Restaurant Challenge

Today I spent the day with friends in Toronto.We took in The Wizard of Oz on stage and spent some time wandering the Eaton Center. When it came time to have dinner we travel back to Burlington to eat at the Rude Native. You may ask, Why would we not just eat in T.O.? The answer is that my very close friend is afflicted with severe food allergies. She cannot eat wheat, yeast, msg, sulphites, fermented or aged food including cheese, wine and mushrooms or any raw fruit or vegetables. As you can imagine restaurant dining is complicated. Over a wonderful dinner at the Rude Native our friends proposed a challenge that we take turns finding new restaurants where we can dine together. I have decided I will blog monthly about our choices. I think it is a mark of a good restaurant if my friend can eat there. They must use fresh prepared food that a chef can modify for my friends unique dietary needs.
So to start the Rude Native in Burlington proved to not only be able to provide a wide variety of choices for my friend but the service was excellent and the atmosphere was pleasant. My friend e-mailed ahead and the staff responded in good time with suggestions for her to eat. They had my friends e-mail on file when we arrived and double checked each dish to insure her safety without making us feel as we were a burden. They even went so far as to offer to make a special dessert if we choose to return as there was no options available on their menu. We will defiantly return if I am in the area.

WOW 11

11 years ago January 7th my husband and I were racing to the  children's hospital in a town 45 minutes north of us to be there as our nephews Andrew, Brandon and Cameron made their entrance into the world 6 weeks earlier than expected. Granted they were triplets but 6 weeks early was still a little scary for everyone who had been patiently waiting for their arrival (well most f us were patient I am sure their mother was feeling very huge and ready for them to come). Each January I remark how time has flown since then.
This year my sister-in-law requested I make the boys birthday cake. When I asked about a theme she told me she would like an i pod touch 4G cake. Okay I said and went to work creating this cake. I needed it to be simple as I had to work all day the day of the birthday party and the day before so had only evenings to create.
I designed the i pod screen with adobe photo shop and had it printed on edible paper at our local Sobey's. I then made a batch of rice krispie treats and fashioned a phone shape which was covered with buttercream icing, then fondant and the screen was attached. I baked a two layer cake which I also covered in white fondant. I used black licorice to create headphone wires and a power cord. I also fashioned ear buds from fondant. Over all I think it turned out pretty good considering I created the whole thing in just under 5 hours.
The boys and their mother were thrilled with the results and we had a great time celebrating another great birthday with Andrew, Brandon and Cameron!

15 Great Halloween Movies for Kids

Every fall we try to fit in some fun Halloween activities before the big Trick-or-Treat Day. This year we decided on having a movie marathon leading up to the big night. Each night we had time we curled up on the couch to take in a Halloween themed movie with the kids.  Here is a list of some of the movies we watched.

1.Nightmare before Christmas-This Tim Burton movie is cute and not too scary. My 7 year old loved it but it did not keep the attention of my 5 year old. 

2.Adams Family- Both my kids loves this movie there are a few scenes we had to snuggle for.

3.Monsters Inc.- Definatly a family friendly movie. Disney makes this oe fun for all ages. 

4. Haunted Mansion- My children got a kick out of seeing the movie that is the basis for the ride at Disney. A little too scary for my 5 year old. 

5.Twitches- My daughter loved this one. 

6. Scared Shrekless- Really cute with humour adults can appreciate.

7. Goonies- My kids are brave and love a good scary film. This  movie is classic in our house but I would not recommend to those who's children get scared easily. 

8. Harry Potter #1- My kids are begging to see the rest. I am holding out as they get so violent. 

9. Casper- This one is very family friendly. 

10. Hocus Pocus- My daughter loved this but my son did not pay attention. 

11. Monster House- Although thi is a cartoon and really cute it actually scared my 5 year old. 

12. Charlie brown- My children are not huge fans of Charlie Brown but as it is a old tradition we spent and evening watching this one. 

13. Spooky Buddies- Dogs that talk and save the town, my children love all the Buddie Movies. 

14. Hotel Transylvania (we saw this at the show)- Really cute and worth the trip to the theater.

15. ET-  I forgot how much I loved this movie or how much humour there s in it. 

16. Ghostbusters- My kids found this to be too scary, although they persevered through it they told me they never wanted to see it again. 

Pumpkin Patch

The calm before the big storm.We had a beautiful fall day and headed after school to the Pumpkin Patch to play in the hay, make crafts, have a Hayride and pick out Pumpkins. We are expecting Hurricane Sandy to hit us early next week just in time for Halloween so it was great we got to be outside and in the warm weather for the day. 

Mario Kart Cake

Another Mario cake made for my co-workers son Nate. This year I went with a Mario Kart cake shaped as a figure 8 for his 8th birthday. I think Nate loved it I stepped out to buy dinner ad missed the big reveal as he arrived while I was gone and my husband handed over the cake. It really makes it worth while to make cakes when the recipient is so thrilled. I will have to start thinking of what type of Mario cake I will make for Nate next year.

Fall Birthday Banaza Part 1

I have two major times each year where I seem to make all my birthday cakes. The Spring when my two children both have birthdays only 2 weeks apart and the fall when my sisters two children also have their two birthdays 2 weeks apart. This weekend we will be celebrating my nephew Colton's 2nd birthday and my niece Emma's 8th birthday. So I gathered the requests for what theme they both wanted this year and went to work creating these two cakes. I hope they like them.
Thanks for looking.

Most Magical Place on Earth

We had such a wonderful time at Disney, I can't wait to go back. It truly is the most Magical place on earth.