I’m on reprieve from my usual cooking, cleaning and other domestic duties for a bit here thanks to an early Christmas gift for the girls.

We’re in Toronto! Me, two girlies, one fetus and one Granny Weeds.

We had to leave Dad at home to go to that pesky thing called work. Don’t feel too bad for him though. He threw a party over the weekend, he gets a three night break from the bedtime routine and I left him with a crock pot full of No Fry Refried Beans.

Consider the link to that bean recipe Useful Item #1. They turned out really good! Make them!

Useful Item #2:

If you ever come to Toronto, be sure to appreciate the abundance of fresh juice bars in the Eaton Center.

And the best thing about hitting up a juice bar?

Someone else besides you gets to clean the juicer after they make you “The Max Veg”.

Beets, Carrots, Celery, Cucumber, Spinach, Green Pepper and Ginger. Max Awesome.

Useful Item #3?

There’s lots of cheap entertainment for kids in Toronto too!

Like fountains that shoot water three stories in the air. The Ultimate Boyfriend is pretty entertaining too.

YOU make me talk. Press. Record. Listen.

Oh boy Ken! Get ready! There’s all sorts of stuff I’m gonna make you say!

I didn’t pack a ton of our own food for this trip. It’s been nice eating out like the rest of the world does when they’re on vacation.

And even when the big kids only want to eat pizza or bagels with cream cheese at every restaurant we go to, at least I can get baby #3 to eat a veggie burrito without any trouble.

And speaking of Baby #3, my belly is suddenly starting to look a little more pregnant and a lot less like I’ve just eaten too much for lunch.

And now you know where I sometimes hold my lens cap when I take photographs. (Useful Item #4?) And that I sometimes take pictures of myself when I’m alone in the elevator.

“Useful” (obviously I use that term loosely) posts will return when we’re back in New York later this week. I hope you’re making some holiday cookies or something! After you make those beans of course.