Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire - William Yeats

Month: January 2025

Easy Cheesy Scallop Potatoes, and a Pot Roast!

So tonight I had planned a supper for my family.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of my masterpieces and I wanted to take a shot at something I had not done before by myself.  If I being honest, cooking sometimes gives me anxiety and the time to prep a meal stresses me out the most, and how to properly cook certain foods.  But I want to learn so badly, and I know that I am not going to learn overnight, so I am taking baby steps throughout this to ensure I do not get discouraged.  So first, I got myself organized and grabbed my groceries yesterday, to my surprise it did not take a lot of effort or ingredients to make happen.  I read this easy cheesy scalloped potato recipe I found online.  When looking at the recipe given, I did try and incorporate my own “twist” to it.  I had a goal at the beginning to try and hide vegetables, because my daughter is very picky when it comes to vegetables and is not open to even trying them, in this instance, I made sure to chop the onion super small so my daughter would not notice and I am chalking that up to a win because she did not complain once, nor did she find an onion of garlic! #momwin

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

I paired these potatoes with a slow-cooked roast and it was a huge hit.  I did alter the recipe a little bit, as I did not add the tomato paste, and I used beef stock instead of chicken stock.  Altering the recipe a bit I was afraid that it would not taste good or that the paste might make it taste different, but by the sounds of everyone eating at the table, it was delicious.  I found a newfound love for my slow cooker and realized that it takes next to nothing to prep a meal and just let it cook all day on low in there, and this beef roast came out so juicy and flavorful.   Pot roast in transparent background.

This week I have taken some time to step back and really consciously think about meals, and talk to myself in a positive matter when it comes to food. The fact that I do not need to be perfect, and somethings might be a flop is okay.  They will not always be 5 star gourmet meals, and looking on the internet and finding some quick recipes that are both healthy and filling.  I was surprised on what I can pair together, and what I can make quick for my daughters lunch, etc.  Next week I do plan on looking into some breakfast ideas, breakfast casseroles, smoothies, etc.  Also following my goal of hiding veggies in food.  Smoothies are such a great way to do that. Spinach, avocado, etc.  Next weeks plan is already in the works, so stay tuned!

 

Technology in my daily life!

In today’s world, it is nearly impossible to escape technology, which is the fastest-growing industry in terms of advances.  As a single mother, my cell phone is my lifeline. I use everything from my calendar app to my team link (for my daughter’s hockey schedule) to keep my life (somewhat) organized.  There is nothing online, as of right now that I use per se to write down my daily tasks or help keep that part of my life organized.  Truthfully I am not a tech-savvy person, and I like to keep it old-school and use my good reliable mom calendar I get from Amazon. I would like to become more tech-savvy and reach out to other platforms to widen my knowledge around this topic, but as for right now, a significant part of my relationship with technology is solely socially and entertainment-based.

Laptop on desk

Photo by Sara_Torda on Pixabay

However, I use my laptop every single day due to it being my main resource to my education.  Even though that is not for entertainment reasons, I participate in lectures over Zoom twice a week, and I do all of my assignments online mostly working with word and PowerPoint and submit all my work online. My math class is semester requires me to submit my written work by scanning my work and  sending to my professor for review.   I do try my best to have a schedule when it comes to schoolwork. Admittingly, I do fall off the wagon sometimes, as I work as a casual E.A in our school division, and get called last minute, but  having a schedule helps keep me accountable, and efficient. I try to ensure I work on and strive to finish assignments in the morning, it does not work out all the time, as mentioned before, things need my attention last minute, but I have learned that my brain works better at that time of day and allows for me participate in the evening tasks that my household requires me to be present for, and I feel less rushed to get my work done.

In the future I would like to become more tech savvy and I hope that this class will open up a little more for me in that sense, as many forms of technology are being introduced into education and as a future educator I believe I need to be teachable in that sense.  I look forward to seeing and hearing of some resources to help me become better in this changing technological world.

 

 

I have been striving to expand my palette with food.   I am currently a single mom and I live with a picky eater, and I am hoping that I can incorporate some more variety and flavor in our menu at home.  We are quite limited to food I have noticed lately, and I am over making the same things over and over again.  I would love to make food and healthy choices a good experience for my daughter.   I am striving to find some recipes and ideas on incorporating healthy foods into our diet, as we very much lack that in our household.

To start my journey, I want to start small and ensure I make the experience as positive and easy as I can.  I will incorporate some of the ideas outlined in a video I found online, it is a helpful tool, for beginners and is relatable as it is also from another mom on how she hides vegetables within her meals I will most definitely take these tips and tricks into consideration when planning my next meals.  To add, we have a busy schedule during the week with my daughter’s hockey and I would love to be able to take these meals with us to the rink to help eliminate the need to rush for food when we get home for supper, or eliminate the need to buy fast food as it is quick and easy.

This is me!

Hello!

My name is Kirsten Belliveau.  I am 29 years old and am a single parent to a strong-willed, athletic 5 year old daughter.  I am currently enrolled in my second year of my education degree through the University of Regina.  Before my journey, I was a director of a daycare facility for 4 years and obtained my diploma in early childhood education.  I have been in the childcare field for 10 years, and I very much enjoyed all the hats I have worn throughout my journey as a student, full-time educator, educational assistant, and director.  I was ready to leap into teaching as it has always been a passion.  It was not an easy decision and it came with a lot of nerves, but nonetheless, I am proud of the decision I made and look forward to working my hardest and obtaining as much knowledge as I can to become the best educator.

 

I have not ever blogged, nor read a blog before so I am excited to learn about this new community.   I look forward to learning from my peers and hope I can also teach my peers something new!

 

Image is christmas photo of daughter and myself at christmas

© 2025 Kirsten Belliveau

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑