40 favourite foods

This is going to be a doozy but the kids are snuggled into a ninja turtles movie so I have time.

1. Fav quick breakfast food - buttered whole grain toast and a fried egg... if it has to be really quick: 1 spoon of peanut butter

2. Fav leisurely breakfast food - scramble of home fries with onions and peppers, topped with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce

3. Fav order at a restaurant breakfast - omelet with feta and spinach

4. Fav quick lunch food - Mr Noodles with added soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha and lime juice, or canned tuna on salad

5. Fav leisurely lunch food -  fish tacos

6. Fav order at a restaurant lunch - I almost exclusively cycle between nachos or meal sized salad 

7. Fav quick dinner food - chicken souvlaki on pita with cucumber and tzatziki

8. Fav leisurely dinner food - eggplant casserole, stuffed chicken, jerk shrimp 

9. Fav order at a casual restaurant dinner - nachos, meal sized salad, veggie burger, any bowl style meal like stir fry

10. Fav order at an upscale restaurant dinner - the fish feature, or if there's something interesting like a ... portobello ricotta veggie tower?

11. Fav breakfast for dinner - quiche and peameal bacon

12. Fav leftovers meal - fried rice

13. Fav part of Thanksgiving meal - brussel sprouts

14. Fav take out - shawarma

15. Fav healthy dessert - Greek yogurt, kiwi, raspberries, coconut, pineapple

16. Fav unhealthy dessert - baklava, tiramisu

17. Fav movie snack - I usually fall asleep but.. corn chips

18. Fav salty craving - corn chips again

19. Fav sweet craving - good quality chocolate

20. Fav sandwich - anything with a tomato-mayo combo, love weird breads, love sprouts

21. Fav smoothie - pineapple juice, kale, mint, peaches

22. Fav Starbucks drink - black bold

23. Fav family recipe - Mom's buffalo chicken casserole or eggplant casserole, sago, rouladen, varnecki, I'm realizing I can't spell any Mennonite foods... Dad's egg fried rice

24. Fav cook all day food - pulled pork 

25. Fav ready in 5 minutes food - eggs, Mr Noodles, toasted tomato sandwich, bagel with smoked salmon

26. Fav baked good recipe - not sweet,  but, puff pastry stuffed with bacon jalapeños and cream cheese

27. Fav frying pan recipe - a good grilled cheese

28. Fav bbq food - salmon, zucchini, mushrooms, bacon wrapped jalapeños or dates, peaches

29. Fav seafood - black cod

30. Fav party snack - an entire cheese plate

31. Fav mid day pick me up - coffee

32. Fav indulgence - warm brownie with ice cream

33. Fav make me feel healthy food - green juice especially with ginger

34. Fav blow your paycheck food - any good cheese, way too much smoked salmon, mussels

35. Fav pizza toppings - green olives, pineapple, feta, spinach, bacon

36. Fav soup - beer and cheddar

37. Fav fruit - cherries, pear

38. Fav veggie - radish, salted garden tomato, arugula

39. Fav meat - all seafood, striploin, chicken thigh

40. Fav starch - naan or pita, white rice, latkes 

Who I'm thankful for on International Women's Day

I couldn’t be more grateful for the supportive and empowering sisterhoods that I consider myself a part of. I could list a million reasons why I’m so thankful for the powerful women in my life. Here are some:

-          For a mom, two sisters, a mother-in-law and sister-in-law who are always my fall-back, in whom I have 100% confidence that they’ll catch me if I need catching, love me even if I’m being unlovable, and fix my problems even if I made them willingly myself. And for a gaggle of aunts who feel like sisters to me.

-          For two grandmothers who taught me skills I cherish and who left legacies to be proud of.  And the two living grandmothers that I gained through marriage.

-          For warm, lovey-dovey women whose friendship feels like a never-ending hug.

-          For my tight-knit circle of girls who enable my coffee addiction, over-use of social media, under-brushing of hair, falling asleep during every movie, and deep inability to handle being even 1% hungry. For appreciating the combination of cheese plates and American politics. For letting me use my New Zealand accent even when it's annoying.

-          For the fellow mamas who laugh with me about our kids’ bathroom mishaps or at-school cursing, and who ease my worries when I’m knee deep in a stomach flu or high-fever situation. There’s actually nothing in the world like another mom saying “me too”.

-          For a woman who cares for my children, the most precious things of my life, and treats them as though they are her own. Who sends them home with fresh cookies in their bellies. Who only took a week to change Dakota's answer to 'how was day care today?' from 'I cry' to 'I happy'.

-          For a workplace that sees women in leadership as a win for everyone. For those that have become “my tribe” (I can never thank you enough). For my leader who reminds me of my value and who sets an example for me to aspire to. And for the fact that her leaders are strong, intelligent women too.

-          For the women who have made it their job to spread the word about issues of privilege and marginalization  – who keep all of us updated on what we can celebrate, and what needs work. Who don’t see feminism as a swear word.

-          For the women who set the very highest bar in “we belong to each other”ism. 

-          For the woman who helped my babies come into the world.

-          For the woman who I am raising every day. Who already has more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control that I could ever be credited with. Who would rather be strong than pretty. Who shows off her Buddha belly at every chance. Who has no problem telling the boys to “shoo”. If you were the only woman I knew, this day would still be worth celebrating.

On Why I'm Not a SAHM

I've written on this topic before. In fact, I've even youtubed on it. (Ugh, I'm having an internal battle on whether it should be "youtubed" or "youtubbed", but perhaps "recorded a video on Youtube" would be the most correct.)

Here are the facts, in order.

I have two children. (Age two, age four.)

I have a full time job.

This can tick a lot of people off.

In fact, recently my husband - while explaining how excited he was about my promotion - had someone ask him "Doesn't she realize her first priority should be her husband and children?" Real life, folks. (PS His answer was: it is. And so is mine. And we both work and we both love our family. End of story.)

To be honest, I think opinions on all sides are fair. You are allowed to think that children are best raised at home, full-time, with a family member. But for goodness sake, can we please remember that family member doesn't equal mom? Perhaps Dad stays home with the kids. Maybe Grandpa or Grandma do. As I look at my calendar and remind myself it's 2016 let's all collectively agree on the fact that the raising of the littles is not just a mama's job. But, okay, you think that kids should be raised by family, all the time...

I don't necessarily agree.

Another opinion, on the other side completely, is that all kids should be in day care for structure and to learn to socialize...

I don't necessarily agree either.

Like with most things in life, I think it's all personal. It's personal what method of care your children will thrive in. It's also personal what level of 'being out of the house and with other adults' you as a mother will thrive in. If the two line up - beautiful. You have found your sweet spot.

Here is why working full time works for me.

My kids have Mom, Dad, or Grandma five days a week. They get love and snuggles and dance parties and cookie baking. Then, two days a week they go to Playschool. They get love and snuggles and dance parties and cookie baking... plus, they get a handful of extra friends to play with. It's pretty cool! And guess what this arrangement affords me? Forty hours a week in my office at work doing what I love, feeling like I am contributing to something huge, feeling accomplished, getting my dose of being with adults, finding a reason to brush my hair (just kidding).

When I am at home, for days at a time, I fall into a lazy funk. I let the laundry sit around. I lay in bed until the kids absolutely force me to get up. I watch a lot of Netflix. When I spend 8 hours at work, and then click into mama-mode, I am on point. We cook together. We clean together. We read and colour and I hug them 2 million times each. We have a lovely bed time routine. I cherish every moment. When they're in bed, I get the necessaries (laundry, whatever) done in record time. I actually do my work out. I feel good. And then I do it all over again.

Working Amy is a vast improvement from Stay at Home Amy.

And all the same, the stay at home version of YOU might be worlds better than the work-you. Only you can know.

Best case scenario is we all make our choice, and then we make the even more important choice to support each other even if we do different things. Working mamas - I feel ya! Let me know how my experience can help you. SAHMs - well done. You do something I suck at. I tip my hat to you. That's the message: be the sisterhood we're supposed to be.