Nadia can’t keep her hands off this batch I just made either. We’re having a kind of unofficial competition over who can eat more of these.

Nadia’s Lick out the Bowl Oatmeal Cookies (a recipe from our kitchen)

• 2 cups whole oats
• 1/2 cup flour (I mix flours, this time I used a bit of coconut flour and unbleached white flour. I also love teff, garbanzo bean, oat, etc.)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 dashes cinnamon
• 2 dashes nutmeg

Mix dry ingredients and set aside.

• 1 medium-sized apple, grated with skin on
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (and cooled so it doesn’t cook the egg when you mix it together)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

Mix wet ingredients and add them to dry. Mix.

• 1/3 cup nuts
• 1/3 cup raisins (or chocolate chips)

Add nuts + raisins. Mix some more.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 F.

This was my first go with this recipe. Next time I might halve the maple syrup and halve the butter and add another apple. Also thinking, if I used chocolate chips, it’d be good with two bananas instead of the apples. If anyone gives these a go before I do, let me know how they turn out. I made one batch of adult-sized cookies and another of small bite-sized ones to freeze for Nadia’s lunches + treats. (Though, I’m kidding myself really. I’ll get to them before she can!) Enjoy.

We checked out a few in our neighborhood and really liked these:

1. Dragonfly
2. Escuela Viva

• They both emphasize creative play – which I love. At two-years-old I’m not worried about the university she’s going to go to. I really just want her to play…she’ll learn plenty having fun.
• There’s storytime, puppets, dress-up, painting, singing, park time, etc.
• I liked the organized yet warm feeling I got.
• I also love that Escuela Viva is Spanish immersion. I wish there were more immersion programs (especially for school-aged kids).
• The prices at both are also reasonable.

I’ve found the Deck Family Farm near Portland that has “healthy happy animals” that are pasture raised. I’ve tasted the beef and it’s really good. So I’m considering getting all our family’s meat from this farm. I love knowing the people who are responsible for my food. I love that they don’t use herbicides, pesticides or antibiotics on their farm. I love that the animals eat what they were meant to eat. That they can roam. Live their lives. And then know that my family is being nourished by animals who were treated with care and respect.

This TED Talk by Rory Sutherland is brilliant – called, Life lessons from an ad man.

Pam Zsori (owner of this delicious store and  blog Housemartin) led us through wax flowers and cherry blossoms as we each built our own creation. It was so fun.

This is not good news – considering that one of my favourite snacks is cheese and pickles on crackers with a glass of wine. (Seriously, it’s really good.)

I just got the news today. And it’s still not 100% official. I now have to do an elimination diet. So wine in hand and munching on cheese, I’m busy researching yeast-free diets.

I’ve got a line on a yeast-free cookbook from the library and plan to start the diet on Monday (after I rid my fridge of all its yeasty goodness….which also includes bacon, olives, vinegar (and so a lot of salad dressings), malts, juice from concentrate, mushrooms, root beer (no more floats for me) and a host of other delicious foods. Oh and get this…I’m supposed to quit chocolate and dried fruits and a bunch of fresh fruits too. Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!! I’m off to pop another bottle of wine. It’s not Monday yet!

One of my new year’s goals is to be in bed (with no computer or iPhone) by 10 p.m. from January to April….unless it’s a date night.

Ooo – it’s 10:03, so I better be off.

First though – Kieran read an article the other day that said the best things you could do for yourself is: get more sleep, more sex and never let yourself get hungry. Goals I can totally embrace. And as I was stumbling around online today, I came across some other fantastic women embarking on a sleep challenge of their own - Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post) and Cindi Leive (Glamour) are going to be blogging about their attempts to get more sleep.

Get your sleep on ladies! I’m off to bed.

I thought I’d share a few of my favorite butt toners from the 36-wk workout program I’m creating for busy mums.

Chair: Stand, feet mostly together, big toes touching. Exhale as you bend your knees, moving your bottom down and back as though sitting on a chair. Keep your knees over your toes (don’t let them go past your toes). Tuck your pelvis and think of extending it down into the ground as you reach up through the top of your head. Tighten your tummy and work towards keeping your back straight. For added intensity, lift your arms above your head, elbows in line with your ears, palms facing in. Hold for 5-10 breaths x 2.

Speed skates: Stand feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent. Squat then extend your right leg as you lift your left leg back at a 45 degree angle like you’re speed-skating. Squat. Then extend your left leg as you lift your right leg back at a 45 degree angle. Continue switching legs. Add in arms if you’d like. Breathe out as you extend your leg backwards. Do 10-15 reps per leg x 2.

Lunge-back kicks: Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Take a big step backward with your left leg, bend your right knee so your thigh is parallel to the ground, keeping your shoulders over your hips.

Make sure your right knee doesn’t go past your right toes. Your left heel should be off the ground, pushing back towards the ground. Lift your left leg up, then back to your lunge. Complete reps on this side. Switch legs, lunging back with your right leg, kicking up with your right leg. D0 10-15 reps per leg x 2.

I love these exercises because while they target some of my favorite muscles, they also do a great job at an overall body workout. If you want to increase the intensity pick up some dumbbells.

I made a $1.50. “Lost” some merchandise. And ended up keeping half of it. So overall, not a success. The upside: I did get to enjoy a sunny day at the park instead of having to sit around.