Sunday, June 26, 2011

A Pirate Birthday For Mr. J

Julien has been asking for a pirate ship birthday cake since late in the fall. I was sure he would change his mind as it got closer, but no - he was set on a pirate ship cake.  So, we are having a pirate themed party for him next weekend!  I made his cake this week (too busy this week coming up) and here it is


He was going to be at camp on his birthday, and wanted to take a cake to share with his friends, so to keep with his pirate theme, I made a treasure chest.

Side view

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Awesome giveaway at A sophisticated mommy

To celebrate Canada Day 2011, there is a "Great Canadian Blog Bash" happening right now.  I didn't have the time to get things organized, so even though I wanted to participate, it just didn't happen.  What it is, a week long celebration of Canada!  There are a number of blogs participating, and each one has at least 1 giveaway - ONLY open to Canadians, and the product/service is from a CANADIAN company! How awesome is that!

If you head on over to A sophisticated Mommy, you can have a look around her blog and enter for your chance to win a true cuddles gift pack!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

memories

My mind travelled today to when I was a kid.  Anytime (and I do mean, ANYTIME) we left my grandparent's house, they would stand on their front porch and wave until they could no longer see the car.  It was wonderful - I can remember turning around in my seat and waving until I could no longer see them.  It's such a trivial thing, but it is a very fond memory I have of both my grandparents!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Helpful Kyle

Kyle loves to be helpful. So much so, that he thought he would "help" me with the dishes

Father's Day

I hope that everyone had a great fathers day! For me, it is always bittersweet. I get to celebrate with my husband and children, but I miss my dad too. Some years are much harder than others, but this was a good year!

However, this also marks a first - it is the FIRST Father's Day since my Dad died in 1995, that I have not visited his grave. It was very odd to not take a trip out there to wish him a Happy Fathers Day.  I was battling a migraine in the morning, so was not able to - and by the time the afternoon came along, it just wasn't going to happen/.

For dinner, we ordered Chinese Food and then I had picked up a DQ Ice Cream cake for dessert. We had a very quiet dinner as Julien fell asleep at 430, and Kyle goes to bed around 6pm.

"we are canadian" blog hop

Good morning everyone! I am taking part in the "we are canadian" blog hop this week! Check out the button below and it will take you to the co-host's page where you can add your blog link, and check out other Canadian blogs along the way!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Congratulations to......

.......Trudy - lucky comment #26! I have sent you an email, please respond within 48hrs to claim your prize!


Trudy said...

Liked BabyDdrops on Facebook.
June 12, 2011 1:09 AM




True Random Number Generator

Min:  1
Max: 35
Result:
26

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Thanks to everyone that entered the giveaway; and a big thank you to Baby Ddrops for supplying me with a bottle to try, and providing one for the givewaway!

Monday, June 13, 2011

American-Italian all'Amatriciana (pasta - FOOD post)

My hubby and I are both big pasta lovers - but, sometimes it gets tiring having the same dish every week.  Last year, hubby bought me Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book (BOB) which I had been wanting.

Inside, there was a pasta recipe that looked appealing to both of us, and has now become a staple in our diet! I will post her recipe, and then in italics I will add in the changes I have made to it.



IngredientsSalt


1 pound whole-wheat cassarecci, rigatoni or penne pasta

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

6 slices lean peppered bacon, chopped (I use the pre-cooked you find in the grocery store, and crisp it up first)

1 large red onion, chopped ( I omit the onion)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

1 cup chicken stock

1 can crushed fire roasted tomatoes (28 ounces) (I use grape/cherry tomatoes and let them simmer for a little, and then crush them down with a potato masher)

Black pepper

A handful flat leaf parsley, chopped

Shredded sharp white Cheddar, to pass at table (I use fresh parmesan)



PreparationHeat water to boil for pasta, season with salt and cook pasta to al dente.

Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO, a turn of the pan. (I heat the bacon in microwave, and then add it - otherwise I found it too soggy) Add bacon and crisp 4-5 minutes then add onions and garlic cook to soften, 5-6 minutes. Stir in stock then tomatoes and season with pepper to taste(I use the grape/cherry tomatoes and after 5 min or so crush them with the potato masher). Simmer sauce 15 minutes. Toss pasta with sauce and parsley. Serve with grated sharp white Cheddar. (parmesan)

As I said, we love this Rachael Ray dish (even though I have made a few changes to it) and have it bi-weekly. Just nice to have a change from spaghetti and meat sauce!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Get your entries in for Ddrops!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for Baby Ddrops - you can find it here - entries will be accepted until June 15, 2011

Li'L ones Winner!

Congratulations Caitlin!

Seeing as how you were the only one to enter, I didn't bother using random.org

Please send me an email with your mailing address and I will get the coupons out to you by the end of the week (assuming Canada Post co-operates!)

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Baby Ddrops review and giveaway CLOSED

I recently received a bottle of Baby Ddrops to review:

Baby Ddrops contains the recommended daily dose in just ONE drop. Such an easy way to ensure that your baby is getting all the vitamin d they need everyday! How awesome is that?  I just tipped the bottle over and let a drop fall into Kyle's cereal in the morning - done. They are tasteless and odourless, so he didn't even know there was a difference! You can even put a drop on your nipple right before nursing, or on a pacifier.



There are 90 drops in the bottle - making each bottle last for 3mths!
Baby Ddrops has won the Mom's Choice award, Parent-Tested-Parent-Approved (PTPA) award and the 2010 Best of Canada Natural Healthcare product (specialty supplement).

In addition to Baby Ddrops, they also make Kid Ddrops, and Adult Ddrops. Check out http://www.ddrops.ca/ for more information - and you can also find them on twitter and facebook!



Taken from the website:

Baby Ddrops™ is a natural-sourced supplement of vitamin D. Baby Ddrops™ is tasteless and odourless, and contains no preservative, no artificial flavour and no added colour. Ddrops™ is wheat-free, gluten-free, soy-free, corn-free, sugar-free, milk-free and peanut-free.

Baby Ddrops™ is a liquid vitamin D designed specifically for breastfed babies and infants.

Only 1 drop is required to provide the full daily dose as recommended by the Canadian Paediatric Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics, making it a convenient and easy way to give your baby the nutrients that she needs.

Baby Ddrops is offering one of my readers the chance to win a 3mths supply of Baby Ddrops! As an added bonus - if you like them on facebook and leave them a note telling them that Tales of Mommyhood sent you, they will send you a Dora/Diego growth chart!
Win IT: Baby Ddrops is going to provide one of my readers with the chance to try their PTPA award winning product! Complete the mandatory entry, and then any or all of the bonus entries! Remember to leave me a comment for EACH entry, and to ensure that your email address is there - if I can't get a hold of you, you can't win! (Open to Canada and US) Closes on June 15, 9:00pm EST.
Mandatory Entry: Visit the Ddrops website and tell me something you learned

Bonus Entries:

1) Follow Tales of Mommyhood publicly via google friend connect (3 entries)
2) Like the Baby Ddrops facebook page (remember to tell them I sent you to receive your growth chart)
3) comment on one of my non giveaway posts (tell me which one)
4) follow me on twitter
5) vote for me at picket fence blogs (just click the picture below)


Thank you to Baby Ddrops for supplying me with the product to review, and for sharing with my readers as well!

** I received the above product free of charge; however, this did not influence my opinion in any way.  The opinion expressed belongs to Tales of Mommyhood, your oppinion / experience may vary.**

Friday, June 3, 2011

Happy OALAYWI Kyle!

Today, Kyle is OALAHWI (out as long as he was in) 39w6days!

Life as a mom of 2 has been wonderful. Filled with challenges, tears, laughter and fun!  Some very memorable times in the past 9 mths with both of my boys!

Here are a few pictures from Kyles first few months




Thursday, June 2, 2011

Li'L ones (dairyland) GIVEAWAY

My boys both love yogurt. It has been a staple in both of their diets since they started with solid foods!

When Julien was much younger, I found a product called Li'L ones - by dairyland. They are yogurt cups, that are made with whole milk (which is great for YOUR li'l ones brain development) and they are sweetened using natural fruit juices - so there is no added sugar, or artificial sweeteners!



I contacted Saputo Canada, and asked if they would provide me with some coupons for YOU! They were kind enough to send me 10 $1.00 off coupons - and I am going to pass those on! TWO lucky readers will each get 5 of the coupons to use!

There are 5 ways to enter - do any (or all) of the below, and then make sure to leave me a seperate comment for each entry! (include your email address  - if I can't contact you, you can't win)

1) follow me publicly with GFC
2) follow me on twitter @tlsofmommyhood
3) "like" Tales of Mommyhood on facebook
4) comment on one of my non-giveaway posts (make sure to tell me which one!)
5) vote for me at picket fence blogs - just click the button below!
 

Remember, one comment per entry. Your entry is your comment (so if you leave 1 comment telling me you did all 5 entries, that will only be 1 entry). I will number entries and use random.org to pick a winner.


Don't forget to leave your email in the comment (or have it visible in GFC), if I can't contact you - your entry will be excluded

The giveaway will run from June 2, 2011 until June 7, 2011 at 12:00pm (EST) I will be using random.org to choose the winner. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48hrs to reply back; if not, another entry will be chosen. Open to Canadians only. Good luck!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Keeping cool on hot days

We have just started a pretty hot and humid week where I live. It gets pretty gross out there.  To keep cool, here are some things that I do with the boys/myself.  I try and save a little money by keeping the a/c at a reasonable temp - but with hubby working in construction, he likes coming home to a cool house.  So, I turn it down during the day (24), and then about an hour before he comes home, I lower the temp by 3 degrees (21)


 - keep the blinds closed (this helps to keep the sun from heating up the house)
 - run the ceiling fan
 - at night, we sleep with fans
 - dress appropriately (shorts, light shirts, summer dresses)
 - freezies, popsicles
 - frozen juice boxes (I don't let them freeze solid, just enough to make a nice enjoyable slushie!)
 - limit use of the oven during the day (I try not to bake when it is super hot, and if I really need to, then I doit at night when the sun has gone down a bit)
 - try and do outdoor stuff (park, bike rides etc) in the morning; and then indoor stuff in the early afternoon. Although, we do tend to play on the driveway with chalk etc.
 - keep hydrated - probably one of the biggest things is to ALWAYS have a bottle of water on me for myself and Julien (Kyle can be nursed if needed)
 - we have a little baby pool (although right now it is on the side of our house filled with dirty water from the melted snow and rain) - a good tip for the pool, fill it early in the morning and then the sun will warm up the water and it will be good to go in the early afternoon!
 - sprinkler to run through
 - when outside, wear a HAT on your head!

and a pretty good tip for days where you really don't want to move - wet a wash cloth and put it on the back of your neck!

I would love to hear your tips - leave a comment!