The Essence of Cozy Winter Celebrations

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hey cuties, welcome back to 12 days of Podmas. What day are we on today? Oh, my goodness, this is where I need to start counting. We're on day four. Ah, which means it's Saturday. Happy Saturday, cuties. I just had the best Saturday nap. Who has a Saturday nap? Anybody out there?

Speaker 1: 0:31

I'm such a napper and I look forward to Saturday nap like nothing else in my life. Rowe doesn't nap at school anymore and she totally still could. So like I feel like every single day when I pick her up, like 80% of the time she falls asleep on the way home and every so often she'll want to have a nap after school, which is like we try to avoid that because it pushes bedtime, it throws everything off. But sometimes she's just so tired and she'll end up having like an hour nap and it's like no. But on Saturday I feel like she has the most juicy, delicious, like lovely nap because she's just like so excited and exhausted from her week of busyness. And I always participate as well and I just love it.

Speaker 1: 1:20

But I always feel like I wake up like so disoriented, especially this time of year, like in the summertime or the warmer months, when we have that afternoon nap. It's like you wake up, it's like three o'clock. You're so excited. You have the rest of your beautiful day. We'll like run out of me in the pool or we'll go to a park. You still have so much time like left in the day. It almost feels like you're rejuvenated for the rest of your day, where I feel like the winter nap. It's like a mind switch at first and then once you embrace it, you embrace it. But it's like you wake up and you're like it's so dark, it's it's starting to get dark. Oh, my gosh, like I'm so confused. What am I gonna do? What's the rest of the day ahead? But it's been so lovely now that I'm like switching my mind over to that. It's more like, okay, we'll have a slow dinner on Saturday, or oh, yeah, and Saturday. Sorry, I just got so confused for a second. I was like wait, but Saturday or Sunday Trevor and Ro will and will go to um wound up, going and doing something in the afternoon, usually after the weekend naps with some of the neighbor kids and that's fun, and then I'm able to have some of my own time. So it's like when I wake up from the nap it's like oh, what am I gonna do? Am I gonna catch up on some shows. Am I gonna record the podcast? Get some work, whatever, I really am looking for a book to read over this holiday time.

Speaker 1: 2:49

The last thing I read was lessons in chemistry and I think it would be a nice afternoon to wake up from your nap and just enjoy a book by the fire. Oh, and the Christmas tree, that would be so nice. If anyone has any book recommendations, something light, something fun um, I've recently done a memoir and I've done lessons in chemistry which I guess would be considered like a romance and so, yeah, something, something within that. Uh, I don't know if I maybe a memoir. A memoir is always fun. I do love a memoir. I feel so educated after, but maybe like a winter cozy, a winter romance. You, let me know, give me some bookrex. I'm looking for something to read to keep me comfy in those in those dark weekend afternoons.

Speaker 1: 3:32

But, that being said, that's gonna lead to this week's episode or this week. Oh my gosh, it's not this week, it's this day, since we're doing 12 episodes leading up to Christmas. But that leads me into uh, I guess the title of this episode or like the theme is we are talking all about the holiday bucket list. I always try and a bucket list, I feel like, is such a such a big word and, um, it got popular. I feel like wasn't there a movie called bucket list or whatever? And bucket list is kind of like your goals to do before you're at life ends and like it's kind of like this huge thing. But I kind of like to break it up if you've been a long time follower, you know by season or like time period of my life and just so I can be more intentional with my time. So today we're going to talk about what I'm being intentional about and wanting to um, wanting to set forward and complete or get done or participate in this holiday season.

Speaker 1: 4:33

I'm also drinking something other than water. Whoo, it's also kind of making me really hot. Hmm, I got a piece. Okay, it's a clove. I'm having clove tea. So if you haven't had clove tea, hmm, you're missing out. I actually saw a tick talk on it. I'm gonna put this over here. I actually saw a tick talk on it and it was someone saying how clove tea is like the ultimate healer of um I think, mainly colds and stuff like that like if you feel yourself getting sick if you drink clove tea and then after, um, what you do is you chew on one of the cloves and then spit it out. It like helps to I don't know get your immune system working, or whatever. And, honestly, every time since we were so, we were all passing back and forth all those colds for like an entire month. I'm like so on the ball. So the second I like feel my throat drying or I wake up and I'm like, oh, it's a little sore, whatever. It's like middle of the afternoon I'm like, hmm, I like make myself a clove tea and now it's kind of just become. It's actually so delicious, it tastes like kind of Christmas in a cup.

Speaker 1: 5:40

I made it for Trevor today because he said his throat was hurting. Send us positive vibes, cute, send us positive vibes. But Trevor actually didn't get sick for the majority of us all passing sicknesses, like I feel like he did at the very beginning, but then he was pretty much feeling good the entire time, which is like amazing. Um, but I really hope that he doesn't get sick now and I really hope it doesn't start a whole another pass it around. So everyone send the positive vibes to Trevor.

Speaker 1: 6:05

But I did make him a clove tea. I taught him how to make it and so basically all you do is six cloves, which you just get whole cloves you can get them anywhere at your grocery store, bulk bar and whatever and you put five to six in a cup and then you just put your boiling water on top and you let it steep for 15 minutes and then it is just delicious. You have it on your own, like without anything in it, and it's, it's sweet, it tastes like Christmas, it's, it's like a spicy taste. Trevor was uh, comparing it to he was like oh, it's kind of chai-esque, which I'm honestly not a huge chai cutie, but maybe I do like chai. I don't know if I've ever had like true chai not that this would be true chai, but true chai in the sense that it's like not a syrup, it's like made with the spices.

Speaker 1: 6:53

There is this tea shop that used to be local to us but I feel like it's only online now and I'm not sure like where they run out of, but it's a run. It's called the apothecary or something, and they have this tea blend called a sticky chai and it always sounds so delicious, just like sticky chai, like it sounds like mmm, like I don't know, just like a warm hug. But like I've always been hesitant because I'm not a big chai cutie. But now I'm like maybe I do like chai, so I gotta give it a try, but anyways. So that's how you make clove tea and then when you get to the end, you just take one of the cloves and you chew on it and it's so spicy, like not like hot spicy, but like spicy, like spices, cinnamon and stuff. Um, a clove and uh, it definitely is like ooh, but it's not that bad.

Speaker 1: 7:37

And the TikTok I said to chew on it for a minute. I find that really hard because it like disintegrates. So I just chew on it until I really can't chew on it anymore, it actually, and then you just rinse out your mouth. It actually leaves your mouth feeling so fresh. It's like I'm really not a gum girl anymore. I used to love gum and now I really don't like it. Like there's something about if I like am desperate to need something or I need some saliva or something in my throat, like then I'll have a piece of gum, but I always regret it, like I really don't enjoy gum anymore and so, um, this is almost like 10 times better, if you want, like a mouth freshener.

Speaker 1: 8:14

And I was reading through the comments on that TikTok and everyone was saying that clothes are like incredibly uh, good for oral health and hygiene and like, if you have like a toothache or um, something like that I don't know, like obviously it's not a fix all, but it can be really helpful, and so I do feel like that could be true. And if you remember I'm not sure I think I've talked about this a few times, but I never got my wisdom teeth out and I have I think I only have three wisdom teeth, but the ones on the bottom crow and so weird, they like uh, fused to my other molars. So now I have like this mega jumbo molar and every um, it's way less frequent now I'm going to the dentist more and keeping up with like good uh, mouth hygiene, which I feel like I always have, oral hygiene, which I feel like I always have. But now I know how to specifically like avoid the flare ups, um, because it's like if something gets stuck in the back behind my molars. Anyway, long story short is that every now I'm going to say it's every six months. It used to be more frequent than that, but every six months or so I really get a bad ache and, um, it's at the point where I can't really get my teeth, my wisdom teeth out because they fused to my back molar. So it's like a really big and dangerous surgery and it involves like a whole bunch of things that like, if I could avoid it, it's better. That's what my dentist says. So, anyways, I'm now like ooh when I get those flare ups, like I used to not, I used to just take Advil and, um, lay low and try to like work through the couple days that I would have that pain. But now I'm like ooh, next time that happens I'm going to try chewing on a clove to see what happens, like I'd make a clove tea and just see if it helps, because I'm interested, I'm intrigued, but anyways, I am drinking a delicious clove tea in my Christmas mug.

Speaker 1: 10:07

Mmm and Alibi's joined us today. Hi, al Aw, you kind of can't see her, cause I'm wearing my uniform, my black leggings and red shirt or red sweater, but I'll be sitting here on our lap If you're watching on YouTube. Such a cutie. You were having cozy vibes today. But I have just had a really, really lovely day and I can't wait to get into it because I feel like a lot of the bucket list items we've been checking off this weekend and I'm excited to talk on them, but also to talk about what I'm looking forward to um, for the rest of the season. Okay, I gotta put this tea down or else I'm going to be boiling Boiling Now that I have a hot dog on me.

Speaker 1: 10:49

Hot dog, hot dog, hot, big, big, big. What's that? The Mickey Mouse Club? I, I haven't watched the Mickey Mouse Club in so long because that is oh, I guess it's on Disney plus. I was trying to think like, but I don't know if it was a big Mickey Mouse Club girly. Anyways, the holiday bucket list. My holiday bucket list number one item we actually just did this morning and it was so lovely and it was our first year doing it as a family of three, but even me and Trevor and haven't done it for our place. We did it once before for my mom's house, like long ago, but we have not done it for us.

Speaker 1: 11:31

We've always gone the artificial route and I guess you can guess what that is it's cut down a tree. So we have always had an artificial tree when we were in the condo, because I don't think you're allowed to have at least our condo a real tree, firehouse fire has it probably. And also I wonder how. Actually I don't even know if that's the main reason. I'm just thinking now. I wonder how they would discard of fake or real trees because here, like, if you're in a house, you can just put it out at your curb for whatever. Like the couple of garbage days past Christmas they usually have like specific Christmas pick up, christmas tree pick up. But yeah, in a condo I don't think they want a Christmas tree in the garbage room. There's not really like a place to put it and that would be annoying to have to like take all the Christmas trees out. That's probably the reason is they don't want to have to worry about the discarding of it, because I feel like there's lots more things that are fire hazards for condos that aren't Christmas trees, like candles Anyways. So we've always had an artificial Christmas tree.

Speaker 1: 12:32

We moved to this house with our artificial Christmas tree that I still have the like price on the box. It was like $30 or something. It was not expensive and it was great for our condo. And once we got to the house it was like I knew I wanted a little bit bigger not a huge Christmas tree and our spaces and like our living spaces and that much more extravagant in the sense of height or anything. But I just knew that the tree felt a little small. I'll be sorry if you're looking, I just knew that the tree felt a little bit small.

Speaker 1: 13:02

And so our first year here I was like, oh, I'm going to look into what kind of trees there are. And I was like humbled quickly but I realized how expensive they are. Oh, our dog visitors wanting to leave Bye, bye, bye, sis. But yeah, I was like, oh my gosh, I don't want to spend like 300 plus dollars on a Christmas tree and I just feel like I'm not in the right place to even commit to that. And what if I want to get a real tree down the line?

Speaker 1: 13:32

Because we always had fake and real trees growing up, I feel like we had fake for a long time. And then I put forward that we should start getting real trees. And then we would. We had real trees for like years. And then I think I went away to school and my mom got a fake tree because that was just easier for her. So I was like, oh gosh, I just spilled tea on my foot. I went to put my cup down and I was like, oh no, something just fell on me. And then it was like, oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just fell on me. And then it was like, oh, it's hot water, but anyways. So I was like I'm just not in the mood to commit to this much to a tree, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Speaker 1: 14:11

I also didn't know where I want the tree in our house to be, like, I assume, the living room, because that's like our main floor. You can, we'd see it most times. But I also thought there was a good spot in our, like rec room, which isn't the basement. It was just a whole thing and I was not ready. That's the way we've just been using our tree from our condo, which worked out perfectly fine. And then last year we put it up and I was kind of like you know what? Next year we're getting a real tree. Like. I just want to get a real tree, experience it once at least. We'll see if we like it and then we can move forward. We still have our fake tree. It's somewhere, it's in the shed or whatever.

Speaker 1: 14:49

So this year was the year we went to get our real tree and so every time I've had a real tree in the past I've always had just like a normal real tree. I don't know what normal means, but like it looks the same, it's like a classic Christmas tree, like a triangle shape, classic dark green, evergreen I don't know the names of all the trees, but just classic. And I kind of had this idea that, like I was like I want something different, I want something unique and interesting, like not necessarily Charlie Brown, like small and like sad looking, but like something a little different. So we went to go look for Christmas trees and Christmas tree farms and it's like, oh, there's like no Christmas tree farms around us or they're all sold out, like there's like some Christmas tree shortage this year or something. Anyways, trevor ended up booking in at this place where you could do hourly like you could book an hour trunk and you only can get one Christmas tree and they all cost the same amount of money. So we didn't know what to expect, but anyways, so we went and it was so lovely and I feel like it is 100% like now, ingrained in our traditions, moving forward. Like I loved that experience, I also.

Speaker 1: 16:02

We haven't decorated the tree yet it's just downstairs. We put it up and now it's just resting because I want it to come up to room temp and get acclimated before we start decorating it. But I love it. I love that we got something unique. I have no idea what it is, the fur of some sort. We tried to look it up using Google or some app that we downloaded to take a picture of it, but, like it said that it was like so many different types of fur. So I was like, okay, it's for sure a fur, but it's so fun looking, it's so different and it definitely is a real treat, like it just looks like a real tree and I'm just so excited about it. So if this season of tree goes well, if I'm able to keep it alive until Christmas and I'm not annoyed by it, it's not falling down.

Speaker 1: 16:47

We got a good. We got like a very sturdy tree stand. We had a big debate. There was like one for $50 that seemed to be like the best one, and then there was ones that were like $10 cheaper, all the way down to like $20 or $15. And I was like you know what I think we should. Just I thought really hard that it shouldn't just go into the side of the tree. You should screw something into the tree and then put it in the base. And that's what we went for and I was like we might as well just spend a little bit more this year than have to like come back by more stands or whatever. So, anyways, hopefully all is groovy and this can become part of a tradition. But I'm so excited.

Speaker 1: 17:23

We had such a great experience and apparently this place is like a hobbyist farm totally. It's just a family and their property and they I think they said they plant 1,000 trees a year and they're only open for two weekends and they just do time slots where everyone can come and get, like each family's love to come and have one tree. They're all the same price. There's like so many different sizes. There's huge trees, there's tiny trees, there's every type of different tree. They're all just like around on this front lawn of like this, obviously like farm type property. So it's a big front lawn and you get your tree and then you pop it in your car. We brought, we bought bungees because we weren't sure if we'd need to put it on top of our car, but we were able to fit it in our car so we put it in our car on a tarp and then they have a little hot chocolate shack and you grab a hot chocolate and a candy cane and it's like all included in the price of this tree and you sit by the fire. It's so lovely. They had a little toy basket for Ro to pick out a treat Like. It was just so lovely. You could tell it was just like a family family doing family business in their like yard. It was amazing. I absolutely loved it. And this was the last weekend. So I said to Starve, I was like we need to mark down in our calendar like these two weekends, or at least the previous weekend, so we look into it and don't miss the opportunity because it was just all over, like it just felt good. It was so good.

Speaker 1: 18:43

And every tree farm I've ever been to growing up or with Trevor, that one time we went like they're quite a business, like they you go and it's busy and it's like definitely like there's like the, the farm store. You know like classic. You go, there's the farm store with the ornaments. There's all the different trees, every rose, a different price, every size, a different price. They they'll stand it for you there. They'll stick it through the machine that wraps it up, and then you can like go and enjoy hot chocolate, if you want to buy that, or whatever, and like there's tractor rides. It's like a whole experience, right, but it's busy and it's expensive. Like this was $80, I think, for whatever tree size you want it. So and they had huge trees.

Speaker 1: 19:29

I was saying to Trevor, his parents used to always get a really huge, real tree, but it's always been like kind of a habit of keeping it up, it falls over and whatever. So they they don't get that big anymore. But I was saying, if your parents want to get a big, big tree, they should definitely come here because it's definitely worth your pennies. But it just felt like such a good experience, especially with little kids, well, little row, and it just felt like good. I really liked it, I really enjoyed myself. So, anyways, my first holiday bucket list is to cut down a tree, and I just had to share that story since we did it today. Anyways.

Speaker 1: 20:05

My second is to cook and bake for joy. Like I feel like I've always obviously cooked and baked for joy. That's been such a big part of my heart and soul my entire life. But now that I've moved into having it as a career and doing it on social media and getting to share my home cooking that way. It's been so amazing. But it also adds that layer of like work and so I really want to focus this holiday season, which is why we're doing the recipe of the day, which I know like seems like oh, now that I'm saying that it's for work, but honestly it doesn't feel like it, because the recipe of the day is literally just me sharing things that have come into my life, that have been a big part of my holiday traditions and holiday seasons, that I've learned from family members and friends alike, that I've taken like each year of my life and that I get to share with you, which really does feel like joy and it fills our home with so much warmth and delicious smells and deliciousness and honestly, I wouldn't cook as much as these 12 recipes I wouldn't cook them all this in one year if I wasn't sharing them for online and it gives me the opportunity to just share more with neighbors and people who we intermingle with and roast school teachers Like I just feel like it's definitely opening my heart to more joy this season. So definitely cooking and baking for joy and I hope that you find something beautiful in our recipes of the day as well that you try out.

Speaker 1: 21:31

And there's nothing like slowing down and being in the kitchen. It is one of my absolute favorite activities and I personally, like this is my happy place is when I clean the kitchen. First, I love to have a nice, clean kitchen and then I'm always a cooker and cleaner. I never like a big mess after, so I like to take my time in between each task if I have like, if something's in the oven or something needs to rest, and I take that time to load up the dishwasher, wipe down the counter whatever it is, wash a hand dish, so that at the end it's not like I'm overwhelmed with dishes and it just is. That's immaculate to me, like having a clean kitchen space that I'm using and loving and caring for, while also creating something delicious to share with my family and friends. Like I really, really love that you can put on the Christmas music or listen to a podcast and it just fills the house with warmth and we put our tree in a place where I can see it from the kitchen.

Speaker 1: 22:29

This year, which is so exciting I had a big debate where we were gonna put our tree. Normally we put it in a corner that you could see from the kitchen. If you were like all the way on the one end, which is not where I cook in the kitchen, it's would only be a very specific place. But I actually we have that new like old desk that we got gifted from a Family friend who is moving and not bringing it with her, and so that's there, and I was like, oh, I want to try it kind of on the other side of our living room and then I can see it from the kitchen when I'm really cooking. And I do spend a lot of my time in my kitchen and it is so dreamy, like it really does just bring so much magic and warmth into my line of sight while I'm there so cooking and baking for joy, and I'm trying to, once a day, just like make something that is purely for joy, like it has nothing to do necessarily with what we're gonna have for dinner, lunch, breakfast, snack, whatever, like obviously we're gonna eat it, but it's not, it's just a fun thing to make and it's bringing me so much Happiness it really, really is Next up on the list.

Speaker 1: 23:37

I want to take row for Stuttered hard there for her first ice skating. We don't have outdoor rings here, I don't think, unless it's like on a pond or the lake when it gets really cold, which won't be now. Honestly, has been so hot recently like it was like 14 yesterday. It was wild. It was like wait what. I thought it was winter time. So funny. I wanted snow so bad for the weekend to go cut down our tree and end up being, I Feel, like almost better because we didn't get snow. If it was gonna have to be cold, I would have wanted snow, but wasn't cold, so it was so nice we didn't have to wear coats, like perfect. That's one or the other is good for me. But anyways, what I was gonna say Was I want to take row for her first ice skate. She's never been on skates before and I always. I almost bought her a pair like you can get cheapy pairs for $30, 20 bucks, something like that at Canadian Tire, and I almost bought her a pair last winter because I'm not sure how the rentals work here and I actually myself was enjoying going skating, like just for recreational purposes. I was like, oh, maybe it'll be worth it if we just go skating once a week or whatever, but I didn't end up doing it.

Speaker 1: 24:50

Life got busy, I don't remember. But this year I'm like, oh, we got to go skating. And since Trevor usually doesn't take holidays off around Christmas time he never takes his holidays then because Except for, obviously, like the holidays that are given because I feel like that's like a life hack if you work in office life it's not worth it to take Christmas the days before after Christmas off, because they're always so quiet anyways. And if I mean, like, if you work from home, obviously if you have to go into the office, that's more annoying. But if you work from home and it's like now there's not much to do, like don't waste your holidays on that. But anyways, because he's in a new job now they actually have set Holiday hours, like they're closed for a week around Christmas time, nobody's working, so he's gonna be off. So it's like, oh, we should all go ice skating together. That would be so fun and it'd be fun to see row, try out ice skating for the first time, and I think that's just such a classic thing, that was such an integral part of my childhood.

Speaker 1: 25:47

But in Toronto there's so many outdoor skating rinks like I could just think of three that were close by to me and Growing up and we would go skating all the time. That was such a big part of Friday nights and Saturdays Growing up and just walk it over to the ice rink and hitting up the Going on skates with your friends, like all the way into high school, like we would do that. I loved going skating. I wish that that was more here, because there's something different about an indoor rink than an outdoor rink like he has. An Outdoor rink doesn't get to be open all the time and it probably wouldn't be open now because it's so warm out. But an indoor rink, I guess, is also nice because it's open year-round. But there is a difference. There's something magical about outdoor skating, I guess, an indoor, when you also don't get like freezing cold, which is nice. You know what? I'm happy to be in an indoor rink, it's okay, life's gonna be okay. But on that, I also really want to go skiing.

Speaker 1: 26:45

So me and Trevor are skiers. We haven't been skiing since For four years, like it was. It's been a long time because we didn't go skiing the winter. That row was born of 2020 because I was very pregnant, so we wouldn't have gone skiing that winter and then we haven't gone skiing ever since then, mainly because we moved further away from the ski hills that are close by or that were close by. We used to always go to blue Because when we live in Toronto it was just like an hour drive, but now it would be like a whole nother. Actually, it's almost like three hours to get to Collingwood from here. It's a long, it's a long track, but we do live closer to now Ellicottville, which is just over the border. So we need to get real passport, which we finally did last year and we're all set.

Speaker 1: 27:34

And Rose I got that prime age to go skiing and she really wants to go like last year we went to Collingwood to visit friends at the end of the winter and it was a snowy day and we went over to the hill to get beaver tails yum, the best thing ever. Um, I. And when we're eating our beaver tails we were watching all the skiers come down and row is like, so invested she wanted to go, so bad and I said, oh, next Christmas we can go. And now she always calls like if you say Christmas, she thinks of skiing. So she really wants to go. So I don't now be, now that it's so warm. It's like I don't know if we're gonna go over Christmas break. I really hope it cools down because I'd love to go, if not over Christmas break, them for sure. Hopefully A weekend in January. I would really, really, really love to go. Also, it's just fun, like for me and Trev, and it'll be so fun to see row hit the hills. Oh, we can bring my mom so we can take breaks if she wants to and hang out in the ski lounge.

Speaker 1: 28:29

Also, the ski lounge is so fun at Ellicottville. So Ellicottville is in Buffalo, so it's in the US and it's so. It's such a different vibe because everyone like brings their own food. Like when me and Trevor Went there last time, it would have been February of 2019, so long ago. We took Trevor sisters on family day, we went skiing and we had such a blast.

Speaker 1: 28:49

But everyone goes to the ski lodge and brings their crockpots. Like everyone has someone who's like Guarding their table and they drop off all their stuff and they plug in their crockpots and they have their bottles of wine. They be yo Be. Like they bring their own booze. I like that is so foreign to how Ski life is, at least that I have ever experienced here. Definitely not bring your own booze, that is not allowed and I have never really seen anyone bring out a crockpot in the lounge. So I'm just like so excited for that life, like I keep saying to drive around like I just want to be the ski mom With her crockpot and her bottle of wine, like and my mom would love that too Like it just sounds like the type of life that I want to live. So, anyways, that's something I'm really looking forward to.

Speaker 1: 29:37

And then, honestly, my list is not huge because, as you know, I'm trying to just really embrace the slowdown, and so one of the biggest things that I love doing is Doing all the free, fun things that your community has to offer, which is amazing, like I, especially here. Ever since we moved to Niagara, I feel like there's always free, fun stuff going on, and we're so lucky because we live so close to Niagara Falls, which is amazing because one you can get funnel cakes whenever you want, which is just like my favorite thing ever. You can also, like I, there's something so fun about Niagara Falls, like I feel like some people are like, oh, niagara Falls, but I guess, when you live close to it because you can just like drop by and drive over whenever you want, like there's no pressure and you don't need to do everything. But if you like, all of a sudden you're like, hey, I want to play arcade games and or I want to go go carding, or I just want to like Do what do you? What is it? Haunted houses, like things like. Or go find a ride, like it's all so close. I just think that's so fun, and so those things cost money.

Speaker 1: 30:45

But what I was gonna say was that Niagara Falls itself has the lights drive-through. They always decorate in front of the falls so beautifully. And then there's the little light drive-through which is donation based. It is free, but like it's good to give your donation, and so I love doing that and we it's. I love doing it on a weeknight because then it's not busy and we just like one day we'll have dinner and we'll be like, hey, why don't we drive over to the falls and go do the the drive-through? And now they're actually doing fireworks at 8 pm On the weekends, on Friday and Saturday, I think.

Speaker 1: 31:15

I'm not. I'm not sure about Sunday, but for the Week of Christmas I'm pretty sure they're doing it every night, so that's always something fun. You would just have to pay for parking, finds and parking and then you can go see the fireworks and do the lights and you can actually get out of your car and walk through the lights as well. You don't have to Sit, and then they always have. I feel like Coca-Cola last year brought Santa, so there's always like a Santa booth somewhere and it's just fun, free activities. But also, like in our closer community, they have this thing called let it go glow going on. That they've been doing for like the past three winters I think, and it's so fun. They have light booths all over the place and they have different activities on different nights going on and you can just go and walk around. And we went and did that last night, especially on that warm night. It was like literally no jacket walking around, what, looking at the Christmas lights, it was very like what, what's going on. But it was the perfect night to do it and it was so fun. And it's just fun when you can have that magic and Obviously not have to spend the money, because the holidays can be very much Expensive. They can add up when you, when you get into wanting to do lots of different types of things. But yeah, so just like really Looking into community events and seeing what's going on. That so fun.

Speaker 1: 32:30

And I did an update for you, as I did say in a couple episodes go that I had joined a running club and Joined because I think it's like more of a drop-in thing, I don't know, like you're not signing up for it and you don't have to run. I walk, I feel like I'm one of the only people who walks. But I did go this weekend and I said I hadn't been for a while and me and Ro went this weekend. We had a wonderful time and it was in Welland, which I don't think I've ever actually been in Welland before, like I've definitely driven through and stopped, maybe at a plaza here or there, but I don't know if I've ever been like in downtown Welland. And it was such a lovely trail along the water and it was really nice. And we stopped at the black sheep cafe, which I've had black sheep coffee it's very popular in Niagara because it's brewed or roasted here, but it was such a lovely place and they had board games and coffee and Donuts and Ro loved it, so it was quite the vibe.

Speaker 1: 33:23

But yeah, just doing more things like that, and why I brought that up is that is another free activity. So look for those things in your neighborhood, look for the free activities and the skating, the free skates, all of that stuff. So that's that's a lot of what we're gonna do, especially now leading into Ro's gonna be on holiday soon, which means that I I get to be on full mom mode, which I love. Full mom mode I always call it camp mom when I'm, when Rose on holiday from school and we just like go hard and do things hard, but like we go out and about, we wake up and we get out of the house and we go do Stuff. That's fun and find fun adventure. Last year we did lots of Niagara fall things like I took her to the bird aviary, which is such a fun one, and I took her to the butterfly conservatory, which I actually think I have a coupon for the butterfly conservatory thinking about that and that's a really good winter one Because it's so hot. I find in the summer it's just like too hot because it's like hot in the bird conservatory, but, like in the winter it's perfect because it's just like a nice little warm Spot to be. So yeah, we'll have to go see the butterflies, but I need to plan things for that, but that's always fun and finding what's going on around the community.

Speaker 1: 34:32

And Then, last but never least, is filling my house with love and intention. I'm really trying to focus on being present and just being really intentional with our time and and that doesn't mean like doing lots of stuff or Making sure that I'm always like, aware of, like, of being productive or anything like that. It means like if I'm being and like Slowing down and sitting and enjoying the fire and sipping a tea, like that is, I'm being intentional in that I'm sitting and I'm embracing and I'm thinking and I'm being grateful in that moment. And it's been so warm, it's made our house feel so much more warm for me and, yeah, I'm really trying to Just focus on that and and bring a lot to joy and have dance parties and Tickle fights and just like bring the love in. You know, the good vibes, the good spirits. So that's my holiday bucket list, which I am just so excited.

Speaker 1: 35:32

And my holiday bucket list is really a winter bucket list. It continues on, but this is like the start for me in setting those intentions for this time of year when it can be really dark and and Dreary and, as I said, like waking up from a nap at 3 pm and and being like wait, is it night time now? And knowing that I'm gonna leave this studio and it's gonna be like 4 30 and I'm gonna be like wait, hey, hey, hey, it is pitch black outside, but it's not. It's not like oh no, it's the end of my day. It's like okay, like let's get dinner cooking, let's set the mood with some music and let's just really enjoy this like slow down period and I would love to sit and read a book. Will I do that? So please give me your book recommendations and I'd also love to know what your holiday bucket list is this year.

Speaker 1: 36:23

And is anyone else? If you have tips on ski, a skiing? Well, if you have tips on skiing with a Child I wanted to call her taller. She's not taller with a three-year-old for the first time, let me know. And but I was gonna say skating. I really don't know much about skating. I guess you get those little rods that they hold on to. I'm just excited to see how she takes to it and what it feels like for her Row.

Speaker 1: 36:49

So fun when it comes to. I mean, I think all kids are when it comes to trying something fun, are new. And I remember scootering. Our neighbors gave us their old scooter and it's like she didn't get it. She didn't get it and then she would just practice, practice, practice the novice. And she got in. She was like Ups, like now she tries to do all these little fun tricks and things. It's so cute. But like I just love watching the progression and I love that she like never gives up, even when it's a little frustrating.

Speaker 1: 37:18

We have a saying we say never give up, which I know some people I had said that to someone and they were like that's such a bad saying, like you should know when to give in. And I'm like okay, like yeah, you should. You should know whatever makes you feel comfortable, whatever you should do, whatever works for you. But I say it to row because her and Trevor were racing one day in the summertime and she was getting so frustrated because every time Trevor got a little bit faster she would just like totally, she would just drop to the ground and, like salt, she was like I'm never gonna win and then we would just chant like never give up, never give up, because I just want to Her to learn that it's okay If you're behind, it's okay as long as you keep trying and you keep participating. Like that is where your Competition lies, it's between yourself, it's not anybody else. Like, don't feel like you're behind if you're physically behind someone, but don't just drop to the ground and fully give up. And then she would stand, and then we would say never give up. And then she would get frustrated, she would fall and she would Cry and we'd say never give up, never give up, and she would stand up and it's like she would brush herself off and she would run. She'd be like never give up, never give up, and when she gets the end she feels so proud in herself. So, yeah, that's one of our fun things and that was where we taught her that. But now it's one of those things that so beautiful. For Lots of different times in our life when she's feeling frustrated and that's a phrase that she knows in her head, that means like I can do it. It might take me a little bit longer, I'm just learning, it's okay and I got this. So, yeah, never give up. But I am just so excited.

Speaker 1: 38:50

I'm in a very holiday spirit today, especially with the new Christmas tree. Yeah, I can't wait to decorate it. We also got two little ornaments to add on that row picked out. One was a little Porky pine, which is or like hedgehog thing, which is like favorite, that's like a favorite for me. That's a special animal in my life, and then a foxy. She loves fox things, so she got this little fox. It's so cute. Oh, and we got these little butterfly clips to put on too so cute. So I can't wait to decorate the tree.

Speaker 1: 39:18

But let's get into our recipe of the day. Hey, yeah, cute. This is one of my favorite recipes is actually a tasty recipe. Do you remember? Tasty, like those videos that used to play on Facebook. I Think my mom had sent it to me, or maybe I saw it and I sent it to my mom. I don't know, but either way, we I made it for the first time I was living at home, so I must. I feel like it was like when I was like 20, or I feel like it was when I was 20, so maybe like 10 years ago.

Speaker 1: 39:48

This is like a classic, delicious recipe and it is such a Encompassment of like something that our family like, love so much, so it is called bangers and mash in a blanket. I don't actually know if that was what the title of it was, but I'm gonna call it that. But it's basically like Sausage, mashed potatoes or smashed potatoes, because you will champ technically. So you like have the green onion, whatever. I'm gonna show you the recipe, don't worry, cute. But so it's champ, which is like mashed potatoes but with a little bit more Sausage, and it's like all rolled into puff pastry. It is so friggin good and you can make gravy if you want, but we are like an HP sauce Love, so we dip it in HP sauce. But oh my gosh, and I'm so excited to share this recipe. It's super simple, it's so fun. I feel like it's such a classic.

Speaker 1: 40:41

We usually make it on Christmas Eve and it's just one of those things that has carried us like literally and I don't know how to tell. I actually looked at, I actually got Facebook memory the other day with it in it and I was like, oh, yes, that's the recipe and I clicked on it because I was like, oh, I want to see who the the person who made it was. So I can give them credit. But it didn't say it, just said tasty. So I don't actually know how to look up who. I guess when you work for tasty, you make it through tasty, I don't know, but anyways, it would just be fun to see, like, where that person is now. But, yeah, so it is so delicious. Go check out a TikTok, instagram, whatever I'll post it everywhere. It'll be on YouTube as well.

Speaker 1: 41:23

Five years time podcast and it's super simple, I promise it's such a good one. It's even just fun to make like for Middle of the afternoon weekend activity. It honestly doesn't even take that long, but it's so good. So we are having bangers and mash in a blanket and I'd love to know if you have champ in your life, if you know what champ is, because the champ cutie should unite. That was such a big part of my childhood, having a dad from Northern Ireland, so we love when we have champ whenever it happens. But yeah, I'm so excited. Okay, so that is today's episode. Thank you so much for being here. I can't believe we're already on day Four. I'm like which day are we on, for? It feels so Long and so short at the same time, like it's like what? Four episodes already and the fact that there's an episode up on a Saturday. I'm just getting so thrown off, but I'm having so much fun doing it.

Speaker 1: 42:19

I've put on this uniform after I woke up for my nap. I'm calling it my uniform. I put this on after I woke up for my nap and I was like, oh, I do like, love a uniform I wish I had. I never went to private school or anything like that, so I never had a school uniform or Catholic school, but it's like I feel like I would have vibed with that. Just add a little bit something fun, if you want to, but other than that and I'll have to think about what you're gonna wear every day I Feel like I would have vibed with that. But any hoose, okay, cute, I'll see you all tomorrow. We'll come back for a really fun episode on our first Sunday of 12 days of Pardoness. Love you, love you, love you, thank you.