Happy Canada Day Weekend!

To all my fellow Canadians, happy Canada day, EH! And to the American readers out there, happy 4th of July- I think you might be celebrating this weekend also..or is your long weekend, next weekend?

Regardless- have a great weekend. Don't drink too much, watch your kids around the water and the fire, protect yourselves from sunburn and bug bites, don't drink and drive, don't drink and swim, don't get naked with people you don't know.

Cheers!

My Accent

So this is going around on the net, so here are my answers with my "accent". I don't think I have one though ;-)

Your name.

How old are you?
...
Where are you from?

What is your favorite color?

Pronounce the following words: aunt, roof, route, theater, iron, salmon, caramel, fire, water, New Orleans, pecan, both, again, probably, alabama, lawyer, coupon, mayonnaise, pajamas, caught, naturally, aluminum, tumblr, crackerjack, doorknob, envelope, polka dots, swag, LOL, papaya, penthouse, subtext, smile.

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

What is a bubbly carbonated drink called?

What do you call gym shoes?

What do you call your grandparents?

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

What do you call a knitted winter hat?

What do you call the item of furnature in the living room that you sit on.

What do you call %3.25 milk?

Summer time posting...

Just figured I'd tell you all- if you hadn't figured it out by now- that my summer time posting varies drastically , in that I can't post every single day. Amazing how exhausted I am at the end of a summer day with 4 kids. This is all a learning experience for me !

I'm also going to be getting tested for gluten intolerance for myself, so if that test comes back positive expect a lot more food related posts to come about. I welcome the challenge of winter meals that are gluten,dairy, and soy free. I'll figure them out this summer so I can make freezer meals ahead of time!

Have a good night, my avid readers!

Travelling by train with little ones

So husband and I both have our seperate  cars. Mine is the typical "mom-van" but it fits all my kids, the big dog, luggage, stroller, playpen, etc. while travelling- so it won my vote. It also has a built in dvd player...DING DING DING. it was the obvious winner. But sometimes we like to leave the cars at home and travel in other ways. The kids have been begging to ride a train since daddy rides one to work everyday. Well here, they just started a Saturday Go Train schedule and today was it's first official day running- we jumped at the chance. The kids absolutely loved it. We went into the city on the train, hopped on the subway, and then just wandered around. We didn't do anything in particular, just walked, ate some cheap food, grabbed an ice cream and checked out the Harbourfront .

We had a great time, everyone made it out alive, in one piece and with very few tears.

I will post a few travelling tips in a later post, right now I just want to relax! :)

Marriage..

I'm coming up to my 5th anniversary with my husband, this coming Saturday. Yes, 5yrs of marriage and 4 kids- we've been busy. We've been together 10yrs this year, it's so incredible and so crazy at the same time.

I know a few people who have been married and divorced already, and their marriages were as long as celebrity marriages. Heck, I even know one woman who , at 27 has been married and divorced TWICE. So - how do you make a marriage last? I must be an expert.

Stop trying to be perfect.   You don't have to prove to anyone but yourselves that you're happy and in love. If your neighbours hear me yelling once in a while in the heat of an argument, I don't get embarrassed or worried about what they might think. I figure , it just shows that we're normal , not perfect.

Get dressed up for each other.  Even if you're just going to buy a new tree for the backyard,  put some effort into how you look. Not for other people out there, but for each other. Remember when you were first dating, and you'd actually spend 30 mins or more prepping to go out? picking an outfit, doing makeup {or hair for the men!} shaving...the works? I would do that even if we were just going for chicken wings! ....and I still do it today. Of course when I'm home we lounge, I don't always wear makeup or do my hair, but often times I do.

Keep dates exciting. Make time to be spontaneous. It's so easy to forget about the things we once loved to do , either alone or together. Even if you have kids, book the sitter, drop them off at grandmas- and take a weekend to yourselves to just, be. You don't even have to go far, just be at home all by yourselves and just do non-kid centred things for even just one day! Try something new together, go to an amusement park and ride all the rollercoasters- just have fun together. I hope we get to do this , this summer. I want to go to an amusement park again, and being alone with hubs there would be amazing.

Remember important dates.  Remember the big ones. Remember the little ones. I don't mean appointments or meetings, of course those are important to remember too- but I mean birthdays, anniversaries, milestones, etc. If you forget an important date even once, it will take you a lifetime to redeem. My dad has learned this time and time again....but still never remembers the important dates- and I still hear about it, All. The. Time.

Appreciate your differences. Understand that you're two different people with different interests, some different friends . Take time to spend time with your different circles of friends doing the things you enjoy doing. After 10yrs together, husband and I don't have many seperate friends but we do have a few so we spend time with them. Husband plays poker once in a while with the boys, I sent them paintballing and to the cottage one weekend, he goes for drinks once a month {recently} with old friends from university and tonight they're going to play ping pong or something like that. I need to start putting more time on the  calendar for ME to enjoy doing things with my friends but it's important for us all to do that.

Love each other.  You don't have to like each other all the time, because lets face it- there are things about your other half that irritate the crap out of you. And vice versa I'm sure. If you are sitting there reading this thinking " pshh...I don't know what she's talking about, I love every single thing about my husband/wife." you're lying to yourself, and the rest of the world. But love each other. Love each other through thick and thin, even if you're upset with each other for whatever reason- still stand beside your husband/wife and still tell them that you love them. Still look at each other with love in your eyes and hearts. Hold hands. Sit beside each other on the couch.

the day we signed our lives to each other.

"Does this count as annoying?"

What is with kids, and being annoying. Really? ... No, I mean..... really!  If you are a parent, and say that your kid is never annoying...you are one big fat liar. It seems that lately , my 2.5yr old is on a mission to be the most annoying toddler to face the planet. He bugs his brother. He bugs his sister. He bugs the dog. He does the opposite of what you tell him or ask him. Example? I put the air conditioner on because it's hotter than hot out there, and I say to the kids " the A/C is on, so we need to make sure we keep the doors and windows closed" . Manning, stands at the door and looks at me , dead in the eye as he opens the door and leaves it that way. "Manning, please close the door." ......|still looking right at me, with the door hanging open.| "Manning, close the door" .....|doesn't move a muscle| ..... " MANNING! CLOSE THE DOOR!!!" .....that gets a reaction- crying as though I've told him there's no such thing as Santa Clause.  This happens daily, with different things. I ask him not to bring food into the tv room because he just makes crumbs e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e ...you can put money he's got food in there. I ask him to be gentle with the fish tank- yep...he's hanging off the base. Mason has an awful habit of kicking at people when he's sitting on the couch, he says so they don't go near him. Not cool. I tell him you can't boot people in the stomach because they're bothering you {if only that was acceptable, eh?!} So Mason gets in trouble for booting Manning, I explain why we can't be doing that { I say the exact same thing every.single.day.} so what does Manning do? He casually stands by Mason, and starts to kick him. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!!!!! so he's now in his room...and will probably fall asleep.

I cannot wait until they're older and I can remind them of how they acted as little kids. And no- this isn't what I was like as a kid.... I was perfect then, as I am perfect now. ;-)  |disclaimer: that was a joke people|

*stock photo*

Happy Father's Day !

Well its here again, Father's day! Do you do anything super exciting for Father's day, or Mother's day for that matter? I try keeping these events simple, because it's all about the kids celebrating daddy, afterall.

The kids made husband amazing little gifts at school, and at home. I love handmade gifts especially from the kids. They have been itching to give Husband their gifts since they made them- they're awful with secrets or surprises. I managed to stash their pressies so they didn't know where they were unil this morning and they were so excited to give them to him. The pride they feel when they make something themselves, brings tears to my eyes everytime. I got Husband some locally made {bought at the farmer's market!!} Jerk seasoning - he loves that kinda stuff. Me...not so much, I'm not huge on spicy. I also got him a beautiful keychain made by another local artisan in Toronto. She does amazing work and made my necklace with my kiddos names on it, which I love. I wear it everyday and get compliments on it everytime someone sees it.

We're going out for "lupper" {lunch and supper...what else!?} later on and everyone is looking forward to that.

So- keeping it simple, but spending it together. :)

So what are your plans?

Made by JT Sky Designs on Etsy. I had one made for my dad {the Ampy one} and one made for Husband. This was before they were put on their keyring attachments but- this is them and they are beautiful.

more frugal entertaining ideas!

If you're hosting friends for lunch or an afternoon playdate- check out your local grocery store at the wee hours in the morning. Go when they first open, and you can buy their fresh fruit and veggie trays usually at 50% off. They are technically supposed to cut and sell in the same day- but lets be honest here. When I cut up a giant watermelon {because yes I usually cut it all up at once so we can grab and go} we're not consuming it all within 8hrs. The trays are prepared fresh the morning before, and are kept in the fridge all day/overnight. They are super fresh, super easy, and super cheap.

I'm having friends over for lunch today and I'm making my own pizza dough {dairy and soy free of course} , they are bringing a soba noodle salade and I got us a fruit tray with chocolate sauce for dessert. I also picked up EXTRA watermelon since the kids love it so much and today is an after school gong-show day {extra kiddies after school lol} so  I get extra, and I picked up a tin of Van Houte coffee which had a $2 off coupon on the shelf. I spent $16.

Free or Cheap summer entertainment ideas!

The summer is full of amazing experiences, events, and memories! Even if you don't have kids- free or cheap is always a great option when trying to find something to do on a date, with friends, or with kids.

So I'll add to this list as I learn of new things to do in the GTA specifically- but here are a few ideas I like to do all the time in the summer to keep us busy! Look in your local area to see if you have anything similar!

These are not in any particular order.

1. Swimming at the beach {that's a no brainer}

2. free concerts - Toronto has amazing free concerts all summer long at the Nathan Philips Square and at Dundas Square!

3. mini putt . This is usually an inexpensive event to do and it's fun for a date or with the family.

4. Go to the movies , and follow it up by ice cream. I used to love sharing an ice cream with my dates ;-)


5. Walk the boardwalk or beach. I LOVE doing this on a date- grab a hotdog, walk hand in hand and then get some ice cream. Such a nice day or evening :)

6. Free petting zoos - yep they do exist. We have one close to us that lets you bring your own veggies and bread to feed the animals. the kids love it!

7. Go camping. I love spending time with the family outdoors. Cooking food at the camp fire , making up stories while laying on our backs and looking at the clouds , star gazing , and catching fireflies. I love this. It can be romantic {I was proposed to while star gazing on the lake and wishing on shooting stars...I kid you not. } but it can also make wonderful family memories. It's one of my favourite things to do.

8. Roll craft paper along your fence- attach it- and paint. Fingers, brushes, faces, bodies. Paint. Shoot water guns at the paint. Watch it run. Make amazing family artwork by just unleashing your inner artist! Cut your favourite pieces of the masterpiece and frame them. :)

9. Go berry picking. I prefer eating as many as I can...as do the kids, so it's best Husband does this on his own if he's getting berries for his jam {of COURSE he makes his own jam heheh} but we love to do this as a family.

10. Visit the market! Go to different farmers markets, visit a few different town markets- some markets sell livestock, bunnies, etc . It's a great place to go and check out what your local farmers have to offer . Youd' be amazed at what your area has to offer in terms of fresh produce. Make a fancy dinner with farmer's market finds!  YUM!

oops!

Sorry for no posts the last ....two...days! I've been swamped with everything, and I went to London to visit one of my besties for her bridal shower and some girl time!  Mia joined us and we had a great time- but man was it HOT! sweating constantly, just....ick.

How do you stay cool when it's muggy and hot?

Moonlight mama

Some people are at their best early in the morning. Some are more mid-day accomplishers. I like to do my "stuff" at night when the kids are in bed , dog is in bed, and husband is soon to be in bed. If I bake for the market while everyone is awake- husband swoops in and steals cookies, kids bug to lick the bowl and beaters, dog walks around sniffing the air like he's a K9 for the border police.

So- I start around 9pm and go through until the wee hours. I bake, I clean, I sew, I be. While the rest of the neighbourhood sleeps.

When are you most productive?

                                          rocking a vintage inspired Transformer's Tee today!

Natural Living

For most people reading this blog, you know I'm sort of a natural mama. I love all things organic, natural, pure, and earthly. I was always this way as a kid- I would try to make paper out of tree bark and pens out of twigs and feathers , than spend the time in the mall or playing video games. Seriously. I made my own tee-pee with my sister in our parents forest, and we made it look so realistic that as the years went by , it actually looked like it was an original lean-to that was left by a hunter or someone. I was about 9yrs old- and it STILL stands today- that means it's been there for 20yrs or so. I guess we did a good job! {yay us, R! }

So it only makes sense that I continue this tradition in my adult life. I try to use natural products with my kids, from bath soap to skin lotion , laundry soap and sunscreen. Even natural bug repellant and lip moisturizers.

So here are some tips on products you can use to keep your little one clean , safe and bug-free this summer without using chemicals , additives, and ...gunk...
**I have not been paid to endorse any of these products. I am simply discussing what I like to use for my family. I am not a medical professional, any advice,tips or facts I provide should not replace your family doctor.**

1. Sun protection : Babies under 6 months cannot wear sunscreen. Why not? Because sunscreen prohibits their ability to sweat, and babies overheat quickly because they can't regulate their body temperatures as easily or as efficiently as older children and adults do. So for babies 1yr and younger I never use sunscreen. I use Muselin blankets, long sleeves/pants with thin 100%cotton and sunhats!

                             Older children: I have two natural sun screens I enjoy using on my kids, Badger Balm and Green Beaver . Both of these sunscreens are soy free which means they're safe in our house. The Green Beaver is a bit greasy compared to Badger, but I like that it's  a Canadian company and all natural and WORKS. Also- hats are a must and U.V shirts/bathingsuits/hats/outfits are a great option as well.

2. Bug Repellent: Babies and kids shouldn't be doused in bug repellent. Citronella isn't great for them either, and forget about Deet. I wish I had known about this simple remedy while I was pregnant, since I wasn't allowed bug spray then either- and I was eaten alive everytime I'd go outside in the evening. If you want to make your own repellent {yes....even you can make your own bug spray!} then follow these simple steps :

Ingredients:

• Essential oils: choose from Citronella, Clove, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Cajeput, Eucalyptus, Cedar, Catnip, Lavender, Mint
• Natural Witch Hazel
• Distilled or boiled Water
• Vegetable glycerin (optional)

How to Make Bug Spray:

1. Fill spray bottle (I used 8 ounce) 1/2 full with distilled or boiled water
2. Add witch hazel to fill almost to the top
3. Add 1/2 tsp vegetable glycerin if using
4. Add 30-50 drops of essential oils to desired scent. The more oils you use, the stronger the spray will be. My personal favorite mix is: Rosemary, Clove, Cajeput, Lavender, Cinnamon and Eucalyptus… it works great and smells good too!

Other Simple insect repelling ideas:

• Add vanilla extract to either of the above recipes, or just rub on the skin. You can also mix vanilla with witch hazel and water for a spray version.
• Rub lavender flowers or lavender oil on your skin, especially on hot parts of body (neck, underarms, behind ears, etc) to repel insects.
• Rub fresh or dried leaves of anything in the mint family all over skin to repel insects (peppermint, spearmint, catnip, pennyroyal, etc or citronella, lemongrass, etc) Basil is also said to repel mosquitoes and I’ve used fresh basil leaves in the garden with great success before!

3. Laundry Soaps /Stain busters : I don't know about your house, but in mine- warm weather means a few things. Dirt under nails, popsicle stained faces, grass stains on knees and food stains on clothes!

*. Laundry Tarts   : a Canadian , local handmade product that smells great and cleans beautifully! It's even HE front loader friendly! Their stain stick gets out tough stains quickly and painlessly! Just colour it on, and wash! Sometimes I let it sit before washing and find the stain fades to nothing and then wash and BAM. gone.

*. Nellies all natural : another Canadian company that makes a great natural product! I love it's vintage look too!

*. Make your own detergent! Yep- some people make their own laundry detergent and swear by it! The link I provided I've never tried myself, so I am not vouching for it's greatness- just giving you one recipe. If you're looking into making your own though- do some research, and check youtube!

4. Bath Soaps : I have a personal favourite head to toe wash for the kids, Little Twig  . I love the pump , it's easy to get soap when I've got 3-4 kids in the bath at once {this mama conserves...time and water ;-) } I can lock the pump so when I'm washing one kid, another can't squeaze out all my beloved soap. We like the lavender scent, it's relaxing, refreshing, and lovely.  It's a great shampoo as well , it's been kid- approved.


5. Teething : How could I almost forget to talk about natural teething remedies?! I used to swear by Hylands teething tablets  until Manning was diagnosed with milk and soy protein induced colitis. Hylands are honestly magical- they really are, and I used them all the time with Madison. But they're coated with Lactose to make them sweet so they were a big no-no in our house from that point on. What do I use now? 100% baltic amber!  It works, it works , it works, it WORKS! and it's really cute and stylish, never loses it's value, and never loses it's efficiency if cared for properly. SoF you can use an amber necklace on your first kid- and all the kids who follow. Pass it on to your sister to use on her kids, and when she's done with it- she can either sell it for near full retail value {ya....unheard of today isn't it?!} or pass it along to the next home. incredible. simple. natural.

6. Snacks and busy kids/families : Again- I forgot to touch on something I wanted to talk about. What's going on brain?! For busy kids and families on the go- instead of using plastic baggies for lunch packing, or those diaper bag snacks. Don't use bulky containers taking up all the space in the world- use reusable snack bags! They're typically made with a cute cotton print on one side and lined with food safe nylon. Makes for quick and easy wiping, and they can be washed just like the rest of family's laundry. Where do you buy such contraptions? Well...I just so happen, to make them!! ems_creations@yahoo.ca

oops I lied!

I just realized I said I'd post about natural sun protectors, bug repellants , skin care etc. That will come, as well as ONE of my delicious recipes. I can't share them all though...but I'll share one ;-)

blood, guts, and gore!

Why is there so much blood, guts and gore on tv these days? I can't get over how my once favourite shows are too much for me to handle anymore. How are people so desensitized that they need to continue to go further and further to terrorize themselves?

I like to be spooked. I don't like to be traumatized. I like adventure, drama and excitement- I don't like gruesome murders, or descriptive, terrifying scenarios . If I'm doing something in the other room, and husband is watching one of his shows which feature such brutality, I get freaked out just listening to the premise . I don't think that makes me strange..I think it makes me normal.

Everyday I'm constantly telling my children that we must be kind to each other,kind to animals, and kind to ourselves. "Treat others the way you want to be treated" is said almost daily in my house. How can I constantly be talking about such kindness and acceptance if I'm watching shows at night that terrorize me and give me disgustingly disturbing thoughts in my head? I just can't.

So because a lot of the tv has gone to this disgusting brutality, I'm now watching a lot of "fluffy" shows when I get a chance to watch. My favourites are off season now, so I really don't watch that much tv in the summer. I have so much to do in the spring/summer months that I rarely watch tv and it's almost never live. I've recently gotten into The Real Housewives of Vancouver- and oh man is it juicy. I feel like I know them, and I get so sucked into their drama and gossip it's as if I'm sitting there with them. I pvr it , because husband won't watch it. haha.

What are your fave light-hearted tv shows? What ones should I check out?

What a day!

What odd weather for June! It was actually cold at the market this morning, and I was quadruple layered {I refused to wear my winter coat- I just can't do that in June!!} and was actually shivering at points throughout the farmer's market!

We still almost sold out of all of our goodies, and they weren't as wonderfully scrumptious as usual. That barometric pressure messed with my baking times and gave me a few different results for our usual favourites- but they became fast favourites among the market goers. They had new names such as "rainy day favourite" , " not your grandmother's scones" etc. We are featuring a new treat every weekend- something for everyone!

This week I am going to try to concoct an allergy-friendly nanaimo bar and I'm going to be featuring my cupcakes next weekend as well, I just need to find a great egg-free icing!!