• Isabella’s Room Redecoration

    20/05/2014 - By 

    I love decorating. Often it is more crowded and organized chaos, nearly bohemian, than most people’s tastes. This time I decided to be more clean, straight forward and focused. My mother-in-law generously offered to take the children for 6 days for Husband and I’s wedding anniversary present. Although we carved out some time for a date night (we saw “The Lunchbox” at Eau Claire theater and I HIGHLY recommend you go and see that movie) and night-time couch snuggling while we watched evening TV, I spent most of my time redecorating some of our rooms. It took me 5 of…

  • Children’s Books We Currently Love

    29/04/2014 - By 

    We have started to frequent the library again. The kids love the library! Both of them pick out any books they want and then check them out with their own cards. Here are three we keep going back to….. 1. We have taken this one out twice in a row and my kids don’t want to take it back. Inside this book, the Dinosaur versus everything from spaghetti to talking grown-ups to tooth-brushing.  It is a really fun read and the kids love helping out with the roaring. I have even used this one to convince them to do other…

  • Why Rewarding Expected Behaviour In Your Kids Is Wrong

    25/04/2014 - By 

    I was on Pinterest today. There were so many pins and boards dedicated to motivating kids to do chores. A lot of the pins involved crafts to set up punch cards or checklists for chores, and at the end the child would receive a reward. I was thinking a sticker, or a family bike ride, a movie night,  or something similar. I was wrong and when I started to read the comments I realized this quickly. Many of the parents posted “Oh this works so amazing. At the end of the list I give him $20 and he has to…

  • We went to a Superhero Themed Wedding and It Was the BEST

    17/03/2014 - By 

    We went to our friend’s wedding. They hosted it at the zoo which meant we got a free zoo pass during the day. We had fun for two hours at the zoo and then went to the reception. Best wedding ever.  There was mini golf, mini games, table hockey, a bouncy house and hoops. There was great music and dancing and superhero cupcakes. The bride wore Batman and the groom wore Star Trek. My kids danced til midnight! Literally. We got home at 12:30 am. The next day was a huge yummy brunch at the Westin hotel with great food…

  • Maca Powder Side Effects

    26/11/2013 - By 

    Always do your research before trying something new. Even if it is a natural material or vitamin. Maybe, especially if. I didn’t read about what side effects eating maca powder raw could have, and I really should have. I started taking maca powder raw in my coffee or smoothie to help regulate my periods and clear up my skin. It worked like a charm. I did this after reading one blog post. A month and a half later I could barely eat without getting stomach cramps or sweating and I was very gassy. I thought maybe drinking too much coffee…

  • Maca Powder Works?

    18/10/2013 - By 

    So I read this post:   http://ohdeardrea.blogspot.ca/2013/09/maca-everyday-recipe.html   And it may have changed my life. My skin is usually really bad. As soon as I tried maca the way she did, it changed. It isn’t perfect but it is getting to be the skin I always wanted, thanks to maca and the coveted Clarisonic Mia 2 that I use every day. And not only that but it worked on my periods too. Instead of 1-3 days of debilitating pain I only had half of a day of tolerably horrible pain. It was still pretty bad but I didn’t have to…

  • Isabella’s Fifth Birthday

    28/08/2013 - By 

    In the not-so-distant past… Today I had Izzy. On that day she isn’t even born yet….. I am in super painful back labour, and telling the doctors there is no way I can go through with this. But thanks to miracle drugs of the modern world I was able to relax and get through it. On the original birth day she was born at 10:22pm. 😀   I had her birthday party with friends in June, but today is her actual birthday and in September I am planning to have a family dinner for the family that lives here. Oh,…

  • I Have Too Much

    09/08/2013 - By 

    I have the basics, I am happy. I have more than the basics. I am happy. Am I slightly annoyed I don’t have more than the more than basics? Sometimes. I wish my sewing machine worked. Right now I hand sew the toys and the clothes that need mending but I am happy enough to do this instead of replacing them. Do I wish I had a needle for my record player? Absolutely. Do I NEED these things? No. Once you have been deprived of the simple things, like fresh water or even the slightly more complex things, like enough…

  • The Successor. Welcoming a New Cat.

    10/07/2013 - By 

    Summer is always so busy. I find it busier than the school year. Days are filled with visitors, travel, day trips and play dates. I’ve been so busy that I temporarily fell off the fitness and yoga wagon. 🙁 But I’m back on it!! I started up again and the Husband and I are even planning on doing our yoga DVD tonight. (Transformation with Jivamukti Yoga, if you’re wondering). I’ve also been doing my weights again and have been trying to eat better. For awhile the patio furniture kept calling for me to sit on it and drink beers. I’m…

  • Rest In Peace Simon Cat

    19/06/2013 - By 

    We had to put Simon down. I am heartbroken and devastated. The vet agreed with my choice and we talked at length about it. He was beginning to act feral. He had even begun targeting Hunter’s things and hissing and scratching at Hunter. Some days he would hiss and scratch at us and act as if he had never seen us before in his life. The vet said if it is medical it would be something that would need intensive treatment and it would be an extensive process to find out. But she suspects I would have a lengthy vet…