Emoji & Bookmark Valentines PLUS Crockpot Chili with Black Beans & Corn

SBean is usually pretty shy. In public at least 😜.  This week she had a major throw down when we were leaving Preschool. She wanted to sit on the chair to put on her boots and her PSBesty was in it. Because it wasn’t wet out… Yet, I suggested just putting on her boots without sitting down. However, she started doing her thing of late, whining “PLEEEAASSSEEEE” at the top of her lungs and reaching up at me while also leaning against me. I got right down to her level and told her I wasn’t changing my mind and that she had just lost dessert. I tried to continue my conversation with one of the other Moms and the teacher while ignoring her but that obviously did not work. I took her by the hand and quickly changed her boots and put on her jacket and turned her towards her teacher and said, “you need to apologize to Miss L for your bad behavior.”

She hid behind my leg in embarrassment but refused to apologize.

Miss L said she would see her tomorrow

On the way home we sat and talked about her behaviour and the apology. I told her that when she was ready and really meant it she should apologize because her behaviour was not nice.

The next day Ninja went to pick her up from Preschool as soon as they left I got a message from Miss L. She just wanted to let me know that SBean had genuinely apologized to her and to tell us how proud she was of her.

When SBean and Ninja got home, Ninja told me that the first thing she talked about in the van was how she apologized. She was proud of herself too 😊.

Now although that’s good, her attitude hasn’t changed 😐.  She’s proud of herself for apologizing and I am proud of her as well. Apparently that’s where it ends. Grrrrrr.

HBear is also… Challenging.

She just turned 8 and all of a sudden friendship, boys and girl drama has become a thing.

She has been having some social issues and she seems to be taking out her frustrations here at home. At the beginning of the year I emailed all of her Besty’s Moms, I let them know that if my daughter was being an asshole they need to let me know. They agreed and said the same about their Girls. Even though the girls are having problems I don’t want to get into it. I don’t think it is bullying, I think it is girls being girls and HBear needs to learn how to handle these type of situations herself. All I can do is keep telling her to trust her heart. Friends don’t give you ultimatums and hold their friendship ransom.

But, she is devastated. It is also come up in other areas of her life. She came out of Acro Jazz the other day and said, “Mom I don’t like getting to dance early because all the kids sit together and I don’t fit in.” HBear is weird. She’s much younger than the rest of the kids and her immaturity shows sometimes. I say immaturity because she is more immature than her older friends but she is very mature for just turning 8. She is a deep thinker and over thinks things. The kids in her dance all go to the same school. They also do 3 to 5 classes a week and HBear is active in so many things that she only does 1 dance class a week. I reminded her that she fits in with her swimming friends. It just so happens that swim kids are kind of weird too 😳 3 out of the 5 kids in her Gifted class are also in swimming. I also reminded her about all of her Girl Guide friends. 

This is so tough. Wanting so badly to help your child navigate through the social hierarchy of elementary school but at the same time knowing that they have to figure it out for themselves with maybe just a gentle guiding hand.

Some things that we have been noticing just don’t seem like her, for instance,

The other day she said, “I squashed a bug.” I said, “Did you? That’s not nice.” Then she said, “No I didn’t.” I said, “Oh good because you know bugs are living things too and don’t deserve to be squashed by a big person like you.” She looked at me like I was dumb and said, “no I didn’t because it’s too cold out and there are no bugs.” 😳

Or,

I was changing her sheets the other day and found Quality Street chocolate wrappers. 

I left them out and when she got home from school I went to go ask her about them… But they were gone. When I questioned her about where they went she played stupid 🤔! When I freaked out she finally grudgingly admitted that she stole the chocolate from the tin in the living room and snuck them into her bed. I explained how we don’t steal food, we ask for food. I also tried to explain about good eating habits and not eating in our bedroom. 

Now, that’s very difficult for me because both Ninja and I are huge snackers and before we had HBear we even ate our dinners in our bed. I hate doing the, “do as I say not as I do” so I try to explain that I’m trying to teach them good habits unlike mine. I think the time is coming when I have to start leading by example. Shitty 💩 It just makes sense though, if you want your child to develop good habits and be good people you need to be a good person with good habits as well. 

Well that sounds exhausting! 😂

Speaking of exhausting, keeping her on task and focussed is a full-time fucking job. I am so over it. If anybody has any tools on how to keep my extremely smart 8 year old focussed… please let me know! I mean, I send her into the bathroom to brush her teeth and I walk in 20 minutes later and she’s got everything pulled out of the drawer, organizing it in rows on the ground. Not only did she completely forget what she went into the bathroom for but when you remind her she bursts into tears. I’m honestly at a loss! HBear takes “Squirrel” to a whole new freaking level!

The whole week wasn’t just temper tantrum’s and meltdowns although if I’m being honest the majority of it was LOL in between though we made time to make Valentines! SBean chose chocolate heart Emoji Valentines. 

HBear chose bookmarks she would colour for all of her friends. However, being a realist I knew there was no way she could colour 27 bookmarks even in 2 weeks… hell 2 YEARS 😂!

She finished 1 page but all it did was bring 1 question to my mind… “Who the Hell is Josh?” 😳

So, we ended up finding cute printable bookmarks and we decorated them with sparkly paper, pretty ribbon, and tasty gummy worms!

Of course this week was Super Bowl! None of us are really into football, well Ninja is but that doesn’t count 😘. I looked at this year’s Super Bowl as more of a political allegory. I was obviously pulling for the Falcons but it wasn’t meant to be, I bet Trump is sitting there all Mr. Burns style tapping his fingers together chuckling how the Patriots won because he deemed it so 👹. 

Personally I enjoyed the amazing commercials like 84 Lumber, Coca-Cola, Budweiser, and anything with Mr. Spicer I mean Melissa McCarthy in it 💛.

I also loved Lady Gaga’s halftime performance! She made her point without being in your face, she put on 1 hell of a show, and she looked phenomenal!

We had a picnic in the living room and made Taco Dip, wings, and not too spicy, child friendly Crockpot Chili! So yummy!

Crockpot Chili with Black Beans & Corn
Adapted from Chew Out Loud

1.5 lbs ground beef
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon oil
1 large can tomato sauce
16 oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, chopped fresh cilantro and sour cream

Mix uncooked ground meat with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix together well. 

Add oil in a large skillet and cook meat until browned, breaking it up while you cook.

Transfer cooked meat to slow cooker. Add in the rest of ingredients to the browned meat.

Cook on Low for 6-7 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

Garnish with desired toppings.

This week we went backwards to winter… well played Mother Nature… well played. Ninja was out shovelling every day and the Girls either played outside in the snow or whined inside that it was snowing. HBear practiced guitar, her spelling, and her cuddling techniques. 

 

SBean played games! She is especially into the Enchanted Forest and Disney Princess Yahtzee.

Ninja and I took SBean public swimming while HBear was at KISU. She is getting so much better and will jump off the edge, go down the slide and put her face underwater with ease! She starts her newest swim class next week! She took her last class 3 times before she finally asked me, “so what do I have to do to pass?” 😂 After I told her she just had to do everything the teacher told her to she passed with flying colours. Now, she wants to know how she can be on the swim team too… I’m pretty sure she’s going to kick ass in all of her swimming lessons from now until she makes the swim team. LOL

Halfway through the week it began to snow.

The next day we woke up to a winter wonderland.

It kept on snowing for almost 4 days.

SBean did not go to skating lessons because she finished her amoxycillin, for her ear infection, and promptly broke into a amoxycillin rash. Not transferrable but you never know if someone sees the rash and freaks out. Mama’s be crazy sometimes 😂 So she was in for the weekend until the rash faded.

Both of the girls loved the Super Bowl halftime show as well! SBean was a dancing machine in her fairy wings LOL. 

My Fitbit challenge went well this week. I did not win but I was definitely moving! I noticed that when I’m doing laundry I will take out 1 towel at a time, fold it, walk down the hall to the bathroom, and then go back to the dryer for the next one. Just moving more has made me feel that much better.

 

The snow finally stopped and the sun came out! It’s wonderful to breathe in the valley air and hear the birds chirping. I love where I live and love the beauty of the white fresh snow… But I can’t wait for spring ☀️!

On our 2nd episode of How Was Your Week, Honey? Ninja and I gave each other homework, we decided to try and pick each other out new hairstyles! My appointment was today… Here is the before,

During,

And the after,

Or how everyone will end up seeing it tomorrow lol,

Next week Ninja and I will be in… Las Vegas! So no new post next week but the following week I’ll have a full recap of our 3 day getaway to Las Vegas and how you can do it for under $1500! Have a great week 😊