I'm joining in the fun with a local blogger (Twig and Toadstool) to do a weekly post about the way I plan to "take care of Mama."
We all use plenty of excuses for why we can't take care of ourselves (too tired, too bored, too stressed out, too busy). I think I made up these excuses even before I had children! Adding a child to the mix just takes away that extra bit of time you might have used for yourself.
I'm lucky in that I have a very supportive hubby who helps out with everything - childcare, nighttime parenting, dishes, vaccuming, sawing/fixing/hammering (he won't clean bathrooms, but I hate fixing things, so it's a win-win). So it's hard to say I have the excuse of being "too busy" when my hubby would gladly hand me the time to do something special for myself. Just last week, he sent me out for an evening by myself to see The King's Speech.
I do have the excuse of being too tired, although that has been improving lately as A gets older and responds better to Daddy during the night. I'm definitely not as sleep deprived as I used to be, but I think I could certainly use more unbroken sleep!
The excuse I use that is most valid is that I'm too STRESSED OUT. Stress has been a constant in my life from the time I was a wee thing. I think it's probably part genetic and part learned, as we do live in a society where everyone prides themselves on being "busy." So it's been my goal in life to try as many things as I can, and learn as many new skills as I can afford. Unfortunately this sometimes leads to burnout, or just places me in the awkward position of needing to cancel on people or events. I'm getting better at saying "no" these days, but I still catch myself jumping on board with a project before I have time to think about whether or not I have time.
I have been reading a completely amazing book these past few days (recommended by Maureen over at Twig and Toadstool) called Broken Open: How Difficult Times can Help us Grow. I've always been a fan of inspirational books, and this one takes the cake. As I read each chapter slowly and carefully, I have found myself choked up so many times by the truth in her words. I know that the best way for me to deal with the ongoing anxiety (I call it the pit in my stomach), is to learn how to sit quietly each day and listen to the goings-on of my mind - to let that pit break open and experience the fullness of my difficulties. Only then will the pit dissolve and subside. But saying this and doing this are two completely different things!
The ancient Persian poet Rumi says,
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.
Don't go back to sleep. Meaning, don't turn on the radio to distract yourself. Don't sit and eat to fill yourself. Don't watch TV to numb yourself. Don't take that drink, or that drug, to get away from yourself. Don't go back to sleep...
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Short and Sweet
Short and sweet, just like my hubby requested. He asked me for the Coles notes version of my last post, so I was inspired to write a shorter one today!
I wanted to highlight a local (well, semi-local) up and coming artist, who I happen to think is WONDERFUL!! Her name is Kelly Sloan, and her music is described as "country-folk infused with soul." This young singer/songwriter hails from Almonte, Ontario, but currently calls Halifax home. Kelly will soon be embarking on her first tour, and I encourage you to check out her shows in Nova Scotia, Toronto, Almonte, Wakefield, and Montreal.
Kelly's Website
MySpace Page
Happy Listening!
Kelly's Website
MySpace Page
Happy Listening!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Research Junkie (be prepared, this is a long one!)
I have been wanting to write a post for some time now to give an update on a previous post, all about my New Year's resolution to encourage A. to sleep (or at least sleep better than she does). I've been avoiding it because I'm a little tired of discussing this issue. Our trouble with sleep has been a problem since A was born, save for a couple of glorious weeks around 2 months of age when she decided to sleep through the night. So my hubby and I have talked this subject to death, and then some. However, the issue has come up again in our lives, and I feel the need to spill it all out onto virtual paper.
I am a research junkie (hence why I now work in health research), and so of course, I have scoured the internet for information related to babies/children and sleep. There is TONS of stuff out there, ranging from personal opinion to evidence-based research. You could drive yourself nuts trying to cover it all. As a researcher, I tend to rely on better quality material, as people with "opinions" haven't been in my house at 3am with my screaming daughter.
One very interesting paper is by C.M. Worthman and M.K. Melby, and is titled "Toward a Comparative Developmental Ecology of Human Sleep." Ecology is the branch of sociology that studies the relationships between human groups and their physical/social environments. Worthman and Melby attempt to gain insights into sleep regulation from an ecological and anthropological viewpoint. Before you start to nod off or find something else to do, keep reading! This is really interesting stuff, I promise.
According to these two women, we know absolutely NOTHING about human sleep, with some work on SIDS being the exception. Any Western studies that have been done don't adequately represent the range of human sleep ecologies - meaning, we don't know anything about the variety of sleep conditions amongst various cultures around the world (in particular, traditional cultures). The authors argue that Western sleep habits are grounded in our cultural environments; essentially, our sleep patterns, the proximity to others, bedtimes and wake times, and sleeping locations are all social, learned behaviours. The way we sleep is not natural, but social.
As Westerners, we have a sleep model that is binary - in our view, we're either asleep or we're awake. There is no continuum of sleep. But in other cultures, much emphasis is placed on the importance of many sleep/wake states, including daydreaming, dozing and napping. This allows individuals to gain many hours of various states of sleep throughout the day. Western society is very much concerned with an unbroken period of sleep that we think should occur at one point in the day (usually at night). Many of us frown upon napping, dozing or being "semi-alert." To us, this is an unproductive use of our time. Hence, the 7 or 8 hours of sleep we try to get at night becomes very important if we must function well during the rest of the day.
In other more traditional societies, solitary sleep is not the norm (the Balinese become very fearful about sleeping alone, as they believe they are more at risk of encountering evil spirits). In a review of 127 cultural groups from around the world, it was found that 79% of these societies had children who normally slept in the same room as their parents, with 44% of these sharing the same bed (Barry and Paxson, 1971). Furthermore, many of these sleeping environments are "open concept" where other members of the home or village come and go at will. Men (and sometimes women) will engage in nighttime rituals and practices that allow them to sleep for only short periods at a time. Music may be played at different times of the night, and the need for warmth requires some individuals to be up and down tending to the fire. This differs quite a bit from the sequestered, quiet and controlled environments in which we sleep.
Here in Canada most children have bedtimes and naptimes. Parents are anxious about setting these routines, as a lot of children have no interest in going to bed by the clock. In traditional cultures, children's bedtimes are not rigid. They will sometimes retire to sleeping areas with their mothers, but often fall asleep in someone's arms during family gatherings. Infants are carried almost full-time in a sling or sack, and thus fall sleep whenever they are tired (there are no distinct "nap times").
What I find fascinating about all of this is that Western sleep ecology is distinctive from so many other cultures - we are the anomaly in the world of sleep. Worthman and Melby make the suggestion that the particularities of Western sleep ecologies may contribute to the patterns and prevalence of sleep disorders. This makes sense to me - so many in our population are perpetually tired and sleep deprived, and many struggle with real sleep disorders such as insomnia. All of my time spent researching the phenomenom of sleep has led me to strongly believe that we have created our own sleeping problems - by trying to manipulate sleep, it has increasingly started to elude us.
And perhaps most relevant (to this post at least!) is that our culture seems to be most concerned with how our babies and children sleep:
"In those societies with a strong Euro-American influence, the moment of birth is commonly viewed as the beginning of autonomy for a baby who is no longer connected to the mother. Early independence is a developmental goal to be achieved rapidly by infants, particularly at night." (Ball, 2007)
This viewpoint is a recent one and developed less then two centuries ago, when increasing wealth for the middle and working classes led to changes in living conditions (separate sleeping and eating space, and then separate bedrooms). This was coupled with the popularity of behaviourist childrearing strategies - doctors (all men), who emphasized the self reliance of children, the withholding of affection by parents, and solitary infant sleep. Whether we like it or not, this influence still lives within us, and within our mothers and grandmothers.
So what does all this reading and research mean for my family? On one hand, I find it instinctual to have my daughter sleep with us and tend to her needs at night. This feels normal to me, and my daughter seems happiest with this arrangement. On the other hand, I live in a society where I must get all of my sleep at night so that I can function throughout the day. Plus, I have been conditioned to believe that sleep should be controlled and solitary. (On a side note, as a feminist, I find it frustrating that this has been indoctrinated into my life by a bunch of men who claimed to be experts in the care of babies and children. What might have happened if a bunch of mothers wrote the books on childrearing in the early twentieth century? We might be in a very different place)
I struggle with being woken up at night because I am unable to see the benefit of various wake-sleep states (and there is also not much space in my life for naps). So back to the conflict - do I do something to change my daughter's habits (and therefore go along with our Westernized ecology of sleep - I hate conforming!!) or do I learn to "go with the flow" and arrange my life in a way so this works?
There are probably more questions than answers at this moment, but I'll keep on readin' and maybe one day will be all the more wiser for it. Oh yes, and as for that update! A was doing really well with our "Operation A-to-sleep" plan until she got her shots, followed by a bout with the flu. We are back to where we started....
I am a research junkie (hence why I now work in health research), and so of course, I have scoured the internet for information related to babies/children and sleep. There is TONS of stuff out there, ranging from personal opinion to evidence-based research. You could drive yourself nuts trying to cover it all. As a researcher, I tend to rely on better quality material, as people with "opinions" haven't been in my house at 3am with my screaming daughter.
One very interesting paper is by C.M. Worthman and M.K. Melby, and is titled "Toward a Comparative Developmental Ecology of Human Sleep." Ecology is the branch of sociology that studies the relationships between human groups and their physical/social environments. Worthman and Melby attempt to gain insights into sleep regulation from an ecological and anthropological viewpoint. Before you start to nod off or find something else to do, keep reading! This is really interesting stuff, I promise.
According to these two women, we know absolutely NOTHING about human sleep, with some work on SIDS being the exception. Any Western studies that have been done don't adequately represent the range of human sleep ecologies - meaning, we don't know anything about the variety of sleep conditions amongst various cultures around the world (in particular, traditional cultures). The authors argue that Western sleep habits are grounded in our cultural environments; essentially, our sleep patterns, the proximity to others, bedtimes and wake times, and sleeping locations are all social, learned behaviours. The way we sleep is not natural, but social.
As Westerners, we have a sleep model that is binary - in our view, we're either asleep or we're awake. There is no continuum of sleep. But in other cultures, much emphasis is placed on the importance of many sleep/wake states, including daydreaming, dozing and napping. This allows individuals to gain many hours of various states of sleep throughout the day. Western society is very much concerned with an unbroken period of sleep that we think should occur at one point in the day (usually at night). Many of us frown upon napping, dozing or being "semi-alert." To us, this is an unproductive use of our time. Hence, the 7 or 8 hours of sleep we try to get at night becomes very important if we must function well during the rest of the day.
In other more traditional societies, solitary sleep is not the norm (the Balinese become very fearful about sleeping alone, as they believe they are more at risk of encountering evil spirits). In a review of 127 cultural groups from around the world, it was found that 79% of these societies had children who normally slept in the same room as their parents, with 44% of these sharing the same bed (Barry and Paxson, 1971). Furthermore, many of these sleeping environments are "open concept" where other members of the home or village come and go at will. Men (and sometimes women) will engage in nighttime rituals and practices that allow them to sleep for only short periods at a time. Music may be played at different times of the night, and the need for warmth requires some individuals to be up and down tending to the fire. This differs quite a bit from the sequestered, quiet and controlled environments in which we sleep.
Here in Canada most children have bedtimes and naptimes. Parents are anxious about setting these routines, as a lot of children have no interest in going to bed by the clock. In traditional cultures, children's bedtimes are not rigid. They will sometimes retire to sleeping areas with their mothers, but often fall asleep in someone's arms during family gatherings. Infants are carried almost full-time in a sling or sack, and thus fall sleep whenever they are tired (there are no distinct "nap times").
What I find fascinating about all of this is that Western sleep ecology is distinctive from so many other cultures - we are the anomaly in the world of sleep. Worthman and Melby make the suggestion that the particularities of Western sleep ecologies may contribute to the patterns and prevalence of sleep disorders. This makes sense to me - so many in our population are perpetually tired and sleep deprived, and many struggle with real sleep disorders such as insomnia. All of my time spent researching the phenomenom of sleep has led me to strongly believe that we have created our own sleeping problems - by trying to manipulate sleep, it has increasingly started to elude us.
And perhaps most relevant (to this post at least!) is that our culture seems to be most concerned with how our babies and children sleep:
"In those societies with a strong Euro-American influence, the moment of birth is commonly viewed as the beginning of autonomy for a baby who is no longer connected to the mother. Early independence is a developmental goal to be achieved rapidly by infants, particularly at night." (Ball, 2007)
This viewpoint is a recent one and developed less then two centuries ago, when increasing wealth for the middle and working classes led to changes in living conditions (separate sleeping and eating space, and then separate bedrooms). This was coupled with the popularity of behaviourist childrearing strategies - doctors (all men), who emphasized the self reliance of children, the withholding of affection by parents, and solitary infant sleep. Whether we like it or not, this influence still lives within us, and within our mothers and grandmothers.
So what does all this reading and research mean for my family? On one hand, I find it instinctual to have my daughter sleep with us and tend to her needs at night. This feels normal to me, and my daughter seems happiest with this arrangement. On the other hand, I live in a society where I must get all of my sleep at night so that I can function throughout the day. Plus, I have been conditioned to believe that sleep should be controlled and solitary. (On a side note, as a feminist, I find it frustrating that this has been indoctrinated into my life by a bunch of men who claimed to be experts in the care of babies and children. What might have happened if a bunch of mothers wrote the books on childrearing in the early twentieth century? We might be in a very different place)
I struggle with being woken up at night because I am unable to see the benefit of various wake-sleep states (and there is also not much space in my life for naps). So back to the conflict - do I do something to change my daughter's habits (and therefore go along with our Westernized ecology of sleep - I hate conforming!!) or do I learn to "go with the flow" and arrange my life in a way so this works?
There are probably more questions than answers at this moment, but I'll keep on readin' and maybe one day will be all the more wiser for it. Oh yes, and as for that update! A was doing really well with our "Operation A-to-sleep" plan until she got her shots, followed by a bout with the flu. We are back to where we started....
Monday, January 24, 2011
Room Without a View
The view from our back windows is a pretty one. Our backyard faces out onto a school park, which slopes down into a ravine. This piece of suburban nature is home to many different species of small wildlife, and every morning this past summer I could spot the little bunny rabbit that came hopping through our fence in search of fresh vegetables (sorry bunny, no garden this past year!). In the warm weather, our windows were always open, and I could hear the children's shouts and cries in the schoolyard during recesses and lunch. Now that winter has arrived, I have still enjoyed peering out and watching the neighbourhood kids making fresh tracks down the toboggan hill.
As of late, there has been no view out our back windows. The reason for this is an extreme cold snap (-30 here today, and that's without the wind chill!) and an increase of moisture in our house. This has created an incredible amount of ice buildup on the windows, which my hubby captured beautifully yesterday morning. We have decided to "embrace" the ice.
I'm having a hard time with this level of acceptance though, as with moisture and ice comes....MOLD. I am very scared of mold. I have visions of A weezing and coughing in a hospital one day, and a doctor quietly telling me "it was the mold, Ms. Pratt. There's nothing else we can do." There is so much information about mold on the internet, but I don't really know the best way to deal with it.
Okay, the best way would obviously be to replace all the windows. But until we can pull $10,000 out of our back pockets, that's not going to happen. We're saving up right now to replace at least 3 of the windows this summer, but the rest will have to wait.
So in the meantime, I must clean the mold. I have tried Borax. It seemed to clean it up, but I wanted something that I could spray into the cracks in the wood where my cloth can't reach, and the Borax doesn't seem to be killing it. So then I turned to the dreaded chlorine bleach, but I had such a reaction from the fumes that I couldn't bring myself to use it (plus, we just read this morning that bleach is not good for getting rid of mold). So now we are just sticking to hot water and soap. But before I can even start, I have to sit at the window for 10 minutes with a hair dryer, melting all the ice so that I can get the window to even open. They're so old that the previous owners had new windows "added" to the old existing storm windows.
Oh, the joys of owning an older home. I love this house - I love it more than anywhere else I've ever lived. I don't mind that the wallpaper we have is from the 80s, or that the wall in our living room is a garish maroon, or that the light fixtures are ugly chandeliers with fake jewels dangling down, or that the floors are worn and scuffed. I don't mind the dated kitchen, or the vinyl floor, or the loose banisters. None of that matters to me, because I know that over time we'll make it "ours." But what bothers me are the damn windows, the moisture and mold, and the wastefulness of having a leaky house.
Not much we can do about it now, though, so I'm off to clean with my trusty bucket of water and soap. Wish me luck, and send me any tips you have on how to deal with household mold.
This is Danny Michel's "Snowglobe":
I follow footprints through the snow,
right down the middle of the road.
The xmas lights across the lake,
the xmas cheer, the angel cake.
The mistletoe, the candy cane,
I ride your bumper down the lame,
the panning steady cam slow-mo.
Zooms with hypnotizing flow.
Here in this perfect snow globe night,
you keep shaking my life.
The smell of fire wood and rum,
carolers sing par um puma pum.
I heard that one and one make 3,
does that mean you and us make me?
Here on this cold December night,
here on this coal black ice.
Here at the bottom of this hill,
the camera jams and tears the film.
And the sky is falling tonight.
As of late, there has been no view out our back windows. The reason for this is an extreme cold snap (-30 here today, and that's without the wind chill!) and an increase of moisture in our house. This has created an incredible amount of ice buildup on the windows, which my hubby captured beautifully yesterday morning. We have decided to "embrace" the ice.
I'm having a hard time with this level of acceptance though, as with moisture and ice comes....MOLD. I am very scared of mold. I have visions of A weezing and coughing in a hospital one day, and a doctor quietly telling me "it was the mold, Ms. Pratt. There's nothing else we can do." There is so much information about mold on the internet, but I don't really know the best way to deal with it.
Okay, the best way would obviously be to replace all the windows. But until we can pull $10,000 out of our back pockets, that's not going to happen. We're saving up right now to replace at least 3 of the windows this summer, but the rest will have to wait.
So in the meantime, I must clean the mold. I have tried Borax. It seemed to clean it up, but I wanted something that I could spray into the cracks in the wood where my cloth can't reach, and the Borax doesn't seem to be killing it. So then I turned to the dreaded chlorine bleach, but I had such a reaction from the fumes that I couldn't bring myself to use it (plus, we just read this morning that bleach is not good for getting rid of mold). So now we are just sticking to hot water and soap. But before I can even start, I have to sit at the window for 10 minutes with a hair dryer, melting all the ice so that I can get the window to even open. They're so old that the previous owners had new windows "added" to the old existing storm windows.
Oh, the joys of owning an older home. I love this house - I love it more than anywhere else I've ever lived. I don't mind that the wallpaper we have is from the 80s, or that the wall in our living room is a garish maroon, or that the light fixtures are ugly chandeliers with fake jewels dangling down, or that the floors are worn and scuffed. I don't mind the dated kitchen, or the vinyl floor, or the loose banisters. None of that matters to me, because I know that over time we'll make it "ours." But what bothers me are the damn windows, the moisture and mold, and the wastefulness of having a leaky house.
Not much we can do about it now, though, so I'm off to clean with my trusty bucket of water and soap. Wish me luck, and send me any tips you have on how to deal with household mold.
This is Danny Michel's "Snowglobe":
I follow footprints through the snow,
right down the middle of the road.
The xmas lights across the lake,
the xmas cheer, the angel cake.
The mistletoe, the candy cane,
I ride your bumper down the lame,
the panning steady cam slow-mo.
Zooms with hypnotizing flow.
Here in this perfect snow globe night,
you keep shaking my life.
The smell of fire wood and rum,
carolers sing par um puma pum.
I heard that one and one make 3,
does that mean you and us make me?
Here on this cold December night,
here on this coal black ice.
Here at the bottom of this hill,
the camera jams and tears the film.
And the sky is falling tonight.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Just one of them days
I took this photo from Google Images, which I'm not sure is legal, but I don't have a good picture of me in this type of pose. This is meant to convey FRUSTRATION.
It has been one of those days. A is sick with a fever, and hasn't been sleeping for several nights (hence, we haven't been sleeping). Today, she seems to have perked up quite a bit, and even started playing with her toys this morning. This was a bit of a change from yesteray when she clung to my pants screaming the second I put her down.
So, I thought, maybe we'd have an OK day? But no. No such luck. A decided this morning that she didn't want to nap, no matter what I did. I am very envious of you mothers out there who walk into your child's room, lie them down in their crib and leave. Your child will babble to themselves for a while before drifting off peacefully.
Now, we're the ones partly to blame for A's bad sleep habits. But I also think it has to do with the child's personality. And as you've all read in previous posts, A is not big on sleeping. I think she'd rather be gnawed on by an alligator than take a nap.
But back to my long-winded saga, full of self-pity (I can hear the saddest violins playing now). I didn't want a big fight for a nap, so decided to take her out in the stroller and walk down to the mall. She fell asleep quickly, but promptly woke up the second we got into the mall. How do they KNOW?? The second the sounds change, or the temperature, their little eyes pop open and they start screaming. So she slept 10 minutes this morning.
I assumed that she would be exhausted this afternoon and take a nice long nap. NOT SO. She put up a huge fight. I left her screaming in her room, but could only handle it for about 7 minutes. Those of you out there who have done "controlled crying," I applaud you, because I don't know if I could ever make it past 7 minutes. It's like a form of horrible torture.
So I gave up (or gave in, whichever way you want to look at it) and she didn't fall asleep until we went for a car ride to the vet to have Darcy's anal glands expressed. Yes, you read right. Our dog, the pug, needs to have her butt squeezed every month, or her anal glands fill up with fluid that smells like fish breath and she rubs her butt all over our carpet. It's lovely...so I pay professionals to do it.
Anyway, I committed a parenting no-no (I think I'm going to have a weekly post called Confessional, where I can 'fess up to committing horrible parenting crimes). I left A sleeping in the car and ran into the vets' office. I dumped Darcy on the poor receptionist and ran back to the car. I waited there until I could see the technician bringing Darcy back out from her procedure. Leaving your child in a car alone is SO not a good thing to do, but the thought of waking her up filled me with dread. I just couldn't do it. I feared that at any moment a police officer would arrest me for neglect, and I kept peering fearfully out the window of the vets office while I paid the bill (just in case you're about to call the CAS, the car was in my full view and the doors were locked...and it was very warm in there....I swear). Can you smell the guilt?
As I'm writing this post, Tom has called on the phone and told me that I'm going out to see a movie by myself tonight. He is going to take over as soon as he's home, and I've got the night off. God love wonderful husbands!!!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Just try it!
When I was a teenager, I was the queen of picky eaters. The only vegetables I would eat were raw carrots, cucumbers and celery. I also turned my nose up to dishes that had mixed ingredients - quiche, pasta sauce with veggies, casseroles, you name it! My food had to be carefully separated on my plate, and nothing could touch.
What did I eat? A lot of sandwiches (as long as there was no lettuce or tomato piled on top); pizza (pepperoni and cheese); cans of zoodles and fruit. Dinners out with me were easy to predict - I would order chicken fingers and fries. If there was nothing resembling chicken fingers and fries on the menu, I would order some kind of a sandwich....with fries.
My most shameful moment (shameful to me NOW) was when I was treated to a real French dining experience while visiting a cousin in London, England. In a place where haute cuisine was essentially born I ordered fish....fish and chips. I think it was the only thing on the menu that might have been put there in the event a child was joining in. The sad thing was that I was 16 at the time; no longer a child. My cousin couldn't believe that I was being offered the meal of a lifetime in the heart of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I chose to eat fish.
I think my eating habits began to change slowly when I moved away to St. Catharines, Ontario, where I completed my degree at Brock University. Suddenly I was on my own - I had to take care of cooking for myself, and boxes of Kraft dinner were no longer cutting it. One of my roomates was getting her degree in Health Sciences, and with every food choice I made, she would grab the box/can/bag and cry "do you know how much fat is in that!?" She patiently showed me how to read nutrition labels, and pointed out that I was probably eating 3x the listed serving size.
I began to use recipe books, and started cooking simple meals. And I figured since I was trying to get healthier, I might as well start eating some vegetables. Lo and behold, I discovered that lettuce and tomato on a sandwich is not gross, but actually creates a much more pleasurable eating experience. I mean, who wants to eat a dry sandwich? Boring!
Soon I was venturing into different cultural territories - Indian, Thai, Chinese, Mediterranean. I learned how to use various spices to enhance the flavours of a dish. I wondered at the simplicity of a cucumber and tomato salad, sprinkled with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and fresh herbs. I attempted to create sauces that would make a pork chop get up and do a little dance for me. I was still a student, and definitely enjoyed my pizza and pitas, but my tastes were changing.
The defining moment in my relationship with food came during a three week trip to Thailand, where I came across stuff I hadn't even known existed. I was committed to trying everything. My friends and I ate dishes so hot that we all looked as though we were having a good cry. In Northern Thailand I found a display of roasted bugs in one outdoor market, and tasted my first pan fried worm (in case you're wondering, they tasted like fried puffs of some kind). Outside a wat (temple) we had just visited, we purchased a whole roasted chicken from a street vendor for $1. It had been stuffed with a variety of herbs and spices, and we tore into it with gusto. Eating on the floor is a normal custom in parts of Thailand, as well as forgoing spoons and forks. Many dishes are made so that you can pick the food up with your hands.
I came back from Thailand with an entirely different take on food, and was no longer satisfied with boxed creations from the grocery store. And lately, I've become even more interested in making a variety of different foodstuffs that I might normally purchase - such as cheese, yogurt, butter, crackers and mayonnaise. Food is an exciting hobby, and I am learning how to perfect my recipes and find the courage to try new ones.
It's my opionion that no one has an excuse to pooh pooh something, especially when it's been prepared by someone you know (ok, but if you have allergies, you're forgiven). Politeness aside, I think it's our duty to try new things. Food that is well prepared has the ability to alter our state of mind, and can create memories so strong that we spend years trying to re-create the taste of a dish we once tried. My travelling memories are full of food - I remember exaclty what I ate, where, and what the weather was like. I remember the sounds of the restaurant or street, and can smell the aromas wafting from the kitchen. Food is an experience, and one that should not be taken lightly.
We are very lucky in Canada to have access to a great variety of ingredients. Although I believe that the majority of our food should be purchased from here in Ontario, I also find pleasure in occasionally buying an exotic fruit or vegetable. But if you take the time to look around a little, you'll notice that there are "exotic" veggies right in our own backyard! Heirloom vegetables are making a comeback - you can find purple, red and yellow carrots. My personal favourite are blue potatoes - how much fun do kids have making mashed potatoes that turn out blue or purple?
So I hope to hear back from you, readers, about what kinds of new food you have been trying lately. While you're chopping and slicing in the kitchen, take a little listen to Serena Ryder's A Little Bit of Red (check it out here)
Hey you say you want to start over again
like I ever wanted it to be any different.
I've been watching all your colours fade to blue;
Said you'd come back,
like I'd want you, want you.
Stop pretending everything's all right.
Oh baby blue Oh baby blue
Come here I'm gonna smear another colour over you.
Get out of bed you little sleepy head.
Your black and white needs a little bit of red.
Your black and white needs a little bit of red.
Couldn't handle pressure life had put you through,
thought you might have bit off a little more than you could chew.
No I don't believe it when you say,
I will make it up to you.
Said you'd come back,
didn't want you to, want you to.
Still pretending everything's all right.
Oh baby blue Oh baby blue
Come here I'm gonna smear another colour over you.
Get out of bed you little sleepy head.
Your black and white needs a little bit of red.
Your black and white needs a little bit of red.
What did I eat? A lot of sandwiches (as long as there was no lettuce or tomato piled on top); pizza (pepperoni and cheese); cans of zoodles and fruit. Dinners out with me were easy to predict - I would order chicken fingers and fries. If there was nothing resembling chicken fingers and fries on the menu, I would order some kind of a sandwich....with fries.
My most shameful moment (shameful to me NOW) was when I was treated to a real French dining experience while visiting a cousin in London, England. In a place where haute cuisine was essentially born I ordered fish....fish and chips. I think it was the only thing on the menu that might have been put there in the event a child was joining in. The sad thing was that I was 16 at the time; no longer a child. My cousin couldn't believe that I was being offered the meal of a lifetime in the heart of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I chose to eat fish.
I think my eating habits began to change slowly when I moved away to St. Catharines, Ontario, where I completed my degree at Brock University. Suddenly I was on my own - I had to take care of cooking for myself, and boxes of Kraft dinner were no longer cutting it. One of my roomates was getting her degree in Health Sciences, and with every food choice I made, she would grab the box/can/bag and cry "do you know how much fat is in that!?" She patiently showed me how to read nutrition labels, and pointed out that I was probably eating 3x the listed serving size.
I began to use recipe books, and started cooking simple meals. And I figured since I was trying to get healthier, I might as well start eating some vegetables. Lo and behold, I discovered that lettuce and tomato on a sandwich is not gross, but actually creates a much more pleasurable eating experience. I mean, who wants to eat a dry sandwich? Boring!
Soon I was venturing into different cultural territories - Indian, Thai, Chinese, Mediterranean. I learned how to use various spices to enhance the flavours of a dish. I wondered at the simplicity of a cucumber and tomato salad, sprinkled with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and fresh herbs. I attempted to create sauces that would make a pork chop get up and do a little dance for me. I was still a student, and definitely enjoyed my pizza and pitas, but my tastes were changing.
The defining moment in my relationship with food came during a three week trip to Thailand, where I came across stuff I hadn't even known existed. I was committed to trying everything. My friends and I ate dishes so hot that we all looked as though we were having a good cry. In Northern Thailand I found a display of roasted bugs in one outdoor market, and tasted my first pan fried worm (in case you're wondering, they tasted like fried puffs of some kind). Outside a wat (temple) we had just visited, we purchased a whole roasted chicken from a street vendor for $1. It had been stuffed with a variety of herbs and spices, and we tore into it with gusto. Eating on the floor is a normal custom in parts of Thailand, as well as forgoing spoons and forks. Many dishes are made so that you can pick the food up with your hands.
I came back from Thailand with an entirely different take on food, and was no longer satisfied with boxed creations from the grocery store. And lately, I've become even more interested in making a variety of different foodstuffs that I might normally purchase - such as cheese, yogurt, butter, crackers and mayonnaise. Food is an exciting hobby, and I am learning how to perfect my recipes and find the courage to try new ones.
It's my opionion that no one has an excuse to pooh pooh something, especially when it's been prepared by someone you know (ok, but if you have allergies, you're forgiven). Politeness aside, I think it's our duty to try new things. Food that is well prepared has the ability to alter our state of mind, and can create memories so strong that we spend years trying to re-create the taste of a dish we once tried. My travelling memories are full of food - I remember exaclty what I ate, where, and what the weather was like. I remember the sounds of the restaurant or street, and can smell the aromas wafting from the kitchen. Food is an experience, and one that should not be taken lightly.
We are very lucky in Canada to have access to a great variety of ingredients. Although I believe that the majority of our food should be purchased from here in Ontario, I also find pleasure in occasionally buying an exotic fruit or vegetable. But if you take the time to look around a little, you'll notice that there are "exotic" veggies right in our own backyard! Heirloom vegetables are making a comeback - you can find purple, red and yellow carrots. My personal favourite are blue potatoes - how much fun do kids have making mashed potatoes that turn out blue or purple?
So I hope to hear back from you, readers, about what kinds of new food you have been trying lately. While you're chopping and slicing in the kitchen, take a little listen to Serena Ryder's A Little Bit of Red (check it out here)
Hey you say you want to start over again
like I ever wanted it to be any different.
I've been watching all your colours fade to blue;
Said you'd come back,
like I'd want you, want you.
Stop pretending everything's all right.
Oh baby blue Oh baby blue
Come here I'm gonna smear another colour over you.
Get out of bed you little sleepy head.
Your black and white needs a little bit of red.
Your black and white needs a little bit of red.
Couldn't handle pressure life had put you through,
thought you might have bit off a little more than you could chew.
No I don't believe it when you say,
I will make it up to you.
Said you'd come back,
didn't want you to, want you to.
Still pretending everything's all right.
Oh baby blue Oh baby blue
Come here I'm gonna smear another colour over you.
Get out of bed you little sleepy head.
Your black and white needs a little bit of red.
Your black and white needs a little bit of red.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Holidays are for the dogs
This past weekend we celebrated our Pratt family Christmas at my parents' home in Bethany, Ontario. This side of the family usually plans our get-togethers a little late, in order to accomodate our ever growing families. A was delighted to have 4 furry friends attend the party:
Abby the Lab enjoyed knocking over the small children with her All-Mighty Tail
Misty, the long-haired Jack Russell, regaled us all with her agility by jumping into our arms from the ground up!
Darcy the Pug was quite put out by this unplanned doggy bash, as she feels she is the Queen Dog and should be consulted on such matters.
Ripper, the short-haired Jack Russell, is not pictured here. He is 15-years old, and a cranky senior. He spent the party snoozing in his bed upstairs, and was then sent to the neighbours house while we ate. Ripper has a habit of snatching food off of unsuspecting children.
The humanoids amongst this doggy party enjoyed themselves very much (a little too much?) by drinking large amounts of alcohol and consuming steaming bowls of chilli and plates of scalloped potatoes, ham and salads. The night was finished off with a plethora of sweets and hot, creamy coffee.
Time to get going on those health-related resolutions....
Ripper, the short-haired Jack Russell, is not pictured here. He is 15-years old, and a cranky senior. He spent the party snoozing in his bed upstairs, and was then sent to the neighbours house while we ate. Ripper has a habit of snatching food off of unsuspecting children.
The humanoids amongst this doggy party enjoyed themselves very much (a little too much?) by drinking large amounts of alcohol and consuming steaming bowls of chilli and plates of scalloped potatoes, ham and salads. The night was finished off with a plethora of sweets and hot, creamy coffee.
Time to get going on those health-related resolutions....
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