As I was preparing my coffee this morning, I took out the milk carton and saw that the best before date was December 17th....that is only 5 weeks away, there are exactly 41 days left until Christmas!! I am so excited. Even though P only sorta kinda gets it this year, its such a fun time of year.
I have to say this year I feel a little ahead of the 8 ball, most of my Christmas shopping is done with a few straggler items to pick up. Believe it or not I even have a good chunk of them wrapped already as well!
I strongly believe in shopping online as much as possible. I hate going into stores at Christmas time, especially with kids. Its mayhem, people are rude, you can never find parking, kids are having meltdowns in every direction, it's just chaos. I usually only buy things from sites with free shipping, or great specials, I don't like the idea of having to pay 10 or more dollars extra for shipping to shop online. Another little secret is before you checkout at those online retailers Google the name of the store with coupon code ( ex: Old Navy coupon code) and I would say about 80% of the time you can come up with a decent coupon, just last week I saved 16$ on something I ordered.
This year I am also looking forward to making some of my own decorations, which I will gladly share with you all once I get it moving! I also plan on baking and volunteering with my oldest daughter, which is also something I will share with you guys during the next 5 weeks. We have some Christmas traditions both old and new and I cant wait to post them and see what you guys have as traditions as well!
How are you guys doing with your Christmas shopping? Have you started? Have you finished? Let me know!
Today's deal : Children's Place 15 % off everything, 25% off when you spend 50$ or more and 30% off when you spend 60$ or more.
Use code at checkout : 2D2G2012
Good from November 13th to 18th 2012
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Monday, 12 November 2012
Every One Needs Mom
When I first started this blog, it was for several reasons, I wanted to share product reviews with my fellow readers for products new and old to the market, to help you make educated purchases, I also wanted to share some of the deals I come across online and in-store for all of you to benefit from. But the main reason I started this blog was to document and share with my fellow readers this crazy thing called life. I know that after reading some of the blogs that I follow I sometimes feel comforted, educated and inspired. Simply reading about another mom or wife who is going through some of the things that I am going through both good and bad makes me feel a connection. So if I can reassure, connect, or even make somebody laugh out there in internet land I have succeeded! So please enjoy, feel free to leave me comments or even recommend a topic that you would like to hear and we will all have a great time here!
Don't Call it a comeback
Ok so I'm back....I think? No seriously, I am truly going to try to get back into blogging, I enjoyed it so much last year that I want to continue with it. So much has gone on this year and I really wish I would have had the time to share each step with you, but its never too late to start now! So be patient with me and I will try to post each day even if its just a little post just to check in with you guys I will do my very best!
Thursday, 31 May 2012
Hold on to your tights....
Well hello everyone out there in internet land! I know I havent written a post in awhile, but all for good reason! I hope you have a nice warm cup of coffee or tea in hand and the kids are napping cause here goes one heck of a recap of the past 3 months of our lives!
First off, we bought our very first home! A very exciting and stressful event, but just one more milestone we can check off our list of goals. We are currently full blown into renovations but we should be moving in, in a few weeks.
Secondly, my baby boy turned 2! I cant believe two years have passed since he was born, at the risk of sounding cliché it really does feel like yesterday! We had a great party with family and friends with an angry bird theme.
A lot of people have been asking me for tips on kids parties. As all us parents know our kids are unpredictable and no matter what we do to try to ensure that everything goes off smoothly, a toddler meltdown can happen at any time. But here are a few tips that I use:
- Always plan the party around nap time! Make sure your kids get their naps on party day! This is very important! No nap means a 99% chance of meltdown!
-Do not decorate the house before nap time! Once your little ones see these decorations with their favorite characters, good luck getting them to sleep! I usually use nap time to decorate the house inside and out, seeing their faces when they wake up to a fully decorated house is also a huge plus!
-Just go with the flow! As a self admitting control freak, and mother of 2, I have learned that when it comes to little ones you have to just go with it, kids will be kids and might as well enjoy it because it goes by way too fast!
Next up, something I find exciting, but my teenage daughter and husband think I'm nutso, is that we have a cute tiny Robin's nest in the little tree under our kitchen window, complete with 3 little blue eggs!!
I am so excited to watch the babies hatch and see everything happen from my window! I will give you all follow ups because regardless of how crazy my family thinks I am, I know that some of you out there are just as excited as I am!! :) (To add to my lunacy, I have named Mama bird Lucy.....ok so maybe I am crazy)
Last but not least, I wanted to share this super cute pic of my little man that we took yesterday. He thinks he is going off to work like Daddy! Even has his shoes on! So adorable!
I look forward to jumping back into blogging! So look out for some fun stuff and our updates as we move and head into our new adventures!
PS- I havent forgotten about the draw for the I NEED A BOX, I will be drawing a random name using random.org tomorrow afternoon, so make sure you check in to see if you are a winner
First off, we bought our very first home! A very exciting and stressful event, but just one more milestone we can check off our list of goals. We are currently full blown into renovations but we should be moving in, in a few weeks.
Secondly, my baby boy turned 2! I cant believe two years have passed since he was born, at the risk of sounding cliché it really does feel like yesterday! We had a great party with family and friends with an angry bird theme.
A lot of people have been asking me for tips on kids parties. As all us parents know our kids are unpredictable and no matter what we do to try to ensure that everything goes off smoothly, a toddler meltdown can happen at any time. But here are a few tips that I use:
- Always plan the party around nap time! Make sure your kids get their naps on party day! This is very important! No nap means a 99% chance of meltdown!
-Do not decorate the house before nap time! Once your little ones see these decorations with their favorite characters, good luck getting them to sleep! I usually use nap time to decorate the house inside and out, seeing their faces when they wake up to a fully decorated house is also a huge plus!
-Just go with the flow! As a self admitting control freak, and mother of 2, I have learned that when it comes to little ones you have to just go with it, kids will be kids and might as well enjoy it because it goes by way too fast!
Next up, something I find exciting, but my teenage daughter and husband think I'm nutso, is that we have a cute tiny Robin's nest in the little tree under our kitchen window, complete with 3 little blue eggs!!
Last but not least, I wanted to share this super cute pic of my little man that we took yesterday. He thinks he is going off to work like Daddy! Even has his shoes on! So adorable!
I look forward to jumping back into blogging! So look out for some fun stuff and our updates as we move and head into our new adventures!
PS- I havent forgotten about the draw for the I NEED A BOX, I will be drawing a random name using random.org tomorrow afternoon, so make sure you check in to see if you are a winner
Monday, 26 March 2012
The best muffin on earth!
Ok is everyone ready? I am about to introduce you to the world's easiest, tastiest, low cal muffin you will ever make! I came across this recipe on my usual browse of Pinterest and thought I would give it a try! The possibilities are endless! This recipe consists of only 2 ingredients:
1. A box of cake mix ( I used classic yellow)
2. A can of pure pumpkin ( the kind that is used in pies)
Mix these 2 ingredients together spoon into a muffin tin and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes! You can thank me later!!
You can also make this with chocolate cake batter or a spice cake mix, you can add in chocolate chips or raisins. You can ice them with cream cheese icing, or simply sprinkle some icing sugar on top. I chose to just leave mine as is and they are delish!!
My daughter is not a huge fan of pumpkin came home from school and ate 2 right away.
These are a definite keeper at our house!!
We are also trying a new super easy slow cooker recipe tonight I will post tomorrow about the results of that one :)
1. A box of cake mix ( I used classic yellow)
2. A can of pure pumpkin ( the kind that is used in pies)
Mix these 2 ingredients together spoon into a muffin tin and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes! You can thank me later!!
You can also make this with chocolate cake batter or a spice cake mix, you can add in chocolate chips or raisins. You can ice them with cream cheese icing, or simply sprinkle some icing sugar on top. I chose to just leave mine as is and they are delish!!
My daughter is not a huge fan of pumpkin came home from school and ate 2 right away.
These are a definite keeper at our house!!
We are also trying a new super easy slow cooker recipe tonight I will post tomorrow about the results of that one :)
Friday, 23 March 2012
The most wonderful scent!!
Ok I wasn't planning on posting today but I had to come and tell everyone about a new Pin I came across this morning! It is a way to make your home smell wonderful, according to the Pin, the scent is the same as the one when you walk into Williams Sonoma, but since I have never been there I will have to take their word for it!
So here is what you do :
1. Fill a pot 2/3 full with water
2. Cut up a lemon and put the slices in the water
3. Drop in a tsp ( or more) of Vanilla into the water
4. drop in 3 sprigs of rosemary
5. Simmer
This combo releases the most wonderful scent into my whole house. You can continue to add water as needed throughout the day but even once I turn it off the scent stays for quite awhile! I am loving this!!
Enjoy!
So here is what you do :
1. Fill a pot 2/3 full with water
2. Cut up a lemon and put the slices in the water
3. Drop in a tsp ( or more) of Vanilla into the water
4. drop in 3 sprigs of rosemary
5. Simmer
This combo releases the most wonderful scent into my whole house. You can continue to add water as needed throughout the day but even once I turn it off the scent stays for quite awhile! I am loving this!!
Enjoy!
Thursday, 22 March 2012
The I-NEED-A-BOX
We have all been in that moment in the car when we are in desperate need of something....a Kleenex, a diaper, Hand Sanitizer..you name it...So here is my attempt to fix this problem, I made the I-NEED-A-BOX, and here is a picture of my first attempt to make one...
Let me explain a little more....In this box is a few items that we occasionally are in need of when we are in the car. The best part of this is that you can add and change up items as you need to, there are endless possibilities. Here is a list of what I put in ours:
1. A diaper
2.Hand cream
3.Band aids
4.Some candies and lozenges
5.A packet of Sunscreen
6.A plastic grocery bag
7.Diaper cream
8.A roll of emergency toilet paper
9.Kleenex
10. Lip Balm
11.A 5$ bill
12.Wet ones
As I mentioned there are endless possibilities, since this pictire was taken I have added, some Advil, hand sanitizer and a hair elastic, you could add Snacks, a sewing kit, gum, anything that will fit! Now we just pop it into the car and its there when we need it! I love this idea so much that I am thinking of making these and selling them! Now if only I could stop burning myself with the hot glue gun!
Also just wanted to add that I cut and used my green onions last night and they were delicious! So the white tips are back in the water growing again :)
Post a comment below and tell me the top 10 things you would put in your I-NEED-A BOX and you could win one for yourself !!
Make sure you are a follower of my blog and that you LIKE my FB page to be eligible to win :)
Let me explain a little more....In this box is a few items that we occasionally are in need of when we are in the car. The best part of this is that you can add and change up items as you need to, there are endless possibilities. Here is a list of what I put in ours:
1. A diaper
2.Hand cream
3.Band aids
4.Some candies and lozenges
5.A packet of Sunscreen
6.A plastic grocery bag
7.Diaper cream
8.A roll of emergency toilet paper
9.Kleenex
10. Lip Balm
11.A 5$ bill
12.Wet ones
As I mentioned there are endless possibilities, since this pictire was taken I have added, some Advil, hand sanitizer and a hair elastic, you could add Snacks, a sewing kit, gum, anything that will fit! Now we just pop it into the car and its there when we need it! I love this idea so much that I am thinking of making these and selling them! Now if only I could stop burning myself with the hot glue gun!
Also just wanted to add that I cut and used my green onions last night and they were delicious! So the white tips are back in the water growing again :)
*** GIVEAWAY****
Post a comment below and tell me the top 10 things you would put in your I-NEED-A BOX and you could win one for yourself !!
Make sure you are a follower of my blog and that you LIKE my FB page to be eligible to win :)
Friday, 16 March 2012
Preparing for the move!
So as some of you may know, we are moving soon and even though our move in date will probably be closer to June I seem to be having trouble with the whole organization and planning of it. Something I like to think I am usually pretty good at however....
If there are two things that completely irritate me as a control freak, its:
1. chaos in my environment
2. not having enough time to finish a task completely.
Packing for this move has made those two factors very predominant in my life these past few weeks, and some days I feel like I get a little crazy! I did however warn my family and friends of the upcoming dangers and told them I didnt mean anything I said during this moving process..Ha Ha!
I think the thing that has surprised me the most is how much STUFF we have!! And I am purging as much as I possibly can, I really really am. But I have only really packed maybe half of our basement and I am overwhelmed at how many boxes I already have.
And you know I love my followers and readers because I would never share this picture with anyone else! And this is just half of our basement!!
The next factor is how difficult packing can be with a toddler! It seems whatever Mommy puts into the box, P likes to take out of the box. So my true window of opportunity is during nap time, the 2 golden hours a day that I have cram everything I cant get done when he is awake.
I know we will get there eventually and we wont be packing boxes forever.....Right ?!?
If there are two things that completely irritate me as a control freak, its:
1. chaos in my environment
2. not having enough time to finish a task completely.
Packing for this move has made those two factors very predominant in my life these past few weeks, and some days I feel like I get a little crazy! I did however warn my family and friends of the upcoming dangers and told them I didnt mean anything I said during this moving process..Ha Ha!
I think the thing that has surprised me the most is how much STUFF we have!! And I am purging as much as I possibly can, I really really am. But I have only really packed maybe half of our basement and I am overwhelmed at how many boxes I already have.
And you know I love my followers and readers because I would never share this picture with anyone else! And this is just half of our basement!!
The next factor is how difficult packing can be with a toddler! It seems whatever Mommy puts into the box, P likes to take out of the box. So my true window of opportunity is during nap time, the 2 golden hours a day that I have cram everything I cant get done when he is awake.
I know we will get there eventually and we wont be packing boxes forever.....Right ?!?
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Green Onions Re-birth!!
So doing my usual morning browse of Pinterest, I came across a pin which informed me that you could potentially re-grow green onions from the small scraps that I usually throw out. Intrigued by both the idea that I can barely keep plastic plants alive and the idea to not have to run out to the grocery store everytime I need green onions (which is pretty often for us) I decided the concept was pretty simple and didnt require much work, which would lessen the disappointment in the case that they didnt thrive.... so here are the steps to follow:
Step 1: Cut your green onions right down to the white part ( I left a little green showing)
Step 2: Find a small jar or Glass
Step 3: Insert white parts of green onions into jar or cup
Step 4: Fill with water until white part is covered
Step 5: Wait....
And the great part is you dont have to wait for long! Mine started growing the day after. And now after 8 days here are my onions!
Aren't they beautiful!!! Its also important to change the water every 2 days or so, one of the followers on Pinterest said theirs got really stinky and turns out not changing the water enough can do that!!
Also, to make my jar fancy I just made a quick label from a Word document and glued it onto my jar, who would have thought that Word would have pictures of Green onions in their clipart!! HAHAHA
Happy Onions!
Step 1: Cut your green onions right down to the white part ( I left a little green showing)
Step 2: Find a small jar or Glass
Step 3: Insert white parts of green onions into jar or cup
Step 4: Fill with water until white part is covered
Step 5: Wait....
And the great part is you dont have to wait for long! Mine started growing the day after. And now after 8 days here are my onions!
Aren't they beautiful!!! Its also important to change the water every 2 days or so, one of the followers on Pinterest said theirs got really stinky and turns out not changing the water enough can do that!!
Also, to make my jar fancy I just made a quick label from a Word document and glued it onto my jar, who would have thought that Word would have pictures of Green onions in their clipart!! HAHAHA
Happy Onions!
Friday, 20 January 2012
T.G.I.F!
I love those mornings when I am able to wake up and have my coffee while everyone else in the house is still asleep.
I am able to sip my coffee slowly, without fear that it will be knocked over, grabbed off the table by tiny wandering hands, and without fear that hubby will grab a quick "sip" (sip in his vocab means chug) as he is running out the door for work. Just me, my computer and my coffee for at least another 20 minutes....probably my favorite time of day! Although my brain is running through the list of todays to-do's its still a time that I am allowed to just SIT!
My daughter is in Quebec city for an overnight trip with school. She left yesterday morning and she will back tonight around 8 or 9. Even though she is 13 and very smart, I still worry when she is away, especially when she is that far away..... and yes I am sure she will read this and roll her eyes ( I think its an automatic teenage reaction to anything I say). I miss you KiKi and cant wait to have you home!
One of the things on my to-do list today is to organize my filling cabinet....and oh how I dread it! I will keep you posted on the progress later this evening and hopefully I will have had some success!
And with that P is awake, calling for Mommy from his bed, have a good day everyone T.G.I.F!!!
I am able to sip my coffee slowly, without fear that it will be knocked over, grabbed off the table by tiny wandering hands, and without fear that hubby will grab a quick "sip" (sip in his vocab means chug) as he is running out the door for work. Just me, my computer and my coffee for at least another 20 minutes....probably my favorite time of day! Although my brain is running through the list of todays to-do's its still a time that I am allowed to just SIT!
My daughter is in Quebec city for an overnight trip with school. She left yesterday morning and she will back tonight around 8 or 9. Even though she is 13 and very smart, I still worry when she is away, especially when she is that far away..... and yes I am sure she will read this and roll her eyes ( I think its an automatic teenage reaction to anything I say). I miss you KiKi and cant wait to have you home!
One of the things on my to-do list today is to organize my filling cabinet....and oh how I dread it! I will keep you posted on the progress later this evening and hopefully I will have had some success!
And with that P is awake, calling for Mommy from his bed, have a good day everyone T.G.I.F!!!
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Im Back!!!!!
Sometimes our days can be so routine, hours pass by like minutes, days pass by like weeks, and most of us don't take the time to stop and smell the roses. Well I have decided in 2012 I was going to change that for our family. We need to re-align our priorities. We need to start making memories, I want my kids to grow up and say "Remember that time when...", I want photos and scrapbooks and souvenirs! So hold on to your hats fellow readers this year is going to be a fun one and I look so much forward to sharing it with all of you!
A new venture for us this year as well is that we bought our first home what a nerve racking and stressful even that is! So much to do and everything happens so quickly! Thankfully we have an awesome real estate agent by our side, who has gone above and beyond his duties and has been there for us every step of the way! I hope you all can join me as I write about our journey, and all our ups and downs :)
A new venture for us this year as well is that we bought our first home what a nerve racking and stressful even that is! So much to do and everything happens so quickly! Thankfully we have an awesome real estate agent by our side, who has gone above and beyond his duties and has been there for us every step of the way! I hope you all can join me as I write about our journey, and all our ups and downs :)
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