Mama = awesome vol 2.

my Olivia adores being read to and here's a moment we're sharing together!!

huh? you're back in school? here's why.

i've been meaning to address this topic for a while now and

since whenever i post a 'yay! my exam is over!' or 'can't.stay.awake.this.is.so.dry.'

remark, someone wonders what the heck i'm doing

i thought i would actually blog about what the heck i'm doing

so you're all in the know!

yay!

my occupation is a pharmacy assistant (note, not technician as the wording

has changed) and as of 2010, the college of pharmacists of bc 

have implemented a bridging program

to expand the role of a pharmacy assistant

and thus granting the title 'technician'

huh?

this means that as a regulated pharmacy technician

i will have the ability to have independent authority, responsibility

and liability to prepare, process and compound

prescriptions including:

-receive and transcribe verbal prescriptions from practitioners

-ensure that a prescription is complete and authentic

-transfer prescriptions to and receive prescriptions from other pharmacies

-perform the final check on a prepared prescription

(i snagged that from the college website lol)

pretty neat eh!

so to explain all of the schooling, the bridging program

is broken down into 4 modules, 3 of which you can

challenge (meaning just write an exam on the subject)

and 1 mandatory class on ethics

i'm happy to say that i've successfully completed the 3 exams

and i am now onto the final portion of the bridging program.

but it doesn't stop there!

THEN i have to register with the pharmacy examining board of canada

and write the evaluating exam (in april) which will tell me if 

i'm prepared to write the 2 day qualifying exam in september.

if all goes well i'll be calling myself a regulated pharmacy technician by the

end of this year!

go me!



when i'm all done, i'm totally gonna take a cheesy picture of
myself in a lab coat with my arms folded.

so now i'd just like to thank all of you for your continued 

support and all the "yay!"s you've been giving me,

they really mean a lot! :)

thank you!

WW: Return to Work? or SAHM?

(k first let me just say that i wished i had more time

to participate in these writer's workshops, so

i'm really making the effort to do them!)

when my emma was born some 5 and a bit years ago, 

i didn't know what kind of mother i would be.

i read every book and signed up to every online 

community that would help prepare me for motherhood.

i knew what kind of mother i wanted to be:

nuturing, loving, educating and above all, present.

she was born into a 2 bedroom 700 sqft. suite

in vancouver, which at the time suited us quite fine.

we both worked in the city, me at a community pharmacy

for a few years and the hubs at a physiotherapy clinic.

we were frugal most of the time, frivolous spenders

a part of the time but always with the thought

that we wanted what was best for our little girl.

when emma turned one and my maternity leave

ended, our humble beginnings allowed for me to continue to stay at home.

i would take care of emma and do fun activities with her,

cook and clean and manage the household.

that also meant though, that we had to stay on a strict budget

and that wasn't always that easy.

we had big dreams, my husband and i.

travelling, buying a soccer mom  bigger vehicle,

putting emma in various activities,

and then before we even knew it, we were outgrowing

our home. so to tack on to our dreams,

we also knew we'd need a bigger home to house

the family we have and the one we'd hope to have in the

future.

at first, the stay at home mom thing was fantastic.

i couldn't imagine sending emma to a daycare

so that i could work in order to even pay for daycare.

(i mean c'mon right?) 

we'd play together, take naps together,

go on walks and it was a beautiful time; just me and her!

but the ever daunting task of laundry and mopping

and sweeping and general cleaning of my home

made doing all of those wonderful things 

with her nearly impossible.

how could that be? how could i not love being at home?

so.

i went back to work part-time and i have to say 

i really loved it. to feel needed by others was a gift 

i had taken for granted. adult socialization was another

thing i took for granted. and by going back to work i got that.

now i know what you're thinking...hello? people need you at home too!

but it was a different kind of need. before i became a mother,

my work was all about helping others and i know in

choosing my line of work that it reflected my purpose

on this earth. when becoming a mother, that also gave

me purpose, but its not difficult to lose

sight of who you are when you're

a stay at home mom.

being away also made me appreciate my family more.

i'm a firm believer of absence making the heart grow

fonder and being out of the house for 4 hours each day

made me crave coming home to be with my family.

of course the added benefit of me going back to work

part-time was extra income. yippee!! it wasn't much

but it was enough to get into a bigger suite

in the building we lived in, it allowed us to afford sending

emma to montessori preschool and our first big family trip:

to disneyland!

to which after, we were blessed with the news we'd

have another baby. our olivia. i worked part-time right up until 

olivia was born and when the year was up, i went right back to work.

i was blessed to have found a job that would further

my career; from job to profession, make our financial situation 

waaaay better and make those dreams of ours (now a lot bigger than they were

before) seem a lot more within our reach.

i thought i would always want to be a SAHM, but 

i've realized that i was just built for more than that. i sincerely applaud

all of you awesome SAHMs out there who nurture, educate and

entertain their little ones and still manage to have time to 

do EVERYTHING else.

in my being at work, there's more balance around here.

the hubs picks up wherever i lack and vice versa. 

its a team effort and the girls are attached to us

equally. (well, 60/40 lol!) 

now, we're going to be out of our condo and into a brand new town home

within this year and we'll continue to dream big...and i have to say i have no regrets

on choosing to go back to work because that means

i'll keep that piece of me alive :)

this blog will participate in mama kat's writers workshop! link up :)

happiness is = fun in the snow!

after all that hoping, wishing and praying for a nice

dumping of snow over the christmas holidays,

we FINALLY got it! (nevermind that it was a few weeks too late)

emma has just been itching to play in snow

that the hubs and i contemplated taking the girls up to a local 

mountain in order for them to take part in snowy activities

BUT then we got it in our own backyard..pretty sweet!

happiness is watching my girls make snowmen, snow angels and even

eat the stuff!

here are some shots of us enjoying our

snowy weather :)

hope everyone is enjoying the snow!!

find more happiness on the blog hop!

mama = awesome

new year, new look, and another new segment to

the many adventures of mama blog.

mama = awesome.

there are 1001 reasons why being a mama is awesome and what

better way to share that than by posting about it!

from photos to stories or the darnedest things

my kids say..you`ll find them all here :)

kicking off with vol. 1:

olivia makes mama = awesome!

recipes i`ve tried: lemon cheesecake with blueberry sauce

who says you can`t enjoy some sweets while being healthy!

earlier this week we hosted a dinner party for some friends we

haven`t seen in a while, and while the main course 

was not all that friendly to the waistline (farfalle alla carbonara -recipe coming shortly!)

what better way to end of the evening than with a yummy

dessert that`s mindful of your diet!

lemon cheesecake with blueberry sauce

crust

1.5 c graham cracker crumbs

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 tbsp light corn syrup

cake

4 (8oz) pkg light cream cheese, softened

1.25 c sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

1 tbsp grated lemon zest (about 2 lg lemons)

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla extract (i used coconut -yum!)

sauce

0.25 c sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

2c fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed)

1tbsp water

1 tbsp lemon juice

preheat oven to 350f, spray 10`` springform pan

with non stick spray.

stir together crust ingredients and press firmly onto bottom of prepared

pan, refrigerate.

with electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese in large 

bowl until very smooth, gradually add sugar beating

until fluffy.

add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

beat in egg whites, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla until blended.

pour batter over crust.

bake until center of cheesecake jiggles slightly, about 50-55 mins.

let cool in pan on wire rack 15 mins, refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to

2 days (highly recommend at least 1 day!)

stir sauce ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat, continue

stirring until berries soften and sauce bubbles and thickens, about 4 mins.

transfer sauce into serving bowl and refrigerate until cool. serve sauce

over sliced cake.

enjoy!

slicing tip: dip knife into hot water and cut cake into 32 wedges, dipping

knife between cuts and wiping dry. 

nutritional info: per  1 slice

158 cal

8g total fat

5g sat fat

0g trans fat

36mg chol

164mg sod

18g total carb

15g total sugar

1g fib

5g protein

62mg calcium

recipes i've tried: chicken chowder

with 2012 kicking off amazingly thus far, i thought i'd add a new segment to my blog titled: recipes i've tried. in an effort to promote healthier eating around here, the hubs and i agreed that making home cooked meals is the key to success. 

the first thing you'll need to have in order to make this recipe

is a slow cooker (which in my opinion should be a staple

in your kitchen when you have a family 

and no time)

Chicken (or Turkey) Chowder

4 slices turkey bacon, crisp cooked and chopped

1lb turkey breast cutlets, diced into 1/2" pieces

(i used chicken)

1 baking potato, peeled and diced

2 carrots, diced

1 onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, diced (i omitted cuz i detest it!)

2 (10oz) cans low fat condensed cream

of mushroom soup

2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried sage

combine all ingredients into slow cooker, cover and cook until soup

is thickened and turkey (or chicken) and veggies are tender:

4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low

the house smells absolutely delicious and i've been taking spoonfuls to "test" out

the seasoning and so far its great! if i'm going to be home most of the day i will

set it on high and stir occasionally, otherwise if i'm out of the

house at the crack of dawn, i'll keep it at the low setting.

enjoy! 

i'd love to hear your experiences with it!

nutritional info (per 1 cup):

161 calories

4g total fat

2g sat fat

0g trans fat

47mg chol

792mg sod

14g carb

4g total sugar

2g fib

17g protein (yeah baby)

35mg calcium

hello new year..

welcome to 2012.

2011 was a very chaotic year filled with plenty

of change. i suppose though, that each year we automatically

anticipate changes that we ourselves strive for or that will come our way

without caution.

2012 will also bring change, but for me, i believe its 

going to be the kind that will set my path in life.

with goals to complete all of my continuing education 

and get my designation by the end of this year paves the way for

a long future and stability in my career.

the girls are growing and becoming more and more the

person whom they will live to be..and enjoying that change

is such a privilege.

our new home is being built and we've got our current

place up for sale so that will mean living with my parents for

an extended period of time (which should be interesting..) until

its ready to move into.

and as the countdown begins to the big 3-0, -MY big 3-0,

i'm realizing i'm starting to become (still slowly but surely) the

person who i was meant to be. its not about being the perfect

size (though i am working on being healthy), its not about 

being the perfect parent (though i will always put my kids first),

its not about being the perfect spouse (my hubby will probably say that i'm not anyways lol).

but most importantly:

it's about me just being me.

and surrounding myself with those who are cool with that.

forward, march.

A Very Merry Christmas!

if i had to describe our family's christmas holidays in one word

i'd say: perfect.

some days we did a lot, others nothing at all

but the fact that we spent it together made it perfect.

this year i continued on with last year's tradition of the 12 days of 

christmas, where in 12 days of december, we do a christmasy activity.

here is a glimpse of what we did! :)

we kicked off our 12 days with a visit to the tree farm to get our christmas tree!

        

isn't she a beauty!

then we had some lovely friends over for a christmas dinner/gift exchange..

we visited an ice rink for some winter wonderland skating: emma was ambitious enough

to skate on her own..while olivia pretty much hated the whole experience lol

mikolaj, (st. nicolas in polish) paid a visit

on dec 6th, bringing a little something for each of the girls...

bright nights at stanley park! the park was covered in twinkling lights 

and i have to say, a vast improvement from last year..go fire fighters!

of course the girls had to set aside some time to write

a letter to santa..

and we definitely couldn't enjoy the holidays without a gingerbread house...

we enjoyed a christmas concert put on by the primary students at

emma's school! i cried like a baby. (not even gonna try to hide that fact lol)

we baked and decorated cookies..olivia doing most of the icing "inspecting"

we had ANOTHER get together with the de paz side of the family..

xbox kinect just brings people together!!

a excellent pose with what could be the world's

worst $10 gift exchange gift ever! (but it came in such a pretty box!)

the fam.

the holidays just aren't the holidays without a visit to the north pole!!

olivia can't hide her excitement!

secret elf training..how to navigate reindeer..

and smile reeeeeaaaalllyy wide!

learning how toys get made by the elves..

listening to an interactive story told by mrs. claus..

a puppet show, by daddy!

any time is a good time for a story :)

time to make gingerbread cookies at the north pole bakery!

olivia once again testing out the icing..

daddy enjoying his cookie!

and mommy!

 

making wrapping paper!

daddy being silly!

the piece du resistance of our visit at the north pole was 

a one on one visit with santa himself! emma could not get over

the fact that he already knew her by name and what she wanted for christmas

without even asking!

we spent many nights watching christmas movies to carry on the spirit

throughout the whole month..popcorn was a definite must!

my mr. and i on christmas eve..

the cousins!

on christmas day, santa left emma a bell to remember her

to believe in the spirit of christmas!

olivia already snuggling with one of santa's gifts..

just what she always wanted!!

the best bed head. ever.

look! more dolls from grandma and grandpa!

and even more dolls! boy were the girls ever spoiled :)

we were overwhelmed with the love and generosity everyone shared

with us this christmas. every year just seems to out-shine the last and

i don't just mean with presents..thanks to everyone who celebrated this joyous season with us!

merry christmas to you and your loved ones..and a very happy new year!

<3