it's my girls' world

When we were looking for a house more than five years ago, D was all like "It must have a laundry room on the upper level." I was like "Meh, whatevs. I like the window seat in that house." Note, this was pre-kids so I had no idea of the mountains of laundry that would ensue in the upcoming months. I didn't see the big deal in having a basement laundry room like we did in our last house.Thankfully, in this situation my husband had more foresight than I did. So yes, given the amazing amount of laundry I do (with my five year old, she tries on something and tries to put it in the wash), the best part of my little laundry room is that it is upstairs with all of the bedrooms. Even though I like to bring my laundry downstairs sometimes to fold while I'm watching TV.... but I digress.

And then the house didn't come with the washer and dryer so D's like "Wouldn't it be cool to get a coloured washer and dryer?" In my eight months preggo state, I once again was ambivalent and just went along with it. So that's how we got our fire-engine red washer and dryer. And you know what? Having a brightly coloured washer and dryer does make doing laundry in the winter months that much more fun.... well as fun as laundry ever could be! And almost every single person who has seen our washer and dryer has commented on how much they love the colour.

So not to give him total credit.... but he really deserves it... he also got a nicer sink installed and a small laundry sorter to put right next to the washer also.... both Lowe's purchases. All of us have hampers in our room  so that sorter is for our towels, sheets and kitchen stuff.

There's no space for hanging stuff as I just hang them in our respective bedrooms immediately. There is however tons of room for storing cleaning supplies and laundry detergent.

The laundry is not totally complete. I really want to get some fun artwork and maybe some cool cupboard door knobs whenever next Anthro has a huge sale.

So yes, this is D's room... his labour of love if you will... for his wife who does all his laundry :-)

While we're at it, here are a few laundry tips to make life easier:

1- Do your laundry after 7 at night or on weekends. People, the savings really add up and it's great for the environment. If you have a newer washer, you can even set the time.

2- Fold your clothes as soon as it gets out of the dryer nice and warm--- cuts down big time on the ironing.

3- A couple tennis balls in the dryer also cut down on the wrinkles without the dryer sheets. 

No post tomorrow as I really wanted to squeeze this one into Andrea's linkup.

But still linking up my little laundry room with   Jess for :

I might be the only one in the blogosphere posting a clean recipe as we get into the Festive Season soon but here we go...

Before a big eating event like Thanksgiving or the holiday season, I try to eat a little cleaner--- more veggies, less carbs, lean protein.... 'cause you and I know the baked goods (and holiday parties) are where I expend those calories...Who's with me ladies?!

We are huge broccoli lovers in this house.... All four of us... and for the four of us to like something healthy, that's big! But all I really do with it is use it in a stir fry  or steam in and add a little butter. I've been reading some great reviews about roasted broccoli recently so I tried my own little thing. 

I eyeballed it but here's basically what I did

1 large head of broccoli 

3-4 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 of a lemon or 3/4 lime

2-3 cloves of garlic crushed into small pieces

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese to taste

1- Preheat oven to 410 degrees

2- Cut broccoli into small pieces- basically 1/4 inch width of stalks

3- Mix olive oil/lemon/lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper into a bowl

4- Combine the oil mixture with the broccoli and put it in a flat baking dish- I used a non stick spray on some foil to line it before.

5- Roast for 12 minutes stirring once

6- When finished- sprinkle with fresh parm--- use more (or less) if you wish.

I know it doesn't look that great :-)

And there you have it.... so easy and so, so delicious!! I had a couple pieces as my 3 pm snack-- it's so good.... and even the little ones loved it! And the other big one said that I should open a restaurant... seriously, it's that good.

Put it in your arsenal for January if you've already jumped off the wagon!

D & C woke me up bright and early on Saturday morning to head to Cora's for breakfast. A was not pleased-- we have realised that she is just not a morning person! 

Mexican and ice cream for dinner.... followed by a night of throwing up for C.... and a night of changing bed sheets and night clothes for D and me! Yeah, not such a fun part of the weekend.

We met D's cousin and his family for a very nice brunch at Cambridge Mills on Sunday... when I say nice I'm talking champagne, oysters, king crab kind of nice... 

These three boys really ate their money's worth!

C on the other hand certainly did not... so much so, they didn't even charge for her... Poor thing, the Mill is one of her favourite places and we rarely ever go... that should tell you how sick she was.

And then we headed over to Brampton to my sweet friend Andrea's house for more food(home-made by her sister Jo aka Best Cook Ever), cake and fudge.... I baked a pumpkin spice cake to take and the kids really loved it! 

Great friends give you lots of leftovers-- these girls are the best!

I woke up this morning with a sore throat, stuffy nose but happy heart! Happy Monday, everyone!!

Happy Friday!! We have a relaxing weekend planned with just a couple errands and plans with friends... I do have a hair cut planned though... my hair is so dry, it looks like the 'before' in a shampoo commercial.

I love learning about new and different contemporary health trends and trying whatever I think would work for us. So for this edition of Friday favourites, I thought I would share a couple of those I've been trying these past couple weeks.... 

 Okay well not the breast milk these days here... True story: there's this older lady in my new gym with the most awesome body and she has all this energy ( I think she spends like more than two hours in the gym everyday.) One day, she told us that she has a spoon of coconut oil and coffee in the morning. Being a total copy cat, I've tried it myself but blended together-- just coffee, coconut oil and a bit of stevia-- the oil emulsifies and turns the coffee creamy so you really, really don't miss the cream/milk. It even froths up on top too... like a latte. Best of all, it's a great pre-work out filling meal with all those MCT fats in it! And it does give you the promised energy! It doesn't work as well with tea-- it turns it creamy but no real froth to the top. But I am sold, at least for a couple mornings a week!

#donthinkimweird ....Speaking of coconut oil, I've tried oil pulling quite a few times these past few weeks for the promised benefits. Basically, it's swishing around a spoon of oil in your month for 10-20 minutes and then spitting it out. It's kind of gross at first but you get used to it. I do advise multitasking while doing it though.... and brushing your teeth after for all the benefits... It's early but we shall see if it helps with anything. 

And because we have awesome family,  D and I got from an awesome little package from his cousin for Divali: Homemade body butter, soap and lip balm, made with totally organic and natural products including coconut oil, essential oils and shea butter. The whipped consistency of the body butter is so light but emollient, I literally feel like I am doing my skin a favour putting the butter on it.

I've spoken of my love of smoothies before, but has anyone else tried hemp or chia seeds in their smoothies? Tons of protein, fibre and healthy fats without all the additives of those protein powders the health food stores have. And really no flavour. Watch the amount you put in though- a couple teaspoons is plenty to make sure you don't overload on the calories (if you're trying to watch your caloric intake)

Linking up with these lovely ladies today:

Andrea, Erika and Narci for Favourites on Friday

Amanda for Friday Favourites