Woman in Real Life

We have enjoyed another busy weekend so far. Yesterday, we travelled to our hometown of Hamilton, Ontario for the very first Veggie Fest, Hamilton's vegetarian, vegan and raw food festival. I am generally willing to travel for food.

We met lots of lovely people, like Jen from Apiecalypse Now (awesome name!), a vegan bakery in Toronto. Jen's baked goods contain no dairy, no white sugar, no lard, no chemicals, no GMO...and the list goes on. So what's left? Just delicious, animal-friendly treats, such as sausage rolls and cookies. More about that later.

Whether you're homeschooling or just looking for fun ways to occupy your children, here's an idea for a simple rainy day game that's great for kids of all ages.

Personally, I get tired of seeing my son's head bent over his iPod for hours on end. When he was a preschooler he loved to read books and draw pictures. With the addictive powers of video games, the only way to get him drawing now is for me to get involved.

We were away from home on the weekend and I neglected to take any photos of my food. Being a vegetarian is sometimes a bit limiting on the road, but I have a few favourite places I rely on.

I had a Subway sub piled with veggies and pickles (hold the cheese), as well as a veggie burger combo (fries please!) from Harvey's. They make the best veggie burgers! I also had a baba ganoush pita wrap from The Pita Pit in Blue Mountain Village. The menu was marked with vegan options, which is (somewhat unusual and) very helpful.

Now, if I were to try to go gluten-free as well, that might be a problem! I would love to hear how full-time gluten-free folks handle eating out.

You might well ask why I have started with a picture of my Keurig making tea...

My friend Ruthie commented on a post I did in April asking me where I keep all of the treasures that I collect from thrift stores and my parents' house. Here is her comment:

Love that pizza dish! How cute! Great finds, all around. But you need to do a post on WHERE you keep your treasures. Because I, uh, need help.

As I told Ruthie then, I'm not sure I'm much help, because our house is overflowing with dishes. But, although (like most women) I'm working hard to get organized, I do believe in making a place for the things you love. Many of my dishes are from my mom and dad and I wouldn't think of parting with them. The others I have no excuse for. But I'm keeping 'em anyway!

Our weekend has been very eventful. It actually began on Thursday evening when my mom and I took the kids to the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls. I went to see comedian Russell Peters in the evening. As I have mentioned before, my mom gets the hotel stay and the event tickets for free because of her casino habit.