2010

So, January 2, 2010. The year begins today for me as Neomom's back to work and the boys and I must figure out ways to make these four walls interesting.

It's -29 outside this morning, with a windchill of -37. So we won't be going tobogganing.

The Christmas decorations are all gone, the new calendar's on the wall. Time to dig into the new year.

Yesterday, I watched a marathon on the Food Network. It was called something like The Next Food Network Star. I like marathons. You don't have to wait a week for the next episode . . . it's all solved in a day.

Anyway, I was inspired, as often happens when watching the Food Network. I found myself wanting to buy new and wonderful ingredients and try new and wonderful cooking techniques. I wanted to pull out my Jamie Oliver cookbooks and pick a couple of weird items and cook 'em up. I want to know what celeriac tastes like. I want to create a perfect risotto, from scratch. The possibilities were swimming around in my head. I LOVE to cook!

But yesterday at supper, I was reminded why my love of all things food had been severely curtailed.

I'd pulled out a pound of ground beef in the morning and had planned a simple taco salad for supper: taco meat, cheese, lettuce, Catalina dressing and salsa all mixed up and served over corn chips. Yum! (If I was alone, chopped tomato, onion and olives would have been added to the mix, but the boys hate tomato and onion and Neomom is not a fan of olives.)

Sonwun took one look at my creation and proclaimed it "yucky." He didn't even try it. He likes taco meat. He likes lettuce. He likes cheese and he loves Catalina dressing. But put 'em all together: "Yucky!"

Sontoo didn't exactly cheer either. Both boys left the table hungry.

My new year's inspiration took a hit. But not a fatal one.

I still plan to step up my culinary training and serve whatever's produced to my young charges. They must learn to try new things. Every night can't be chicken fingers with plum sauce— the only thing that's a guaranteed hit for both of them.

But let's be clear. This is not a resolution. I don't do those. This is just something I want to do. Okay?

Sooo . . . the next step is locating my Jamie Oliver cookbooks. I thought they were in the kitchen in the cookbook cupboard, but I just discovered I am wrong. I've got a few other cookbooks, but the recipes are kinda over the top and I'm not ready for that just yet. Baby steps.

Anyhoo, that's the news for now. Oh, one other thing. We finally combined all of our Sears gift cards from the last few years and picked up a new clothes dryer, to match the washer we got a few months back. Nice not to have to go through three drying cycles to get one load done.

Welcome to 2010 folks. Hope it's a great one for all of us. I wish you good health, good friends and some level of sanity you can live with.

Date Night at Last . . .

I almost put Crisco on Sontoo's little bottom. So desperate was I to put an end to one of the most nasty cases of diaper rash I have ever encountered.

It was going to be that or Bag Balm, a cow udder treatment that was recommended on one of the sites I searched for solutions.

This all began Sunday, a long-overdue date night, for Neomom and I. We had it all planned out and had even hired a babysitter in this new city; a daunting task. But we have not been out together, alone, for so long. We were looking forward to a nice dinner, followed by drinks at a local sports bar. No, it's not the perfect evening out, but it's the best Thompson has to offer. And it isn't about where. It's about with whom.

So Neomom spoke to a few colleagues and found one had a 15-year-old daughter who did the babysitting thing. We called, she was free Sunday night and the plan was coming together.

Until Sunday morning.

Sonwun fired the first volley at our plans. His tummy troubles took the northern route. He opened with an early-morning regurgitative redecoration of his pajamas, my pants, the couch and the floor. That was soon followed by a fever and our Sunday night plans were fading fast.

Sontoo put the final nail in our date-night coffin, but his tummy troubles took the southern route. Solid poop became a thing of the past and the poor little guy's bottom took the brunt of it. His tushy turned bright red and then developed open wounds as the liquid waste burned at his bottom. We tried to keep up with the changes, but any amount of time in a dirty diaper was too much.

As time on the change table became a painful, screaming battle, I was desperate for a solution. While Neomom pulled out the baby books, I hit the internet. And yes, among the proposed solutions, was Crisco (not the oil, the lard), Bag Balm and a combination of vaseline and Mylanta heartburn medication. The theory for the latter, of course, being that it would combat the acid in his poop and, hopefully, turn that little bottom back to it's normal colour.

As I read story after story of diaper-rash-related diarrhea (I used to read novels . . . sigh) it occurred to me that one of the common themes was coverage, sealant; keeping the nasties away from that precious posterior. The other most common theme was that, no matter what you tried, the problem wouldn't be entirely solved until the tummy troubles disappeared.

So, after considering Crisco and Bag Balm for a few minutes, I decided it was just best to use the available weapons, Desitin and Vaseline, and just bomb the hell out of the war zone with each diaper change. At the same time, I attacked on the northern front, offering foods I hoped would tighten things up; cheese, oatmeal, bread and less fruit for a little while.

This morning, it seems the tide has turned. Sonwun's fever is gone and Sontoo's little bottom is showing tremendous improvement. Yes, we lost the date-night battle, but we are winning the diaper rash war. And in the end (haha) that's what really counts.

Food is the Answer - What's the Question?

So let's talk snacks.

Are they necessary? How often? Must I lug something from each of the four food groups with me every time I leave the house? Can the boys not survive an hour or two without eating?

I'm asking these questions for two reasons:

1. Sonwun is required to bring a snack to preschool. He's there from 1 to 3:15. He wouldn't get a snack in that time period in my house. He just ate his freakin' lunch. Why does he need to eat at preschool? I'm not paying you to monitor him at feeding time.

2. Playgroup runs from 9:30 to 11. So many of the moms bring snacks. Some of them highjack the little picnic tables and lay out a freakin' buffet. Seriously, six different bowls of food. Again, the kids just had breakfast. (Or maybe the didn't and you just choose to feed them breakfast at playgroup). But for the rest of you, why do we need to feed them every half hour?

Oh, and as a side note to the buffet . . . Would you people please not leave the food out the entire time. You and your kids walk away, giving any child the chance to sneak up and help themselves. And yes, I realize you don't mind, but I DO. I don't know you, I don't know your kids. But I do know that communal food bowls are the perfect place to share whatever disease, virus or plague that is going around. So knock it off. You want to feed your little butterball, do it. But recognize there are other little people in the freakin' room and keep it to yourselves.

And a special note to the mom who brought sugar-coated Timbits as a snack for her child and left them out for all. When my 18-month-old tries to help himself, don't encourage him. I don't want him to have that. Especially the one that already had a fucking bite out of it. Keep your crap for your own kids. That's your decision. What my son puts in his mouth is, generally, my decision.

Now I will admit up front that I'm still relatively new at the parent gig. But I want my boys to eat a good healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Filling their little bellies every hour during the day with crackers, or cheese or fruit or whatever happens to be lying around at Playgroup, tends to make them a little less enthusiastic about cleaning their plates at meal time. And I don't need that.

By nature I'm an observer. Can't help it. I think that's why I fell in love with photography. And I can't help but notice that some people think that whenever a child makes a negative noise of any kind, it's a cry for food. And, based on my admittedly limited experience, IT'S NOT! A hug, a diaper change, a little attention is often all that is required. Yeah, I know, it's easier just to shove a Timbit in the kids' mouth and continue your conversation with the woman beside you, but I just don't think that's a good idea.

In this age where we, apparently, are all consumed with the childhood obesity "crisis," maybe it's time to take a look at the out-of-control snacking. Are we teaching the kids that food is comfort, food is love, food is the answer to every question?

Are you unhappy little one? Here, have a cookie. Here, have a poptart. It will make you fell better. I don't think that's a great message to impart on a little sponge-of-a-mind.

And, you know, to each their own, I guess. But when a snack is "mandatory" equipment for preschool, I have to question it. Granted, at least they insist the snack is approved by Canada's Guide to Healthy Eating. But maybe there should be a Guide to Healthy Eating Habits and Attitudes to go with it. Every childhood problem is not solved with a snack - even if that snack meets with the approval of the Canadian government.

And every child does not need food between 1 and 3:15 each day. I recognize that there are some children who don't get a healthy snack at home and the most nutritious thing they eat is the little snack at preschool. But does that mean we must make them all sit down together and eat something? No peer pressure here. I mean, what if I choose to send Sonwun to preschool without a government-approved snack? Will he have to sit aside, by himself, while the others graze? I must assume so.

I repeat two things I've said in previous posts.

1. I need to know why. Why is the snack mandatory at preschool? My kid can go two hours without eating. Is that really an issue for so many others? If so, we have other issues we need to deal with.

2. I don't want to be "one of those parents" that makes life miserable for those charged with my sons' care, but see #1. I need answers. These boys are my most prized possessions and I'm interested in everything they do, say and eat.

And if that makes me a pain in the ass, so be it.

Now, all that being said. If my kid needs a snack, he'll get one. Sonwun is almost four. He can ask for a snack if he's hungry. If the request immediately follows lunch, I know he's not really hungry but is looking for attention. If he asks in a whiny voice, it usually means he's looking for attention. If he asks 10 minutes before supper, it ain't happening. He gets what he needs based on my experience, the things I've read and the time of day. He doesn't always get what he wants.

Sontoo is just learning to speak, but I am intimately familiar with the noises he makes. I know there is one for sleep, one for attention, one for food, about six for "my brother's teasing me" and, when a diaper change is in order, he has already started climbing the stairs toward his bedroom to let me know. If I don't catch him in time, I'll find him sitting on the change table. He's quite a climber. And when it comes to snacks, he too gets what he needs based on my experience, the things I've read and the time of day. He doesn't always get what he wants.

Rant over. Have a great Thursday. I must go prepare Sonwun's snack for preschool. And remember, Kiddies Northern Preschool is a "Nut Aware" environment. Who comes up with these names? Bah, that's a rant for another day.

A Light in the Darkness

So it's been just shy of three weeks in the Hub of the North. And overall, I gotta tell you, it hasn't been great.

I have been disappointed at just about every turn. Take the kids to the playground: find it covered in broken beer and sherry bottles. Found a nicer one today, less glass, more graffiti and some minor drug paraphernalia.

Go to Canadian Tire to buy a lawnmower: find the worst collection of disinterested, lazy and, well, I'll say it, stupid people in red shirts that I have ever encountered. Fifteen or so of them wandering the cramped aisles with vacant looks on their faces, desperately trying to avoid eye contact and a possible question about merchandise, and one of them trying to keep up with the six people in line at the cash register.

Go to Walmart. And those of you who know me, know how it pains me to say that. But I did, because I still needed a lawnmower. And there, I found the folks that were rejected for employment at Canadian Tire.

Went to a Chinese restaurant - and I don't mean to insult all restaurants when I use that word in reference to this place. Worst I have ever been to - Wong's. If you ever get to Thompson, avoid it. Just bad. Not much else to say. Okay, I'll say a little more. It's pretty hard to screw up sweet and sour chicken balls. At least I used to think so.

Been to Tim Horton's a couple of times. If you go at 5 a.m., you can get your coffee fairly quickly. Go at other times and you're gridlocked at the drive-through. Don't bother going inside.

But there have also been a couple of bright spots . . . yeah, two that I can think of. Went to the Staples in town. Was greeted when I walked in by a clean, friendly, intelligent person. Didn't have to wander the aisles endlessly looking for help. It was there, it was offered and it was good. I think I'll be going there, just to hang out on rainy days.

And then there was last night. Finally decided to check out the Riverview Restaurant just outside of town. Before leaving, I looked for a review on line. Found one. Guy said it was the best restaurant in Thompson. I've been to several restaurants in Thompson and I'll tell you the competition is not fierce. But we had a few RCMP recommendations as well, so what the heck? Couldn't be much worse than Wong's.

The outside, I'll tell you, didn't look like much - kind of like a converted house on the banks of the Burntwood River. The obligatory mural painted on the outside. But inside, once you get past the reception area, was cozy, warm and clean. The waitress was smiling, friendly and even offered suggestions from the rather extensive menu.

And the food was fantastic, by any standard. We didn't even scratch the menu's surface, ordering the pan-fried dumplings to start (fantastic!), followed by sweet and sour sesame chicken, barbecued pork lo mein noodles and kung pao beef. All of it was awesome and I have eaten at some nice Chinese food places in Niagara and Toronto.

I can't wait to get back and try more of the vast selection which, by the way, includes a full page of sushi selections.

So yes, there is some light in the darkness, some sweet in the sour and some flavour in the Thompson food.