Thursday, June 30, 2011

: Giveaway : Love, From Nora


I am so excited to be offering this giveaway in partnership with Love From Nora. Up for grabs is a personalized lovey....are these not the CUTEST loveys ever! I really love her stuff. So cute and great quality...


To Enter:

mandatory =
extra entries =
The giveaway runs from June 30 to July 8th. I will use Random.org to determine a winner!
Good Luck!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

Hana's first day fishing!
She caught one in about 10 minutes...a natural. We practice catch and release....much to her dismay! 
"but mama I wanted to EAT it"

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Tasty Tuesday


I have the luxury of living next to farmland. There are about seven different farms that I visit for all kinds of yummy goods - eggs, apples, berries, produce of all kinds - even honey! They are all within a five minute drive for me. As soon as they open, I am there weekly.

The quality of fresh food is AMAZING...sweeter, greener, yummier....I encourage you to find a local market nearest to you and try it. Even it is a bit of an adventure to get there, pack the kids up, bring a blankie and make a picnic out of your purchases! It is a meaningful trip...you get to sample some great food, support your local farmer and teach your children about where food comes from! This is a very valuable lesson. Ask your kid where food comes from...let me know the answer in the comments below...it can be an eye opening experience!

Here is a link to help you find a market/farm near you!

Have a fun time!!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Winner!

Time to do the draw for the Blog Bash!
Drum roll please....
I will be contacting the winner Julie tonight! So if you are Julie - check your email! :)

Thank you all for participating...what fun! Stay tuned for another giveaway coming soon from Love, From Nora.
You DON'T want to miss this...her stuff is amazingly cute and creative. I love it.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Blog Bash

IT'S BLOG BASH TIME!

To enter in the giveaway, all you have to do is follow my blog and fill out the entry form. I will choose one grand prize winner via Random.org on June 26th.
The contest opens June 22 at 12:00am EST and runs till June 26 11:59pm PST.

My Summer Essentials giveaway includes:

Here is the list of all the blogs participating in this giveaway hop. Please take the time to visit them and enter in all the great giveaways!


Tasty Tuesday:broccoli made gourmet



Wanna make something fast, healthy, and looks and tastes super fancy?!?

I have the recipe for you! 
This has become a fast favourite in our house. We all love it...even the picky kid. This is even guest worthy...and a great option for last minute dinner guests.

Broccoli Strudel

1  large head of broccoli, cut into tiny florets (mine are about 1/2" or so)
1  roasted red pepper, or 1/2 cup of jarred roasted red pepper, drained and chopped(I use the jarred, that way it is faster and always on hand)
130g  log of goat cheese, crumbled (it is the small goat cheese log...like 2 1/2" in length)
1/2 cup almonds, chopped or slivered
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped (optional) I have a mint plant, so I add this only in the spring and summer!
4 sheets phyllo pastry, defrosted
2-4 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl stir together broccoli florets, red peper, cheese, almons and mint.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or oil generously. Spread 1 sheet of phyllo atop baking sheet. Lightly brush with butter. layer a second sheet overtop, brush with butter. Repeat with all sheets. Spread out broccoli mixture in the shape of a log, lengthwise in the center of the phyllo. Pull long ends of each side of phyllo together, fold and crimp together. Then fold under short ends of log. Brush with remaining butter.

Bake in centre of preheated oven until golden, 20-25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Serve alongside a garden salad if desired....we usually just eat this!

Gorgeous and healthy dinner in less than 30 minutes!!

Monday, June 20, 2011

BLOG BASH! 2011

Oh YA!.... it is mega giveaway time!!!

I am participating in the Blog Bash 2011 event...yay!! 
Over 150 giveaways with some AWESOME sponsors! It is a good one!

My Summer Essentials giveaway prize pack consists of a Safe Sippy (in either blue or pink - you choose), a Happy Heiny's wetbag (great for pool days!), California Baby diaper/boo boo spray (a must for every beach bag...great 1st aid spray!), a crabby Melissa and Doug linking toy, and of course, beautiful mama bling - a chandelier necklace for mama (you choose colour) and a $25 gift certificate to use towards a silver piece (does not include fingerprint) from World Touch Designs.

To enter in the giveaway, all you have to do is follow my blog and fill out the entry form. I will choose one grand prize winner via Random.org on June 26th.
The contest opens June 22 at 12:00am EST and runs till June 26 11:59pm PST.

STAY TUNED FOR ENTRY LINK AND PARTICIPANTS LIST!!!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Giveaway time!

Finally reached my goal of 100 followers! To celebrate and thank those who have helped me reach this goal I am doing the draw for the Rockin Green samples! I am using the Random.org number generator to help do the draw.


And the winner is..... 18

Congratulations friend #18! I will be contacting you about your samples today!

ps. Friend 18 is Crissa at http://www.bellabud.com/

Thursday, June 16, 2011

first 100 giveaway!



If you are one of my first 100 followers on Google Friend Connect (see bottom of page), you will be automatically entered in to win three samples of Rockin Green Laundry Detergent!

Just visit my friends over at Baby Bellhop and check out the scent descriptions then let me know what three samples of Rockin Green you would like in a comment! The current availability includes,
Rage Against the Raspberry, Mighty Mighty Marshmallow, Lavender Mint Revival and Bare Naked Babies.

You can increase your odds of winning by liking my Facebook page and by sharing this giveaway on your blog or Facebook. 
Just let me know about it in a comment!! Each comment will be an extra entry for you! Easy peasy.

As soon as I hit 100, I will do a random draw for a winner and the three Rockin Green samples of your choice will be sent your way!

WE ARE SOOOOO CLOSE TO DOING THE DRAW!!
ENTER TODAY SO WE CAN DO THIS YO!!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Tasty Tuesdays : the dirty dozen


I am lucky to have access to fresh, pesticide free produce just down the street. We live on the border of a farming area! So it is relatively easy for us to eat clean fresh food. Eating organic is of course a good idea for many reasons, not just for us, but for the environment, farmers and even livestock. BUT eating organic is EXPENSIVE!

There is a list available that shows the worst offenders in pesticide use and the best/closest to organic without being organic! I shop for produce with this list in hand. I buy the "dirty dozen' organically grown and local too (if I can), and the "clean fifteen" I buy whatever is on sale.

Here is a link to a downloadable PDF so you can have a wallet sized card with both lists on it!

The lists are as follows.....
The "Dirty Dozen" - buy these organic whenever you can!!!
  1. Apples
  2. Celery
  3. Strawberries
  4. Peaches
  5. Spinach
  6. Imported Nectarines
  7. Imported Grapes
  8. Sweet Bell Peppers
  9. Potatoes
  10. Domestic Blueberries
  11. Lettuce
  12. Kale/Collard Greens

The "Clean Fifteen" - buy whatever is on sale!
  1. Onions
  2. Sweet Corn
  3. Pineapples
  4. Avocado
  5. Asparagus
  6. Sweet Peas
  7. Mangoes
  8. Eggplants
  9. Domestic Cantaloupe
  10. Kiwi
  11. Cabbage
  12. Watermelon
  13. Sweet Potatoes
  14. Grapefruit
  15. Mushrooms

Saturday, June 11, 2011

if you only need one word....


Kids teach us many amazing things.... patience, appreciation, finding joy in everything, how to love unconditionally. One thing my son has taught me is that you only need one word in life.
More.

yup... it is all you need. Kai's favourite word is "more" and it is universally interchangable for pretty much everything.

Let me show you how this works....
  • point at object of your desire - say "more" - this means you want more of that cool thing that isn't a toy
  • as you eat - say "more" - this means you need more food and more food and more food
  • when you are finished point at the floor, huck a piece of food so it splats on the wall - say "more" - this means I am more than finished sitting here
  • when you are tired - whine "more" sign "milk" - this means 'nurse me woman so I can fall asleep'
  • if you see something super cool - yell "more" and clap your hands - this means I am diggin this big time and I want to see more (kinda like bravo)
See what I mean....my kid is a literary genius.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

yay me!





I was just nominated for the Versatile Blogger award by fellow blogger Bellabud! Thanks so much! Feels great to be acknowledged by another blogger!

So Here is How It Works:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award by linking back to them in your post.
2. Tell us 7 things about yourself.  
3. Award a few recently discovered bloggers. 
4. Contact those bloggers and let them in on the exciting news!
Seven Things About Me:

  1. I love children...not just my own, but all of them...I even have a career working to systemically support them to reach their greatest innate potential.
  2. I live on an island - a big one, but an island nonetheless.
  3. I am a passionate person with a big heart.
  4. I ride horses and I have since I was 7 years old.
  5. I love to read, even if it is just to my kids! 
  6. I am silly. I am in my thirties, but feel very young at heart. Everyday I laugh and do something ridiculous that makes even my three year old roll her eyes at me (I am SUCH and embarrassment).
  7. I feel most relaxed walking hand in hand through the woods, tossing stones into the ocean, or plodding along a trail on my horse. 

 Here are some blogs that I have been enjoying and am passing the award onto. 


http://thecrunchymamacita.blogspot.com/
http://amyrodymckay.blogspot.com/
http://pauline-lifewiththeboo.blogspot.com/
and...the nominator Bellabud!

 


Sunday, June 5, 2011

Father's Day Idea

So a cyber friend of mine (no I am not a nerd, really I am not) posted her Father's Day project the other day. I was SO impressed by her creative genius that I needed to share her idea with you all!

Her plan is a five photo frame, but I think you could also morph them together in one long frame too! Or work some photoshop magic with it to make it one big photo.....





Seriously.... can this idea (and these kids!) be any cuter. Great job momma!! My husband would LOVE this for his office!

Off to find matching outfits and big white letters..... Thanks!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Guest Hosting Finding Friends Weekend Blog Hop!

Wow!  It is Week 10 of Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop hosted by Shelly from My Saving Game and Jeannette from The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug!  Thank you all for helping make this hop so successful!  We love you tons!  Now what are you waiting for?  Let's get to hopping!  We are finding some fabulous blogs through this hop and having a great time getting to know so many of you!  So thank you for linking up again this week to those of you who are hop veterans and welcome to those who are new!  Let's continue to make new bloggy friends and increase our traffic! We do have a few simple rules for you - nothing too tough though.  So here we go:



1.  Please follow your hostesses My Saving Game and The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug.  Leave us a comment and we will follow you back! (If you already follow us on GFC, we'd LOVE it if you would follow us on Facebook or Twitter.)

2. Please follow our guest co-host who this week is Cat from Yippie Momma. (that's me!)

3. You don't have to post our button but we sure would like it if you did. Not only does it help our hop grow so we can all get new followers, but each week we will choose a guest co-host and to be considered you must have our button somewhere on your site!  If you post our button and want to be considered for guest co-host, please email me at jmanandmillerbug@gmail.com to express your interest.

4. You can link up blogs, facebook, twitter accounts, whatever - just be sure to specify what each link is.

5. Hop around and find blogs that you enjoy. Be sure to tell them you are following them from Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop so they can follow you back!

6. Have fun!

Linky: 







First 100 follower GIVEAWAY!



If you are one of my first 100 followers on Google Friend Connect (see bottom of page), you will be automatically entered in to win three samples of Rockin Green Laundry Detergent!

Just visit my friends over at Baby Bellhop and check out the scent descriptions then let me know what three samples of Rockin Green you would like in a comment! The current availability includes,
Rage Against the Raspberry, Mighty Mighty Marshmallow, Lavender Mint Revival and Bare Naked Babies.

You can increase your odds of winning by liking my Facebook page and by sharing this giveaway on your blog or Facebook. 
Just let me know about it in a comment!! Each comment will be an extra entry for you! Easy peasy.

As soon as I hit 100, I will do a random draw for a winner and the three Rockin Green samples of your choice will be sent your way!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011