Happy Retirement Chris!

Today, we celebrated a retirement.  Chris worked for P&G for 27.5 years and a huge group of P&G'ers gathered to wish him happy retirement including our President, Marketing Director and HR Director.  Even our retired president and his wife came for the event.  Many people shared their stories via email and video of how Chris touched their lives at P&G and there were many head nods in the room.  

It must have been really hard to keep this event a surprise for Chris.  Chris wasn't a senior executive nor was he the leader of any team at P&G.  But Chris knows everything that happens in the office because, for 27.5 years, he has been our janitor.  

I'm so proud to work at a company who value people for who they are regardless of their position within the corporate hierarchy.  Chris is loved by so many because of his positive attitude and dedication to his work.  He always greets everyone with "how are you today"?  He knows everyone's name and sometimes even their kids' names.  He has been a constant in the office and the number of people who showed up to his celebration today is a testament of the memories that he leaves behind.

Chris, you will be missed.

Teenagers

I recently inherited 2 teenagers.  My sister sent her two daughters (15 and 18) here to study.  Lets just say I never realized how much teenagers eat.  We are going through 8 liters of milk each week and we are putting our Costco membership to good use.  

I think the hardest part is meal planning.  I don't want them to always eat the same thing so I have to think in advance what I want to cook and plan out my weekly grocery list.  I also want to cook a combination of Chinese and Western food so when I go grocery shopping, I have to go to both a Chinese grocery and a mainstream grocery store.  

I have a google doc for meal and activity planning.  I love it because I can update it  from an app on my phone and it automatically gets saved online and my husband always has access to the most updated version too.  What would we do without technology?  

Let me know if you have any easy meal ideas!

Summer activities

It's been a busy summer.

We took a family vacation to a time share resort in Ontario back in late May.  It was the first time we took a week-long vacation with my MIL, FIL, and SIL.  Turned out pretty good.  The 7 of us got along well and everyone had a great time.  It was my friend's time-share which is the best kind of time-share to have access to.  We only had to pay $250 for a week-long stay in a 2-bedroom suite with full kitchen.  SCORE!

Then I went to an overnight business trip to NYC.  Haven't been to NYC for 5 years.  Too bad I didn't get to spend much time there.  Had an amazing dinner at ACME and stayed at St James Hotel which was really nice.

Right after my NYC trip, the 4 of us flew to Vancouver for a personal/business trip.  My best friend from HK had planned to be in Vancouver at that time and it was serendipitous that I also got to go to Vancouver for a work trip while she was there.  We haven't seen each other since I was in HK in 2011  and she now has a 1 year old son who is my god son.  So I got to meet my god son for the first time.  It was surreal going back to Vancouver after so long.  I lived in Vancouver for 5 years going to UBC but haven't been back to Vancouver for about 8 years, way before I was a mom.  Going to Vancouver with kids made me feel like a tourist in the city because now I'm looking at the city from the perspective of a parent.  We went to the Vancouver Aquarium, kids biked and played in Stanley Park, and went to various playscapes around the city to hang out with friends.  What doesn't change though, is the feeling that you get from seeing the majestic mountains each time you turn north no matter where you are.

Back in Toronto, my son started Learn to Play Softball and piano lessons, went to 2 weeks of summer camp, my husband is enjoying Wonderland's water park when the weather is warm enough, and we even took the kids to 2 nights of camping at Glen Rouge which is a safe 15 min drive from home.  It is a good experience for the kids.

We have an upcoming trip to Birch Run, Michigan for cross border shopping.  Anyone have any tips?

MOM YOU ROCK

I took an hour off work and went to my son's Senior Kindergarten Open House today.  I had a fantastic time.  I got to see my son in his classroom interacting with his friends and his teachers.  He was so happy and proud to introduce me to everyone.

This started last week when he brought home a notice inviting parents to come to an Open House today.  When I saw the notice, I told him that I would come.  But I had forgotten to put it into my work calendar so yesterday, I ended up having to move a bunch of meetings so that I could go to the Open House.  I'm so glad I did.

Before we even got to school, he was so excited.  I worked from home in the morning and he came into my room at about 12:30pm, "Mom, you have to bring me to school.  What time is it?"  He goes to afternoon SK which starts at 1pm which left me only 30 minutes to have lunch, get myself ready, and walk to school. I hadn't prepared any real lunch so I offered him cheese and apple slices while I had a leftover blueberry muffin, 2 fried eggs, and some cheese slices.

I inhaled my lunch and scrambled to get myself ready.  I asked him if he wanted me to pack him a granola bar for snack and he told me he already packed a fruit snack in his backpack.  I have the best kid in the world.  After another scramble to get my phone, keys, laptop and purse, we headed to school.

At school, my son went straight to get a book and we proceeded to read together.  When a kid came by, I would pause to let him introduce me.  "This is my mom.  This is Ava." or "This is my mom.  This is Lucas."

When the teacher was ready to take attendance, she asked the kids to name a shape when their names were called.  I was expecting "square" or "triangle" but the first answer was "rectangular prism".  LOL

When it was time for activity, my son wanted to draw me a card.  He told me not to look at the card because it's a surprise so he told me to play with a puzzle while he drew the card.  He started drawing and asked me, "Mom, how do you spell 'you'?"  Then he asked, "Mom, what's the first letter of 'rock'?"  I got a card that said "MOM, YOU ROCK".  :)  That was so sweet.  Definitely one of the best moments of motherhood so far.

The easiest curry ever... in the slow cooker

I made this in 5 min in the morning and let it cook in the slow cooker while I was at work. When I came home, I had delicious curry ready!

What you need:
6 potatos peeled cut into golf ball size pieces
2 onions diced
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast cut into bite size pieces (can be frozen or fresh)
2 tbsp Patak's mild curry sauce
1/2 can coconut milk
White rice or naan

What you do:
1. Put everything (except for rice) in the slow cooker in the order listed on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Add 1-2 hours of cooking time if using frozen chicken.
2. Stir it once in the middle of the cooking process to ensure flavours are mixed.
3. Serve over cooked rice or naan.

Do you hide from your kids?

Just read about another mom's confession about waiting until the kids go to bed before popping popcorn so she doesn't have to share. Made me laugh because the other night, after dinner, the kids were in the living room playing, I secretly went to the kitchen and ate a dessert in a dark dining room. I didn't want to turn on the lights because I didn't want to have to share with my kids. Is that bad?

Turns out it worked because as I was eating in the dark, my daughter came looking for me but she didn't bother to check in the kitchen/dining room. She went straight upstairs assuming I was in my bedroom. As she called "Mommy? Mommy?", all I could think of was finishing my dessert as fast as I can so that I wouldn't have to share with her.

My husband eventually came into the dark kitchen and found me finishing the last bite of my dessert. I explained that I didn't want to share with the kids. He thinks I have a problem.

What did you do for Valentine's Day?

This post is a month late but I wanted to say that I had one of the best Valentine's day celebrations this year. We took our kids out for dinner with our friends and their kids. Admittedly, it wasn't a romantic dinner but we had good food and were with great friends and had an amazing time. Romance is over-rated.

My best Valentine's day remains to be during the Vancouver Olympics where we stayed on the couch all day watching the Games and ordered a pizza for lunch and dinner. Nothing can top that!

I'm alive and well...in case you were wondering

I realized I haven't posted in 2 months which is equivalent to a few decades in Internet time. Here is what has happened:
- we went to our 2nd annual all-inclusive vacation. This time to Azul Sensatori in Mexico. It was paradise but I'll do another post just on the trip another time
- I've managed to maintain my 20lb Dukan weight loss despite going on a all-inclusive trip to Mexico. I'm now on phase 4 of the diet which is just one day a week of pure protein and I eat whatever I want the rest of the week, within reason
- I was promoted at work (yay!)
- my son started to eat carrots and cucumber

That pretty much sums up what's happened in my life for 2 months. You didn't miss much. :)

The secret to dun dan (steamed egg dessert)

I just made the most perfect Dun Dan. Here's the recipe:

1 tbsp ginger juice
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp hot water
1 egg
Enough milk to make 1 cup

Boil water in a steamer pot on high heat.

Grate ginger and squeeze out the juice. Add sugar and hot water and stir until sugar dissolves. Add egg and beat. Add milk until you get 1 cup of liquid. Strain into a bowl. Put the bowl into the steamer and close the lid.

Now here's the secret: TURN OFF THE HEAT

Let the Dun Dan steam in the steamer with no heat for 15 minutes. Open the lid and enjoy your perfect Dun Dan!

So true

I remember the day I found out I was pregnant, my first ultrasound, the first time I heard his heartbeat in the womb, and of course, the day my son was born.  With my daughter, I remember the process of trying to get pregnant, finding out she is a girl, and the day she was born.

My son at birth

Wreaths make me happie

I have a board on Pinterest for wreaths called "Wreaths make me Happie". I love wreaths. One thing I want to do is to have a wreath on my front door all year round. Of course, the wreath would have to be season appropriate. I would have one for Winter, Valentine's day, Spring, Easter, Summer, Canada Day, our birthdays, Fall, and Christmas. Currently, I only have one for Winter but I'm always on the lookout for other wreaths. I just haven't found another one that I like enough to purchase yet.

The other day my son came home with a craft. When he got home, he went straight up to my room and taped it to my door. He made me a wreath! I will happily keep this one up year round on my bedroom door. It brings a smile to my face everyday. It truly makes me happie.

AZUL Sensatori....here we come!

Last year, we went to the Grand Sunset Princess in the Riviera Maya, Mexico and it was our family's first all-inclusive vacation.  We went with 2 other families with the same aged kids (6 adults and 6 kids, aged 1 and 4) and we had a blast.  The resort was beautiful and we hung out by one of the kiddie pools most of the time.  The desserts were consistently not great but there was lots of other good food including many a la carte restaurants for dinner, a beach BBQ at lunch, a sports bar, and a few buffet restaurants.  The kids loved the kids club and my son still talks about it 10 months later.

We just booked another all-inclusive vacation from itravel2000.com.  We are going with Sunwing again this year but to another resort called AZUL Sensatori.  All the reviews on tripadvisor are very good.  It's a 5-star resort 20 min from the Cancun airport.  I am looking forward to getting away and enjoying the food which is touted as "gourmet".

We are going this year with one other family so there will be 4 adults and 4 kids (ages 5 and 2).  I'm really hoping to get connecting rooms so that the kids can play together while we are in our rooms.  There's an adult only restaurant so my plan is to take turns going there while the other couple takes care of the kids (good time to try the 24-hour room service).  The kids club looks amazing.  It has its own splash pad, water slide, kiddie pool, FisherPrice room, in-door rock climbing wall, gym equipment, video games room, etc...  I've been reading all the tripadvisor reviews and watching all the Youtube videos that I could find about this place.  I even started a list of things to pack.  Can't wait!!

@arthurchristmas was great!

We just watched Arthur Christmas on Rogers On Demand (ROD) with my 5yo and 2yo in the comfort of our home with our own freshly popped popcorn and snacks. My husband, my 5yo and I really enjoyed the movie and my 2yo really enjoyed the popcorn!

ROD - where have you been all my life?! No wonder Blockbuster went bankrupt!

Dukan diet - end of week 20

I've now been on Phase 3 - Stabilization for 5 weeks (35 days).  I am supposed to be in this phase for 100 days (5 days for every pound I have lost).  According to the diet, I can be on PV days everyday except for 1 day a week where I go back to PP.  I'm allowed to eat 2 slices of whole wheat bread and one fruit everyday.  I can eat 1 serving of starch per week and 1 celebration meal per week.

I haven't been fully following the prescribed diet but I've still maintained my 20 pounds of weight loss.  I have been doing PV days almost everyday and instead of being restricted to eating 2 WW bread and 1 fruit everyday, I've been randomly eating carbs/starches throughout the week, sometimes I eat more than the equivalent of 2 slices of WW bread and 1 fruit and sometimes I eat less.  I think it all averages out in the end and as long as I'm not gaining back the weight that I've lost, I will continue this way for another 65 days.

I've convinced so many people to be on this diet now and it's amazing to see other people have the same or even better results as mine!

Are you doing an advent calendar?

You know it's time to start preparing for Christmas when all the Christmas stuff comes out in the stores.  Last year, I bought an advent calendar on sale after the holidays (SCORE!).  This year, I'm going to try to fill it with activities for the family to do each day leading up to the holidays.  I read from a few other blogs that the best way to do this is to pre-write the activity but don't put them in until a day or a couple of days in advance so you have control over what you do each day depending on your schedule.  I think this is a good idea but i have to remember to sneak in the activity everyday which may be a problem for me.  So I think a hybrid idea is to slot in something that is totally manageable everyday and when we have time to do something more time consuming (like bake cookies), then I'll sneak it in that day.

Here are some of my 'everyday' activities:

1. Read the Christmas story from Luke
2. Sing a Christmas carol together
3. Give everybody a hug and a kiss
4. Listen to Christmas music during dinner
5. Call someone and sing them a carol
6. Dress up for dinner
7. Thank God for Jesus
8. Hide something special in each other's beds
9. Make paper snowflakes
10. Do something kind for a family member
11. Take turns telling the Christmas story
12. Draw a Christmas picture for a family member
13. Tell each other what is your favourite thing about Christmas
14. Pray for a friend
15. Read the Christmas story from Matthew
16. Pop some popcorn
17. Make an ice cream cookie sandwich

Some of the more time consuming activities:

1. Set up the tree
2. Bake cookies for family and friends
3. Write Christmas cards
4. Write a family Christmas letter
5. Play a family board/card game
6. Watch a Christmas movie
7. Take a drive to see Christmas lights
8. Take some family Christmas pictures
9. Make a card for your teacher
10. Decorate a gingerbread house
11. Go to the Santa Claus Parade
12. Make ice cream
13. Borrow a Christmas book from the library
14. Make a list of things we are thankful for and post it up

Hope this works out!

Any other ideas for me?

This is the best gift you can give to your kids

I was recently at a work event where one of the speakers talked about prioritizing your life to achieve harmony.  She said that we have so many different roles as a wife and mother and we often prioritize this way: mother, wife, woman.  As a mom, we often take care of others first before ourselves.

However, she challenged us to reprioritize our lives so that we are a woman first, wife second, and mom last.  I have always believed this.  One of my favourite pieces of advice that I've received and given to a lot of new moms is this: The best gift you can give to your children is a good marriage.  And one of my all time favourite quotes is what they tell you on the plane: Put on your own oxygen mask before you assist others.

Do you agree?  How do you prioritize?

Dukan Diet - end of week 17

I'm in Phase 3 now eating PV everyday and PP once a week. Instead of eating 2 slices of whole wheat bread and 1 fruit everyday, I've been eating 1-2 gingerbread cookies and sneaking in other carbs everyday so i think it all evens out. :). I'm still at my true weight +/- 2lbs which is okay in my books.

I baked a banana bread with a sugar substitute and it tastes pretty awful so I don't think I'll do that again. It's Christmas soon so I'll need a lot of self-control and will power to stay away from all those baked goods...my weakness.

I also had my first celebration meal yesterday where I had a bowl of my favorite Vietnamese beef brisket and tomato rice noodles and spring rolls as the appetizer. I had a couple of my homemade ginger bread cookies for dessert. Delish!

Eye of Round Oven Roast - Use Dry Heat

Since I've been on the Dukan Diet, I've been eating a lot of meat. I have mainly been eating beef tenderloin, t-bone and striploin steak cuz they are so good and relatively lean enough for Dukan requirements. But I also noticed that my grocery bills have increased since these tend to be the more expensive cuts of beef. This month, I was determined to learn how to cook less expensive cuts of lean meat. I bought an eye of round roast (one of the leanest cuts from a cow) and brought it home not knowing exactly what I would do with it but figured I would ask the Internet and find a slow cooker recipe.

Fortunately, I attended a blogger conference last week and someone from Canada Beef (beefinfo.ca) was there. I learned that there are oven roasts and there are pot roasts. Oven roasts are best cooked in the oven with dry heat and shouldn't be cooked in the crock pot with 'wet heat' (I don't think they actually said 'wet heat' but you know what I mean). She gave me this very simple recipe for an eye of round roast.

What you need:
Eye of Round roast
Salt
Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450F
2. Wash and dry the roast with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Stick a meat thermometer into the roast
3. Put the roast on a rack in a pan and into the oven
4. After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 275F.
5. Bake until meat thermometer is at 140F.
6. Let roast rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it.

My roast was small so this whole process only took just over 1 hour and it turned out amazing! Where has this been all my life?! My kids and I ate half of it before dinner even started!

Eye of round patted dry

Added salt, pepper and inserted thermometer set at 63C/140F

Done after 1 hour!  Let rest for 10 minutes.

Done to medium rare - perfection!

Dukan Diet - end of week 15

I lost 20lbs in 15 weeks.  I survived the first 2 phases of the #Dukandiet and I feel great!  It feels so surreal every time I look at the scale and I'm back at my wedding weight from NINE years ago.  I can't believe it!

I officially started Phase 3 of the diet today by adding 1 serving of fruit and 2 slices of whole wheat bread (or 1 ww bagel in today's case) to my daily diet.  I don't think I'm going to add the 1 serving of starch/week yet and I'll wait for very special occasions to do the celebration meal rather than doing it once per week.  I am going to keep a close eye on my weight to make sure it doesn't go back up just because I am reintroducing carbs.  If it does start to creep back up, I will most likely cut it out again and go back into Phase 2 for a bit.  We'll see!

Dukan diet - Middle of week 15

I'm happy to announce that I have reached my True Weight as of Oct 16 and have maintained at this weight for 2 days now.  In total, I have lost 20lbs since I started the Dukan journey in July.  I'm beyond excited and amazed at this result.  I've been telling everyone who will listen about this diet.  I've managed to convince 4 people to start the diet so far.  It truly has transformed my life.  I feel so empowered over my body now.  I went from a size 10 to a size 6.  I feel like I have the tools and know how to control and manage my weight - something that I've never felt before.

Starting this weekend, I will move to Phase 3 of the diet which means I can move to PV days everyday except for 1 day a week where I have to go back to a PP day.  Each PV day, I can also have 2 slices of whole wheat bread and 1 serving of fruit.  Once a week, I can have 1 serving of starch and once a week, I can have a 'celebration meal' where I can eat anything I want but only 1 serving of an appetizer, main course, and dessert.  No seconds.  I have to be in Phase 3 for 5 days for every pound I lost so that would be 100 days or just over 3 months so by the end of January, I should be able to move to the final Phase 4 of the diet.

Thank you Dr. Pierre Dukan!