Mother thanks her lucky star: Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - Roxanne Follet sat in a wheelchair, clutching a bright red, heart-shaped pillow and a photo of her newborn daughter lying in a nearby neonatal intensive care unit.

Her voice cracked with emotion Saturday, as she talked about the miracle baby that saved her life.

Miracle Astra Alice Alfreda Follett was born prematurely, 35 weeks into the pregnancy, on Jan. 24 at the University Hospital. In a rare double operation, worthy of an episode of TV's Grey's Anatomy, she was delivered by caesarian section, moments before doctors started open-heart surgery on her mother.

Roxanne Follett gazes into the face of her newborn daughter, Miracle Astra Alice Afreda, at the University Hospital on Saturday after undergoing simultaneous open-heart surgery and delivery.

It was the first such operation for cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Rod MacArthur and obstetrician Dr. Billy Wong, who both said it was so rare they don't expect to perform another one during their careers.

"There have been approximately 40 cases reported worldwide over the last 25 years and in only approximately half of those cases have both mother and baby survived, so it truly is an exceptional case," MacArthur said during a news conference at the hospital.

As far as MacArthur knows, it is the first such operation in Canada.

Wong said Roxanne Follett would likely not be alive today if she hadn't been pregnant because a tear in her aorta would probably not have been discovered otherwise. Within 24 to 48 hours an aortic tear usually ruptures and, 40 per cent of patients die without emergency surgery, MacArthur added.

The tear was discovered in Edmonton after Follett started struggling to breathe and doctors in Grande Prairie decided she needed to be seen by specialists here.

Doctors faced a Catch-22 situation: Follett likely wouldn't have survived delivery without the heart surgery, but her fetus likely wouldn't have survived the heart surgery, in which Follett's body temperature needed to be cooled to 17 C and the blood drained from her body. Doctors decided to do the caesarian first then the heart surgery, but opened Follett's chest first in case the aorta ruptured while the baby was being delivered. Approximately 12 doctors and nurses were involved in the operation which lasted approximately nine hours.

Follett, a nurse who works in the medical rehabilitation unit of the hospital in Grande Prairie, said she owes her life to her 10-day-old daughter.

"Astra means 'a star,' and that's what she is. She's my star, because if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here."

The baby was conceived in vitro last year and was the only one of four embryos to survive "so there was a reason," Follett said. "She saved my life and I saved her life.

"I can't even express (what I feel) everytime I look at her. She deserves a million bucks every day for the rest of her life," Follett said, laughing.

Astra's dad, Doug said he feels like he's won a million dollars, "but I didn't get a million dollars. I got two lives."

Doug, who drives a cement truck, spent an emotional 12 hours in a waiting room alternately praying and crying during the operation. "The last time I cried so much, was when I was a baby looking for milk," he joked.

Roxanne said the couple, who are originally from Newfoundland, plan to donate a dollar for every day of Astra's life to the Heart and Stroke Foundation to give back for the miracle they were given.

Astra was scheduled to be airlifted to Grande Prairie hospital where she will spend up to a couple of weeks in that hospital's neonatal intensive care unit growing bigger and stronger. The baby currently weighs just over four pounds but must weigh 5.5 pounds for insurance purposes, before she can travel home in a car seat.

Astra's parents, and her maternal grandmother Alfreda Cunard, who came out from Newfoundland for six weeks to help Roxanne with the baby, were driving back home.

I found this more interesting than usual because Dr Wong is who did my c-section with the Princess. I guess I never really thought about how "high risk" a doctor he really was, holy crap, that's a crazy tandem operation.

Carseat Recall

Evenflo Co. issued a voluntary safety recall Friday of 1 million Discovery infant car seats after tests showed that the seat could potentially become separated from its base in high-impact side collisions.

VANDALIA, Ohio (AP) - Evenflo Co. issued a voluntary safety recall Friday of 1 million Discovery infant car seats after tests showed that the seat could potentially become separated from its base in high-impact side collisions.

The recall affects Discovery Infant Car Seat Models 390, 391, 534 and 552, made between April 2005 and Jan. 29, 2008.

"Evenflo has taken the appropriate action today in recalling the Discovery child safety seat," said Nicole Nason, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Testing conducted by NHTSA and Evenflo has confirmed that these seats represent a potential safety risk to children in high-impact side collisions."

Rob Matteucci, Evenflo's chief executive officer, said the Discovery seat models have performed well to protect infants in side collisions, with no reports of any serious injuries or deaths since they were introduced. However, he said the company wants to take further steps to protect the safety of children.

Evenflo is providing owners of the seat models with a free supplemental dual-hook fastener to ensure that the seat remains attached in such collisions. Evenflo said consumers should continue to use their Discovery infant car seat and that it is not necessary to return the seats to retailers.

The privately held company, based in suburban Dayton, said it is also taking steps to improve future Discovery seat models. The updated seats will be available in the second quarter of 2008.

To order the fastener, owners of Discovery 390, 391, 534, 552 models should call Evenflo at 1-800-356-2229 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST or visit www.evenflo.com/Discovery. No shipping costs will be incurred, and orders will arrive in about three to four weeks, the company said.

Now the real pisser to this one, is that Consumer Reports FAILED these seats last year, then later had to recant, because they tested at too high of speeds, and came under fire for errors that they may or may not have committed. And now, gee, whoops, I guess they were right. What really chaps my ass, is that over one million of these units were in use for a WHOLE YEAR, possibly putting children at risk in accidents.

Moral of the story: Listen to Consumer Reports.

Has enthusiasm for breastfeeding gone too far?

Original article here
LOL I snorted a few times reading this.

Like handbags, bikini waxes, and romantic comedies, breastfeeding is one of those things dads have always been happy not knowing much about.

We might appreciate how breastfeeding boosts our kids' immunity (and our wives' physiques), but on the whole we've remained blissfully ignorant about exactly what happens under the blouse or blanket at feeding time.

But no more.

Increasingly, dads are taking an active and involved role in all aspects of parenting. We change nappies. We learn Lamaze. We hold forth on the pros and cons of cord bank registries. I once heard a guy boast about his newborn's Apgar Score like he'd won the World Cup.

I'm as hyper-involved as any new dad, but I never thought I'd have much role in breastfeeding, which is, I figured, pretty much entirely a mother-child transaction.

Then I had my first kid.

In the delivery room, I was there to witness the moment my son latched on for the first time. I studied La Leche League literature and kept a close watch on the nursery to guard against unapproved formula feedings. I stood by as the hospital lactation consultant performed a hands-on demonstration of proper positioning.

All of which was fine, really. Unlike my own dad and countless previous generations of fathers, I was determined to be a full and equal partner in childrearing. If that meant I had to learn first-hand about the laxative properties of colostrum or stand by as a gigantic Russian nurse groped my wife's woman-parts, so be it.

But then came our visit with the groovy pediatrician.

Soon after bringing our son home from the hospital, my wife and I went to see our neighborhood family doctor, a local legend known for his celebrity daughter and affinity for holistic, alternative care.

Much to our dismay, nursing was not going well. We couldn't be sure the source of the problem - blocked ducts? nipple confusion? - but the result was that our baby wasn't eating. We hadn't slept in two days.

Holding our weeping, starving son in the doctor's shabby-chic waiting room, surrounded by fashionable couples and those thousand-dollar strollers that look like lunar landing modules, we looked like victims of a violent crime.

After a quick exam and quiz on nutrition, the doctor got down to business. He had my wife unbutton her shirt and instructed her how to use her forefinger and thumb to "express" a dollop of milk onto his finger.

And then he licked it. "Sweet," he said. Whereupon he extended a finger to me. I declined.

It's been eight years since that encounter and it still disturbs me in a way I find hard to explain. It wasn't lascivious - both my wife and I got the distinct sense the doctor had all the best intentions and was simply taking the most direct, least prudish route possible to diagnose our problem. He was simply doing what groovy pediatricians do.

But still. To my surprise, my horror at the event wasn't shared by my Baby Bjorn-wearing, Diaper Genie-packing brothers.

One friend, an altogether sane and well-adjusted father of two, casually mentioned that he sometimes squirted a bit of banked breast milk into his morning coffee (a habit his wife didn't exactly support - "That's our night out!" she cried.)

I've heard about groups of mothers who have no qualms nursing each other's kids. Go online and you can find adult testimonials on the cancer-fighting properties of breast milk along with recipes for a beverage known as a "lactuccino."

Another couple recently relayed a story that demonstrates how comfortable some dads have become in the finer points of breastfeeding. A month after the birth of their first child, they hired a sitter and headed out for their first date as parents. But upon pulling into a multiplex parking lot, mom found that the time away from home had left her engorged, leaking and highly uncomfortable. No way would she be able to sit still for two hours, she said. After some tense negotiation, the husband agreed to duck into the back seat of the car and relieve her distress himself.

Not only did he get to see the movie, he said, his hair had a silky sheen for weeks afterward.

Far be it from me to judge, but I think this qualifies as going too far in being an equal-partner dad. I'm ready to nurture my kids and assist my wife in ways previous generations would have found ridiculous. I will sterilize parts of the breast pump and warm up bottles for late-night feedings.

But sampling the merchandise? That's just gross.

(Christopher Noxon is a freelance writer. Any opinion in the column that is issued every two weeks are solely those of Mr. Noxon. You can e-mail him at cnox

on@sbcglobal.net.)

One of My Favorite Ads..

This was out about 2002 and Mike and I STILL laugh about it. Classic.

At The Good Ol' Hockey Game...

Mike scored some tickets to the hockey game last night, and luckily Uncle Wyatt was available to babysit the kids, so off we went. The tickets ended up being really good ones, (not surprising for company tickets) we were ten rows away from the ice.

I took some pics for Mr K to see what Rexall looks like. Hopefully Mike's turn at the tickets will come up soon (it was someone else from work who took us on their tickets) and then we have 4 tickets and can take Mr K as well.



I know Mr K would love it, but I was really hoping that the guy a few seats over doesn't have season tickets, what a drunken loudmouth! I mean, he DID have us laughing, but I would have had to say something if I took K there. Some of his comments included:

"McTavish sucks balls!"
" Get off your knees, you're blowing the game" (ok this one I just about cried with laughter tho)
" Staios! You suck! Two minutes for being on the ice!"

Some of those I really don't want to have to explain to my four year old LOL.

The List Is Out!

I love the list of baby names in Alberta, I wait for it every year (what a geek). I can't help it, after choosing unique names for the kids, I am so curious to see if they are getting more popular or not. I know there are a few of you who love this list too, so here you go


Alberta Top Baby Names


Mr K's actually fell from previous years, but the Princess's name has almost doubled (from 15 to 27). Oh no! LOL.

I actually found my name one year, but only that one year LOL, and spelled exactly like mine too.

Warms the Cockles of Me Heart

SMART husband. Brought these home and a KitKat. Damn.

It's Effing Cold Out There!

Yah, nothing like -30 and a windchill of -46. This would be Mike's shoveling job this morning. I looked out the window to see a wee bit of shoveling done, then footprints to the van... I had to laugh, I don't blame him, that is freaking cold.
Dinner last night, not so fancy, but I made Cajun pork, and it wasn't too bad. Basically breaded pork sirloin pieces with Cajun seasoning in the flour then fried...I could do without them but Mike really liked them. Then our favorite veggies, roasted red peppers with zucchini...mmmm. Then cheese casserole.

And my newest love, seasoning with a built in grinder, nothing like freshly ground Cajun seasoning, all for the price of 3 bucks at Superstore. I need to see what other kinds they carry.


And that is it. Today will be spent finding all sorts of things to do in the house, good thing I am loaded up on paints and crafty things for the kids. The basement still has all the seats from the van so maybe we will have a few "trips" to the moon or the museum...do some baking...

Mmmmmm TV

Nice snowstorm that blew in today, holy smokes. We haven't even looked at the sidewalk, Mike was hopeful and cleared it this morning, but now its so bad that you can't tell where the sidewalk is in comparison to our lawn, its all the same height. Have fun shovelling hon! I think we get worse wind out here, it seems to drift...I would hate to think that its really THAT much snow that we are getting.

Our weekend project....setting up the new TV. It's too big and too ostentatious and too loud and I love it. :) We rented some Blu-ray movies for tonight to try out the Blu-ray player and I can't wait! The new Harry Potter and the newest Die Hard...frick I am worse than a man, I really am. I can't WAIT to get the kids to bed and watch all 58 glorious inches of Bruce Willis. (wait, that sounded quite dirty.....)

So thanks to my brother and dad who went to the States to pick up the tv's and Blu-ray's for everyone, and Dad for paying for the larger part of it. You are looking at the rest of my lifetime of birthday presents from my parents, but I think it was worth the trade. Hell, they don't even have to call me on my birthday anymore if they don't want.



Friday I went and saw 27 Dresses with Amanda and Brandy, and it was exactly what I wanted it to be, mindless chick flick. Which is a good thing after all the trouble we went to, to go and see it. Firstly, I arrived at the 7:40 movie at 7:36 thanks to an accident on the way and busy traffic around the theater. Pull into the cinema and no parking for miles. Then I notice that the entrance is literally crammed with people, right to the doors. Look at my cellphone and its totally dead, and my car charger is broken. So I was like Eff this, and went to the nearest payphone, called Mike, told him to call the girls and let them know. I call him back and my ass was directed BACK to the theater where they were waiting. We finally figure out its playing in St Albert, drive around there lost for a while. End up finding the theater, which was probably the most grungy, falling apart theater I have seen in a while. The seat in front of us was half hanging backwards, all broken, and there was a mound of popcorn at our feet. OH! And a bug flying around! The good news was that is was 17 bucks for the ticket, popcorn,pop and a chocolate bar. It was worth the grunge.

So I digress. I had picked up a couple gardening magazines at Safeway and I am just drooling with anticipation. I need to find a job to pay for my habit tho, I have champagne tastes on a beer budget.

And what else... oh yes, speaking of great dads, mine lent me his old Minolta camera so I can fiddle around with SLR and see if I really do want to buy one, or just get a nice point and shoot. Its film, so that's SO hard to get used to, not instantly seeing the picture.

Umm.. I am missing craft night cause there is no way I am driving on these roads in the dark, that sucks, I was looking forward to my magazines, and a latte and some chatter....sigh.

Have I mentioned I am so done with winter?

Felt Wallet

I was going to do this for Craft night, but I had time on my hands today so I whipped it up. The Princess chose the rabbit applique instead of iron on intials, then I had the buttons to match. So I stitched the sides, glued on the rabbit and did the button up. For some reason the gluestick stuck like a mofo, the materials must have just meshed well, I was rather shocked and thought I would have to sew it on.

I started Mr K's with these awesome shiny gold initials and he didn't want it! I was all like, FINE, my initals are KJ too, nyah nyah but didn't bother finishing it for myself lol.

And if anyone else is like me, I had a MILLION cards that The Princess could put in her "wallet" I have tons of used giftcards, business cards, she had a blast pretending with them.

Now That's Interesting...

So I like looking at my hits counter, its neat to see where the hits come from world-wise. I looked this afternoon, and saw one that was different, so I went to details. It ended up being the Victoria (Australia) Police network, and they had visited my post about the Violence Against Women.

I am really curious if my blog was tagged by a spider/bot whatever thingy, (see how technical I am) and sent to their attention because of those words......interesting..... Usually I can see that a google search for random things brought up my blog, then the person clicked on it, read my blog etc. This was a direct hit right to my blogpage.....weird.

Goes to show you tho why I don't use the kids real names or any pictures of them, or my address or personal information, you never know who is looking!

Oh, AHEM, and why I am a decent, law-abiding citizen ;)

Mushroom Prints

Yes, I have a lot of time to blog today. The kids are completely immersed in playing on the seats that we removed from the van (Wyatt borrowed it). We put them in the basement, and so far the kids have been to the moon, Mars (Venus was too hot, I was informed) and on a schoolbus for a field trip. Why didn't I think of that before? Just haul (painfully, I might add) the seats out, lug them downstairs, and voila, kids occupied for the entire day, and copious amounts of web surfing for me!

These were just damn cool and I have to try them this summer. Click on pic to see the webpage.

Slap My Hand...

...when this stores online shopping is a go....its like the "best of Etsy" in one store.... (click the pic)


I covet the amethyst necklace by Lynette-McCullough.....some of the jewelry on that site is just fantastic. I like her mermaid necklace too....way too awesome.

Mmm I would love to browse that store.....no granny dishcloths or slippers LOL! Not that there is anything wrong with those...

Challenge Grant to End Violence against Women

UN Foundation to donate $1 for every signature to UNIFEM
online campaign

WASHINGTON DC / New York (January 22, 2008) - The United Nations Foundation announced today its support for the “Say NO to Violence against Women” campaign. The Foundation will donate $1 for each the first 100,000 signatures to the online campaign that is run by the UN Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM. The contributions will go to the UNIFEM-managed UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.

“Recent UN research has demonstrated the shameful scope of violence against women around the world, where one in three women are subject to some form of coercion or abuse in their lifetimes,” said Timothy E. Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation. “To turn the tide on violence, the international community must work together to stand up for the human rights of women and that’s what UNIFEM’s “Say NO” campaign does. It allows people everywhere to go on record and stand up for a world free of violence against women.”

“Thanks to this fantastic challenge grant, every signature will bolster our cause to make ending violence against women worldwide a top priority”, said UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman who champions the campaign. What’s more, it will help provide critical resources for local initiatives that are supported through the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women – whether it is working to prevent human trafficking, assisting survivors of domestic violence or helping implement laws against rape.”

People can sign on to the campaign at www.sayNOtoviolence.org.

“The more people join, the stronger the message that there is an ever-growing movement of people who are demanding decisive action to put a stop to what is probably the most pervasive human rights violation”, added acting UNIFEM Executive Director Joanne Sandler. “This generous donation will provide an additional strong incentive for people to sign up to the campaign.”

The “Say No to Violence against Women” campaign was launched November 26, 2007. To date more than 18,000 people worldwide have signed the call that urges an end to violence against women and encourages support to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. This Trust Fund, managed by UNIFEM for the UN system, supports innovative initiatives by governments and non-governmental organizations to end violence against women. Since its establishment in 1996, it has helped fund some 250 initiatives in 120 countries.

"Each day, each hour, each minute, a woman in the world is a victim of violence," said Wirth. "Taking this simple step, signing on to the campaign, sends the message that enough is enough and the cycle of violence must stop now."

For more information about the campaign visit www.sayNOtoviolence.org or www.unfoundation.org.

##

About UNIFEM
UNIFEM is the women’s fund at the United Nations. It provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies to foster women’s empowerment and gender equality. Placing the advancement of women’s human rights at the centre of all of its efforts, UNIFEM focuses its activities on reducing feminized poverty; ending violence against women; reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls; and achieving gender equality in democratic governance in times of peace as well as war. More information: www.unifem.org

About the United Nations Foundation
The UN Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems and also works to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity. For a complete listing of UN Foundation grants and programs or to learn more about the United Nations Foundation, visit www.unfoundation.org.

Press Contact
Katherine Miller
(o) 202.778.1622
(c) 202.247.7280
(e) kmiller@unfoundation.org

Nanette Braun
(o) 212-906-6829
(c) 917-6671696
(e) nanette.braun@unifem.org

They are only at about 20,000 right now, so send the info to those who you know would sign up!

Why Moms Don't Lose Weight

Due to the fact that I opened the dishwasher this morning, and blankly stared inside, only to realize that what I MEANT to do was to open the top of the coffee pot (at least the coffee pot is above it on the counter, hey, we all make mistakes) I am skipping my treadmill. I didn't, to my great relief, throw coffee grinds in and start the dishwasher, so I think I am fit enough to watch my children today. After downing some caffeine from lukewarm coffee, of course, the coffee pot is brewing (god, I hope that was the coffee pot) and I am waiting in great pain for it to be done. But I don't think my legs would cooperate with a morning run, and I think somehow the treadmill would end up on top of me, like those awful commericals with the forklift on top of the worker. Its not the kids I am worried about, Treehouse would take care of them all day,and they could scrounge food from the cupboards like the feral children they are, but that would just be really bad way to start my week.

But that lead my morning mind to thinking, in its haze, about how lack of sleep just undermines my health in so many ways. I've noticed it, in the fact that I can directly track my weight loss (and gains) with my amount of sleep. The Princess was sleeping almost through the night in September till about November, and that's when I was my most successful. Since then, no sleep, no motivation. When she doesn't sleep, its all I can do to dope myself with caffeine and try not to eat sugared food all day to get a fake energy boost. If you add in a day with a playdate, then there's just no chance of any exercise happening because it takes every minute amount of energy to get them dressed and out and be relatively in a good mood for them all day. And the mood part is a huge part of it, it takes a lot of damn energy out of you to be chipper and happy for your kids, and not cancel their playdates and suffer through them, when you are surviving on 4-5 hours of broken sleep. (And I will now edit and add that my friends and their playdate's don't suck.lol. )

There are articles out there on the topic of course, like this one and this one.

The first one annoyed me a bit, but I realized that it would be good if new moms could take the article from the viewpoint of NOT stressing about those "11 lbs" ( HA I wish) and just waiting until they started getting more sleep, instead of trying to lose it and being discouraged. It probably all ties in to nature, how we need that extra weight to breastfeed, and the lack of sleep keeps us sharp and on edge from predators or some related malarky.

We all know that healthy sleep habits = healthy life, but its pretty hard to implement when you can't control the fact that your kids may not let you sleep. And if there's anything I have learned, its that you can't fight your child's sleep habits. I have one sleeper, and one non sleeper.The Princess seems to be able to survive on 8 broken hours of rest, where Mr K, since about 14/15 months, sleeps a solid straight 12 hour night. I swear their personalities are a mitigating factor in this as well..

Or I could just be grasping at this because I am too freaking tired to even think about exercising, and its a nice handy excuse ;).

Coffee ready must drink.

I Have A Hot Date...

...with my treadmill tomorrow morning. The Jambalaya and the cream puffs for dessert turned out waaaay too well. I let you know if I survive tomorrow if it was worth it or not.


Aaah sigh back to normal eating now for the week...and think of what to make next weekend.. Mike was so awesome entertaining the kids while I puttered around both days concocting and creating in the afternoons. Not like he didn't benefit from it with good food, but still, I really appreciated it. I feel relaxed and ready to tackle my week after such a nice weekend.

Until my blood sugar crashes tomorrow morning.

Shits N Giggles

This was a prize that Mr K picked up from the carnival today. And Mike & I can't stop laughing.

A Taste of Italy...

I thought I would tackle some Italian foods this weekend, and they turned out fantastic. Dinner was a hit with everyone, and Mr K had the most fun with his new word, polenta. He wandered around saying "poooooo-lentaaaaaa" after dinner LOL, it really is a fun word.

So the poooo-lentaaa, I made it with parmesan and basil which was really tasty. I didn't realize that it should set for a good 4 hours so I threw it outside for about 1/2 hour, that did the trick. Nothing like -20 to set food. Then because I wanted them round, I used a glass to cut them out.


This just made me laugh. Mike was being an ass with the camera. Let's just say there were, key word being were, also unflattering pictures of me getting various items from bottom cupboards. My jeans put plumbers to shame. BUT it shows the lovely new apron that Melissa made me for Christmas! Martha never looked this good I tell you.
The Italian seasoned rib-eye....fennel,oregano with artichoke marinade. Throw them into the oven on broil (the polenta is SOOO good crisped on the outside) for about 7 minutes each side.
The finished product, polenta with an artichoke/sundried tomato topping, fresh tomatoes and the steaks. The recipes are really long and I am too lazy to type them out, let me know if you want them and I can send you them.


My dessert totally was a flop, I miscalculated the stooopid gelatin and didn't have enough. ( or it was the two glasses of wine blurring my vision as I read the recipe... hmmm...note to self....) So it was pumpkin pudding on a graham crust instead of pumpkin squares. Still tasted good, but I won't make it again for all the effort it was. Floppity flop flop.

Tomorrow night is Jiffy Jambalaya and I can't wait! MMmmmmmm....

More on the B-DAy Party

So I've managed to pry a bit more out of Mr K about the little boy at preschool and it just made me more confused about what to do LOL!

I had asked Mr K about him, and if he played with him, and he replied "He's a really rude boy". And K says he plays with other kids, not this little boy. Now I still don't know who he is, but I guess Mike does, he worked from home a couple afternoons this week and picked up K from preschool as a surprise. So Mike's polite version of this kid is that he's um, a wee bit out of control.

Ok, so now how do I go about explaining the intricacies of not going to a party just because you are invited? Now I feel stuck, because its not ok to go to a party of someone you don't like, just because a party would be fun (and K has made it pretty clear that he doesn't like this boy) . I mean, K is 4, this is getting into more heavy thought than need be at this point for Pete's sake!

And there's the other part, I don't want to "label" this child in K's head, because K hasn't come right out and said "I don't like him". I don't like putting words in my children's mouths or ideas in their heads. He has simply said he's rude to kids, rude to the teacher, and that he doesn't play with him. So I don't want to say "Oh, K, well, that means you don't like him so we don't go to the party", because then bingo, Mom's put that thought into his head. And to be honest, I don't like that saying, I would rather teach him that sometimes we aren't able to play well with certain people, that we have others that match us better for friends.

And stupid me sat right beside K's preschool teacher today at the winter carnival and didn't even think to ask her about the boy, whether perhaps there's a learning disability, or he's just having a hard time getting used to a preschool environment etc. Honestly. The sugar from the mini-donuts clouded my brain obviously. Look man, there was a unicycle and bright lights and this old Irish guy with a top hat juggling on it....I was thinking of other things.

See, I'll just sort through all this for the first time with him, then by the time The Princess is in preschool I will know what to say and do LOL! I still have a couple weeks to RSVP, so I think I will talk to the teacher, and go fairly early and watch them on the monitor and see what's what.

Aaah, if only everyone else in the world had such trivial things to worry about...oh...what a world it would be....;)

Birthday Invite From Preschool

I am sure that SOMEONE else must have gone through this. Mr K came home with an invitation to a fellow classmates birthday party on Tuesday after preschool. Which would usually be a cause for excitement for me, that he's making new friends and generally things are going well there.

But, I have no clue who this kid is. I have been in the classroom, not last month, but I have NO idea who this child is. Never even heard of him, never met him while volunteering, zip. I scanned today the nametags out for the kids, and I didn't see this child's name.

Not only that, but its a McDonalds party. And yes, I know I can't shield him from these forever, but they are on my bottom three most loathed places for parties, only trumped by Paintball for adult parties and anyplace that involves a shower of some type and the accompanying games.

So of course, Mr K is soooo excited. I have no idea who this kid is, why K is invited, and I am that kind of person that just feels guilty at saying no.

The sap part of me thinks maybe the little boy doesn't have any friends yet and invited the kids from his preschool class (and there go my bloody heartstrings being tugged) because he doesn't know anyone else. Then I get all teary-eyed and sad for this little boy who has no friends. Drama queen me.

The other part of me can be so anti-social when she wants to be and doesn't want to meet new people. This means I have to go and TALK to another parent, meet them, and see who this boy is. I have my few parents that I know. A's mom is my favorite, shy, quiet nice woman who I got to know by trading parenting days. She's like me, just kinda goes, smiles at everyone, and picks up her kid. They actually probably all think I am a snob. At least *I* am not the one who drives the Lexis SUV, I mean, is it REALLY necessary? (like my blatant classism there? ) Oh F, you just watch, they will be the Lexus ones.

I guess I will try and find out more about this kid....but I just find it weird. The kids I would invite from preschool over here, I have talked to their parents, known them for a few months, and know that K gets along with them well. Not an invite out of the blue.....

DHA and A.D.D.

From my Dr Sears Newsletter...

DHA and A.D.D.

Studies have shown that children with ADHD tend to have low blood levels of DHA and arachidonic acid, two key brain fats. Perhaps this is why other studies have shown that children who have been breastfed are less likely to have ADHD, and the longer the period of breastfeeding, the less the likelihood of having ADHD. The reason seems to be that breastmilk is high in important fatty acids, such as DHA, GLA, and ALA, arachidonic acid, and others, but prior to 1997 most formulas contained none or little of these fatty acids. Studies at Purdue University in Indiana suggest that many boys with ADHD have low levels of the omega fatty acids DHA, GLA, and AA in their blood, and tended to have lower levels of ALA and LA precursors in their blood than boys without ADHD, suggesting that these children were unable to make the fatty acids their brain needs from the fats in their diet. The boys with ADHD who had the lowest levels of DHA, GLA, and AA, exhibited the most anxiety, impulsivity, hyperactivity and conduct disorders. The researchers suggested three possible explanations for their findings: the children's diets were deficient in essential fatty acids, the children had a metabolic problem that prevented the body from converting dietary nutrients to essential fatty acids for the brain, or various lifestyle and dietary factors reduced the level of essential fatty acids available to the brain. For more information on ADD and ADHD
Click Here.

AND

Breastfeeding Builds Brighter Brains
We can't promise that breastfeeding will make your child a Nobel Prize winner, but research shows that babies who are breastfed are smarter when they get older.

Children who were breastfed have I.Q. scores averaging seven to ten points higher than formula-fed infants. It's important to remember that these numbers represent averages for hundreds of children, not the effect of breastfeeding on a specific individual. So, if you want to raise the intelligence level of an entire generation of children, breastfeeding would be a simple and cost-effective way to do it.
Studies have shown that children who are breastfed get higher grades in school, even after other influences on school performance are taken into account.
The intellectual advantage gained from breastfeeding is greater the longer the baby is breastfed.

Smarter fats. One key ingredient in breastmilk is a brain-boosting fat called DHA (docasahexaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid. DHA is a vital nutrient for growth, development, and maintenance of brain tissue. Autopsy analysis of brain tissue from breastfed and formula-fed infants shows that the brains of breastfed babies have a higher concentration of DHA, and DHA levels are highest in babies who are breastfed the longest. Infant formulas made in the United States do not contain DHA. For more information on building brains with breastfeeding

Ok, other than being really creeped out and sad about the autopsy analysis of baby brain tissue (eff) that was interesting. I do like that they address the issue that people always rebut with "Well, really, WHAT is only 7 IQ points!! Its not even an argument or worth it! " (oh yes, the times I have read that rebuttal to these studies) I like that they address it in a community approach manner, its NOT the individual child, but imagine what, as a generation, the difference would be in its entirety.....and a reminder that it's averages as well. A lot of pro-breastfeeders toss it around like its a given your child will be smarter by that 7-10 points, but really, its an average from studies. Still a hell of a good average tho! I'll take those odds, thank you kindly :) Even if its a mere 4 points for my kids, but I mean, AS IF my kids are underachievers.I bet they are on the upper end of those bonus IQ points. (ok you know I am kidding. sorta. LMAO. Please, like I am THAT mother)

I do think they have something tho....those fatty acids are damn important for us, and feeding infants formula that is lacking them isn't going to kill them, of course, but there are just things that man cannot fathom duplicating either....nor come close to...besides being pro-breastfeeding I just find all this damn fascinating, from what we start feeding our children at birth (and what we should and shouldn't) with to what we eat now (and what we should and shouldn't lol) ..its all so interesting.

Cooking Spree

Not sure why, but I am on a cooking spree lately. It has nothing to do with healthy habits, HA, perhaps I just got into the habit of always making something in December and haven't stopped since. My masterpiece was yesterday, roast pork with whole green beans, homemade biscuits and homemade gravy. (I hear you thinking, WTF Martha Wannabe.) I know, its sick, I'm sick. I think it might have to do with the fact that I am sick and tired of winter food already (stews,chili,etc) and really want different tastes. Or I really am just messed up.

I made Chocolate Mousse recently and it was fantastic.


Chocolate Mousse

1 cup SemiSweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Water
1/2 tsp Crushed Instant Coffee Granules

4 Egg Yolks
4 Egg Whites
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar

Melt chocolate chips and water over hot(not boiling) water.Stir in coffee.
Beat egg yolks until light colored. Add to chocolate mixture, beating to ensure there are no lumps. Remove from heat and cool.

Beat egg whites until stiff,then add sugar, beating until stiff again.Fold into chocolate mixture, then chill in sherbets or fruit nappies. Chill Several hours. Serve with whipped cream garnished with grated chocolate.


Today I am not so inspired to do much, I have a headache that hasn't gone away since Monday night, I feel like I am getting the flu but its not quite kicking in. Blech.

Back From the Dark Side

Been a while since I posted, but it has been soo busy around here. Mostly busy with TV watching...lol. Seriously, we had a busy week getting back into the groove of preschool, my email went on the lam, and I have so many projects on the go..AND we borrowed Planet Earth [9 part BBC miniseries] from Wyatt. Really fantastic series, we have only the last 2 parts left.

Will post more later..we are all just wiped, we went swimming at Servus Place this morning, came home,ate, The Princess napped, and we went back to the indoor playground till supper. My eyes are burning from chlorine and exhaustion.

Raisin Oatcakes

1 1/2 cups Flour
1 cup Quick Cooking Rolled Oats
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup hard margarine or butter


large egg, fork-beaten
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup raisins


Mix first 6 ingredients together ( I never use salt tho) and cut in the butter. (Guess who got to use her pastry blender for the first time?) Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Make a well in the center.

Add remaining 3 ingredients, mix till it forms a soft ball. Turn onto lightly floured surface, knead 8 times. Roll/pat to 1/2 inch thickness, use a round 2 inch cutter to cut out approx. 24 cakes. (I used a small wineglass, I have no biscuit cutters...hmmm...add to list) Arrange on greased(unless you have the nonstick like me) pans, bake at 400 until browned (8-12 minutes). Let stand for 5 minutes, then cool on rack.

They are basically oatmeal biscuits from Company's Coming, original recipe doesn't have cinnamon but it just feels more desserty with it. MMM really good warm with a pat of butter on top....the kids LOVED them, of course.

Breast-Feeding Seems to Protect Against Some Allergies (well duh says I)

MONDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Atopic disease -- which includes eczema, asthma and food allergies -- may be delayed or even prevented in high-risk infants if they are exclusively breast-fed for at least four months or fed infant formula without cow milk protein.

That's the conclusion of a new clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that's published in the January issue of Pediatrics. The report replaces an earlier policy statement from the AAP.

"Basically, it probably does not matter what pregnant or lactating women eat," said Dr. Frank Greer, an author of the report, professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin and chairman of the AAP Committee on Nutrition.

"The best prevention for atopic [allergic] disease is exclusive breast-feeding for four months," he added. "And if your infant comes from a family with significant atopic disease, then weaning from breast milk to a partially or extensively hydrolyzed [hypoallergenic] formula [without cow milk protein] may delay or prevent the onset of atopic disease, especially atopic dermatitis [eczema]."

Greer added that this recommendation would also apply to formula-fed infants who are at risk for atopic disease.

The timing and introduction of solid foods has no protective effect on the prevention of atopic disease, according to the new report.

"With the increase in asthma and food allergies that we've seen recently, we had hoped that maternal diet, breast-feeding and early childhood diet might all have some factor in decreasing incidence," said Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to significantly impact, according to studies already done. The only one that seems to be impacted is the atopic dermatitis, which is decreased by about one third by breast-feeding. But the studies that have been done so far have not proven that breast-feeding will significantly impact childhood asthma or food allergies."

The incidence of allergic diseases such as asthma, food allergies and various skin conditions has exploded during the past few decades. In children 4 years of age and younger, the incidence of asthma has risen 160 percent, while the incidence of atopic dermatitis has almost tripled. And the incidence of peanut allergy has doubled just during the past decade, according to the report.

While genetics certainly plays a role in the development of these diseases, environmental factors such as diet are also strongly related.

The new report reviewed different evidence on nutrition during pregnancy, breast-feeding and the first year of life that might affect the development of allergic disease. Its major findings are as follows:

• Currently, there is no evidence that what a mother eats during pregnancy or breast-feeding plays a major role in preventing atopic disease in infants. There is some evidence, however, that avoiding certain foods during breast-feeding may help prevent atopic eczema.
• Exclusive breast-feeding for at least four months for infants at high-risk of developing atopic disease decreases the risk of developing eczema and cow milk allergy during the first two years of life.
• In high-risk infants who aren't breast-fed exclusively for four to six months, the use of hydrolyzed infant formula (as opposed to formula containing cow milk) may delay or prevent the onset of atopic dermatitis.
• Exclusive breast-feeding for at least three months protects an infant against wheezing in early life.
• There is no good evidence to support the use of soy-based infant formula to prevent allergies.
• There is no evidence to suggest that delaying the introduction of solid foods before the recommended 4 to 6 months of age will have an effect on the development of atopic disease.
• There is no convincing evidence to suggest that any dietary intervention will prevent atopic disease after 4 to 6 months of age.

"It's a mixed picture," Wu said. "We don't have proven efficacy for breast-feeding. It may mean that we need more robust studies and a longer-term follow-up for kids."

The new report is titled "Effects of Early Nutritional Interventions on the Development of Atopic Disease in Infants and Children: The Role of Maternal Dietary Restriction, Breastfeeding, Timing of Introduction of Complementary Foods, and Hydrolyzed Formulas."

Really interesting... especially the part about the soy not preventing allergies, I think this is a pretty common misconception, it appears there's no fact to back it up.

And as for the cows milk and eczema, can we say HELL YES. I hate to imagine how bad Kade's would be if I hadn't breastfed him, he gets wee little spots once in a while, and I know he's eaten something he shouldn't have. Has nothing to do with our soaps or shampoos (they don't change and are as mild as I can buy) so its his diet. Genetically the kids are predisposed, we have some relatives with allergies that lead to severe eczema. And Ivy does nothing but nurse all day and has no allergies, so really, point proven (do you sense my sarcasm? you should....I hate teething nursing. She's at me as I type.) Sigh.

I Know What I Want for Mother's Day...

Mom Jeans - The most popular videos are a click away

But My MAIN Resolution Is.......

New Year's Resolutions...

So, who out there has been sucked into making them? I don't believe in making them, really, but this year I have thought more about what I would like to accomplish and do, rather than the good ol' standby's of quitting smoking and losing weight.

So let's see...what would I like to aspire to in 2008...

Keep up this rarely on the Internet thing I have happening lately. And honestly, other than Facecrack and blogging, not much interests me anymore. I am rarely on MSN anymore, I find that somedays it can literally take up 2 hours chatting, its a time sucker supreme. I am only going to use it to touch base and make playdates since I am allergic to the phone. :) I still love my blogging and reading other peoples blogs too, read my news articles and a few favorite sites, but my internet time has hugely diminished without me really even meaning to lately....and I realized I like that. I got out of the habit of just surfing and looking for amusement when bored, and loaded up on books over Christmas which are much better entertainment.

Keep plugging away at the basement and keep clearing stuff out and get something started on renos. Anything. Like one wire to a plug. Surely I can accomplish THAT this year.

Keep up the healthier lifestyle that Mike and I started working on this past fall. No stupid goals like treadmilling daily or loosing X amount of weight, that's not the point.

I will, by the GODS, find a babysitter so we can get out more. (I feel the disappointment of non-achievement crushing me on this one already lol)

This is where I should put, "wean Ivy sometime this year", but she might hear me think it and slap me for my impudence.

Enjoy this coming summer instead of letting people stress the shit out of me, family or not.Because even family doesn't have the right to cause huge stress. Actually, HELL, enjoy the whole damn year without letting anyone's drama affect my life negatively! And if anyone has a clue how to do this, let me know 'cause I haven't the foggiest.

Spoil myself and buy the 4 shelf indoor greenhouse that I am desperately pining for and start some plants really early this year..even if the package says they won't thrive here LOL!

Enjoy all the new babies coming this year....and look forward to all the new little fingers and toes and being an Auntie again! And be grateful for my beautiful babes being at such great, if perhaps a mite too busy, ages.

A Rant About Selling

Ugh. I HATE selling on Kijiji and Used Edmonton. We have been slowly clearing stuff out of the basement for the last month or so, trying to make more space so we can actually maybe some year start the renos down there. I am SO tired of all the rude people, and idiots out there!

Yesterday, we had a woman call wanting our highchair, fine and dandy. Talked to her in the morning, she said she would call when she was leaving. 3 o'clock, she calls and lets us know that she is on her way.

Six o'clock in the evening rolls around, she is a no show. Another gentleman calls about it and I tell him sure, that the woman is a no show, and that he can have it, He arrives in 30 minutes, takes it and its done.

At almost 7, the stupid woman shows up on our doorstep wanting her highchair! I just looked at her and said "you told me at 3 this afternoon, that you were coming straight here! I just sold it to someone else!" Then apologized for the mixup of course.

So she has the audacity to email me this morning, telling me what a bad seller I am, that its people like me that give Kijiji a bad name. I just let her (politely) have it both barrels LOL. Telling her that if you are 4 !! hours late, you have to let the seller know. I have had people call and never show up, people have me hold it and not ever get back to me. UGH. The guy came straight to the house to purchase it, and THAT is how it works.

You don't make someone give up their afternoon waiting at home, then show up in the evening, expecting them to have your item AND be happy that you were an asshole and wasted their day!

So yah. That and her email was full of spelling errors and bad grammer which always just sets me on edge anyways lol. OH, and her "friend started Kijiji" LMAO. OMG what-EVER.

And don't even get me started on Freecycle, we have tried to get rid of some stuff, and I think people missed the FREE part of Freecycle. This is the worst place for people promising to take things and never showing up.

Rant done. F#$% people.

What's New With Me....

..got a cut and dye.....

...baked and decorated a birthday cake for The Princess....
You?

The LAST Thing You Want to See in Your Shower....

Happiness Smells Like......

A 64 pack of Crayola crayons.

I think that Robert Fulghum summed it up nicely.....

“Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A Beauty Bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air — explode softly — and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth — boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn't go cheap, either — not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination.

I cracked these open today for Mr K, and the smell reminded me of being a kid, and I ran over to Mike and waved them under his nose. And for once, instead of thinking that I was his little strange duck (which I still am, of course) , he completely agreed that the smell was reminiscent of childhood days. Mr K must have thought we were the strangest parents ever, standing by the kitchen sink, sniffing his crayons, with these goofy grins plastered on our faces.

"Ummm, Mom?? Can I have my crayons?I wanna color my Monsters book"

Right, not my crayons.... I couldn't find bronze tho, tomorrow I am going to have to go thru the box...but I sure whipped out the silver and gold and started coloring with my boy. And was corrected that Sully was NOT, in fact, gold, but was a BLUE monster. Sheesh. Sniffs crayons AND doesn't know her colors.

More Homespun Christmas Ideas

From Kandice and Dan, homemade Toffee. Really, tasty, fantastic, homemade toffee. I had to smack Mike and stop him from eating it before I could take a picture.

And then a really thoughtful gift for the wine lover, stemless wine glasses, a red and a white, a bottle opener and the most awesome wine stopper, if you can click and enlarge, its a huge green jewel! And of course, knowing that my middle name is Magpie-with-a-propensity-for-shiny-things,
Kandice thought of me when she saw it.


I will, of course, let you know how the wine is LOL! Mmmmm. If I wasn't so sleep deprived from last night with one croupy Princess, I would probably crack one open. I think I would just slip into a coma tho.

Happy New Year All!

Toque or Tuque, Its All Canadian

Totally random, nonsensical post. I laughed my ass off at the Facecrack "Today's Gift" which was a "winter hat". Essentially a picture of a toque.

So I looked up both spellings and laughed my ass off at the definition of Tuque:

tuque /tuk, tyuk/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[took, tyook] Pronunciation Key -

–noun

a heavy stocking cap worn in Canada.

Also, toque.

---

A tuque is a knited hat, originally usually wool, that is designed to provide warmth in winter. Sometimes considered Canada's national hat, all tuques are tapered and brimless, and they are often topped with pom-poms.

The tuque is decended from the toque, a fashionable sixteenth century women's hat worn in France and generally made of velvet. The French-Canadian Voyageurs borrowed the term and applied it to the somewhat similar knit hats that were a necessity for warmth. During the 1837 Patriotes Rebellion a red tuque became a symbol of French-Canadian nationalism. Today some consider tuques to be somewhat lacking in sophistication, and they are most often seen on children.

Ok I know I am tired, its late, but are we REALLY the only people who wear tuques? <--hate that spelling. And I don't know any of us who, um, don't own a toque and wear it, is there something we don't know?

We are all obviously lacking in sophistication.

Some Homespun Christmas Gifts

I thought I would post some of the ideas that our friends came up with this year, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that they are crafty, homemade, and personally done. Not that I don't like all our commerical gifts, but what a fantastic balance we had this year. I am really happy with the way Christmas turned out, the kids weren't spoiled with too many toys and enjoyed Christmas. You know its a success when your mother turns to you and tells you that she is so impressed (I think I even got it on tape!) that the kids took time to play with each toy, instead of ripping through them. It took us a looong time to get through the presents because the kids had to open and play with each one, and that made me really happy. It was savored, appreciated, fun, probably my most enjoyable yet. And the fact that they still both get excited about clothes LOL. (let's just say there is a certain younger family member in our extended family that has received clothes and literally tossed them to the side without a thanks. Much to our collective horror lol)

On to some of our wonderful gifts..

Homemade reindeer pot by Brandy's youngest daughter, hot chocolate, homemade soap by her eldest daughter, and a donation made in everyone's name to Heifer International.

Amanda's "Movie Night In", I just made up the name but I think thats the concept lol. Popcorn and hot chocolate in pretty tins for a movie night, and an adorable homemade decoration.
And part of Beckies, homemade marshmallow snowmen on sticks, very cute. The kids ate the chocolates that were in there too LOL! Then some homemade decorations as well as color-it-yourself ones too.
And of course the t-shirts that Melissa made, but those are on the kids blog cause the kids are in the pictures, so I won't post it here.

I am still pouting that we couldn't make it tonight to Calgary, glad we didn't as Mr K just woke up with a hacking fit at 9:30. He is sleeping with me in our room with the window open a crack and the humidifier going, nice cool,moist air for him to breathe in. I don't think Jen would have appreciated that in her house LOL. Good damn thing I bought myself a pair of fleece pj's from Superstore, I am toasty in there with him.

Hope you are all having fun without me. Send pics! Maybe I will be down for New Years.....not that we ever make it to midnight HA!

Merry Christmoose to Me... Merry Christmoose to Me....

My Boxing Day spoils...and only some of them LOL! I won't bore you with other pics of my new decorations. But I did buy new, non-shatter decorations for the tree and oh so adorable stuff!I went at 7 to the St Alberta Walmart and stood in line for an HOUR because they had two!!! cashiers on.

My additions to my weird moose addicted-collection.

And I was Supermom for Mr K today, he has been wanting this Christmas train since he saw it, and I promised I would go back Boxing Day (its $40 regular and I am too damn cheap) and buy it with a giftcard of his if he got one. (and hey, Mom benefits because I get to put it around the tree next year) And Nana did give him one, so I bought him this and Shrek 2. He has the croup (ugh) so we are staying home and missing our Calgary party (inset big sad face here please) We will head down when he's all better, but still, I hate to miss the party.


That's about it, did some shopping for my sister, bought myself Angel Season 3....managed to dick away the day until 3, can't believe Ivy lasted with my mom and I. We will be doing a whole lotta nothing waiting for Kade to get better and hoping that Ivy doesn't catch it. Blech.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

You can't have Christmas without some good ol' Boney M. Enjoy the flashback!

Happy Yule!

Happy Yule everyone! We had a nice relaxing time at our open house last night, a shame that solstice can't always be on a weekend or an official day off.

Christina putting her "snow" on the Yule Log. Next year we are going to make real ones, and I am going to try baking one like hers. I would like to make real ones to decorate, and the kids will be old enough to participate.

These are going to be part of my Christmas presents next year for sure, this was from Mr K's preschool teacher and I though they were so simple, yet adorable. Hot chocolate with medium sized marshmallows, thus the "snowmen" in the soup.

Looks like I need an exterminator. Damn mice got into the Yule log last night...


Crap, there's one on my keyboard right now! Hmmm, how to get rid of it?


No problem too big as the saying goes.
Seriously tho, Mr K was the "mouse" into the Yule log with his fingers lol and Amanda made the mice, cherry bodies dipped in chocolate, hershey's kiss head, almond sliver ears then the face. SO adorable and really damn tasty!