Things I Did Elsewhere: Week 15 Recap

Lousy weather has afforded me the laziest weekend I have had since I brought this kid home. I have mentioned that three is awesome, and it is. You know what you can do when you have a three year old? You can bring them downstairs when they wake up, get them breakfast, give them some quiet toys and turn on the TV, and then you can snooze on the couch. Sure, there will be frequent wakings as they ask you for stuff and climb on to pretend they're sleeping too, but you're dozing! Note: this assumes your living area is generally kept free from things that could harm a small child.

You guys, I AM SO WELL RESTED!

I got back on track with meal planning over at The Facebook Page. This week's plan includes a whole lot of veggies at my disposal now that the warmer weather has finally come out to play.

I haven't done anything over at The Wine Fund because I've been busy giving interviews to reporters for the Globe and Mail. Oh, and speaking of pregnancy (or lack thereof) after 35, I talked about joining Team Infertility at Circle of Moms, because I think a lot of people think it can't happen to them so while it's small comfort to know you're not alone, it's still some comfort.

And now, I will put my kid to bed, fold my laundry and go to bed early. Because an early bedtime is the perfect way to cap off a lazy weekend. Have a great week!

Things I Did Elsewhere: Week 14 Recap

It's Mother's Day! I spent it at an amusement park. Misguided husband? Hell no! It was awesome. I spent Thanksgiving at the zoo, Easter Sunday at a waterpark and Mother's Day on a roller coaster. The Husband and I have come to the conclusion that doing non-traditional things on major holidays IS our family tradition. I love it!

Over at The Facebook Page, I posted this week's meal plan including my special Mother's Day meal request. Forewarned is forearmed, there is talk of balls. Wait, what?

At Yummy Mummy Club, I made fun of myself and my total lack of interest in fashion since becoming a Mom in "Do I Look Like Somebody's Mother?" No mom jeans were harmed in the writing of this piece, only my pride is wounded.

And now, I will ask The Husband to take a break from making me dinner to make me a mojito so I can sit on my ass drinking while neglecting my child as she plays in the yard. Because that's what Mother's Day means to me. Have a great week!

Things I did elsewhere: Week 13 recap

How the hell did it get to be Sunday night already? I do not know! It was less busy than last week, but just when I thought I could rest on my laurels another one of those wicked kid bugs blew through the house and knocked me on my ass. Good times! I still managed to find the the time to do some stuff elsewhere.

Over at The Facebook Page I shared this week's meal plan. We had company for dinner last night and served Chicken Parmesan Rollatini with polenta and Caesar salad for dinner, and tartufo for dessert. The Rollatini was pretty good, but if I were to do it again I would have added a few chili flakes to the sauce and topped it with some shaved parmesan to bring a little salt to the party. That may be because I used salt-free soup stock, so YMMV.

At The Wine Fund, I talked about Incentria (big, fat fucking waste of time - that's my two cents worth, which is literally all I have earned there) and Favors and Flavors, a one stop shop for breastfeeding support and supplies. I also submitted posted an article on parenting honestly on Circle of Moms.


Have a great week!

Things I did Elsewhere: Week 12 Recap

Made with love. By The Husband. Because I can't bake worth a shit.

It's Birthday Week! The Husband and The Parasite have birthdays less than a week apart. If you think that means a busy week, you're absolutely right! The big girl's party was yesterday. She was too excited to nap and was still pretty darn tired today, which led to a 2+ hour nap. Curled up with me. Which she hasn't done in ages. Not gonna lie, it was totally awesome.

Anyway, it means I didn't get around to doing a whole lot of stuff elsewhere. I did post our meal plan which includes a plea for help on what the fuck to do with pounds of leftover lunch meat. Any ideas?

Things I Did Elsewhere: Week 11 Recap

It would seem I'm a little behind on posting things I did elsewhere. Meh. Shit happens. I made a goal to submit articles to online publications at least twice a month and have sent in one so far, so I'll find out if it gets picked up for publication soon. See, I told you! Goals are good. 

At The Facebook Page, as usual I shared our weekly meal plans for last week and this week. It's possible I fucked up the order of those links. It probably doesn't matter, and I'm really hungover tired so if I did screw it up I might get around to checking and ultimately fixing it later. So if they are screwed up and you saw it, you'll be like one of those people who have one of those dollar bills that are printed upside down. If they're right, it's just like a plain old dollar bill here. Now you have to ask yourself... do you feel lucky?

At The Wine Fund, I shared a review of the hotel we stayed at for our Easter weekend getaway. A nice, clean, reasonably priced, family-friendly hotel mere blocks away from all the attractions in Niagara Falls, Ontario and minutes away from the border crossing. If a trip to the Falls is in your future, you should stay there. Later this week I'll share the review of a book that I... didn't love. Come back and see my feeble attempts at diplomacy!

Things I Did Elsewhere: Week 10 Recap

Zut alors, yet another weekend has gone by. How? Why? I just don't know. The in-laws are still here which is cool because SURPRISE! It's not a one night visit, it's a three night visit. Apparently determining when someone is coming to our home and how long they are staying with us is too much to ask of The Husband. And we all know how much I love surprises. I'll deal with him... later.

At The Facebook Page, I shared this week's meal plan, including tonight's feast of ham and scalloped potatoes. From scratch. Because I am that damn good. I use the Canadian Living recipe enhanced by a whole lot of garlic, and while it takes a long time it's dead simple. If you currently make scalloped or any other kind of potatoes from a box, stop that! There's just no comparing them to the real thing.

Over at The Wine Fund, the app of the week is Flashlight. No, not Fleshlight, silly! FLASHLIGHT! It turns your phone into a flashlight, and it has been more useful than I ever imagined it would be. You want to learn about cool apps first don't you? Well then sign up for the AppSmitten newsletter and the app world is your oyster. Note: If you sign up using that link I earn a small commission.

Things I Did Elsewhere: Week 9 Recap

Holy crap! How is the weekend over already? It feels like I just left work on Friday and now it's time to get ready for another Monday. But not without first telling you about all the stuff I did when I wasn't here. 

At The Facebook Page, I shared this week's meal plan and my Wednesday night "OMG, I don't have the stuff to make what I was going to make for dinner and now what?" recipe for brown rice and mushroom sauce. You should just like the damn page already so you don't have to wait for me to post a recap on Sunday for all this awesomeness. I mean, I might forget and THEN what would you do? Oh, you'd carry on with your day? I see...

Keeping with the foodie theme, over at The Wine Fund I posted a review of the Longo's Pad Thai Meal Kit. It was a bit of a thumbs down. I didn't do an app of the week because I didn't have time to play with anything new and I don't want to recommend anything not well tested. But you should still sign up for the AppSmitten newsletter because you are cool and you want to learn about cool things first. Yes, I get a small commission if you use that link but if you'd rather not, you can Google them to start learning about the apps you need to make your life easier. 

I'm helping to spread the word about a petition calling for a Royal Commission on election fraud in Canada. Wait, wut? I know! If you're Canadian just click the link, check it out and decide for yourself if you think you should sign it. I did. And on that happy note, I'm off to bed. Toodles!

Things I Did Elsewhere: Week 8 Recap

Well, it's been a pretty shitty week here at Casa del Host. But even though things suck for The Husband and I, our kid still has to eat so I made a "Give yourself a break" meal plan and posted it over at The Facebook Page.

Speaking of food, the App of the Week is Cook's Illustrated - The Best of Everything. I really quite like it. I have provided more details over at The Wine Fund. It's better if you already subscribe to Cook's Illustrated because it unlocks a bunch of members only content and your favourites automatically sync, but there's still plenty of good stuff to be had for non-subscribers. The ability to add ingredients right to the shopping list from the recipe is particularly awesome.

How do you find cool new apps? Well, you could randomly plug things into the search tool in the App Store and hope for the best, but there is a better way! Sign up for the Appsmitten newsletter. You pick your device and your areas of interest, Appsmitten gives you a custom summary of apps you'll love. Sure, I'm an affiliate and if you sign up using the link provided I'll earn a small commission, but that's not why you should do it. You should sign up because life has enough needles in haystacks, and pointless searching is for Luddites. You're not a Luddite, are you?

Things I Did Elsewhere: Week 7 Recap

Yes, I did miss a few weeks. I wasn't doing bloggy things elsewhere because I was busy teaching my daughter how to be a world traveler. She's had a total meltdown in an airport now, so I think she's all set.

At The Facebook Page I posted the back to reality meal plan and my recipe for a crockpot beef stroganoff. Which doesn't involve a crockpot. It's less complicated than it sounds. Want some ideas for what to make for dinner this week or a recipe me tested and me approved to be quick and easy for a weeknight meal? Don't feel like waiting for me to get around to posting a weekly recap? Can't say I blame you, patience is a virtue but it's not one of mine. Go ahead and "Like" The Facebook Page already!

At The Wine Fund, I posted my review our holiday (Awesome! The holiday, not the review. Though I think the review is pretty good too...) AND the first of what I plan to make a weekly feature, the App of the Week. But I might not actually get around to posting an app every week because, as we already know, I'm really quite lazy. Want to know a better way to find out what's the latest and greatest in the world of apps? Sign up for the appSmitten weekly email update. Pick your device, pick your categories of interest and sit back and watch with glee as you receive suggestions for apps YOU want to know about. Yeah, I'm an appSmitten affiliate and I get a small commission if you sign up for the newsletter, but that's not why you should do it. You should because you're pretty cool and cool people should know about cool stuff first.

And finally, want to know how The Husband and I have managed to keep up our sex life since becoming parents? Well, we haven't. But you should still read the article I wrote for Circle of Moms for tips on keeping in touch without keeping touched.

Have a great week!

Week 4 Recap: Elsewhere

Over at Life with a Parasite - The Facebook Page, I posted the meal plan for this week AND last week. Because I am an awesome wife who sets things up for The Husband when I am away gallivanting in the sun. It's a big sacrifice, but I manage to pull it off with grace and style. And cocktails. Lots and lots of cocktails. I also shared a family favourite recipe, Anthony Bourdain's Beef Bourguignon. It's some seriously good stuff, and it's made better still by the fact that The Husband is the one who makes it. That's right, a delicious meal that I don't have to cook myself. I really am a lucky girl.

Lots and lots of cocktails...

At The Wine Fund, I posted the fourth and final review of the strollers I used while I had a baby. Because as The Parasite is quick to point out, at every possible opportunity, she is not a baby. She is a big girl. Thanks for the reminder, kid! *sniffle* That's OK, the fertility treatments are underway (more on that later) and I hope to be feeding my stroller addiction again soon!

Have a great week!

Week 3 Recap: Elsewhere

Over at Life with a Parasite - The Facebook Page, I posted last week's meal plan and the recipe for my famous black bean and chicken enchiladas. OK, so they're only famous with my family. Whatever. At The Wine Fund, I posted a review of the third stroller we used in our pushing a kid around career, the Bugaboo Frog. There's one stroller review left to go, and I'm not getting to it today.

Why?

Because by the time you're reading this, I'll have taken to the friendly skies for my long weekend with a friend in a sunny locale. A cold front has washed over this fair land of ours, everything is covered in snow and I can't wait to get the fuck out of here. I'm going to miss that little girl of mine like crazy, in fact I'm already feeling enormous pangs of guilt about leaving her. Oh, I'm still going to have a great time while I'm there, but I'll also be counting down the hours until I can get some sweet baby cuddles.

Try to have fun without me. I'll catch up with you later in the week!

Week 1 Recap: Elsewhere

I mentioned a PR policy when I announced Life with a Parasite - The Facebook Page. It's here!

Speaking of Life with a Parasite - The Facebook Page, I have posted two quick, easy, family-friendly recipes over there. One for a portable, heart-healthy pasta alfredo with chicken and broccoli and one for a hearty asparagus chowder. How can you make sure you get these updates right away, just in time to save your dinner from ruin? Well, liking the page is a good place to start.

As part of the PR policy, I am also announcing Life with a Parasite - The Wine Fund, a separate blog where I will happily share reviews, contests and giveaways. It's not fully off the ground yet, but feel free to add it to your reading list so you're in on the ground floor. Interested in learning more? Please see the disclosure and PR policies at The Wine Fund using the links on the homepage.

Don't want to add a separate blog to your reading list and feel like you already like half of Facebook anyway? Fear not. Every Sunday, I'll post a recap just like this one to share I'm up to in that great somewhere known as Elsewhere.

I really "Like" you!

It's Life with a Parasite, The Facebook page! Why? I think the more important question is... why not? You'll note there is currently a pitiful ONE fan of the page, and it's me. This will not do!

What's in it for you? Well, right now, nothing but gratitude. BUT, sometime early in the New Year, I'm going to post a PR policy and first crack at whatever rewards (contests, giveaways, etc.) may come from that will go to the people who were with me in the early days. Because I'm loyal like that.

Please go "Like" Life with a Parasite, The Facebook page. After all, one really is the loneliest number.