a hippie with a minivan

TV free…

Well… the TV went off last week and the boys took it perfectly well…

I mean so perfectly they haven’t asked for it, they haven’t had the reflex of turning it on, they haven’t said a thing about it… it is like we never had it for them…

and they were completely addicted to that thing before…

It was really surprising…

There are still a few shows that I would like to continue watching so I download them… but there are not many and because I have to chose the shows that I would like to download I choose the ones that I really enjoy and it feels better for me knowing that I am watching something because I choose to watch it and not just because it is on…

I decluttered the playroom more last week and got two garbage bags worth of toys out of there and Simon cleaned it even more over the weekend and got our wooden trains back out and the boys are playing a lot more and that is really a good thing…

The saddest thing I find is how hard it was to actually do it… but I am so happy that we did…

eta: after reading this post… Simon called me to say that he saw Khéna turn on the TV as a reflex in the morning when he got up… of course it opens to a black screen though… he should lose that reflex soon though…

happy day…

Sometimes little things make me happy…

Today it was finding wasabi at the local grocery store that is free of artificial colouring…

instead of the usual petrol based food colourings it has gardenia blue and tumeric to make it look green…

Tonight we are having friends over for supper and I am making “chinese fondue” (thin slices of beef dipped and cooked in an onion and beef broth on the table) and when I make fondue one of my favourite sauces is a Wasabi mayo (mayo, wasabi, tamari, rice wine vinegar and a bit of sugar) and I would always feel guilty when eating it especially because Xavier loves it… and he couldn’t have it… (and he would remind us of such)

So we can all enjoy it tonight… guilt free…

(I also found some picked ginger the other day that is colouring free…I think that companies are starting to catch on 🙂 )

Banana Bread…

My first cookbook when we moved in our first apartment was a Pillsbury cook book… it is small but filled with recipes and I used it alot for a while… especially when baking…

The banana bread that I have been making for at least a decade now is from that book and it is still the best banana bread that I have ever eaten…it always comes out perfect…. a bit dense but not too much and very moist… the favour and texture are just perfect…

I was looking online the other day and saw a few references to the Pillsbury being one of the first banana bread recipes having come out in 1933… no wonder it is the best…

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup (2 medium) mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired (I use chocolate chips)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of loaf pan. In large bowl, combine sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs; beat well. Add bananas, milk and vanilla; blend well.

2. In small bowl, combine flour, nuts (or chocolate chips), baking soda and salt; mix well. Add to banana mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into greased pan.

3. Bake at 350°F. for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

one of those days…

Lately I have been feeling a bit cranky and sensitive to noise…

and three boys = loud…

They are acting normal…They fight, they scream when they are upset, when they are excited and when they play… they run, they jump, they twirl, they fall, they talk nonstop and they laugh…

If the snow outside was nice and not slush, I would send them out to play… but on a day like today they would come back within a few minutes because they would be sopping wet and cold…

I would put on a movie but no one can agree what to watch so they rather watch nothing at all….

So I fed them and then sat down and told them I needed a few minutes to myself, and that I need a bit of quiet time… and with that said they headed downstairs to play on their own accord…

and now they are playing nicely, no screaming, no crying… just laughing and making the sound effects for the stories they are making up… sounds that I don’t mind at all… and even more… love to hear…

I am having tea and a slice of banana bread that just came out of the oven and just these few minutes of peace will give me the refreshment that I need…