If I ever renovate....

If I ever buy a house that requires a real reno, I will definitely add a hot water tap to my outdoor piping. My parents did so when they did their renovation, and it is soooo useful: washing the car, rinsing out a cooler, filling the kiddie pool.....no more frigid hands! This is an expensive add-on if you're not doing a reno, but if you're adjusting plumbing anyways it's a simple feature to include.

New kitchen toy

My newest kitchen toy is an oil sprayer....it sprays your favourite cooking oil like Pam, but is free of all the butane and other chemicals used to create the spray. As well, you end up using much less oil than if you were to pour it out of the bottle.

This was my Mother's Day gift...but don't blame my husband for the unexciting gift; it was exactly what I asked for!

This one is made by Cuisinpro and is available at IQ Living on the Danforth.

Put down the iron!

I spent much of my free time (ie while the kids were napping) this weekend ironing. It wasn't fun, and I'm frankly not very good at it.

Luckily, I have transitioned many of my husband's work shirts to Brooks Brothers iron free shirts. They are 100% iron free. Seriously, they come right out of the dryer without so much as a crease. They also have fantastic women's shirts too. I often order mine to my cousin's house in the US (since it's cheaper), but they often go on deep discount at their Canadian locations (last summer I bought 4 men's shirts for $245 including tax.) Either way they are more than I would normally pay for my husband's shirts, but by the time I factor in the money saved at the dry cleaner, they pay off pretty quickly.

Iron free shirts are also available at Mark's (ie formerly Mark's Work Warehouse and Sears (Land's End brand), but I'm not sure how these brands stand up quality and fit-wise.

These iron free shirts make the thought of wearing work clothes again a bit more paletable!

My new best friend in the kitchen

I am back from Vancouver and settled back in Toronto. It took us a few days to get back in the swing of things here after getting back at 1am from the airport and dealing with a teething little baby boy...poor thing!

I have missed being away from the Blog, and am excited to get knee deep all over again.

Tonight I was cleaning the kitchen and noticed how gross our sink was. Normally I use vinigar and some elbow grease to clean it, but tonight I tried baking soda. PRESTO! The sink is now sparkling. I have used baking soda in the past on my favourite bone china coffee mugs to get rid of stubborn coffee and tea stains - it works like a charm.

So, along with vinigar (which is use religiously on my floors and counters) baking soda is my new favourite eco friendly cleaner.

Do you have any good cleaning secrets?

***UPDATE: My other cleaning secret is for getting tough spots off my white porcelin topped oven (which came with the house but I would never buy!!). I've tried Vim and other products, but they tend to be quite corrosive. Spray on oven cleaner (like Easy Off) does an AMAZING job...while it's not exactly eco-friendly, it will leave your cooktop spick and span!

Double duty!

Eureka!

My mom has shared with me a secret for cooking oatmeal, rice and quinoa, without being left with a mucky pot that needs to be soaked and scrubbed....a double boiler. It works like a charm and means that you don't have to be constantly stirring....just set it and forget it!!!

Early morning activities....muffins

This morning both my children were up for the day at 4am, thanks to the time change from Toronto (this is despite the fact that I kept them up and put them to bed at the right time, 7pm, local Vancouver time). I almost lost my mind. After about 30 minutes of trying to get everyone back to sleep, I realized that it was hopeless, and so we came downstairs and made muffins.

I am obsessed with heat proof silicone, like these muffin cups. I (as does my mom) also have an assortment of heat proof spatulas, flippers (OXO makes the best one) and egg poachers, all made from heat proof silicone. When I was buying the egg poachers at Kitchen Roots on the Danforth, I had my choice between expensive and inexpensive ones. Apparently there is a variety of 'grades' of silicone, and the most expensive ones are chemical free and won't leach anything into your food. That sounds like a good thing to me!

Ga-ga for graphic prints

I just love the current trend of graphic prints. They make me cheery when I see them....but I am not a confident or skilled enough designer to use them on big investment pieces like sofas or rugs. I also fear that my rooms will quickly look dated when the trend passes, and I'll have to convince my husband as to why we need new curtains/sofa/rug etc. when the one we have doesn't actually have anything wrong with it.

So I've selected a few less permanent pieces to whet my appetite for this trend, without breaking the bank.

Here are some pictures of my favourite low-commitment items. The good news is that my fear of commitment hasn't negatively impacted my personal life :)

Turquoise velvet octagon pillows from Take me Home in the RBC Plaza

Brown and white throw (actually a baby blanket!!!) from Dwell Studio for Target (LOVE Tar-jay!!)

TTC love

I have always had a soft spot for the TTC, despite them trying to expropriate my house (unbelievable but true; see here). So when I saw this piece of art in Crema coffee shop on the Danforth today, I just swwwwwoooned. I want it for my living room. It is tough to tell from this photo, but the finish is super glossy. I believe that it is a list of the original street car lines.

I did some research and determined that the artist is Christine Flynn. Not only is she local, but she also has what looks like an amazing vintage shop on Queen East (just West of Danforth). A selection of her finds can be seen here; I am definitely going to have to check it out soon....maybe I'll take the Queen streetcar!

Hi ho, hi ho, off to Joe we go

One of my favourite baby/kid products for summer is these SPF protecting one-piece bathing suits which protect baby skin from the sun's harsh rays. However they tend to be tough to find, and many of the ones I've seen are upwards of $50.

Joe Fresh is carrying them right now for $16...I bought one yesterday at the Eglinton East location. Joe stock never seems to last long, so go soon!

Vacuum brewing

I was at my in-laws for dinner tonight and got to try out their new vacuum coffee brewer. Theirs is a "CONA". According to various Internet sources, vacuum brewing was all the rage before paper coffee filters became widely popular. I am neither a scientist nor coffee purist, but as far as I could figure out, vacuum brewing is like a percolator without any filter. Miraculously, it is a very clean brew; compared to my Bodum coffee there is virtually no sediment, though the coffee is full of body.

I can't imagine using this contraption every day let alone storing it, but it is certainly an entertaining show for guests and the coffee was divine...I'm pretty sure I am going to up all night now thanks to the 2.5 cups I downed!

Controlling kid clothing chaos

When my daughter was born, I couldn't beleive how quickly she grew out of clothes. I was resistent to get rid of the clothing, but was at a loss for how to corral the growing mountain of clothing that was too big or too small.

In the end I decided to use canvas sweater bags. They have a clear top allowing you to see the contents of the bag and are the perfect size for small clothes - you'd be amazed at how many onzies you can fit in one sweater bag! I have mine sorted by the standard sizes (e.g. 0-3mos, 3-6mos, 6-12mos, etc) and labelled using a folded piece of paper on top of the clothing.

I originally was buying the sweater bags at IQ Living on the Danforth, but they no longer carry them. I am sure they are avilable at home organization stores, but I don't have any close to me, so I am now buying these ones on Amazon. Let me know if you know of where I can buy these in Toronto!

I know that this is a bit geeky, like a dewey decimal system for kids clothes, but it works! When my son was born and I wanted to quickly find some gender neutral newborn onzies, it was eaaasy peasy!

Burning love for the Bulk Barn

This morning my daughter and I headed down to the Loblaws at Lakeshore and Leslie, which has a Bulk Barn. Normally I am skeptical about Bulk Barn prices, but at the moment Steel Cut Oats are on sale (see my previous posts on Steel Cuts here and here) for $0.20/100g, compared to $0.42 for their PC Blue Menu cousins. I'm pretty sure this is a good deal, but I digress.

The real reason we wanted to go to the Bulk Barn today was to fetch some Valentine's treats for Izzy's friends. Bulk Barn conveniently also sells a variety of little celo bags which serve as perfect vessels for treats (the bags are $0.34 to $044 each)!

This was an easy activity for a snowy morning. Putting the celo bags in the little Ikea cups (blogged about here...I told you I use them for everything!!) made it easier for my daughter to fill the bags. Still, a lot of cinnamon hearts ended up on the floor and in our mouths, but I guess this is par for the course with a 2 year old!

More Valentine's activities to come!

Soooo Fabulous

Since having kids I find I shop online now more than ever. ...afterall, the mere thought of heading to Bay and Bloor with two kids gives me the sweats!

For this reason I just had to share this website with you that a friend of mine created. It's called Shops of Fabulous, and it profiles virtually every online retailer that delivers within Canada, including their collection, shipping costs, return policy, and more. If you like what you see, you just click on the vendor to be redirected to their website and start shopping! You can also subscribe to their online magazine, SoFab. Needless to say, it is FABULOUS! Happy online shopping!

Magic mittens

These mitts will change your life....I swear it! I learned about them from my friend Erin. They are a modern version of those old school mitts with the string that went through your coat from one hand to the other.

Made by Thinsulate, the mitts feature long sock-like stretchy cuffs that protect little arms from wind and snow, fit snuggly under coats, and prevent mitts from falling off. There is an infant version that has no thumb hole. They are adorable.

Best of all they are made right here in Canada.

I know that you can find these mitts at Fab Baby Gear and Hundred Mile Child on the Danforth, as well as Baby on the Hip, and they retail for around $30. This is the second winter that my daugther has worn hers, and I think they'll fit next year too, so they have some longevity.

Get your babe a pair just in time for tonight's snow storm!

Fuss-free PC

In our dining room we have an elegant antique dining room suite which we inherited from my Grandmother. The problem is that it is in the middle of our house, and so is also the place where we drop our keys, use our laptops (despite a lovely home office upstairs), eat, colour, write cheques...etcetera.

So it needs to be covered if it's going to survive another decade. I bought this simple cream table cloth with a tone on tone plaid from PC Home just before the holidays. It is very inexpensive, and so I assumed I would use it once and have to toss it. Not true. There are two wonderful things about this table cloth.

1) It is made of some sort of miracle fabric that doesn't wrinkle. You can pull it right out of the dryer and put it on your table. Voila.

2) It is made of some sort of miracle fabric that doesn't stain. We put it to the ultimate test a few weeks ago with a curry dinner for 10 adults and 8 kids. The table was absolutely drenched in deep red and yellow curry sauces. I put a bit of stain spray on the really bad spots and threw it in the wash. Everything came out!

I have a friend who always offers to help out when he comes for dinner. I jokingly always tell him he can iron the table cloth because I know how ridiculous he thinks it is that anyone would iron a table cloth. ...well now I can find a new chore for him!! Bring on the dishes!

A cornucopia of coloured cups

With kids in the house, I have a million and one of these plastic Ikea tumblers. In our house they serve a multitude of roles from toothbrush and crayon holders, to bathtime soakers and kiddie drinkers....at $1.99 for 6, they are a steal of a deal....

....Start the car!

A table for tots

When I was pregnant with my first child, I was lucky enough to inherit some furniture from a relative. One of the items was an miniature antique table and chair set. It came with 2 chairs, and I happened upon a third matching chair at Goodwill a few weeks later. It was meant to be!

Not only is this a charming and sentimental set, but it is used incessantly at our house. We've had it in our daughter's bedroom, in the basement, and now it sits at our front window on the main floor. It is used as the 'kiddy table' when we have dinner parties, as a colouring table while I'm making dinner, and as a stool to see activity outdoors including people going to and from the subway at the end of our street, and the garbage and recylcing trucks on Wednesdays!

Below are some other options from Ikea that I spied this weekend.

Do you have furniture in your house that does double duty?

LATT set from Ikea- $24.99



Kritter chair from IKEA - $19.99






Mammut table from IKEA - $49.99

delightful diapers for a precious planet

Did you know that in their first year of life babies will use almost 3,000 diapers? This fact made me start thinking about using cloth diapers when my daughter was born. I started doing research and was pleasantly suprised to learn how far cloth diapers have come since our mothers' time....no more diaper pins!

I oped for Bum Genius diapers. They come in a rainbow of fun colours, stand the test of time (I used mine with my daughter and now my son), and are impressively leak-proof. They also are adjustable so they will snugly fit your little one from infancy up to toilet training.

I bought mine at Baby on the Hip and Moms to be and More, but they are available at a number of other Toronto retailers as well (though MTB&M was where I found them the cheapest when I was looking a few years ago).

They sure look beautiful all stacked and folded....if only they were so lovely when they went into the laundry!

Elegantly eco-friendly

Have you ever noticed that design magazines never feature composting bins in their kitchens? It's probably because the city-issued countertop composting bins are not exactly eye-candy. 

Luckily, there are a number of attractive alternatives on the market. My mom introduced me to this one, available at Lee Valley down on King West. I've had it on my counter for a few years now, and it's great...but as of this afternoon I have compost bin envy!

Check out this fine piece of countertop hardware. I spied it this afternoon in the window of IQ Living on the Danforth. It is made of a shiny stainless steel (my Lee Valley version is a polished stainless) and has a very elegant fluted shape. Doesn't it make you want to start peeling potatoes?

Brew masters

How do you make your perfect cup of coffee?

Both my Mom and Grandmother drank Nescafe instant coffee when I was younger. This is a family legacy that I chose not to carry on. Reeeevolting sludge.

Since I'm the only coffee drinker in our house nowadays, I make most of my coffee in my Bodum* or my beloved espresso machine.

But my favourite coffee maker is my vintage GE percolator, which I inherited from my Grandmother, and which she received as a wedding gift (talk about standing the test of time!!). It has an elegant shape that goes from counter to table, makes perfect coffee, and even has a 'warming' function. Best of all, it makes enough coffee for a crowd, or for a lazy day of coffee drinking and newspaper reading for one.

I have since bought two more of these beauties - one off of Craigs List and another at Eclectisaurus, a fabulous vintage store on Gerrard East in Cabbagetown. I am keeping one as a backup in case mine breaks, and the second was given to my friend who developed a life long passion for percolated coffee at his cottage on Lake of the Woods.

While I adore my collection of coffee makers, I will not be turning down a cup of drip coffee made by someone else anytime soon.....after all, coffee tastes best when someone else makes it!

* I previously bought a very inexpensive french press coffee maker at Canadian Tire that worked great. It was just as good as my Bodum. But my mom cracked the beaker while washing it, and so at that point I upgraded to the Bodum. Somehow its shape is just a little more beautiful and its stainless steel frame just a little more sparkly than its no-name cousin.