Our Favourite Valentine's Day Play-Doh

Since Valentine's Day is coming up in a few days, we decided to make our favourite Valentine's Day playdoh recipe. I've been using this recipe for years, and it's super fun and easy to make!

Valentine's Day Playdoh Recipe:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

2 tbsp cream of tartar

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup water

red food colouring

4-6 drops of essential oil (my fave for this recipe is "Joy")

In a saucepan on medium heat, mix all of the ingredients together until they begin to form a sticky ball. It looks gross, but trust me, it works.

Knead the dough until smooth and Voila!

I hope you have as much fun with this recipe as we do! 

6 Tips for Dealing with Picky Eaters

My first child did NOT prepare me for having an extremely picky second baby. She was and still is a dream to feed. She always ate fruits, veggies, proteins etc. and never really went through a "picky stage". So when my son was born and started eating solids, I never pictured it being difficult. Boy was I wrong!!!!

I introduced solids when he was around 6 months old and went for the Baby Led Weaning approach (with some purees) and things started off great. He basically ate everything I made and liked it. Avocados, bananas, green beans, peas, squash, tuna, chicken, beef, pasta.....you name it, he liked it. Things were going great until he got the stomach flu at 11 months and since then it's been a challenge. All of the foods he used to like, he now looks at like they are some kind of alien and refuses to touch. We're basically living on carbs and fruit and as frustrating as it is, I've learned to embrace it and just let it go! Because at the end of the day, I believe "fed is best". So here some ways I've learned to handle "picky eaters".

1. Don't stress.
As parents, it's hard not to stress about our kids especially when it comes to nutrition but when you take the pressure off, it actually is easier. Kids feel tension, they know when we're upset and if they sense we are frustrated with their eating habits, you can bet they won't cooperate anyway. They won't starve so take a deep breath and relax. Maybe your toddler would only eat cheerios tonight? No big deal. Maybe they will try something new tomorrow. You're still a great mom regardless of what your child eats.

2. Smoothies will become your best friend.
Or at least they have in our house. This is one way I can sneak a bunch of nutritious foods in. Spinach, avocado, fruits, seeds, veggies, whatever you can think of, through that shit in there! Experiment with different combinations. Sometimes I make them thicker and they pretend it's ice cream...mom win!

3. Offer healthier options first.
Ok I know what you're probably rolling your eyes at this one because I used to too, but hear me out. I thought this would never work but my toddler has actually been really receptive to this. Instead of giving him a cookie when he asks for it, I offer one of his favourite fruits first. "First let's have 6 blueberries and then you can have a cookie" It doesn't have to be a crazy amount and I've found that by counting he "gets it" better.

4. Put snack trays out and make food fun.
I've found that making snack trays with a variety of different options increases the chances they will try new things. I do a few things that I know he likes and add something new that I hope he will try. Sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn't but by offering new things repeatedly it increases the chances that one day he will. Cut food into fun shapes, or make kabobs. In my experience, kids will eat just about anything if you put it on a skewer or if its in the shape of Mickey Mouse.

5. Let them pick something at the store.
Last week while grocery shopping he asked for a fruit tray. One of those pre-made ones from the store with cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple and strawberries (the only thing I knew he liked for sure). We brought it home and he sat down with the tray and tried each thing! He didn't end up liking all of them but at least he tried and we can add honeydew melon to our list of "likes".

6. Don't compare kids.
This can be a tough one especially if you have friends or family who don't have picky eaters. You might have a friend or family member who's child eats everything (and that's great!) but just remember that all kids are different. They do things on their own terms and on their own timeline. As adults, we have our list of likes and dislikes; kids are the same way. Don't ever feel like a shitty mom just because your child isn't eating a gourmet meal every day. Have patience and most likely your child won't be a picky eater forever. This too shall pass!

These are some things that worked for us on our journey with picky eating. If you're dealing with picky eaters, know that you're not alone.




xoxo
Shawna

Fort McMurray Wildfire 2016

I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook memories. On one hand I love looking back at old pictures and memories and then some not so great ones pop up.....It's been 3 years since the scariest/most terrifying day of my life. I didn't post anything about "The Beast's Anniversary" this year. Instead I focused on my girl's 9th birthday (9!! How times flies!) At the time I was so upset this was happening on her birthday of all days, thinking that it would be a constant reminder every year BUT how wrong I was. I'm grateful we get to celebrate and focus on fun instead of constant reminders. Today's memory was a post I made reflecting/retelling our experience 1 week after that awful day so I decided I might as well share it.

Tuesday May 3rd, 2016 was supposed to be a day full of fun. It was my baby girl's 6th birthday! My husband got up and headed to work. We woke a couple hours later. The sun was shining, it looked like a beautiful day. I was happy to see the sun as the previous couple of days it was so smokey outside. I sang Happy Birthday as I always do and we got up to start our day!

We went downstairs to open some presents and got ready to head downtown as she was in afternoon kindergarten so we had all morning to hang out and run errands. I promised her that we would go to Teddy Mountain (very similar to Build a Bear) so she could make a bear for her birthday. So off we went. It was around 10am when I pulled into the parking lot. As we were walking into the mall, I was approached by a CBC news crew for an interview (which I have yet to find) . I don't remember the exact questions the woman asked but I think she asked "if I felt safe" to which I replied "yes". We went into the mall, made the bear and left.

As we were leaving my mom texted and said it was really smokey in our neighbourhood of Timerlea. I decided I should probably stop at the pharmacy on my way home and grab my Miss P's inhalers just in case. By the time I got up the hill (maybe a 5-10 minute drive) the smoke was thick. We got the inhalers and headed home for some lunch before school. When I pulled into the driveway, a press conference came on the radio. The fire chief said the weather was making things difficult and the fire was growing. I decided I would pack a suitcase that afternoon just in case.

I dropped Miss P off at school around 12:30PM and as I drove away I noticed 2 huge clouds of smoke. I stopped to take a picture and headed for home. In the couple of minutes it took to get home, the sky had turned an orangey colour. I grabbed the suitcase and started packing a few things for each of us. I figured better to be prepared and I could always just unpack in the next couple of days. My "mom tribe" and I were chatting back and forth, checking Twitter for updates etc when I saw the Mayor post that everyone should have a plan in place. I decided I would go get my kiddo from school early. Something in my gut told me I needed to have her home with me.

The smoke I saw just after dropping Miss P off at school

When I arrived at the school to pick her up, ashes and needles were falling from the sky like snow. I decided we would go home, grab our stuff and head south to Edmonton. I needed to get away from that smoke. I called my husbands work and left a message for him to call me back so I could let him know what was going on.

I started packing up the car and by this point the radio emergency alert is coming on saying some neighbourhoods on the south side of town were on evacuation order. In a mere matter of a couple hours we went from a beautiful sunny day, going about our daily lives to evacuating from our home. Traffic was completely gridlocked. There's only 1 road that leads south of the city and everyone was trying to get out. Cars were driving on sidewalks, people were walking pulling their suitcases behind them. I remember looking behind and seeing fire in the distance. Flames were shooting up the trees behind us. Our friend and his daughter were following behind us. He saw the look of terror on my face and motioned for me to turn around.... I thought for sure that fire would reach us before we had a chance to get out. I put my brave mom face on and kept Miss P busy with her IPAD and movies all the while thinking we would likely die in that truck. It took us 2 hours to get down the hill (a typical 5-10 minute drive on a clear, no traffic day).

Gridlocked traffic, cars on the sidewalks

We headed North as South (the only way out of town) was closed and I needed to get to my husband at work. We needed him to be with us. We stopped at a roadside turnout on the way and needed to fill up with gas and go pee (Thankfully we had a jerry can of gas in the shed that we brought with us or we would've ran out). Also thankfully for whatever reason I decided to bring the full pack of 24 rolls of toilet paper!

At Midnight (9 hours after we left home) we finally made it to my husbands work. (about 30 km's so you can see just how gridlocked traffic was). At that point I had been checking updates on social media and the south exit out of town was open. We decided to turn around and head south.

The drive through town was devastating. Fire burned on both sides of us. Miss P was so worried about the animals. Non of us closed our eyes that day/night.

At 5AM we reached the nearest gas station outside of town (about 200KM's away). We were running on empty by now as was most everyone else. People were driving up from other communities with gas cans, offering gas to anyone who needed it. The kindness of strangers was truly remarkable.

We finally made it to Edmonton at 12NOON. 20 hours after we left our home. The kindness of strangers is something I will never ever forget about that day and the days that followed. Complete strangers were offering food, shelter, clothing. In the worst situation, people were coming together to help in any way possible. Many of my friends lost their homes that day. It's a day that changed us all. Our stories are all different. This one is mine.

3 years later I still can't believe it really happened. It's a miracle we all survived. While we were running out, first responders were running in. I think we all will be forever grateful for everything they did that day and in the days and weeks that followed.

Moral of the story: Your life can change in an instant. Don't sweat the small stuff. Don't hold grudges. Forgive. Be Grateful. Be Thankful. Don't take things for granted. Do what makes you happy. Hug your loved ones. Tell them how much you love them. Spend as much time as you can because we never know what's going to happen from one minute to the next.

FIFO Life Misconceptions

FIFO- Fly In Fly Out. This is the life we lead now, meaning my husband travels for work. That also means I'm solo parenting the kiddos for a certain amount of days at a time while he's away working. This lifestyle isn't for everyone BUT it works for our family. That's the beauty of life and families. We're all different and have different living situations. What works for one family doesn't work for another, and thats totally OK!

However, one of the frustrating parts about FIFO life is the amount of negative comments people like dish out about the situation. 

"I don't know how you do it" 

"I would never be able to do that"

"I love my husband too much to be able to do it"

"I would live in a cardboard box before I'd live that life"

"Aren't you worried about cheating?"

There's many different reasons why families chose FIFO Life. Maybe it's financial, lack of local employment, to care for a sick loved one, whatever the reason is...that's your business! 

YES it is hard. Being the sole care giver for days/weeks at a time isn't easy but you find a routine and after awhile it's just second nature.
YES is gets lonely (for both of us). Thankfully technology is in our favour and we can talk/ Facetime. YES I love my husband more than anything and YES we still have a great relationship. NO I'm not worried at all about cheating, that can happen living in the same house every single day. Trust me, if your unhappy in your relationship it will likely fail regardless of where you live. FIFO isn't going to end your relationship. If anything for me I feel it makes us stronger. Absence makes the heart grow fonder type of thing. 

Do the kids miss him? Absolutely, but again here's the thing. They get to see him and spend more quality time with him then they would if he worked a typical 9-5 job. We get multiple days off at a time to do things together as a family, and we definitely take advantage of the time we have together. 

At the end of the day, all families are different. Just like people, we come in all shapes and sizes. No 2 families are the same and no 2 situations are the same.
You do what you need/want to do and what works for your family. It's nobody else's business. As long as you are happy with your situation, thats all that matters. Keep doing your thing!

Do you life the FIFO life? Leave a Comment below on what you wish people knew about FIFO! I'd love to hear from you :)

Valentine's Day Is Overrated

I've never liked Valentine's Day. It's one of those weird "holidays" that I just don't get. I love my husband and we tell/show each other all the time. I don't need a holiday to force me to buy overpriced chocolates and flowers.

I remember when my husband and I were approaching our first Valentine's Day together (14 years ago!). I told him not to buy me anything and not to plan a night out. He of course thought I was lying but I was totally serious. So when Valentine's Day rolled around and he bought me diamond stud earrings, I was actually a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, the earrings were beautiful and I still wear them 14 years later, but I really meant it when I said I didn't want anything. Since then we've "skipped" Valentine's Day. Let me explain why.

To me, Valentine's Day is so overrated. Flower prices shoot through the roof (trust me you can get them the next day half off), chocolates, jewellery, romantic getaways. While these are all wonderful, I would much much rather receive them as a surprise on a totally random day through the year, not on a forced holiday. I mean, I don't want my husband to feel like he has to buy me something or take me to dinner just because its February 14th (and vice versa since love and relationships aren't one sided).

Has your husband ever gone to the grocery store on a random day during the year and come home with surprise flowers?? Now those are the BEST! When it's not expected it feels so much more meaningful for me. Or have you ever been shopping and found something you just knew your husband/partner etc would love and totally surprised them? It's such a great feeling!!

Don't get me wrong I love chocolate and flowers just not when they are expected on a commercialized holiday :)

Check out this photo of us from way back when. We look like babies!

My Family's Favourite Casserole

I'm a huge foodie. I love to cook and I love to eat (probably why I still haven't lost my "baby" weight LOL)
One of my favourite things to cook in the winter is casseroles. Comfort food at it's finest, quick, easy and super budget friendly as well.

A few years ago, my Aunt gave me this recipe and it has become my family's favourite casserole. Both my daughter and husband ask for this all the time. I usually make a big batch and freeze some for hubby's lunches when he's away working.

Here's what you will need:

1 lb lean ground beef (or turkey if thats your thing)
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced (I add whatever colour peppers I have on hand)
A few mushrooms diced
A couple celery stalks diced
1 pkg Egg noodles
1 Jar of Spaghetti sauce (any kind whatever your fave is)
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Can Cream of Tomato and Parmesan Soup



Cook ground beef with vegetables.
Boil Egg noodles. Mix everything together. Top with cheese and bake until the cheese is melty and delicious. Voila! One batch will feed 4-5 people.

If you make this, don’t forget to comment below and let me know how your family likes it :)

Bubble Foam Fun

I'm always trying to come up with fun activities to do with the kids especially during the cold winter months. One of my favourite activities is Bubble Foam. It's so easy to do and the kids absolutely love it. I first tried this out when my daughter was 3 and it was a huge hit. The bonus to this is, free time to prep supper, clean up around the house etc. This activity gave me over an hour to cook supper and put laundry away! Mom win!

How to make bubble foam?

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup bubble bath (you can use dish soap but I prefer a mild, tear free bubble bath) 

Food Colouring (optional)

Beat the water and bubble bath with an electic mixer until stiff peaks form (just like beating egg whites for meringue) 

Add in food colouring and Voila! You just made bubble foam.

I like to make a couple batches and use different colours as its another great way to teach the littles their colours. 

Here's a picture of the kids playing with the finished product!

Here's a picture from a few years ago when we made bubble foam for the first time. It's been a hit in our house ever since.

I hope you and your kids have as much fun with this as we do! Please let us know how you like it :)

DIY Kitchen Chair Makeover

I'm a huge fan of all things DIY and all things crafty!

I purchased this table and chair set from my neighbour 3 years ago for $50! (She basically gave it to me and lets face it, I felt guilty only paying her $50 but she insisted!)
It was basically brand new when we got it and has suited our family perfectly until recently when the chairs started coming apart. The vinyl covering started peeling away, exposing the wood and what was left of the foam underneath. I was determined not to buy new chairs because those aren't cheap and I'm thrifty so I decided to fix them.

I hit the vinyl jackpot at Fabricville. I went in to check prices and to my surprise vinyl was half price that day! SCORE!

Then came the foam cushion. Those can be purchased per square for around $6-10 a piece but I knew I could do better than that, so I bought a foam mattress topper half the price at Walmart.

The first step was removing the seat. Our particular chairs were screwed down so we removed the screws and the seat popped right off.

Next we removed all the staples and realized the wood underneath was actually completely warped and cracked....it was just a mess. So we ended up having to replace the wood too but at least now nobody will fall through them!

Then cut the vinyl and foam, place it on the wood and start stapling! Attach the seat back on to the chair and VOILA! Chairs look new again :)

The Elf Is Coming!

It's almost that time of year again. Like it or not, The Elf on the Shelf is coming! My Facebook feed has been plastered with Elf memes lately and people how have a serious dislike for that thing. I actually LOVE the Elf and I have no shame in admitting it.

I first heard of this Elf when my daughter was 2.5 years old. I saw the posts circulating and decided it would be a fun little tradition for us to start. I still remember the look on her face (I got it on video) when she saw our Elf Holly in the tree for the first time. It was pure magic. Glistening eyes, smile from ear to ear. It's the same reaction every single year. It never gets old!

Now our "Elf" doesn't do any crazy antics, or make messes (this momma does not have time to make a mess AND then be the one to clean it up night after night) BUT Kudos to the moms and dads who do those things (I love seeing the pics!). It's just a personal preference of mine to keep it simple.

Our Elf Holly arrives every year on December 1st and hangs out with us until Christmas Eve when she returns to her home in the North Pole. Each night she finds new hiding spots around the house (unless of course one of us forgets to move it, in which we say she must really like that hiding spot!)
Every morning the kids bound out of bed so fast and rush around the house trying to find her. Again pure magic! Watching how excited they get each morning trying to find her just melts my heart.

One thing I don't do with the Elf is associate it with behaviour. It is not a tool to get my kids to "be good". She does not report back to Santa on whether or not you are "good" or "bad" because it's just not my parenting style. Instead our Elf hangs out with us and watches the fun traditions we have, and sees all the kind things we do for others leading up to Christmas.

Sure it's a bit of work moving her each night but to see the smile it puts on my children's faces....it's 100% worth it to me and I will continue this tradition for as long as I can.

Top Things To Do This Holiday Season In And Around Saint John

It's no secret that Christmas is my favourite time of year. When we moved to the East Coast I found it difficult finding fun things to do with my family. This year I've compiled a list of my Top things to do in Saint John and surrounding areas.


1. Town of Hampton Santa Claus Parade December 1st at 6PM
https://www.facebook.com/events/161652547944272/?ti=icl

2. Town of Sussex Santa Claus Parade. December 1st at 6:30PM. One of my favourite things to do is travel and see different parades with the kids! It's FREE and FUN!
https://www.facebook.com/events/489736398175238/?ti=icl

3. Family Christmas Movie Night. December 1st from 6:30-8:30pm at Saint David’s Church.
Movie showing: The Star.
https://www.facebook.com/events/306790086716938/?ti=icl

4.Christmas Tea and Caroling. Brundage Point River Centre December 2nd from 2-4PM.
https://www.facebook.com/events/377150829696742/?ti=icl

5. A Christmas Carol. Presented by Hampton High School Theatre Company. December 5th-8th. Contact the school for more details and ticket info.
https://www.facebook.com/events/261087107924613/?ti=icl

6. Uptown Sparkles. Uptown Saint John. December 7th, 2018 5PM-8PM.
https://www.facebook.com/events/767847160220349/?ti=icl

7. Toy and Turkey Drive. December 8th Walmart East Saint John from 10-4pm. One thing I love about the holidays is teaching my kids to give back. Help stuff a city bus!
https://www.facebook.com/events/264437684258911/?ti=icl

8. Old Fashioned Country Christmas. December 8th, 2018 at 10AM-3PM. This event is held at Maple Lane Barn Weddings and Events 7515 Route 102 Brown's Flat NB.  Join them for Caroling, sledding, wagon rides, visit with Santa and more! I can't wait to take my kiddos to this one.
https://www.facebook.com/events/328916664579284/?ti=icl

9. Snider Mountain Christmas. December 9th at 2PM. Pony Rides, live music, sliding, hot chocolate. Lots of  FUN for the whole family!
https://www.facebook.com/events/448721482319143/?ti=icl

10.  Mayors Tree Lighting. December 12th 7-8PM at Rothesay Common. Skate with Santa, enjoy free hot chocolate and cookies and live music!
https://www.facebook.com/events/2207605936168153/?ti=icl

11. Town of St.George Santa Parade at 6pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/1022625921257680/?ti=icl

12.  Cracked up Christmas. This one's for the adults in the family! December 15th 7PM at the Cornerstone in Saint John. Get ready for a night of laughs with top Comedians.Tickets are on sale now! This is one you won't want to miss!
https://www.facebook.com/events/690357601349837/?ti=icl

13. Meet and Greet with Santa. December 16th from 1-4PM at Exit Realty Rothesay office.
https://www.facebook.com/events/309782526291745/?ti=icl

14. Frozen Holiday Skate in Sussex. December 23rd from 1:15pm-2:30pm.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2237751789791647/?ti=icl


I’m sure there are many more fun activities to take part in over the holidays. These are just a few of the fun things we hope to do this year :)

Christmas Birthdays

I still remember the day I found out I was expecting my second (hell I still remember the first like it was yesterday too). I don't think you ever forget those amazing moments.
April 18th 2016, which made my due date...December 26, 2016. A Christmas baby! I was over the moon excited. There's 6 years between my children, as it took us longer than we thought to get pregnant.

When we announced to everyone, thats when the comments started rolling in.
"Oh no, poor baby will be born around Christmas", " Oh what a sin to have a birthday that close to Christmas", "oh their birthday will be overshadowed by Christmas" and on and on and on. I was shocked that people would actually say this to someone and I was also shocked that people actually thought these things. I've even seen on birth forums comments on how to "avoid a Christmas baby"! So crazy!

Every. Single. Child is a blessing. They are all miracles no matter when they are born and having a Christmas baby was absolutely incredible.

As my due date approached, it was decided that I would have another scheduled C Section. My first was a footling breech baby and baby #2 was in the exact same position. The doctor gave me the date of December 15, 2016. 10 days before Christmas. I had hoped for a VBAC but was excited that I knew an exact date when baby would arrive (anyone who's had a c section i'm sure can relate to that!) I had everything prepped and ready, all the presents were wrapped, tree was up (in November I'm always early), childcare arrangements were made. We were ready to meet our newest member of the family.

December 15, 2016 at 9:01am our baby boy arrived!

It was such a magical time of year to have a baby. The atmosphere inside the labour and delivery ward was so happy and cheerful. The nurses and doctors all seemed so full of Christmas spirit. All of the room doors were decorated, lights hanging from the doorways, Christmas trees in the hallways. The ambiance was incredible. He truly was the best gift ever that Christmas.

Am I worried that his birthday will be overshadowed by Christmas? Absolutely not. He'll still get a birthday party and birthday presents (Not wrapped in Christmas paper as thats a huge pet peeve of mine). We treat his birthday just like any other birthday in our family regardless of the season. Did you know that December babies are actually considered "rare"? Less babies are born in December than any other month! That's pretty special if you ask me :)


So please stop with the negative comments. If you're having or already have a baby on/near the holidays don't fret! It truly is the most magical, wonderful time of the year.

Do you have a Christmas baby? What are some of your birthday traditions? I'd love to heard from you!