Some favorites from 2012

2012 was a big year for me and my family!  I ended my marriage, which was super hard but one of the best things I could have done for the kids and myself.  The kids and I have come so unbelievably far.  The relationships that the kids and I have with my parents are at the best they have ever been.  We are in the best place I think we ever have been.  I couldn't be happier.

When I was with my husband he did most of the cooking, I did some but when I did I was usually ridiculed so the last 10 months have been spent building myself back up and learning some great new recipes and figuring out what we like and want to eat everyday.  I love that the only one who gets the final say on what we have is me, I don't love that I am the only one who can cook but Kristina's learning :)

Now that we can cook with wheat we have a lot more options.  I had forgotten how much I was missing out on with the no wheat.  I am still experimenting with casseroles, I really missed those, and the slow cooker.  Life saver for those nights I work until 6:15, then have to grab the kids, do dinner baths and in bed by 8:00, now that's a rushed a long night!

So now that I have rambled on for so long, without further adu here is my favorites from 2012

Dijon-Parmesan Chicken



Barbecued Pork Tenderloin ( I omit the chipolte sauce because I am a wimp)



Fresh Berry Crisp (I added blackberries as well, so good, we have it once a month :)



Any favourites you want to add?

Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own!

Barbie and Hot Wheels Kinder Eggs are unveiled

There are some awesome new Kinder Eggs out their.  Have your little ones spotted them yet?  The amazing folks at Kinder came up with Barbie eggs and Hot Wheel eggs!  How do you fit a Hot Wheel into a Kinder egg?  I guess you will have to pick one up to find out ;)  Brandon is as much of a fan of the Barbie eggs as he is of the Hot Wheels ones.  I was surprised at first, but once I figured out why it all made sense.

 

Brandon is a boys boy.  He loves his Mama and is very attached to me but he loves the mud.  He loves going on walks and holding my hand.  He loves Kinder eggs, Hot Wheels and girls.  He loves the kids that go to his daycare, especially the girls.  The girls love him. 

Its official, at almost 5 I have a ladies man on my hands.  Brandon started taking his Barbie Kinder Eggs prizes to school for his little friends.  They loved the prizes but I guess Brandon's attention was even more fought after.  The teacher asked that we not bring anymore prizes to school for his friends as it was becoming to competitive and a bit of a problem for the teachers. 

I shouldn't have allowed it at all looking back, of course someone always ends up sad and left out, and that's not ok.  But I didn't think it would be such a big problem.  The toys were just going into the girls cubbies for when they went home.  Some days though when I show up to pick up Brandon or just to drop him off I can't believe the attention hes getting from the girls.  They are all crowded around him, asking for hugs and stories.  Its not the boys at all either, just the girls and he sure loves them back.

Keep your eyes peeled on the Kinder Canada facebook page as there are some great giveaways going on.  They are handing out the new Barbie and Hot Wheel Kinder eggs like they are going out of style!

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.

Sofia the First season premier

Well the day we, well our kids, have been waiting for has finally arrived.  Your princes and princesses can roll out the red carpet for the series premiere of Sofia The First on Saturday, January 19th at 7pm ET.  We have heard lots about Sofia and now its finally time for the season premier!  Sofia has much to be thankful for this year - becoming a princess, her loving family, new friends (and let’s not forget that amazing room and wardrobe!).  Brandon and I read a great new book about Sofia and I love that he loved it.  I love that he didn't care that it was a princess book and he asked me to read it to him 4 nights in a row.

I know that he excited to see the premier of Sofia the First, we have it PVR'd because the kids are with their Dad this weekend.  He will be pumped when he gets to see that when he gets home!  There is another surprise that Kristina is going to freak over when she gets home!

Right before the Sofia the First premier will be Cinderella!!!!  That's right!  Cinderella, one of Disney's timeless classics, premieres on Disney Junior on Saturday January 19th at 5:45pm ET.

But wait, there’s more! Cinderella II: Dreams Come True will premiere on Sunday January 27th at 10:15am ET. If you loved sharing your special memories of Cinderella with your child on the 19th, you won't want to miss Cinderella II: Dreams Come True!


Its going to be a great weekend!  Set your PVR if you have plans and grab some popcorn!   I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Goodnight!

Well twas the night before Christmas when all though my house all was quiet.  The kids are out, I am sitting beside my beautiful tree reflecting and so thankful.  This last year has brought on a lot of changes for my little family but for the better for sure.  I am happier than I have been in a long time.  Tomorrow will have its challenges with being without the kids for a while when they are with their Dad but because of my family I will be just fine.

Speaking of my family, wow, they have been so unbelievable good to us.  I love them so much and am so appreciative of everything they do for us and love that we live only a few minutes away.  The kids can't get enough of their Grandparents and Uncle, and for that I am thankful!

So Merry Christmas from my family to yours, enjoy!!

Printcopia

One of my favorite Holiday gift to give is something personal, and you can't get much more personal than a photo.  Whether its a family photo or a photo of you and your mom when you were little or maybe a picture of you are your best friend!  I know that I would prefer a personal gift to a box of chocolates or something but its hard for everyone to do.

I have a great canvas wrapped up under my tree right now for a special someone.  I can't wait for her to see it.  The quality of the canvas print I received from Printcopia was awesome!  I love that there were so many different options available.  You could wrap the sides with more of the picture or you can mirror the image on the sides and more.  I love that there are more ways to personalize something that starts out so personal!!

The shipping from Printcopia was unbelievably fast and it came wrapped up so nice.  There was no way it was getting damaged on the way to me.  Lots of bubble wrap and cardboard, but no Styrofoam which I love because Styrofoam is horrible.

Because Printocopia was so great to work with I wanted to tell you about some of their other great sites that they have.  Their sister companies sell vinyl banners, car magnets, and lawn signs!!

This is it for me until January, time to spend the most time I can with my babies before Christmas is all over!  Have an amazing holiday Season!!!

Posterjack for the Holidays!

Well with not long to get those last minute gifts ordered online, yup online, lets take a quiz before I finish that thought.  How many people ordered gifts online this year?  I bet a lot of you.  There are no stats available yet but I know that it gets higher and higher every year.  I cant say to much about this super special gift that I got a certain special someone this year but I feel like its the gift of the season.

I was super impressed with how fast Posterjack shipped out, it came in no time at all.  The shipping dates for the Holidays is on their site, here's a quick link to it.  Basically you have until the 14th for framed photos, and the 16th for posters, fine art prints, and peel and stick posters. 

I got a frameless mounted print for someone :) and seriously cant wait for her to open it.  Or him ;)  I also love that you can get Metal prints!  How cool would that be, I would love to get one of those, very modern and funky!

So the ordering process was very easy and clear on what to do.  You basically just choose what you want to order, upload your photo, make sure it looks how you want it, choose any add ons and then order.  You can do it on your lunch break no problem.  Make sure you follow Posterjack on Facebook because they have been having some great giveaways going on! 

If you want to get someone, especially the hard to shop for person something really special for the Holidays this is a great solution.  You can even do a gift certificate to Posterjack in case you don't know what they would like or what picture to use. 

Making memories has been my moto for the last 6 months or so and this is just a way to document and show off those memories :)  Here is a gorgeous pic of my babies just for fun :)

Velata - fondue pot

We love a good fondue.  The kids and I love to get some fresh strawberries, bananas and sometimes some grapes and dip them in chocolate until we are so full we can't even think about having any more.  We usually just grab melting chocolate at the grocery store but that's now a thing of the past.  First though bit about the Velata warmer!

Velata warmers are a unique fondue warming system that uses a 25watt light bulb to melt the chocolate in the specially designed silicone dish.  The silicone dishes can be placed in the freezer, microwave and the dishwasher for an easy clean which makes it all the better!  No mess!  Family night will be a cinch with our new Velata fondue pots!  Check out the gorgeous colors they come in!!

Richly decadent caramel milk chocolate. Classically creamy milk chocolate. Sweet, delicate white chocolate. Bold and balanced dark chocolate. Melt the chocolate in its convenient package, twist open the spout, and pour it into your Velata Fondue Warmer. Chocolate fondue has never been simpler.  I love that you can pick up a few bags of Belgian chocolate to throw in the cupboard for later.  It tastes 100 times better than the store bought plasticy melting chocolate!

 

Not to mention that you can throw the bag of chocolate in the microwave to speed up the melting of the chocolate instead of waiting for a tea light to melt the chocolate in the old fondue we have.  Give me a reason why the Velata isn't better than the old school fondue pot!!

Grace Adele

Who is done with their Christmas shopping?  I am still not done but getting getting things crossed off my list!  My girlfriend just had her birthday last week and was she ever excited when she came over last night for her present.  Kristina may have been more excited to give her the gift but my girlfriend was pretty excited to get it.  It was a Grace Adele purse, this one below, but in a beautiful red color!  Who doesn't need a red purse!

If you need a gift for that hard to shop for lady here is a great idea!  A purse or clutch or wallet is something every lady out there uses and would love to get as a gift.  I know I got a new wallet last Fall for my birthday and would already love a new one and its only been just over a year :)  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my ex bought it :)

I also love to switch out my purses.  A nice chocolate brown for the Fall or Winter and a bright orange purse for the Spring and Summer!  Clutches for a nice night on the town, New Years is coming!  One of the things that I love about Grace Adele is the accessories you can get to go with your bag.  There are adorable clips you can add on, there are clutches that fit right into the front pocket of your purse, bows, scarves and even more.  You can have the same purse year round if you want and still switch up the looks easy as pie!

You can check here to see if you have a rep in your local area and have a party!  They are a lot of fun and of course you can earn some free goodies!

Scentsy Buddy

Well who is done their Christmas shopping?  I am usually done my list a few weeks ago but this year I am further behind and not anywhere near done.  I am ahead of the game on the things to do list though, that I find usually stresses me out more than the things to buy list.  The years that my shopping was done early I still found myself shopping right up until Christmas but with working more now I wanted my to do list to be more under control.  I usually end up stressed about how we are going to fit in time to go see Santa, to write him a letter, decorate and make a gingerbread house and lots and lots of cookies.  Nothing wrong with getting these things done early and so much pressure is off now that I have done most of that list :)

So if you are like me and still looking for that special something be sure to put Scentsy on the list of things to check out!  I have reviewed the flamless candles before and they are amazing and I love them.  This time however Kristina got the review item.  It was a Scentsy Buddy and she loved it.  Its basically a stuffed animal that has an zippered pocket at the back for a scent pouch.  Kids can be very soothed by certain scents, like lavender or something familiar. 

There are lots of different scents to choose from, you can check them out here.  We got the pig animal and Kristina is big on sleeping with it and having piggy make her bed smell nice.  You can also use the scent pack, or the buddy itself to help the smell in your locker, gym bag or bedroom :)

Check them out and let me know what you think!

Limeapple with a Giveaway

We have been Limeapple fans for a few years now.  One of my favorite locally owned kids stores in town carries Limeapple and Kristina has always had at least one hoodie in her closet at any given time, sometimes more than one if she got lucky.  Limeapple sells some gorgeous kids clothes and not just dance wear.  They have a line of great dance wear don't get me wrong, it lasts, its cute and affordable but that's not all that they offer.

Our clothing stands out in a crowd because of its delicious color palette and signature design elements. We take extra steps in the design details such as longer length in tops, little pockets for ipods and thumb holes with longer cuffs. For maximum comfort all garments have flat seaming, gussets, taping around neck and on back of zippers, locking zippers and reverse stitch lining. All garments are pre-shrunk to ensure perfect fit and durability.

Created in Canada, Limeapple apparel can be found in fine department stores and boutiques around the world.

Whats not to love!  The designs are gorgeous and they are made with amazing quality, meant to last!  Kristina got a few hoodies to try out and they are awesome, I love how long they are, they will last so much longer that way, shes very long bodied, and they are so soft.  The designs are so funky I would wear a lot of them.  Limeapple has made some huge changes lately though, they have started selling online.  They used to only sell in boutiques and such but now you can all online at limeapple.ca

They have a great discount for you all to use as well as a giveaway!!  Use code 20LIME for 20% off anything at limeapple.ca and enter here to win any one thing from Limeapple.ca!!! 

To Enter:

Go to Limeapple and tell me what you would choose if you win

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