Dine with us

DH: is there not enough food on your plate?
Me: huh?
DH: well, the way you’re chewing on those bones…
Me: har har, you’re just so funny I can hardly contain myself
DH: yeah, that’s apparent
3 year old: you know when I came on the bed last night, it was because I almost had a bad dream
Me: almost huh? so, you knew that the bad dream was imminent?
4 year old: so, what was the bad dream about?
3 year old: I didn’t have it! I said ALMOST!
2 year old: gosh! duuude! ahahahahaha

Tastes like home and sardines

Sometimes when I get really busy or stressed, I unwind by designing a website that I actually really like and enjoy… yes, I know, I am weird like that! But, the thing is that I love doing this, just sometimes inspiration can completely die and then I really need to feel passionate about the website I am working on to get back my “creativity”. And so, I will occasionally offer to redesign a blog that I love, just so that I can clear my head a bit and work on something for the love of doing it and not for the sake of getting paid.

Cynthia, of Tastes Like Home was the talented woman who accepted my offer for a complimentary blog redesign, and she was a complete pleasure to work with! And additionally she makes awesome looking (and tasting, I am sure) food!

She launched her new redesign with a post about her love for sardines, and funnily enough, I also really LOVE sardines! Except that my dear husband has put a sardine ban into effect at our house, because unfortunately he deeply despises the poor little fishes. I think though, that I will have to secretly smuggle some into the house because her photos look so great that I am now craving the stuff!

What? No Happy or Loving?

The Spoon Sisters is an online shop with some very interesting gifts though, like, for example, I am sure that we can all use this reminder!

Some of my favorite blogs

Almost daily interestingness & eye candy
chookooloonks
COLOURlovers
My Marrakesh
daily dose of imagery
Craft:
How About Orange
Making it Lovely
Life is the Art
The Daily Sunrise
momster
Oh Joy!

In awe of their writing skills
Woulda Coulda Shoulda
Notes from the Trenches
Oh, The Joys
Achelois
Lightness of Being
Joy Unexpected

Parenting types
Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck
Casual Keystrokes
Playgroups Are No Place For Children
Absolutely Bananas
Snippets of Life
I’m an Organizing Junkie
Twas Brillig
Ebony Mommy
Don’t Eat My Buchela
Sometimes we do

Muslim-ish
a bengali in TO
Organic Muslimah
Captain Chaos
Izzy Mo’s Blog
iMuslim
It’s My Life
The Imam’s Daughter
Life is an Open Secret
G. Willow Wilson

Foodies
Cooking with Anne
Tastes Like Home
VeganYumYum
Aroma
Food for Thought
Hooked on Heat
wasabi cowgirl
Wayfarer in the kitchen
Saffron Hut (sort of inactive, but still a wonderful resource)

Business, blogging, etc
eMoms at Home
Freelance Switch
North x east
Daily Blog Tips
Problogger
Mashable!

Webby
Smashing Magazine
ReadWriteWeb
Lorelle on WordPress
Veerle’s blog
Randa Clay Design
Essential Keystrokes
David Airey

(I subscribe to much more, but I thought this was a good sampling. I hope you enjoy some new reads!)

On sickness

I was really ill last week, like deathly ill, ok so maybe deathly is a bit of an exaggeration, but I was feeling rather sick. And when I am sick, I tend to regress into a needy 2 year old who wants only to complain and be cared for, which obviously does not happen, unless you consider caring for yourself being “cared for”.

My dear husband has a serious “infection phobia” (infectiphobia?), so getting him to even touch me while I am sick is a huge challenge…

me: Hey, I feel really ill, can you hug me?
dh: Umm, you’re sick!
me: Ya, I know, hence the hug, please?
dh: Umm, I don’t think so, I don’t want to get sick, and why do you have to behave like you’re dying?
me: I could be dying, you don’t know…
dh: You’re NOT dying!
me: But if I was dying, you’d so regret not hugging me!
dh: Ok, whatever, just go sleep!

Then I did what any cunning 2 year old would, I waited the 3 seconds that it took for him to fall asleep, and then I got “cuddly” close so that his only reflex would be to hug me! Me: 1 DH: 0 ha!