkward one-sided smiles these days!)

On Sunday morning my dear husband finally came home from work looking rather tired and rather frozen.

(Did I mention that your eyelashes freeze up here when you go outside?!)

It was SO nice to have him home for the day. He took care of Zac while I got to pamper myself and enjoy a lot of me-time. It was WONDERFUL!

And sadly he's back to work again this morning, and Z and I are alone again.

But that's ok... I think I'm starting to get the hang of this whole mom business : )

Happy Monday to you all!

Sometimes when your baby is screaming non-stop for no reason the only thing left to do is take a picture.

Yup, when your little darling is shrieking at the top of his lungs despite being fed, changed, burped and cuddled, the only thing you really can do is take his picture...

 So that you can show it to him when he's older, and say "you owe me"!

Lady Grey Loves... Breezy resort wear

Probably because we're in the middle of January's deep freeze...

and because I keep daydreaming about our upcoming vacation in Florida...

But I am loving all things resort these days.

And these breezy pieces from Lemlem are just perfect!

Lemlem's clothing is all hand-woven by women in Ethiopia. The company was created to support the local women's independence and help preserve their traditional art of weaving.

Cool beans ; )