You almost have to laugh at the irony.

Less than 24 hours after I finally posted by "new winter boots" story, what do I notice?

The seam was coming un-stitched on the new ones!

Seriously? Yes. Seriously.

I was on my way out the door - heading to the mall (January is great for sales and I had a few things I wanted to get for the girls) so I didn't stop to change the boots, I just kept going.

After some shopping, I stopped in at Aldo to ask if they would do anything about my little problem.

The sales girls were actually awesome. No need to get pumped up, no need for incredible negotiation skills or even a little rage. They offered to order a new pair for me again (not having my size in the store) but that would mean that I'd have leave in my socks (which in Montreal, in the winter... was not going to happen) and they introduced me to some different but similar models (in hopes of not seeing me again!) that I could exchange the ones I was wearing for...

So it would seem that my little love affair with my full price winter boots has officially been squashed - the flame has been put out.

I now I have NEW new winter boots. I'm happy. The new ones are cute too and I like them... for real. But to be completely honest I'm a little sad all the same. I really loved those boots (they were SO comfortable!). And it's really unfair that I know someone with the exact same ones (but in black) and she has them for longer with NO problems. Sigh...

I guess it just wasn't meant to be!

I have never had so much lamb in my life! I don't think I ever ate it growing up and before filling our freezer with the meat from an entire lamb last fall - I think I can count the number of times we prepared lamb meat (usually lamb chops on the BBQ) on one hand.

All of that has changed. I've now tried several lamb recipes (some of which have been photographed and added to my "trial" gourmet series). steaks (or "slices") stews, roasts, kabobs, shepherd's pie, kefta, lamburgers(!)...

Last week it was time to try some shanks. I knew I was would be out for most of the day so I wanted to find a recipe for my slow cooker.... and I found just what I was looking for on the coup de pouce website. I don't know about you, but when I look for recipes I'm almost always looking for 2 things. 1) Do I have the ingredients on hand? and 2) Does it have simple instructions? For this particular recipe I had to substitute ground cumin for the fennel seeds that I didn't have (thanks to a quick Internet search!) --- otherwise the recipe met my search "criteria".

The result was great. It was super easy to make --- A very hearty (perfect for cold winter days) meal. And I'm sure you could easily substitute with a different the meat and it would be just as good!

So... before you start, here's a list of what you'll need. It takes a little under 30-minutes to get the meal put together and in the crock pot. Then the recipe calls for 8 hours + of cooking on low setting.

Just so you know - mine cooked for just under 7 hours and the meat was falling off the bones. I somehow doubt that a coup de pouce recipe (that's been tried in a test kitchen) could be so far off in the cooking time and so I have come to the conclusion that I have a faulty crock pot with a skewed "low" setting.

So... here's the list of ingredients for "Braised Lamb Shanks"(Jarrets d'agneau braisés)

6 lamb shanks (about 4 lbs total)*

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fennel seeds*

(*I substituted with 2 teaspoons of ground cumin)
1 onion (diced)
2 carrots (diced)
2 celery stalks (diced)
6 garlic cloves (finely chopped or crushed)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup red wine
1 can of diced tomatoes (28 oz or 796 ml)
1/4 cup of tomato paste
1/4 cup of flour
3 tablespoons butter (softened)

To prepare your lamb (and other ingredients) for you slow cooker:

1. Prepare vegetables. Dice the onion, carrot and celery. Chop the garlic. Set aside.

2. Pepper the lamb shanks. In a large pot or pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the lamb on all sides (until golden) and place in the slow cooker.

3. Remove some of the grease from the pot and add the rest of the oil (about 1 tablespoon). Add fennel seeds and cook over medium heat about 10 seconds (until they start to pop) I used cumin so I skipped to the next step and added my spice just before putting everything in the slow cooker.

9. Serve with your choice of side dish. I made plain old white rice.

When it comes to things like "nap time" and "schedules", there's quite a range of parenting approaches and philosophies. I am the type of mom who believes in routine, in flexible schedules and the great importance of naps. I don't know who said it, but I've found it to be very true - "a well rested baby will sleep better" - and be much more pleasant when they're awake!

At 2 years (& 9 months) and 9 months old, Layla and Meaghan are usually great nappers. I say usually because in the last year or so Layla has gone through a few "phases" where we thought she might be giving up her naps and nowadays she generally has good (60-90 minute) naps 4 or 5 out of 7 days a week. I can't really complain because even if she doesn't nap - she has quiet time in her room. Meaghan is still napping in the morning and the afternoon - fantastic!

I'm coming up to the final weeks of my maternity leave with Meaghan. It's hard to believe that the time has passed so quickly... and that she's getting so big... and that I may never do this again... but that's not my point (today. I'll surely share my feeling about all that at some point.). My point is this... after being "off work" for two (combined) years of maternity leave I'm left with the realization that I haven't always made the most of my days and I certainly haven't always made the most of nap time.

So how does one make the most out of naps? At first thought - there is only so much you can do since you're restricted to the house (or the yard... with a monitor). With a little more effort... and sometimes a little more creativity... nap time can be productive, restful or even fun.

Sooooo - I've made a list of some of the things I can do to make the most of nap time...

Enjoy!

1. Bake (cookies, muffins, cake... whatever) or cook (mom/food blogger the naptime chef has this down to a science!)


2. Clean (de-clutter, dust, vacuum... it's amazing what you can get done 60-90 minutes... if you "focus")


3. Laundry (maybe this should fall under "clean" but it's a whole other job which - I believe - deserves it's own #!)


4. Home renovations (sanding, painting, etc.)


5. Get outside (shovel, tidy the yard - scoop poop, tan, swim, garden... all depends on the weather!!)


6. One on one time with an older child (Meaghan's morning nap is often craft time with Layla)


7. Capture memories (order prints of all those digital pictures, organize your photo albums, scrapbook if you're into that...)


8. Catch up with your "peeps" (e-mail is great... but a phone call usually works better for two-way conversation!)


9. Catch up online (e-mail, facebook, twitter... etc. be careful though - this has often left me feeling like I wasted nap time clicking one thing to the next)


10. Foster an interest or a hobby (writing, painting, whatever your pleasure... it may even fall into one of my other categories!)


11. Curl up with a good book or magazine (self help, fantasy adventure, romance or thriller - once again... whatever your pleasure!)


12. Watch a movie (illico is fantastic for the last minute chick flick rental if I just want to veg!)


13. Catch up on your favorite tv series by watching an episode (or 2) online


14. Bubble bath(as in relax... decompress... fall asleep a little surrounded by aromatherapy and bubbles...)


15. Nap...too. (sometimes it's just what the doctor ordered and it fights off a looming cold)


16. Exercise (and then shower!)


17. Primp a little (straighten or curl your hair, give yourself a facial, cut and paint your nails...)


18. Shower (as in bathe... get clean... )


19. Shower for "2" (to save water... OR to Get it on... as in... the best waste of hot water ever!)


20. One on one time with the husband/wife (What? It doesn't have to be in the shower!!)

Yesterday was January 18, 2010 and it was my 6 month bloggiversary!

Someone told me that it takes about a year to get your first blog out there - to see if it's something that appeals to others... if you have an audience that extends past your supportive immediate family and close circle of friends. Now that I've been writing fairly regularly for 1/2 of that first year, it seems like it must be time to take stock.

If you look back to my very first post "my first time", I've written about most of the things that I set out to write about... sleeping through the night, my baby is smarter than yours, finding a hobby, recognizing the face in the mirror... and much more (including several on FOOD)! I have yet to find the right approach to topics like "jealous with a capital J" and "loving what he loves" - but it's coming. I promise!

Although this all started as a personal project, a creative outlet... and something to keep my brain cells stimulated while I nurse and coo at my sweet baby - it has quickly become something I not only really enjoy but an interesting learning experience. I'm discovering the world of blogging, twitter and a network of intelligent and accomplished mommy-bloggers who write beautifully and who for some - it's a full time job! (On a side-note here, I've been toying with the idea of doing a monthly post on some of the best mommy bloggers I've found so that some of you can see what I'm talking about... à suivre!)

If you check out my profile, you know that I have a background in communications and PR - I've attended some excellent workshops on social media - but this - this virtual mommy/ social media/ MACHINE (!) makes me feel like I'm completely inexperienced (or already a fossil - at 28!) in so-called communications and learning on the fly. On the bright side it's been a very unique opportunity for me to do some"professional development" during my year off work. Not bad for job love, huh?!

A lot of people have been really nice. Encouraging me, complimenting my writing style (excessive punctuation and all!) and best of all - telling me that they really enjoy the content - and that after reading my posts they're often left thinking "me too" and feeling a little less alone in the kind of stuff that they're going through. They relate to what I have to share - hearing this and getting feedback has been one of the best parts of the the whole experience.

Some people wonder why I write and what makes me think people even care what I have to say. To be perfectly honest with you, there is a part of me that hopes people care what I have to say or what I'm thinking about. There's a bigger part of me that does this for me. It's like a journal - tracking my thoughts, my experiences, my kitchen fumbles... special moments with my babies... It's also an outlet. A place for me to use my "voice", share with others - regardless of how few or how many there are reading. And in the end, it's become a hobby. Every once in a while I even try venturing away from the "compose" box that simplifies posting my stuff on the web in an attempt to figure CODE !!! Scary.

And now... with no idea how to close this off - I'm going to leave you with my favourite 10 posts from the last 6 months. You may not have read them, you may not agree... but here they are... in no particular order.

1. Dear Meaghan
2. Dear Layla
3. I was so sure I wanted boys
4. The Search for my very own hobby (or hobbies)
5. Raspberry/Apple Jam
6. A little teenage girl left in me
7. The moments we remember... and the ones we don't
8. Opposites Attract
9. Tuna Steak & Asparagus
10. Painting with Layla


A.