Visiting Canmore and Gluten Free Wild Garden Snack Packs

I remember when vacation was all about me; what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go, what I wanted to eat, me, me, me. Now that I'm a mom, that's such a distant memory, I'm starting to wonder if I imagined the entire thing.

Seriously, this place is gorgeous! The kid is cute too ;) #canmore

A photo posted by Amber Smith (@mommastuffblog) on Aug 23, 2015 at 11:26am PDT

We're currently on  a family vacation in Canmore Alberta and although it is an absolutely stunning place to be, keeping two boys aged 4 and 6 occupied, entertained and quiet is a challenge and a half. Fortunately, we are staying in a small condo, which is by far preferable to a basic hotel room, however when you're used to a three floor home, its not a lot of space.

And then there's the food. When your family requires both gluten-free and peanut-free options, simply grabbing a bite to eat is generally not an option. I emailed a bunch of local restaurants before we arrived and was pleasantly surprised to hear how aware and accommodating they all were. That being said, tonight is our fifth night here and we finally ordered pizza, every other meal we have cooked for ourselves.

When it comes to outings, I put a lot of effort into healthy snacks for the kids but for myself, I'm perpetually just grabbing something from the cupboard on the way out the door and otherwise noshing on the gluten-free portions of the kids' snacks.

I'm super excited about Wild Gardens NEW Gluten Free Hummus Snack Packs; these little packs are convenient, shelf stable and delicious. Each box comes with a pack of hummus (that tears open easily and even I managed to eat without making a mess) and one of three types of crackers. And one of my good friends was ecstatic to hear that two of the three varieties (veggie chips and and quinoa chips) are also soy free.

Wild Garden Gluten Free Snack Packs are tasty little snacks packed with just enough protein to fuel me to my next meal without wanting to nibble on every little snack in my beach bag. They're quick, convenient and gluten free; if that's something you're looking for, I highly recommend you try them out.

Disclosure: I received samples of Wild Garden Gluten Free Snack Packs for the purposes of this review, however all opinions are my own.

It's May Long Weekend and I'm NOT camping

It's May long weekend; the unofficial start of camping season in British Columbia. Given that our family purchased a truck and trailer in the past couple of months there is a general assumption that tonight, we are sitting around a campfire enjoying our new digs.

In truth, I'm sitting on my beautiful deck, enjoying a fantastic view and a glass of wine.

💕Seriously, I LOVE it here! 💕 #sunset #myview #loganlake #LLCountryHouse

A photo posted by Amber Smith (@mommastuffblog) on May 16, 2015 at 8:21pm PDT

And I couldn't be happier.

May long weekend inevitably brings with it, extra excessive drinking and rowdiness, horrible traffic and quite frankly far too many people for my liking. Plus we're still waiting on our 'trailer lesson' from our fabulous friends, whom I'm confident will ensure that we don't break anything critical.

We will certainly have mishaps and a steep learning curve as we begin our adventures, but today, this weekend, its not the time.

Do you long weekend camp? Or do you avoid it like the plague?
I'm curious if we're the only ones who'd rather wait for the yahoos to vacate before the adventures begin.

Sometimes, I'm super nerdy.

I'm a nerd, and I'm totally ok with it. I don't really have a clever definition of what that means, but its always felt like it was the right word, if I had to classify myself (why I need to classify myself, I don't know).

Here's an example, I've been working on a Project at work for over year and its time to write the report. And I'm kind of excited. Tonight, when I was brushing my teeth tonight, I realized I was thinking about the outline I'd written at work a couple days ago.

And I was reminded, that once, writing reports was a fact of life. And, if I think about it, I already have a process. A way that works for me; I take breaks in the process, and it flows organically.

How I write a report:

• I do research immediately to see what kind of resources are available. Then I spend a couple days thinking about it.
• I write an outline. Then I spend a couple days thinking about it.
• I write the sections, independently, one by one. Then I might spend a couple days thinking about them.
• I write the text to connect the sections.Then I spend a couple days thinking about it.
• I read, edit and review everything. Then, ideally, I spend a couple days thinking about it.
• I read, edit and review everything, again.
• And then, I make it final.

I'm super excited to remember, I GOT THIS.

Seriously, though, that's super nerdy right?

And, I love that about me.

Finding My Inspiration to Exercise

As I try to find balance in my life, and for my blog, one of the things I am turning to with more and more regularity is exercise. I’ve discovered that there is nothing quite like the endorphin rush of physically pushing myself to stave off a bad mood. Although running is the clear winner for me in that respect, given we have -20C temperatures and snow for a good portion of the year, there’s also a need to find indoor activities that make me sweat.

Exercise is what helped me make my first true friend in town, we started off running and have ended up with a regular morning workout routine on all three of my days off. We have done PIYO (my favourite), P90X (which I don’t mind) and even tried a few Insanity videos (which I hated), but the routine of it all has really helped me carve out a little bit of guilt-free time that’s just for me. An essential for all parents, but as a working mom, I REALLY appreciate this special time.

My friend and I were doing amazing in the fall, working out three days a week we were both as strong and fit as we’d ever been, and then Christmas came along and suddenly we fell off the bandwagon. I registered my kids in early morning swimming lessons and suddenly we lost one of our regular weekend workouts and for the last few months we have struggled to find our stride and get back on track with our exercise regime.

Because, when you’re on track with your exercise, being on track with your food seems so much more natural and that is a recipe for success.

I know that you don’t need STUFF to have a good workout, but by the same token something so simple as a new gadget or outfit can be so inspiring to keep pushing forward. And so, this month I ordered a new FitbitCharge HR to replace my recalled Force (which I miss a lot) and I also took a chance and ordered a new outfit from Fabletics.

 Seriously, isn’t it just adorable? And including shipping and exchange it going to cost me about $40 cdn. Granted future outfits will be more because I won’t have a first purchase discount, but if they are honestly of the quality that all the blog reviews say they are, then it will still be well worth the cost and much less than the highly coveted Lululemon.

So, how about you, how do you stay inspired to stay fit?

And what is your workout of choice? Variety is the spice of life after all.

Disclosure: this post includes both affiliate and referral links, however all opinions are my own.

I Made a Loft Bed!

Last year, I didn't take more than 3 days off of work in a row. Life has been pretty busy and instead of visiting family this Spring break, I just finished a week long staycation with my, almost, 4 year old and it seems, we were both totally in need.

We spent the first half of the week doing Mom things, we had playdates, went swimming and made baking soda volcanoes.

The second half of the week, I made a bed. An incredibly cool loft bed that opened up a huge amount of floor space in the littlest bedroom in the house. I've been oogling the Ana White website for a while and after reading and re-reading the instructions, I felt like I could make the Camp Loft Bed.

I was super fortunate, my friend's husband picked the lumber up and helped me build the bed, but let me do most of the cutting, drilling and assembly. I had so much fun!

#built a #loft #bed (with my own two hands) for my littlest man this #springbreak, #nobigdeal (BUT I did have help, thank goodness) #diy #anawhite #handmade

A photo posted by Amber Smith (@mommastuffblog) on Mar 24, 2015 at 4:03pm PDT

Isn't it beautiful?

I'll share another post, with proper pictures and more details on how we made it, but for now, I'm just going to continue to be impressed every time I walk by his room.

Why I hate the 'I'm Going to Bed' Meme

Lately, I’ve been seeing this bedtime meme on Facebook and I hate that it reinforces gender stereotypes; the husband simply goes to bed, while the wife cleans and tidies the house and prepares for the next morning before her head ever hits the pillow. Each and every time I look at the list, I have only one thought.

I am the husband.

I am exhausted at 9:30pm and sheepishly crawl off to the warm embrace of my bamboo sheets and cozy pillow most nights of the week.

Do I pick up all the toys first? Nope.

Do I clean and tidy my house first? Nope?

Do I fold a load of laundry first? Nope.

Do I do the dishes and load the dishwasher first? Nope.

I give my husband a kiss, trudge upstairs to wash my face, brush my teeth and put my pajama’s on before I collapse into the bed and fall fast asleep for another night.

Does my husband do ALL THE THINGS I don't before he goes to bed? Yep.

All that being said...

Do I get up with my almost 4 year old at 5am nearly every day? Yep.
Do I work 10 hours a day so that my husband can be home with my boys? Yep.

Do I need to go to bed early to maintain my lifestyle? Yep.

I recognize that in the ideal world this meme wouldn’t even exist, because everything would be perfectly balanced, all the time. And I also understand that this meme is simply a reflection of people’s experience that many people relate to it, but personally, it rubs me the wrong way. 

This meme reinforces my inability to fit into gender stereotypes and worse makes me care, just a little bit, that I don’t fit into traditional household roles.

And in the end, does any of it matter?
Which chores are yours and which chores are your partner's?
Which gender you do (or don’t) identify with in any and all respects?

No, it doesn’t.

What matters is that, however you do things, it works for you and your family.

I may not be a traditional mother in many senses of the word and yet in many others I am and quite frankly, my boys love me just the way I am.

So I am just going to go ahead and continue to hate this meme.

No More Yelling | I want to be a Peaceful Parent

No matter your situation, parenting is a challenge; an emotional roller coaster wrought with love and laughter and tears. As young adults. before we have children, we swear we will treat our children differently, we know EVERYTHING and we have all the answers.

But as parents, we know the truth; we know NOTHING and have none of the answers. We are also so full of questions, that I personally feel great compassion for my parents' generation who didn't have anywhere near the amount of resources and support that modern parents have. When all else fails, we have the internet, social media and government supported workshops to help us navigate parenthood.

Unfortunately, one of the first lessons we learn as parents is that NO ONE has THE answer, even the doctors. Child-rearing recommendations have changed drastically over the years and as far as I'm concerned, the very best guide, that a parent MUST consult, is their gut.

But what happens when your gut, emotions and exhaustion all get mixed up together?

In my house, that lethal combination results in frustration, anger, tears and yelling. Lots and lots of yelling. The kids yelling at the parents and the parents yelling back. It turns into a vortex of tears, threats, time outs and little people hitting, kicking.

Sometimes, we can avoid the vortex and instead are able to be the peaceful parents that we all want to be, but without conscientious effort, its easy to slide back into bad habits. I'm a huge fan of Aha Parenting and find that the weekly newsletters often seem to be speaking to me as they tackle REAL problems that we face each and every day.

So, I decided to buy Dr. Laura's new Book, Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids, as an audiobook and I've been listening to it while I make lunches each evening. I haven't gotten very far yet, but I'm already reminded that I WANT to be a Peaceful Parent and I can be.

So we're taking the first step, of what I'm sure will be many, to helping our family learn to communicate better.

No More Yelling. 

No more yelling for Mom, Dad or the boys. We've explained to the boys that we don't want to yell or be yelled at anymore. That we are going to do our very best to use our words and we want them to do the same.

And surprisingly, it seems to be working, at least a little bit. We're only a few days in and there have certainly been tears, flailing arms and yelling, but less. And when I remind them that I'm trying not to yell and so I need them to listen to my words instead, the boys have actually listened.

To keep things positive, when we put reminders up for the boys, we try and encourage the behaviours we want rather than giving attention to the negative, in this case, listening ears, gentle hands and inside voices.

Dr. Laura says it takes 3 months to break a yelling habit, but after only a few very conscious days, I'm starting to believe that with some effort we may be able to crush this goal.

What are your tips for being a Peaceful Parent, because believe you me, I need the help just as much as you.

Chocolate, Coconut & Raspberry Overnight Oats | A make ahead breakfast recipe

HAPPY NEW YEAR, I know I'm a little late to the party, but sometimes I find myself rebelling against expect expectations.

Expectations that I should write a gift guide or a special holiday post, that I should write a year in review post or share with the world some reasonably attainable new years resolution. I actually enjoy reading those posts, but one of the things I've realized in the past year, is that I want to be able to write about what I want, when I want without the societal pressure to perform as a blogger.

When I try and conform to whatever it is that my mind thinks a blogger should be, writing becomes work and although many people consider their blog a job, and for a while I thought I might too, for now,I want my blog to be a place for solace and peace and relaxation.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know, I have been very slowly under taking the #100happydays challenge and it was pointed out to me very early on, that FOOD and my children have been the primary focal point. Combined with many requests to share my recipes, today, I'm going to do just that.

I LOVE breakfast; I get up early every day so that before I leave for work at 6:30am I have time to eat a nutritious and filling breakfast and feed my family the same. I am a huge fan of eggs, either on toast or in a tortilla and I regularly eat them multiple days a week.

But sometimes, its nice to change things up and when I posted the photo above of some chocolate coconut and raspberry overnight oats I had made, I discovered I wasn't the only one who wanted a creamy, delicious and quick breakfast on hand.  I've refined the recipe a little bit since I first made it and actually prefer to use the smaller 250ml jars rather than the large 500ml ones seen in the photo above and the recipe below makes five 250ml jars which means if you don't share you will have enough for your entire work week. 

Chocolate, Coconut & Raspberry Overnight Oats

(gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free)

yield: five 250ml jars

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups plain yogurt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup + 5 Tbsp shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup (raw) cocoa powder
• 3 Tbsp chia seeds
• 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1-1/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 1 cup frozen raspberries

Directions:

• Mix together everything except the oats, frozen raspberries and 5 Tbsp of coconut. 
• Once well blended, add in the oats and still until combined. The mix will seem a little loose and runny.
• Spoon yogurt mix into jars until they are approximately 1/3 full.
• Divide frozen berries among the jars, sprinkling 1 tbsp of coconut on top of the berries in each jar.
• Spoon remaining yogurt mix over the berries and coconut, dividing evenly among jars.
• Refrigerate a minimum of 3 hours.
• Enjoy the deliciousness!

Note: Feel free to mix up the ingredients and add-ins to suit your tastes and of course what you have on hand.

Get Fit with Fitbit!

In 2014, I've made a very conscious effort to get fit; once the snow melted, I got back into the running regime I started in the summer of 2013, I tracked my food in the Fitbit App and finally learned just how many calories I was consuming and I met an amazing workout buddy who pushes me to work harder, run longer and provides just the right amount of healthy competition.

But what really helped me get started and stay on track was wearing a Fitbit Activity Monitor.

I bought the Fitbit Force for the hubs last Christmas, but he was skeptical and wanted me to return it. Being the fabulous wife that I am, I kept it for myself instead and refused to feel guilty about it.

This simple bracelet can tell me how many steps I've taken, how many calories I've burned (including natural burn by age, weight and  gender as well as those burned by activity), how many flights of stairs I've climbed, how many active minutes I've had in the day and it can wake me up with gentle vibrations, instead of loud noises that wake the rest of the household.

I love that the screen on my Fitbit Force not only tells the time, it displays real time stats and syncs with my phone and laptop wireless. Technology these days truly is amazing.

Unfortunately, there was a voluntary recall on the Fitbit Force last year due to the fact that some people were having skin irritation from the charging terminal on the underside of the monitor. I have extremely sensitive skin, but I never had any problems with skin irritation; regardless, after months of debating, I sent my Fitbit Force back for a refund under the recall last month. A timely decision as Fitbit has now released its predecessor in time for Christmas!

The brand new Fitbit Charge has all the features of the Fitbit Force PLUS phone notifications; how cool is that?

And in early 2015, they will be releasing two more models, one with a built in heart rate monitor and one with the heart rate monitor and a GPS. I've been looking at GPS watches and noticed none of them do the daily activity monitoring as well as GPS tracking, so I may have end up holding out just a little bit longer.


But if you or one of your loved ones is looking to make a lifestyle change in 2015, a Fitbit Activity Monitor may be just the thing. I bought one for each of my parents last mothers and fathers day and to say they have some healthy competition over their step goals is definitley not an exageration. In fact at least two of their friends now have Fitbit Activity Monitors and are in on the action.

Fitbit.com offers Free Shipping (and its fast, I ordered my parents' online) and returns on Christmas Gifts until January 31st, all without having to wait in line at the mall. The new Fitbit Charge retails for $129.99, which I personally feel is money well spent.

FYI, I just ordered a Fitbit Charge for a Christmas Gift
and they are on Pre-order in Canada.
They are expected to ship in 1-2 weeks. - 23 Nov 2014

Links in this post are Affiliate Links and I will recieve a small commission should you choose to purchase a Fitbit Activity Monitor using the links; the opinions expressed in my purely my own.

DIY Easy Gluten-Free Flour Mix

When it comes to gluten-free baking, having a quality all-purpose flour mix in your back pocket is an essential, especially if you're a busy Mom. Before I  had kids, I used to consider the properties of each flour and blend my flours to suit the needs of the recipe; it was messy and time consuming, albeit delicious.

After kids it became clear that if I wanted to continue to bake, I needed to streamline my flour mixing in a big way and I found myself trying out various flour mixes both store bought and home made. 

In case you're wondering, NOT blending gluten-free flours is a recipe for disaster, without the stretchy . gluten molecules its important to mix your starches and flours in order to achieve baked goods that are soft and fluffy rather than dense and crumbly. Trust me on this, do not waste your expensive gluten-free flours, ALWAYS blend your flours.

You can feel free to use this mix as the basis for your own flour mix and experiment with it to meet your tastes and the needs of your family, this mix has evolved with use to become my perfect go-to recipe. This gluten-free flour mix is soy-free, corn-free and nut-free with the exception of coconut flour, which I find gives gluten-free baked goods a denseness and springiness that is difficult to achieve.

This gluten-free flour mix works great as a 1:1 substitution for all-purpose flour in most recipes; I generally recommend adding an extra egg (or a couple tablespoons of applesauce) to gluten-free baking where you have a pourable batter, such as muffins or cakes.

Easy Gluten-Free Flour Mix

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 2 cups white rice flour
• 1-1/3 cups potato starch
• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 2/3 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup coconut flour

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
2. Store in a sealed container or mix right into a large Ziploc bag and use as needed for gluten-free baking.

yield: 7 cups

Indian For Everyone

Indian for Everyone is a perfect blend of authenticity, simplicity and comfort. Anupy Singla's personal anecdotes and descriptions welcome the reader into both her kitchen and her life and with all the gorgeous photographs, I found myself diving headfirst into my pantry to take stock of my spices.

I needed to eat some Indian.

Literally two hours after picking up Indian for Everyone from my mailbox, I was blending onion, ginger and garlic in my food processor, simmering lentils and sauteing cumin and mustard seeds to releasing their distinct fragrance and flavour.

And in almost no time at all, I was eating what I assume was a fairly authentic bowl of Parippu; my version didn't include any fresh or dried chili's (I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to heat, plus I didn't have any) and I added a bunch of spinach. I loved every bite.

Start to finish, it took me about half an hour to create this filling bowl of vegan Indian deliciousness.

It made me crave more.

This week, I tried the Masala Egg Scramble for breakfast. A quick saute of the right spices (thanks to Anupy Singla's guidance) and our everyday eggs suddenly became special. I eat eggs nearly every day and finding a new recipe for the repetoire is exciting to say the least.

Indian for Everyone is a perfect compliment to Anupy Singla's other two books The Indian Slow Cooker and Vegan Indian Cooking; it doesn't cater to a niche market but instead showcases the breadth of options available to the home cook that's ready to learn to cook Indian.

This hardcover book is beautiful to look at, personal to read and yields results that are delicious, I definitely recommend you check it out, if you enjoy the flavours of Indian Cuisine. And if you're looking for the perfect holiday gift for the foodie in your life, you can stop right here!

Do you cook Indian food at home?

Disclaimer: I recieved a copy of Indian for Everyone in exchange for this review; all opinions are my own.

Re-Purpose your Train Table into a Craft Table

According to our backyard weather station, and the flurries in the sky, the temperature dropped to -2°C yesterday and last night, it was -12°C. Given our locale, snow on Halloween is practically a given, so at this point its safe to assume that snow could arrive and stick around at any given moment.

As much fun as snow can be, when the temperatures start to really drop, even the hardiest of kids (which my kids are not) can only tolerate playing outside for short periods of time and if we as parents want to avoid the trap of constant digital stimulation, we need to plan ahead.

For us, the first step was to take our basement that resembled a toy dumping ground and create a place that fostered play and imagination. It's definitely a work in progress, but I have been incredibly inspired by Tinkerlab: A Hands-On Guide for Little Inventors by Rachelle Doorley, which introduces the idea of creative invitations, how to create your Tinkerlab, supplies worth having on hand and breaks up activities into four broad categories: Design, Build, Concoct and Discover.

With Tinkerlab in hand, I was finally ready to create a crafting area in our home, but the first thing I needed was a table. I started by scouring the internet for table ideas and our local Facebook Bidding Site looking for something that could suit our needs for cheap, but eventually a critical look at our space made me realize we already HAD the perfect table.

Rather than looking for something new, I decided to re-purpose our train table that currently seemed to illicit more fights and frustration than joy as of late. I started by taking all things train and putting them in a bin with the hope that one day the boys would enjoy them again.

I then flipped over the two boards that make up the 'table' so that accidental spills will (hopefully) not affect the images on the train table. I carefully taped a thick, flock backed tablecloth onto the boards, taking the time to carefully fold the corners and tape them onto the bottom side. Because there are two boards, it takes some effort to get the tablecloth tight and the table flat, this is easier done without the help of children if at all possible.

In less than an hour, and for the cost of a tablecloth, our barely used train table become a craft table (or craft centre as my kindergartner calls it), that my boys came to love in a matter of days.

Organizing our crafty goodies into small containers, cups and drawers and deciding what the boys could have free access to, took significantly more time and is a post for another day.

How are you preparing for the cold weather?
How do you encourage art, creativity and free play?

Dreaming THE dream

In casual conversation, I often talk about 'THE DREAM'; if you're a parent, I bet you have the dream too. I think everyone's version is a little bit different and may change with the month or day or even moment, but here's a few of the things that define THE dream for me.

In THE dream:

• My boys are best buddies; they laugh, they play, they don't hit each other every other second, or even at all.
• My boys don't need to be entertained every, second of the day.
• I absolutely, never ever, have to change another pair of poopy pants.
• My boys pee IN the toilet, wipe up their own dribbles and even wipe their own bums.
• The hubs and I leave the house, together, alone, regularly.
• The boys don't catch every cold they walk by.
•  My boys are polite, kind and considerate.
• Everyone contributes to keeping the house clean and tidy willingly (myself included).
• The dog stops getting scared, snappy and biting.
• I never have to work on the weekend or evening.
• My boys know how to handle their emotions without great frustration.
• My boys love books and nature and exploration more than television, computers and video games.
• Eating out safely, for both the Bolt (peanut-free) and myself (gluten-free) is easy and delicious.

I'm certain there are many more things that encompass THE dream for me, but for now this will have to do. I'm curious, what defines YOUR dream?

My Blog has a Muffin Top

I recently read a blog re-branding article and although I don't remember exactly which article it was that resonated with me, what I remember clearly is that when I finished reading the article, I was left with a single resounding syllable in my mid.

YES.

• Does my blog feel like it doesn't quite fit as well as it used to? YES.
• Does my blog feel too much like work and not enough like creative release? YES.  
• Have I been neglecting to post quality content for far too long? YES.

So what does that mean? I'm not exactly sure.

• I know, that I don't want to let my blog, that I worked so hard to create, fall to the wayside. 
• I know, that I like that I like being a blogger and having connections with amazing people across Canada and the world.
• I know, that my time is limited, my family is my priority and I need to be realistic about the expectations I have of myself.

Much like the pants that don't fit quite the same way they used to, I've realized my blog has a muffin top and instead of continuing to cram on those too tight pants, I'm ready to work to find the pants that fit the body I have instead of the one I had.

Right here, right now, I'm committing to myself AND to you, the reader:

• I will write at least one post a week.
• I will be brave and I will write, what makes my heart sing, or cry, or whatever else feels right in the moment.
• I will not hold onto a post, because it is not perfect or because it might need just a little more editing.
• I will continue to think about what I want my blog to be and I'm going to honor it enough, to let let it change.

Thanks for reading, for your support and for your patience.

Where did Summer go? | #kindermom

As a child I remember time passing so slowly. The time between birthdays and holiday's felt literally like forever. As I've aged and become a mother, time has begun to move at a speed I didn't think was possible. There aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do; to excel in my job, to be a kind and compassionate mother and to be a loving and considerate wife.

Even though I can't be everything at once, I can be something in every moment.

And one of my favourite things about being a #kindermom is that Kinder Canada encourages us to celebrate playtime and all the amazing moments that make our lives unique and special.

This Summer has been a whirlwind of activity, of exploration, friendship and excitement. Although we have watched movies and played video games, we have spent so much time outside together, living THE dream.

We have explored a few of the many lakes near our new home. The boys LOVE to create 'rivers' along the shores, build dams made of rocks and sticks and then watch as the water flows back to the lake when they open the floodgates.

I loved paddling around the lake in our friends Kayak with Simba along for the ride and the hubs has been working away (with Simba's help) to sand, paint and prepare our new (old) boat so that we can enjoy time on the water as a family.

We went on treasure hunts in crown land (ie. Geocaching), attended a 'Learn to Fish' event, made a waterslide in the backyard, went to Lake Country to visit friends, welcomed a rescue dog into the family and visited my grandmother's farm nearly every time we visited Vancouver.

No wonder the time went fast, we were busy.

Are you looking for a way to capture some of your summer memories? I used the new Kinder 'photo-strip' app to create the photo strip in this post.  

Want to create your own? It's easy, just follow the instructions below:

Step 1: Fan KINDER® on Facebook

Step 2: Start your photo-strip

Step 3: Upload your photos

Step 4: Choose a fancy KINDER® frame

Step 5: Choose a filter (make yourself look silly)

Step 6: Save & share

What was your big adventure this summer?
Personally, if I had to sum up Summer 2014 in a word, I'd go with 'exploration'.
So far 2014 has been one heck of a year and I can't wait to see what new adventures the last few months will bring.

“Disclosure: I’m part of theKinder® Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation withthis group.  The opinions on this blog are my own”

Our Country Summer | #KinderMom

My most vivid childhood memories are of summer; sitting on the fence eating raspberries, the juice dripping down our faces, splashing in the backyard pool, jumping ditches, catching frogs and of course laying in the grass reading book and after book.

Now that we've moved away from our urban existence, I look forward to sharing a summer of discovery with my boys. I hope that this summer will be filled with laughter, joy and exploration and that the draw of the great outdoors will far outweigh the mind numbing stimulation of television and video games.

Our home backs onto a small green belt that we've dubbed the 'Secret Forest'; there's a small clearing that is just perfect for hide and seek and deer sightings are a regular occurrence. Five year old Bolt and I recently went on a 2 hour adventure and although we never reached our destination or found our geocache, it was one of the best afternoon's we've ever shared. I love nature and I hope that this first summer in the Highland Valley will instill in my boys the same awe in nature that is truly defines me.

 I want this summer will be about resetting our balance, finding our peace, playing in our pyjamas, splashing in lakes, discovering new adventures and meeting new friends. And of course, this #Kindermom has a few peanut-free Kinder Surprise Eggs stashed away to share with our friends on our summertime picnics!

And we can't wait for all our friends and family from Vancouver come visit us here at our new Country House. We just returned from a week long visit on the coast and as lovely as it was to be close to our people, we were all eager to return to a place, that has so quickly become home.

What are your plans (and hopes) for this summer? 

Disclosure: I'm part of the Kinder Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

A Letter To My Very Special Friends

True friendship is sacred, something to be valued among the ranks of family; it's honest, it's real and it's authentic. Friends are the only family you get to choose in life and believe me, I choose wisely. I put a lot of energy into my people, so much in fact that I've been described as coming off as snobby simply because I appear so engaged in the people around me. But the truth is, when I'm around my true friends,their presence is simply enough.

Perhaps not surprisingly, this means I have a handful of people that mean the world to me, and lately, I've been missing them. So, I offer this letter.

To my very special friends,

I confess, I haven't been very good at keeping in touch; social media is no substitute for a phone call or even a text. For that, I am sorry. 

I keep imagining myself as a little girl, shaking a snow globe just to watch the transformation from complete chaos to a peaceful, perfect moment. Our snow is finally subsiding and the calm is creeping in between the floorboards and windows. 

And as we settle, I miss you. 

It's hard to make friends as adults, though not impossible, but new friends are different; the friendships we have last years, decades, lifetimes even, if we are lucky. 

And so as we've navigated our new home, our new life, our new everything, you may have slid out of plain sight, but I promise, its just temporary. My mom taught me that the best friends are the friends that feel like you saw them yesterday, even though in reality its been ages. 

And, I really wish we could share that feeling today, or tomorrow, or at least sometime soon. 

But it seems unlikely. I didn't even call you, even though I was thinking of you.
All of you.  

I guess that's why I wrote it here. 

And you know what the very best thing is about friends like you?
I know you get it. 

I love you.

Give a Cluck and Go Cage-Free!

When we first started talking about moving out of the City, the hubs and I had visions of a small acreage, a huge vegetable garden, fruit trees and so much space our boys wouldn’t know what to do with themselves.

When we started looking at real estate however, we realized we needed to put some of those dreams on hold, not let them go per say, but consider whether the timing was right. Of critical note is that I’m working on a contract which means there is a very real chance we could end up moving back to the city within a few years. The market in our area isn’t booming to say the least, so the possibility of being unable to buy in the City because we can’t sell our home in the Country landed us in a more suburban part of our 2,300 person town.

Despite our location, I knew we could still have many of the experiences we desired, just on a smaller scale.

In particular, I had my heart set on Chickens, laying hens to be exact. The idea that my kids could be connected with where their food comes from and that we could have feathered friends lounging in our yard and laying us delicious eggs seemed amazing. I scouted the local bylaws, searched and researched chicken coops, chicken breeds and of course what exactly commercial egg laying facilities look like. 

Many of those poor chickens spend their lives in small cages, shared with five or six other birds.  Many never feeling the ground beneath their feet, spread their wings or experience fresh air and sunlight. These intelligent, social animals become valuable only for their ability to produce eggs.

Unfortunately, although we both had dreams of an acreage type property, it quickly became clear that the hubs and I had differing opinions when it came to the idea of keeping chickens in our backyard. I’m not giving up on the idea just yet, but I’m also not pushing it, this year we have a yard to personalize and a garden to grow but we also have eggs to eat and in truth this whole experience has made me reconsider my grocery store choices when it comes to buying eggs.

Choose Cage-Free is an initiative by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to empower individuals to commit to buying cage-free eggs and working with farmers and businesses to adopt cage-free practices.

So what’s so great about cage-free farms?

On a cage-free farm hens can live a far more natural existence.  They can walk and run, stretch their wings, turn around, give themselves  dust baths, forage and peck on the ground. Cage-free hens are happier and healthier and have a much lower risk of Samonella contamination.

Will YOU take the pledge to go Cage-Free?

In our house, eggs are a staple; we easily eat two dozen a week and Simba and I eat them for breakfast almost every day.

Currently my favourite way to start the morning is with a spinach and feta egg tortilla; this is a great recipe as you can adjust it to your tastes, uses gluten-free (like me) or flour tortillas and in less than 10 minutes you will have a hearty well balanced breakfast you can eat on the go. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Spinach and Feta Egg Tortilla

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp (coconut) oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp chopped red (or green) onion
• 1/2 cup chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• Salt to taste
• 1 tortilla

 Directions:

1. Heat a pan that is approximately the same size as your tortilla over medium heat.
2. Whisk together your eggs and spinach.
3. Melt coconut oil in the pan and then saute your onions for a few minutes until fragrant.
4. Add your egg mixture to the pan and use your spatula to confine the mixture to half of the pan. Salt your eggs as desired.
5. Once the egg starts to set, place your tortilla over the egg, then place a full size plate on top of the tortilla.
6. Holding onto the plate, carefully flip over the pan so the egg and tortilla are inverted onto the plate.
7. Carefully slide the egg and tortilla back onto the pan (and back on the element) and sprinkle with the feta cheese.
8. After about 30 seconds, your tortilla should be warm and pliable, fold it over to cover up the egg and feta.
9. Allow to cook until lightly golden (~1 minute) then flip your tortilla over and allow the other side to brown and the feta to melt.
10. I like to cut my tortilla in half for ease of eating, but however you eat it, ENJOY!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Outsmarted by a Three Year Old

I’m a firm believer in picking your battles and letting the little things slide so I can stand my ground on the big things. Unfortunately, in my attempts to use a more peaceful parenting method, I may have occasionally started choosing the easy road with my children and they are well aware that sometimes, Mommy just gives in.

Yesterday morning I was making smoothies for breakfast with the help of my boy Simba. He loves to blend the spinach and watch the water turn green before scooping all the yummy deliciousness into the mix. I recently purchased a new bag of goji berries and it quickly became obvious that the little handful I gave him to eat while we blended was not going to be sufficient today.

He happily took his little bowl of goji berries to the table and promptly spilled them on the ground. Simba then commanded me to pick them back up, to which I refused. 

He started to bawl and power struggle ensued. Aware that I have been giving in far too much lately (because it’s easy), I stood my ground and told him to pick up his goji berries. He continued to cry and ignored my offers to HELP him pick up his berries.

A few moments later I made a trip to the potty and upon my return three year old Simba informed me he had peed in his pants, all over the chair and onto the floor. It is worth noting here that he IS potty trained and although he occasionally has accidents, more often than not, his accidents are actually quite purposeful.

Then he looked right at me, picked a wet goji berry up off his chair and was about to eat it when I snatched it out of his hand and told him he couldn’t eat it. I proceeded to clean up the pee and the soiled goji berries, got him some new pants and finally sat down to eat my breakfast.

It wasn’t until I was sitting at work later that morning that I realized that I had in fact lost that battle; my boy wanted me to pick up his goji berries and I did.

When did he get so smart?

Conquering an Emotional Mountain

Because I’m a REAL mom, I sometimes lose my cool. I get frustrated, I yell, I threaten time outs and sometimes I cry.

If you follow me on Facebook, then you know, THAT mom, is not the mom I want to be. I believe in parenting that encourages love and support, where we don’t inflict punitive punishment but rather help and encourage our children to feel their emotions and work through them rather than suppress them. Gordon Neufeld’s book ‘Hold on to Your Kids’ was the first parenting book to truly resonate with me and the way I felt like I should be raising my children.

According to the book, here’s the problem with timeouts:

• Almost all misbehavior stems from feeling disconnected from YOU.
• When you punish your child with a time out, you are physically increasing that disconnect.
• This enforces their disconnect with YOU and introduces a level of separation anxiety.
• Your child becomes stuck in a circular, disconnected, anxious state, which results in more misbehavior.

 The solution therefore to the misbehavior is essentially a time-in, which looks like:

• One on one attention from you.
• Permission to feel their emotions, cry and feel supported.
• Validation that their emotions are normal and ok.
• Love, lots and lots of love.

Which sounds all pretty on paper, but in reality this is tough stuff.

How on earth am I supposed to reward my 5 year old with dedicated one on one attention for getting on top of his three year old brother and pounding him in the back, or kicking him in the face, or pushing him on the ground, or overturning furniture? Particularly if there’s only one parent at home? It’s almost impossible, even when the hubs is home.

But it is possible and sometimes it works.

The more often I step into my boys’ world and try to feel their feelings, the more often time-ins are successful at diffusing the big emotions. Sometimes its simply a matter of perseverance and patience.

The point of all this, is that this week, I had a success and it felt so good. I came home to boys that were borderline raging and within moments the tears, screaming, flailing and hitting were all in full force. After about 30 minutes, I managed to get Bolt up to his room and I quite simply, let him be mad. 

I told him I wouldn’t let him hurt me and physically stopped him from hitting me or breaking his toys, I acknowledged that he was having big feelings and not only was that ok, but I was right here with him if he wanted me. I asked him what was bothering him and over the course of the episode he told me he was mad about his dinner, mad he didn’t have a new Skylander, mad his brother touched him and all sorts of random things that irritated him, but I knew weren’t actually the real issue. Then without warning, in the midst of his screaming, he verbalized what was actually bothering him.

I miss my old house.

I don’t like it here.
I want to go back to my old house.

He opened that door and I jumped in with two feet.

When prompted he told me he missed his old bedroom and he missed the train table in his room, which can easily be remedied, but I suspected that still wasn’t actually the issue. So I told him that what I really missed was our family and our friends, and he readily agreed that he missed them too. 

We talked about how hard it is to be away from the people that we love and that we will go and visit everyone soon. We talked about calling our special people on the phone and talking to them on the computer and I reminded him that soon they would come visit us again at our new house. That turned into a discussion about the spare room we had just painted and how much we thought that our family would like having their own room to sleep in.

Before I knew it, we were talking about the Skylander decals on his wall, laughing and giggling.

And when his brother finally came traipsing in, he said Simba, you can come and play with us, I feel better now.  Me and Mom were making up swap names for the Skylanders and that made me feel happy.

I know it was sharing our feelings that made him feel better, not the Skylanders, but I don’t care.

Bolt and I conquered those emotions together and I’m so proud of us, because now I know we CAN do it.

It’s a long road and we’ve been working on this for over a year and though we have had many small successes (and failures) this is the first time I truly felt like we connected and climbed the mountain together and it gives me SO MUCH HOPE.

If you're looking for resources, in addition to Gordon Neufeld, Aha Parenting has great articles and newsletters that I highly recommend.