I Don't Eat Animals

My seven year old son has to write a paragraph each week on a different topic. Somehow he always manages to fit some sort of sport into his paragraph or talk about a fun event he went to however much to my surprise (and delight!) he chose the topic of 'Animals' this week; this is what he wrote.



- Posted from Jennifer's iPhone

I Know What Fairy Tales Are Because I Have Seen One Before

I found this note that my seven year old wrote amongst some papers I was sorting for the recycling.. Needless to say this one was put in the 'keep' pile. *melting

Never Be Silent ~via PETA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEcSkAI45Rk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Vegan Beef With Broccoli Coconut Curry

1 can of Coconut Milk
1 head of Broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
10 White Mushrooms, quartered
1/2 pkg of Vegan Gardein Beefless Tips
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
1 tbsp Red Curry Paste
1 tsp Brown Sugar
1/2 Vegetable Stock Cube
1/3 Cup of Water
3 tbsp Crushed Peanuts
Dash of Salt
Cooked Jasmine Rice

In a medium size pot, add in the can of coconut milk, curry paste, brown sugar, vegetable stock cube, water and salt. Bring to a boil and let simmer about 3-4 minutes to thicken.


In a frying pan, saute mushrooms in vegetable oil until soft. Add in broccoli and vegan beefless tips, cook until broccoli is tender crisp.

Add vegetables with vegan beefless tips to the curry sauce and let boil for  3-4 more minutes, until the broccoli softens a little bit more and the vegan beefless tips absorb the curry.

Serve over jasmine rice with crushed peanuts.

...And thats all there is to it!

Hello 2012, I'm Ready For You.

So it's Saturday December 31st, 2011 and I'm up at six o'colock in the morning because I can't sleep. New Years has always been one of my most favourite times of the year and I'm most excited about this year in particular. I have plans. I have real immediate plans and I have plans to make plans for the more distant future. Plans that will have an positive impact on my life and hopefully on others as well. Plans that will feed my soul the energy it craves by doing something profound, something that will make a difference to someone in this world. Something that will matter. I'm also ready to accept what once was, is no longer. Without the closure I deserve but never recieved I've stuggled with moving on from a long time friendship that ended early in the year. I'll never understand fully how that came to be but it is what it is and I owe it to myself to just get over it. I've also experienced a taste of what the 'Empty Nest Syndrome' will be like with the phasing out of my home daycare in 2011. I ran it successfully for six straight years but as of June the children were of age to be in school full time; and they don't need me anymore. There are all kinds of stories and photos and posts here on this Blog and on my Facebook Wall about the appreciation I have for the kids I spent so much of my life with all of those years. It's sort of ironic because it was my job to teach them, ... however I learned so much from them about myself and my gratitude for that cannot be described in words; only felt in my heart. But ..they've grown up now. Which leaves no reason at all why I shouldn't do the same and just get on with it. In 2012 I'll accept what once was, is no longer. (well, I promise to try to) Looking ahead, and in the spirit of making New Years Resolutions, here are mine: I'll minimalize, de-clutter and do a full house cleanse of 'stuff' that we don't need in hopes it'll get me organized in a way that leaves for more quality time in my family life. I'll keep loving my friends. I'll continue to stand up for the rights of animals and for the rights of our human race. I'll be smarter with money this year; I'll think before I spend. I'll cook more this year, and use all my wicked vegan cookbooks my sister & Patty have bought for me over the last few years. (and maybe shed some pounds in the process! ..maybe) Overall, throughout every plan I make, for every interaction I encounter and for all the resolutions I create in this coming year, I'll keep true to myself. I look back with no regrets and ahead with a clear mind. Hello 2012, I'm ready for you. Cheers!

Humane Society International

Revolution Between The Lines

My sister and Patty sent me this wicked shirt from Vancouver and it needs to be shown off here, blog style :)



- Posted from Jennifer's iPhone

Limited Perspective

This evening I attended my children's 'Holiday' School Concert. In years past this school has put on phenomenal concerts that have included equal mentions from many cultures and how people of various ethnicities take part the number of holidays there are to be celebrated in this world. Tonight was of enormous disappointment to me. A huge screen was pulled down in front of the stage, some kids came out and did a skit on the "Christmas Story". I honestly thought they were going to start acting out a scene from the "A Christmas Story" film where they tell Ralphy he'll "shoot his eye out" ...but to my surprise, they meant it in the biblical sense. The kids began telling the audience about Mary and Joesph, they talked about Jesus in his manger, and threw out the "g" word on a number of occasions. Next, all of the children, including my boys start belting out the words to a very religious sounding song!! I was floored. In a moment of silence after the clapping, but before the next act, I could not restrain myself from saying aloud that I thought this was a public school!? A non denominational environment!? I had a family in front of me turn, nod and smile as if to agree with my statement. I'm guessing they weren't the only ones either. Our school is made up of a number of nationalities, which is why I really love it so much. I grew up in a primarily white community and I didn't want that for my kids. I wanted there to be more diversity in their lives; I wanted to raise them in an atmosphere that appreciates and embraces all cultural differences ...so we moved.. here! We do not practice religion in our home, however we live amongst spirituality and higher consciousness in a secular sense. Until this evening I haven't worried that my children would be exposed to christian based teachings. (And 'christian' is not capitalized on purpose by the way) At least not without other religious ways being referred to also so as to not have a preachy, biased, christian superiority feel hovering over. And tonight it did. Unfortunately the concert was tainted by this narrow mindedness and I could not focus for the remainder out of fury. We have the best most warm hearted principal our school has seen and some wonderful, caring teachers on staff. It's just such a shame these public school children are being taught with such limited perspective all because 'the many' believe christianity is of the utmost highest regard.

Danny Bhoy On National Symbols

I'm sure this is posted elsewhere on my blog already, but I like it so here it is again:

Marks The Spots

I got out my Magic Cleaning Eraser today and scrubbed my walls; I have two boys and my house is usually full of children so it doesn't take long for the walls to get grungy. In doing so I see all of the many dents and dings there are in my foyer and along the hallway. They're permanent marks that look like an eyesore and anyone else would probably have patched them up by now.

One dent I recognize from when the kids were small enough to be in a double stroller. I parked it in the same spot near my front door and the indent in my wall shows where it used to sit. Those baby years are so over for us.  Another few I know are from Callum running into the house in full goalie gear to use the bathroom. The hockey stick bashes all along the hallway as he hurries down it to go pee before the others begin the game again without him. He has such passion about him. The little nicks above the shoe rack are from where the kids leave their helmets and the ones near the baseboards marks the spots where the remote control trucks that have crashed along many times over the years. Some were even created accidentally by my husband, who is a child at heart and has been caught golfing down that hall on occasion. It's also been used as a bowling alley, a soccer field and race track for Hot Wheels cars and a railroad track for Thomas The Train. We've had trikes and bikes and scooters and sleds journey down that corridor as well. (And our guitars have left an indent or two when leaned against it!)

I of course don't know how every wall bash happened or who the paint destroyer was. From the chaotic life we live it's no wonder that hall looks the way it does; esthetically it's hideous. But at every glance some memory or another sweeps through my mind and evokes that emotion of gratitude for having a house that is so full of life and love and busyness and happiness. It's a place of comfort and warmth; where children want to play and be. If a few walls get dented in the process then we'll just put it on the repair list, .....but way way down on the list. I'm not ready for the memories they represent to disappear just yet!