Five on Friday

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Oh hey there, Internet. I thought I’d check in real quick and give you a little one-sided chat before starting the day. So yes, I’m sitting on Wes’s playmat in the barely-breaking morning light without yet having made coffee and typing this up. I must be insane.

So still not too much to chat about here- summer months are just full of outdoor time and soaking up the good weather that it’s hard to sit at a computer and word vomit about it. Or maybe that’s just me. I can’t even remember what I’ve shared with you last, and I’m not about to look back, so here are some things of interest:

Tyler and I have been enjoying lots of craft beer (per usual).

Lunch at National, Growlers from Banded Peak, Brewfoot Blueberry Ale, Tasting flight at Big Rock after Brewga, Tasting flight at Trolley 5

2. In an attempt to make a healthy dessert, I whipped up a batch of Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies. They were so tasty, but in no way come close to chocolate chip cookies. Or anything unhealthy (and DELICIOUS) for that matter. I would definitely make them again though.

3. Wes has been an exploring fiend and I love it. Well, most of the time I love it.

His Oxfords are from VI&JAX and they are the cutest, hipster-est little shoes ever. I love them.

4. I switched from my usual morning waffles to morning smoothie bowls and I just can’t get enough of them! My favorite combo as of late is: frozen cherries, cocoa, pb, spinach, greek yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla, almond milk. Topped with chia seeds and whatever other fun crunchy things I have around.

5. This view:

Catching Up…Again

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Oh man, I went a couple of weeks without any personal update. Seriously, time flies! I thought I’d try to check in real quick with basically a summarized photo dump of some of our happenings… Don’t forget to head on … Continue reading →

Weekender

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

This was a weekend I could definitely repeat. I did so much- and all such different things that I feel happy and fulfilled. Only thing that would have made it better was if I could have had some more time with Tyler.

Friday: Pancakes. Duh.

During Wes’s nap, I made a batch of protein balls that are SO YUMMY. I’ll be sharing the recipe this week, so stay tuned 🙂

We headed out to the mall to grab some groceries and also pick up a stick of body butter from Rocky Mountain Soap Company. They were having their Toxin Free Days- where members get a free gift when they stop by a store, so I had to take advantage!

While Wes was down for his second nap, I whipped up this delicious AND EASY Moo Shu Chicken for dinner. I hate when I work nights, because I usually start at 5pm and need to eat dinner beforehand which a) sucks, because I have to have something ready to eat EARLY, and b) sucks because I’m usually hungry again afterwards and by then it’s too late to eat.

It was a great night at work, so no complaints from this end!

Saturday: Wes and I headed to the library after breakfast for the Baby Bookworm program. There were about a dozen other babies and Wes was really entertained by the singing and reading and….other babies. One little boy sat on the blanket next to him and even held his hand! My heart melted and I desperately wanted to take a picture, but I didn’t want to freak the other mother out. haha

There are 4 more ‘classes’ in this session and I’m excited to see him interact! PS: I’m a terrible mom and hardly have Wes in situations where he is around other kids his age. Part of it is because I’m a germaphobe, part of it is because I don’t want to pay to participate in activities, and part of it is because I just don’t want to put up with a crank monster if any activity throws off his schedule!

After the library, we walked back home and I quickly got ready and headed back out to meet up with some of the BLOG SQUAD for a tour at Tool Shed Brewery. You guys…I have been on a ton of beer tours. And this one was by far the best I’ve ever been on. They are just so damn passionate about beer. From how it’s made to interacting with others involved in the process, to interacting with the local community. I was just blown away by the enthusiasm and ingenuity the Tool Shed guys have.

Plus, the beer is pretty damn tasty.

We got to sample each of their 3 core beers plus a limited edition brew. AND THEN….once the tour was over, we got another beer of our choosing! I mean, yeah the perk of a brewery tour is getting to sample their product, but I really gotta say that the information on the tour- and how it was presented- was the highlight of the afternoon.

The space is pretty neat too! (My kinda decor!!)

I ended up leaving with 3 6-packs of the Gose and a 6-pack of their People Skills Cream Ale. YUM.

PS: If anyone in Calgary ever wants to go on this tour, I WILL GO WITH YOU. I loved it that much. Seriously.

After the tour, I headed home and quickly changed to head off to work. I felt like I was super busy for my shift but didn’t make as much as I thought. Ok, ok, so I’ll tell you where I work now. Brewster’s! They have a location close to my house and I get 3 serving shifts a week. The staff is all incredibly friendly and it’s such a nice atmosphere that I find time flies. Plus, the social interaction is nice. So are the tips 😉

When I got home, Tyler and I watched Deadpool and drank some Tool Shed. The movie is so funny-one of the best ones I’ve seen in a while. Ryan Reynolds. That is all.

Sunday: I met up with the BLOG SQUAD at Illume Hot Yoga for a private Surf Set class (more on that later this week, I promise). It was a fun workout! I still did my 22 Minute Hard Corps Workout earlier in the day, and the added core strength required for SurfSet was no joke. Obviously because of the name they also offer Hot Yoga which I’m hoping to try in the near future.

Later in the afternoon, I headed off to National Westhills with Wes to attend the Beer Master BBQ co-hosted by Phillips Brewing. I love this National location because it is family friendly and I could bring Wes with me to a beer event. Never mind that I was pretty much the only one there with a kid, but who cares!

Phillips had some amazing beers for us to sample and National provided a delicious BBQ spread that I was able to share with the kiddo.

YES the food was great. And YES the beer was great. But what really stuck out to me was the customer service. I can’t stress enough how friendly the staff was to me throughout the event. They were always checking up on me, asking if there was anything I needed, and even brought an extra umbrella out to keep Wes in the shade. Plus, they actually got my food and beers for me so that I didn’t have to keep getting up and down with Wes in tow.

I’m pretty sure they’ve made a customer for life out of me. Insane craft beer selection + yummy food + exceptional customer service= mother BLEEPING bliss. HIGH FIVES TO YOU, NATIONAL WESTHILLS.

The BBQ had live music, games and prizes and I would have LOVED to have had Tyler or friends accompany, but it was so last minute. Oops. There was even a candy table and balloon decorations (some event goers and staff cut the balloons down to give to Wes. And they gave him stickers. LIKE SERIOUSLY- WHAT CRAFT BEER ESTABLISHMENT LOVES KIDS SO MUCH?!!! I wanted to stay there forever.)

Ack, back to the beer. I was able to sample the Pilsner, Sax in the Dark (Dark Sour Ale…MY FAVE), Electric Unicorn White IPA, and the Short Wave West Coast Pale Ale. I was told by the Phillips rep that the Pilsner was a newer beer that was ‘extremely crushable’. In lay mans terms: it’s easy to drink a lot of. Lay-er mans terms: you’ll get drunk off this beer. Ha! So true, it was crisp and clean and delicious.

Wes fell asleep on the way home and I rounded out the weekend with a quadruple decker Oreo. Because, YUP. Oh, and I walked the dogs. But that’s not exciting to read about.

Playing Catch Up

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Hey friends, happy Thursday! Thought I’d check in and catch you up on what we’ve been up to lately. To be honest, I have been super busy + Wes has been super cranky + I sorta lost my writing mojo. I really need to not let social media get to me…I get stuck comparing myself to others and when I don’t think my presence (i.e.: this blog) isn’t as great as others, then I get super let down.

Ok ok, let’s not be all negative nancy here. So here’s what we’ve been doing…

Friday: pancakes. because…..FRIDAY.

I finally got the finishing touches done on some bibdanas my mom made and had Wes try one on for size. Perfect! PS: We are open for hire if anyone wants to buy any 😉

An unexpectedly long nap means mama makes congo bars. So delicious. Also, so deadly on the hips.

Afternoon bathies!

Pre “work” dinner and snuggles with my I SCREAM baby.

I judged a Specialty category at Beerfest (more on that next Wednesday!)

Saturday: Morning park time with Wes

I WORKED the Brewster’s tent at Beerfest. It was a long shift (2-10pm), but we were given breaks to wander around the different halls to check out some of the other beer and food that was offered.

Sunday: I didn’t really get a Mother’s Day (at first, I was A-OK with it, but towards the end of the day, I was super sad about it, especially after seeing all the mother’s day crap on Facebook…eek) but in a sense, I was ‘gifted’ some me-time which came in the form of going on the Calgary Brewery Tours Spirit of Alberta Tour (Again, more on this next Wednesday)

I was gone from about 10:30-7pm and came home to whip up a super quick dinner.

Monday/Tuesday: These days don’t really count. I was a terrible combination of sad, mad, tired, you name it. Not much happened besides some walks, workouts, and baking cookies.

These are a few of my favorite things. Shakeology is a great restart for me especially after a long weekend that includes alcohol, and these chocolate chip cookies just plain ol’ make me happy as a pig in mud.

I worked Tuesday night and made a decent amount of money, so that’s a great way to end the day I suppose!

Wednesday: I now gotta have pancakes 2x a week because they’re so dang good. It’s a crying shame that Wes has taken a liking to them too, because he steals at least two off my plate each time.

^Some diaper bag favorites: Bubbles & Balms Butt Butter; Pure Haven Essentials Boo Boo Stick <–this is the link to my friend’s consultant site. She is a rep for the company (which is currently only operating in the US, so US friends please check it out!); Love Child Organics Oaty Chomps

This kid has been rip-roaring through everything in his room lately. It’s like he’s a tornado and destroys everything in his path! Last week, he had a penchant for throwing all the diapers and now he’s into dumping my diaper bag.

I threw together a healthy chicken zucchini casserole and it was delicious. Of course mine didn’t turn out as pretty as the one from the recipe I used, but no flavor points were deducted.

Tyler and I sipped the remainder of a bottle of mead I purchased from the tour I went on on Sunday. It wasn’t much haha

Marinara sauce brings out the biggest of smiles from him. (Same goes with farts).

So there you have it, folks!

Weekend Recap

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Hey there! On to another week! To recap the last few days

Thursday: My parent’s flight was delayed a ton of times, so they ended up not making it to Calgary on Thursday. Womp.

Friday: I picked up my parents from the airport around noon, dropped them off at home, then headed to my doctor appt. Per usual, everything checked out perfect- now I’m just beyond ready to get this baby out!!! O.U.T. We headed to Brewsters for an early dinner, then called it an early night since my parents got no sleep at O’hare the night before.

Saturday: Took the puppies to get their annual exams. Cough cough $450 dollars later cough cough. Ugh, not a good time to be on short term disability and be taking home a smaller pay check. We just hung out at the house the rest of the day and watched Taken 3 and The Wedding Ringer before bed.

Sunday: Mom and I got pedicures! I only get them like once a year, so it felt great to have a mini pamper-session and make sure my toes look somewhat presentable before they’ll be flailing in the air during childbirth. We all watched the Masters for the rest of the afternoon and Tyler made beer can chicken for dinner.