Funny Site

I'm not sure how many of you know about this site but it is totally worth a look.  It has become one of my favorite daily stops.........  Cake Wrecks

I'm amazed at what some people will actually accept when picking up a cake for their special occasion.  I'm feeling very fortunate that we have a wonderful cake shop in town that I deal with and have never had some of these disasters waiting for me.

Go and enjoy some of the "professional" creations !!

The boys made it back to town last night and I have to say Laila was slightly excited to see them.  She stayed with daddy for the first hour then hung to Hayden's hip for the rest of the evening.  I'm just glad they made it safe and sound as I always feel unsettled when half my family is not home.

I have a doctor's appointment today then I'm taking Hayden out for lunch and school supply shopping afterwards.    Daddy is scheduled for a little bonding time with his daughter this afternoon which will probably include a 3 hour nap - win/win for both of them.

Then tomorrow we have a huge "Honey-Do" List of things around the house and hopefully be able to do a few family fun things on the weekend.

Chow for now !!

Julie & Julia

I have been reading this book for the last week and have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a perfect summertime pick !!


I have never been a fan of Julia Child and honestly after reading this probably still will never be but I found Julie Powell delightful in her writing style. It was entertaining and light-hearted and holds your attention until the end.

I'm finding it more challenging these days to even pick up a book little lone finish it but that wasn't the case with this one.

I'm eagerly awaiting the movie release on August 7th and only hope that it does the book justice. You can read Julie's actual blog here !

Now that I'm on a roll I going to start "Best Friends Forever" by one of my favorite authors Jennifer Weiner.

What are you reading this summer ?

No surprises....

With last nights selection !. Tonight it will be interesting to see how the happy couple is doing but from all indications they are still together and in love. I'm glad for Jillian and hope that this one stays the course.

I have been fighting a terrible headache (almost a migraine) for the last few days and can't wait until daddy gets home tomorrow evening. Laila has been pretty easy on me thus far by going to sleep early in the evening and staying there all night. But of course when starts her days she is ready to roll which has been a little tough with the headache.

It's overcast here today so I think we are going to stick close to home and make some fun inside.

Hope your day is sunny and bright !!

Chow for now.

Tonight is the night....

We get to see Jillian pick Ed as her beloved !! Ooops...maybe I'm jumping the gun but an inside source told me last week that's who gets the final rose but honestly until I see her offer it to him I don't want to believe it. I really liked Reid but unfortunately I only see him getting the boot tonight.

Tomorrow night ABC is airing "After the Final Rose" so honestly even though she picks her bachelor tonight the true test is actually tomorrow to see if they are still together.

Hubby is sad he will miss the finale (okay not really) as he is in Edmonton visiting is mom and she is not a fan of the show so he will probably be stuck watching a rerun of The Price is Right but I told him I would PVR it so he could watch when he got home. He is a trooper through the season usually watching with me weekly as I rant about whoever is making an ass out themselves that week.

I have been tuning into Big Brother 3 times a week and thus far only felt the need to hurl the remote at the TV a few times. Honestly, some of these people are so stupid but are very entertaining to watch. Seriously, Ronnie enjoy those 15 minutes of fame because I think I hear your cat calling you to come back home. My favorite thus far is Casey but he'd better be careful with what he says our he will be fighting to stay in the house.

Hell's Kitchen started again last week and I have to say I miss Gordon when he isn't on weekly. It should be an interesting season with he ranting and raving in his usual fashion.

Has anyone ever seen the show "Anna and Kristina's Grocery Bag" ? It's a Canadian show that airs on the "W" network. I happened upon it a few weeks ago and realized it was right up my alley. I have a small obsession with cookbooks and guess what they do ? Test different cookbooks. I have been PVR'ing every episode that airs and found the reviews great. They have tested a few books that I have considered buy and now reconsidered after hearing their reviews. It's worth a look....

Not much else going on at The Suleman's....Laila and I are just enjoying a little girl time while the boys are in Edmonton but honestly it's pretty quiet around here and I think she tends to get a little bored with just mama home.

Chow for now !

This and that....

We have had a very lazy week just enjoying the nice weather that Calgary is finally getting !! I find it hard to believe that in a month Hayden will be starting grade one and summer vacation will be over for another year.

Faruq traveled to Fort McMurray on Tuesday and Wednesday which was a tiring trip for him. Instead of overnighting in Fort McMurray he chose to come home Tuesday evening and went back Wednesday morning. They are really long days for him when he does that because he is up at 4 am to catch the corporate flight then doesn't get back to Calgary until almost 7 in the evening but with the last couple of weeks I have been having he figured it was just safer this way.

Hayden has been busy doing his "stuff"... He is enjoying not having any set schedules to follow. I purposely didn't book anything for him this summer because I knew at the end of the school year he was tired of schedules and just asked for a break. Come September his life will be scheduled yet again so it's been a relaxing time for him now.

For the last few weeks and the coming two he has had a job. Our neighbors are away and asked Hayden to look after their kitty. He is so committed to this and I have been really proud of the way that he has handled the responsibility.

He has been practicing his reading daily this summer and can now read most level 3 reading books. I'm amazed at how quickly he has caught onto it all and can only imagine what he will do this year. I'm so excited for him to start school and know that deep down we made the right choice to go with the private education and the small class size.

Laila is little Miss Happy Go Lucky...life is good for her. Truth be told I'm more concern about her schedule in September then Hayden's. She will need to rise earlier in the morning so that we can get Hayden to school and then we will need to rearrange her nap in the afternoon to leave in time to get him at the end of the day. Like everything else I'm sure she will adapt to whatever we need to do because that's just what she does.

She is still eating liking a pro and her favorite lately seems to be hummus and pita chips. Fruit is still her number 1 choice for food so we have had to be careful not to bring it out too soon. It has been such a change having a child who will eat pretty much anything that is set in front of her. I'm so hoping the new baby is the same way...I going to follow the same play book with them so fingers and toes are crossed !!

She is growing fast....the other day Faruq was trying to put a pair of shoes on her to take her to park and nothing seemed to fit. I figured she was just curling her little toes and eventually he did find a pair that fit. I decided to take her to Payless to get her feet measured and I was shocked to see she had gone up 2 sizes since the beginning of summer. Hmmm .... guess she wasn't curling her toes....so two pairs of sneakers later (& a new pair for Hayden) Laila now has some shoes that actually fit her rather large feet.

Baby Suleman is doing good...It's growing and I'm actually starting to feel little flutters which I loved with both Hayden and Laila. Honestly, I don't have much time to really enjoy this pregnancy and find that it is going entirely too fast. We have our 18 week scan booked for August 18th and are excited to possibly find out what we are having.

Faruq and Hayden are off to Edmonton on Sunday for a 3 days then home to hopefully get a few more projects ticked off our "Summer To Do" list.

I hope everyone is still enjoying summer and hanging out with your family on those sunny afternoon !!

Chow for now !

The complex mind of a 6 yr old....

So this summer we have been starting to experience the joys of having a 6 year old that seems to have developed his own opinions on just about anything and everything. Some days are definitely better then others in the attitude department but man it's been a struggle.

We have always tried to instill in Hayden that his opinion matters and he should voice them but that may now be coming back to bite us in the behind. Up until this summer we always worried about Hayden being very, very shy and that he might not be able to stand up for himself. But that doesn't appear to be the case now.

Lately, he challenges me on just about everything he asks for but doesn't get during the day. It can be rather tiring on mama and honestly sometimes I'm just not sure what works best anymore. I have tried to remove privilges that he has, taken his prized DSi away, grounded him from seeing his friends but honestly it doesn't seem to phase him in the least. Any suggestions?

Now I should say Hayden is a sensible kid and a truly a good kid that demonstrates a lot of care and compassion most times but this latest stage has been challenging to say the least. I know It has been a tad bit boring around here this summer as most of his friends are away so he has been stuck with his mama and sister for the majority of the time which can't be a ball of fun for him. I'm hoping that when school starts in a month this will relax somewhat because we will be in a very busy routine.

Please tell me I'm not alone and this is just another normal stage of growing up !!

A new find....

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a love affair with cooking and cook books. I honestly don't consider my self a great cook but I try and have the passion for cooking.

I'm hoping to take some cooking classes when the kids get older and I have a little more "me" time but for now I just secretly collect lots of interesting cook books. So when I was in Chapters the other night and came across this magazine from The Food Network I was just plain giddy !
I snagged the last copy they had and later that evening read it from cover to cover. Just recently I gave up my subscription to People magazine that I have had for the last 15 years but I think I have found it's replacement. I quickly placed my order for 30 issues ....It was the best deal after all :} so I would be losing it I didn't....Right !!)

Has anyone read this magazine,? If not and you have a passion for cooking I would strongly suggest you give an issue a try I don't think you will be disappointed.

While on the topic of cooking....I tried Martha's Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing and have to say they were pretty yummy. Sadly though I think I left them for a few minutes too long in the oven so they were a little dry but it is a recipe I will definitely try again as Red Velvet is a favorite of mine. I totally forgot to take some pictures but will try before they are all gone.

Next up later this week.....Banana Pecan Muffins.

Life is calmer now....

We have returned to regularly scheduled programming in our house. It is week 3 of summer vacation and while the weather hasn't bee great this week my mood has greatly improved. Sleep has been my friend and helped me reagin my calm disposition.

I think we as mom's just feel that we can't allow ourselves to have down times because too many people depend on us but if we don't acknowledge these stumbles we actually do a disservice to our loved ones. I know last week I was short tempered with the kids and really grouchy with Faruq. Things that would not have normally bothered me threw me very close to the edge of the cliff.

The kiddies and I have stuck pretty close to home and our days have been spent creating new LEGO creations, reading Alice in Wonderland and Pippi Longstocking. While Laila is awake we color and watch episodes of Big Comfy Couch (her new favorite show).

Faruq has been home this week and doesn't really have a, date that he will have to travel again which makes mama very happy. We are a team and I find it tough when he is gone for long periods. He is off this Friday so we are thinking of maybe taking a little road trip to Drumheller and spending the day at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

As for baby I'm feeling really good...I always find the first trimester the hardest and thankfully things settle down going into the 2nd one. My tummy is getting bigger everyday and I think I'm actually starting to feel a little movement. My next GP's appt is July 28th for a prenatal physical then August 18th we have our 18 week scan book where hopefully we will know if this is a little girl or boy.

I have been catchng up on a few of my TV shows this week and was heartbroken to see Jillian on the The Bachelorette send Reid home. I love Kiptyn but not sure Ed is right for her. Honestly, I can't believe I'm again investing 2 hours of life a week into this silly show. Every year I say I'm not going to waste my time but here I sit again watching something that probably won't even last past the closing credits of the final show.

Big Brother started last Thursday and while the season is still new it looks like it will be a great summer. I still need to watch Sunday and Tuesday nights shows but the opener looked great.

Our new family favorite is Wipeout. Hayden and Laila laugh so hard when they watch this and both Faruq and I love the commentators comments.

Lastly, Faruq and I watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on Monday evening and while the movie didn't end until close to 1 am (which made me very tired the next day) it was totally worth the late night. Brad Pitt is a favorite actor of mine and he did not disappoint in this movie. It was a very moving story which really kept us entertained right to the very end. Cate Blanchett was wonderful as well. I know it's has been out for quite some time now but if you haven't seen it I highly recommend it.

The sun is shining here in Calgary today so I'm going to try to get the kids out to the playground this afternoon for a little vitamin C then maybe home for a little picnic in the backyard.

I hope the rest of your week is filled with laughter and sunshine !!!

Chow for now !

Channelling my inner Martha...

I have the best hubby in the world !!  Because of the shitty week I had he picked up the new Martha Stewart Cupcake book for me yesterday.  I have been eyeing it for awhile but resisted mainly because my waistline does not need any further help expanding.

But I do love cupcakes and get a kick out of  trying new flavors so this book was right up my alley !!  I spent an hour last night devouring the book and looking at all the yummy recipes.   Today I decided to start with one of the easier ones - Carrot Cupcakes with a cream cheese icing topped with roasted coconut.  Be warned that these recipes are not for those "counting calories".  But everything in moderation isn't bad for you...Right !!!

The cupcakes were super easy to make.  They were both pleasing to look at and yummy to taste.  Hayden had 3 after supper and I'm sure I caught Faruq sneaking a few.

Here is the finished product which looks pretty close to the picture in the book...

And because I love my hubby I made an extra batch for him to take to work tomorrow to share with his team....Your welcome !!

So in the words of Martha "It's a good thing"...I highly recommend the book to anyone who loves cupcakes.  My next attempt will be the S'mores cupcakes and if they turn out as well be sure I will post a picture.

Now off to have a cupcake and a cup of tea before bed !!

Chow for now !

The glass is half-full again.....

After two nights of full sleep and a fridge that has now been fixed.

It's is amazing what happens when you are properly rested...I now feel more like my normal self. I have to say I really did feel "defeated" last week with all that life was throwing at me.

A lovely gentlemen came this morning and replaced the fan that had stopped working in the fridge this past Tuesday. He has small kids so knows how hard it would be not to have a fridge in working order. I'm truly grateful for his kindness and have always believed if you do good deeds for others it will come back to you. I wish him nothing but goodness !!

Hayden and I headed out this morning for groceries. We hit Costco, Safeway and finally M&M's but now have a stocked fridge which makes Mama very happy !!

While we were out Faruq managed to get our yard work done as well as cutting the neighbors grass on both sides of us as they are both currently away on holidays.

We picked up a few movies to watch tonight and I think we are heading to Calaway Park tomorrow morning for a few hours. Then home for a nice visit and BBQ with some lovely friends that just relocated to Calgary from Fort McMurray.

Have a great rest of the weekend !!

Chow for now !

When life you gives you lemons....

you are suppose to make lemonade....Right !!  Well this week it just feels like I'm sucking on those lemons.  I'm really having what you would call a "glass 1/2 empty week".  Sorry this is the 2nd post that is a bit of downer.

This is really not normal for me as I'm usually a pretty in control person but I think it was all just too much at once and I'm admitting that yes I am human.  Growing up that was not something that I felt I could easily do...our life was to appear at least to the outside world to be "perfect".  I'm sure my mother would deny that fact but there are so many examples I could cite here it would be hard to deny it.

....I feel defeated....

That life is kicking me in the butt and is currently winning.  

The fridge saga continues and it will be at least Saturday (thank you repairman for coming on your day off) or Monday (if the part doesn't arrive today) before it is working again.  I guess the fan stopped working so that is why the top part of the fridge is warm and my freezer is freezing things within 5 minutes.

One thing I have learnt is my fridge is the single most important appliance I own (especially with young kids).  I know a lot of people have a "beer" fridge so when this happens it not too bad but all we have is a small mini-bar in the basement that can hold milk and cheese.  I could go without a stove, washer or dryer for an extend period but the fridge not so much.

I have an amazing friend who has dropped off fresh fruit and veggies (from her garden)  to use everyday since this has happened and I'm so thankful for that.  Another has dropped off a few yummy casseroles "just because".   Thanks ladies for being there even when you weren't asked...I hope I can return the favor someday soon !!

On a brigher note ......I had my first regular prenatal appointment with my GP yesterday and it all went well.   We actually have a pretty amazing doctor who is caring and compassionated which seems to be rare now a days.  He instantly could tell I was a little off yesterday and spent almost 20 minutes just chatting with me.  He has 3 kids so can totally understand what women go through as his wife has been there.

I'm so pleased to be able to stay with him right through the pregnancy and not be referred to the Women Prenatal Clinic.  As well, he is going to find a new OB  at the hospital that I would prefer to deliver in this time.  We had such a horrendous experience with Laila that I was concerned about delivering at that specific hospital again.  

I have my 18 week scan booked for August 18th so we excited to see baby again and maybe actually find out the sex.  I still secretly suspect girl.

Summer vacation is going along well...I know Hayden is bored already so I really need to figure out a few activities for him in the coming weeks.  He and Faruq are going to Edmonton the last week of July to stay with his mom so he is excited about that little adventure with dad.  As well, our neighbors have asked him to look after their cat for 2 weeks while they are on vacation so he is pretty pumped that he has a "job".

Faruq's traveling is coming to end at least for now !  It is really tough when he does go away.  He is such a big support for me and is so hands on with the kids that we all miss him when he is gone.

We have no plans for the weekend...a friend was trying to convince me that we should go for lunch and pedicures on Saturday but honestly I would just love a day on my own doing nothing.  

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and for the Calgarians enjoy the sun as it looks like rain is returning on Monday :{.

Chow for now !!

Wordless Wednesday -July 8th

~~ Hayden & Laila ~~

Enjoying a popsicle on July 1st

Just one of those weeks....

It could be the pregnancy or just a me having a shitty week but man I have been super emotional for the last few days.  I have cried numerous times and seriously some of these outbursts were over nothing.

Faruq has been working lots of crazy hours recently so I'm getting super tired and I usually don't do well when I'm tired under normal circumstances. 

I'm having doubts about this third pregnancy and whether we can actually handle three kids (guess it's a little late now to be worry about it now).  I'm sure it will all work out but I'm still worrying none the less. 

 I worry about how I will get Hayden to school for 8:15 while trying to get two other little ones dressed and out the door as well.  I will worry about how he will get home at 3:15 everyday.  Did we do the right thing moving him to the this school that is so much farther away and now we don't have a busing option anymore.

I worry about Laila accepting the new baby as there will only be 2 years between them and she has always been used to being the baby.   Are we doing her a disservice by having this 3rd little one.

I guess I'm just worried about lots of stuff lately.  That's what I do..."Worry".  I know Faruq always says we will work it out and he is most always right but I still worry.

Then to top it off my fridge quit chilling sometime last night so I was treated to a crap load of of warm food.  I guess life is so good for the refrigeration companies in Calgary right now that they don't do emergency call outs and we are scheduled to have our fridge fixed on Friday (maybe Thursday).   Who will pay for the over $500 worth of food that I have had to throw out?  - I sit and worry !

And as luck would have it we just had garbage pickup this morning and I have 3 large bags of food rotting in the garage.  Maybe, I can drop it off at Home Depot where we bought these appliances from not 3 years ago.  They have been they worse people to deal with in regards to warranty work and let me tell you have had to deal with them on our washer, dryer and now fridge.  Seriously, any other appliance I could live without for days if I had to but not the fridge. 

So now I sit and worry about how to keep food cold for two days...not an issue for just hubby and I but when you have kids they needs food that is refrigerated. 

It's just one more thing that has been added to my little "pity party" I have been having !

Wow this has been an uplifting and inspiring post but It's  truly how I'm feeling right now and I just didn't feel like being cheerful and upbeat when I'm really not.   

I know the sun will shine again really soon for me but for today it's just a little overcast in my world.

Chow for now !!

May we present....

Our latest project......

"Baby Suleman"

Our 3rd (& last) miracle will arrive on or before January 14th, 2010

We are very excited and feel blessed that we been given the gift of a 3rd baby.  After many years of fertility problems and multiple losses our family will be complete.

We had a our 12 week scan yesterday and all the numbers are pointing to a very healthy pregnancy to which we are thankful.

Now we just can't wait to me them in early 2010 !!!

Happy Birthday to you !!!!

Happy Birthday to you !

Happy Birthday to you !

Happy Birthday dear Hayden !

Happy Birthday to you !

Hayden celebrated his 6th birthday yesterday (we had his party last weekend) so it was just family yesterday.  Unfortunately we had our 12 week scan yesterday for the new baby so Hayden ended up spending his afternoon in doctor's offices but didn't complain once as that's just the type of kid he is.

He is our first born.  He is the baby we had hoped and prayed for after so many losses.   He is so unique and quirky in his personality.  He is caring and gentle (sometimes not so much with his little sister but we are working on that).  He is lighting sharp when it comes to school and learning has come easy to him.  He is a lover not a fighter.  He tries to see the good in everyone and everything.  He is very athletic and picks up most sports very easily.

He is Hayden and we love him for who he is.

~~~  2009 ~~~

6 years

~~~ 2008 ~~~

5 years

~~~ 2007 ~~~~

4 years

~~~ 2006 ~~~

3 years

~~~ 2005 ~~~

2 years

~~~ 2004 ~~~

1 year

~~~ 2003 ~~~

Brand New (4 hours old )

We hope you had a great birthday and we wish you so many more !!

Love 

Mama, Daddy and Laila

Wordless Wednesday -July 1st

~~~  Hayden ~~~

June 27th, 2008

Happy Canada Day !!

To all my fellow Canadians !!! 

 I personally think we live in one of the best countries in the world and I today we should celebrate that fact.

Other then the drastically cold winters that seem to last for over half the year now I couldn't think of a better place to live and raise my family.  My kids enjoy rights and  freedoms that can only be imagined (& wished for) in other countries.

Our provinces are beautiful and are visited by millions of tourist world-wide every year.  We have the label of being the "friendliest people they have ever met" which I think we should be very proud of.  I know from extensive traveling that can not be said for other countries.

I'm proud of what we do as a country to help other parts of the world even though I don't always agree with why we are doing it.  

Happy Canada Day !!! Celebrate our great land for all the beauty it has !!