On Facebook & other Social Media

I came across this article (Anti)social Media by Julie Green in Today’s Parents, January 2012 issue. It’s just too poignant not to share. In this day and age where we loiter in the realms of social media and where "Facebook" is now acceptable as verb in the English language (facebooking anyone?), this article should be our wakeup call. I am not a Facebook aficionado, but in general I have my iTouch almost glued to me when at home. The things I do with it are endless.

Here's an excerpt from the article. If you are reading this and feeling “this is so me,” then indeed, “Houston, we've got a problem!”

Social media may bring people together, but it can divide many more. Websites like Facebook and Twitter connect you to total strangers, while taking your attention away from the people closest to you: your partner, your child.

I know I'm not alone. Social media sites are an outlet, after all - a means to unwind and regroup at the end of a long day. ... As a result, many couples wind up on the couch night after night, cuddled up with Blackberrys and iPads, instead of each other. Ouch!

A freelance writer, yoga guru and mom of two, typically goes "offline" on weekend. And I'm reining in my usage to a level my family (and I) can live with. That means making lists, deciding what's crucial and doing away with the rest. The other day, I took a deep breath and deleted my Facebook profile. As far as I know, the world is still turning.

Read the full article here.

Rice and Red Beans

With my quest for healthy eating, I have substituted our staple white rice with brown. Brown rice doesn’t have the fluffly texture of white, but I like its chewy and nutty texture anyhow. More importantly it has more than 3x the fibre in white rice.

I cooked brown rice the same way I cook white, with my tired 10-year old Zojirushi rice cooker. It does all the works including this healthy Rice and Red Bean.

Ingredients: brown rice, red kidney beans (1 can drained & rinsed), coconut milk (1 can), chicken broth (enough to make up the ratio of liquid to rice), dried thyme, bay leaf, minced garlic, chopped onion, and ground flax.

Mix well in the rice cooking pot. And press Cook.

Easy peasy! This is best with Jerk Chicken or Roasted Chicken.

P.S. the kidney bean will wrinkle with this method (versus cooking this from stovetop), but that is totally fine with me.

Dream Cart

I’m a dutiful water drinker. My buying criteria for a purse is one that would fit a water bottle. But washing my Nalgene is a pain I need to use a serving spoon to push the sponge into and wipe down the inside of it. The Alex Bottle is innovation. The twistable break in the bottle makes deep cleaning within reach.

For flavoured water, this pitcher from CB2 looks good and does the work.

On my recent trip home, I brought the few wrinkled clothes I had set aside for ironing and had the househelp iron them and took them back. Tsk tsk tsk. How about My Little Steamer for My Most Neglected Chore? I’d use this on bed sheets, too.

Pocket Sandwich Tutorial

Got this sandwich maker from Japan Home in HK

Have leftover corned beef from previous dinner for my filling.


Press the sandwich maker onto the sandwich.

Whole wheat pocket sandwich for the bento

Nice and easy!

Dear Madison

I see you some days at the cafe, and most days in Google. If looks could kill, I'll have you dead now. And if not for my Live With Less mantra, I would already have you.
XOXO,
Mrs. Hotpot

coach madison leather lindsey

Pajama Day

Today is Pajama Day in Sushi’s school.  While this has been some parents’ request to be implemented in school, I don’t buy it. Para que?  This isn't daycare.  The kids were told to go to school in “cozy pajamas”, and bring a small stuffed toy “that will fit in the backpack” and a “favourite book to enjoy.” But there was no movie to watch as class routine would be ongoing, including the required outdoor activity... yes, even at the height of winter. Sushi said, there was not even extra time to read or share that favourite book, and - in his words - “it was only checking out the style of each other's pajamas.” Note, the kill-joy mum had let him wear his regular school-appropriate clothing.

Okay, I look forward to Pizza Days. But Pajama Days… I don’t want another morning negotiating about what pajama to wear to school as I think the PJs is not a proper dress code to any place other than the bedroom. Why doesn’t the school increase their 20-minute lunch break instead? Isn’t that more benefitting to the child than being in their pajamas all day in school?

Tomorrow is Sashimi's Movie & PJ Day.

But he goes to a daycare. Nuf said!

My Healthy Food List

You say healthy, I say SOLD! I buy everything brown, whole wheat, low sodium, low fat, sugar free. I bake with whole flour. I don’t fry. I don’t cook anything with cream. No candies. No gums. I buy chickpeas even if I don’t know how to cook it. I juice vegetables. I make veggie crisps. I buy all sorts of tea. I drink it like water. I substitute sugar with honey and creamer with milk on my coffee. Sashimi likes his milk plain, nothing fancy. I snack on fruits, some of which I'd eat only for its goodness. Sushi picks fruits over ice cream /cake for dessert. If we run out of fruits at home, it's red alert.

But please don’t judge me. I’m only human who'd still sneak the bad C’s into our healthy attempt. Cookies. Chocolates. Chips. What not. We still often crave the tempura, order fried pork chops and eat ice cream everywhere. While every thing is under control at home, I find it's okay to let loose elsewhere. Just a little bit. Besides, Julia Child has said, “Everything in moderation… including moderation.” Or the paradox of the oft-quoted "everything in moderation" is “If everything should be taken in moderation, then moderation should itself be taken moderately, meaning that not everything would be taken in moderation.” I'm getting off-topic.

Nonetheless, I keep this list up on the fridge. I got this from Real Simple, forgot which issue. You probably have your own list or have come across different lists of what's healthy, but this is mine. A constant reminder to get them on my grocery trips. Get them on your grocery runs too.
1. Skim milk
2. Mushrooms
3. Whole grain pasta
4. Walnuts
5. Peanut & almond butter
6. Oatmeal
7. Barley
8. Quinoa
9. Lentils
10. Bulgur
11. Almonds
12. Eggs
13. Non-fat Greek yogurt
14. Chicken breast
15. Wild salmon
16. Sardines
17. Kale
18. Kiwi
19. Blueberries
20. Broccoli
21. Avocados
22. Black beans
23. Sweet potatoes
24. Extra virgin olive oil
25. Edamame
26. Chard
27. Kidney beans
28. Oranges
29. Spinach
30. Pumpkin

Pinwheel Tortilla

First attempt at pinwheel tortilla and shaping the tomato using the egg slicer/wedger I got from Daiso.

Mom laughed when she saw me buy such. She has one just sitting in her pantry. Mine would most likely be sitting pretty just like hers.

A Thousand Years

What I like more in the movie Twilight: The Breaking Dawn (Part1) is its soundtrack, especially Christina Perri's A Thousand Years, played at the end credits.

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth. - Bonnie Friedman

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
Hamilton International Airport
9280 Airport Road, Mount Hope ON