I remember when I was in my late teens/early twenties, being vegetarian wasn't as easy as it is today. Not many restaurants catered to vegetarians or had many (or any!) vegetarian options on the menu. Back then, whenever I dined out with friends, I'd end up eating a baked potato and a salad. Every time.

Have I ever told you about the time I asked if I could have soy milk and the server told me I'd have to grind my own soy beans?! Ummm...Thanks.

Now, there are so many amazing dishes to tempt the taste buds. Yes, admittedly, we do live on a beef farm and my husband is very much a meat and potatoes man. This said, I do make sure we incorporate lots of vegetable dishes into our diet and we also have days when we have vegetarian dishes.

I had heard about The Island Chill from friends, but every time I passed by, it happened to be a day when they were closed. The Island Chill is a vegetarian eatery that offers a variety of mouthwatering items on their menu.

The Island Chill is a take-out place, but there are a few tables available should you wish to dine on location. The atmosphere is casual and the service is friendly. Take your pick from fruit smoothies, veggie burgers, paninis, chili, burritos, wraps, and more!


Since we had friends visiting, we took them to the Bridal Veil Falls and Manitoulin Chocolate Works. While there, we decided to get a bite to eat. Not wanting anything deep fried, I suggested we try The Island Chill. I was so excited to finally get the chance to try out their food! I have been wanting to try their Sunflower Hemp Burger for a while now!



If you're in Kagawong, Ontario, pop by The Island Chill!

The Island Chill is located on Hwy 540 around the corner from downtown Kagawong on the way to Gore Bay, right beside Rock Island Mini-Golf. Open July and August. Open Sun-Fri 11.30am-7.30pm, Sat closed.

July 31st already?!? Can you believe how quickly the Summer is whizzing by? I cannot believe August is already upon us! This means my 3.5 year old will be starting Junior Kindergarten soon! Wahhh! Somebody hold me! *sniff*

It's also the last Tuesday of the month. Did you know that every last Tuesday of the month, @ShesConnected hosts a fab, fun Twitter Party!? Of course you already knew that, right?

RSVP here to join in on the fun! The party starts at 9PM and there are lots of great prizes up for grabs! Wouldn't you like to win a Toshiba All in One Touch Screen Computer? There will be lots of fantastic prizes from our amazing #SCCTO sponsors. Come join in on all the fun and get to know some of the #SCCTO Brand Ambassadors better too!

We live on an island where we need to get in the car if we're going to do groceries, head to the bank, post office, or visit friends and family.  Games of "I Spy" and listening to music are a regular part of our car rides.  Our 3.5 year old absolutely loves music. I'm always on the lookout for CDs that she'll love and that won't drive us crazy.
We recently went on a day trip with a friend of mine and her two children, and Backseat Driver had the adults and children dancing in their seats!

The 2012 Parents’ Choice® Silver Honor Award winner features eleven songs that are guaranteed to get you moving and keep little ones entertained.

When it comes to my musical preferences, my taste is eclectic. I'm trying to expose Little One to a wide range of musical styles as well. For me, it's really important that my child be exposed to different styles, world music, different instruments, harmonies, etc.  What I like about this CD is that it includes a variety of musical styles from rock and blues to rap, jazz, Latin and more. I can really see how The Cat's Pajamas would have multigenerational appeal!

My 3.5 year old loves the Cat's Pajamas so much that she asks me to play the CD even before I'm finished strapping her into her car seat! Her absolute favourite song on the CD is Humpty Dumpty.

Oh, the music doesn't only play in the car. Little One has decided she needs to have The Cat's Pajamas Backseat Driver CD in the house too.

Backseat Driver is available online at www.howlinrecords.com, amazon.com, cdbaby.com, and iTunes.


Disclosure - I received The Cat's Pajamas Backseat Driver CD to facilitate this review. All the opinions on this blog are honest and my own. No monetary compensation was received for this post.

As a child, I always looked forward to the Olympics. I remember watching in awe and keeping up to date on all the events. Seeing all the dedicated athletes from all over the world participate in the Olympic games was truly inspiring. 

When I was a child, we lived just on the outskirts of Montreal.  Back then, to me Ottawa was considered small town and "countryside".  Don't laugh! :) I didn't have any experience being in a rural setting at all. Obviously, Ottawa is not "countryside". It's quaint and unique, but certainly not "small town".  I know because now I live in a small rural Northern Ontario community.

I think I was in grade 2 when my class and teacher spent a week at La Ferme d'André in Ormstown, Quebec. We spent a week waking up early, going to the barn, milking cows, riding horses, and playing with barn kittens and swinging from the rafters in "la grange à Tarzan" (Tarzan's barn).  It was a great experience (my first week away from home!) and an educational one too! Though I was only in grade 2, I remember it like it was yesterday! What a truly amazing experience for city kids like us!


Now, I live on a farm.


I was just thinking of how so many young children do not really know about where their food comes from or what it takes to grow their food.  So many are not connected to the farmers who work tirelessly every day to supply their product, meat, milk, or grain. Food is something your parents buy at the grocery store. That's how I was before I spent a week on the farm when I was in grade 2!


Today, our 3.5 year old daughter knows about first and second cut, round and square baling, and the difference between cows, heifers, steers, bulls, etc. She leaves, breathes, and sleeps farm life and everything connected to the land and the animals. It's not just on our farm that she gets her agri-cation from. We've been taking her all over Ontario for the Outdoor Farm Show, Ploughing Match, and other Agricultural events ever since she was a newborn!

The farm's open fields and lush pasture land take us back in time.  To me, I feel a sense of peace and calmness whenever I see the wide open space. It's just breathtaking.

To little ones, I'm sure they're curious about all the animals, the huge machinery, and the big barns! It's a great idea to take the opportunity to educate our children about agriculture. Kids can learn about what farmers do on those big machines and how the plants in the fields become food on their plates.


Farmers Feed Cities has some great ways to agri-cate our children! Here are 5 of them:

1. Take a trip to the farm - give your kids the opportunity to come face to face with the farmers, animals, crops, and machinery (always keeping safety in mind) to give them a tangible setting to begin their agri-cation. To find a farm near you, click here.
2. Take it one step at a time - farming and agriculture are big concepts for kids. Start at the beginning and grow their knowledge slowly. Ex: Explain the difference between crop and livestock farming. Explain that many farmers do both. For example, grow corn in the field and have pigs in the barn. You can discuss the crop cycle in Ontario - most plants are planted in the Spring and ready to harvest in the Fall (in time for Thanksgiving)! You can even explain how the weather impacts crops.
3. Make a game of it - games are a fun and interactive way to learn about sometimes difficult to grasp concepts. Some online games - (Easy) Dora's Magical Garden and Agri-Trekking Across Ontario. (Medium) Agri-Trekking Across Ontario and Fact or Fairytale. (Hard) Where's Agriculture? and World Pizza.
4. Foster curiosity - once children have a better understanding of agriculture, take a trip back to the farm or through the countryside and ask questions to gauge their knowledge of farming. Test their knowledge online with farms, food, and fun quizzes here.
5. Put the lessons to use - continue the agri-cation at the grocery store! Explain to your youngsters why you're choosing products with an 'Ontario' or 'Canada' sticker on them. Make a game of it and see who can find the local items first!

If you'd like more information on Farmers Feed Cities, check out them out at www.farmersfeedcities.com, on Twitter @FarmersFeedCities #FreshFromTheField and on Facebook www.facebook.com/FarmersFeedCities.

When you live on a farm, it isn't often you get to spend time relaxing with the family.  This is one of these very rare moments where Little One gets to spend quality time with Mommy, Daddy, and the fur babies (Spike and Chance).

Link up your Wordless Wednesday posts! We'd love to check them out!

Did I ever tell you about the time I saw the Northern Lights for the first time?  I had just moved up to Manitoulin Island and wasn't aware that we could even view the Aurora Borealis here! I thought we had to go as far as Alaska or Yellow Knife! Where we are located on the map is as north as Ottawa is. I know. I've drawn a line from our community to Ottawa on the map to see for myself!

Anyway, I woke up one night to these flashing lights outside. I thought I was dreaming! I went over to the window and these crazy, bright, bluish, whitish, greenish lights were dancing in the sky. Of course, not thinking of natural phenomena, I immediately thought they were UFOs!  No, I'm actually not joking. I was tired and half asleep. UFOs were the best thing I could come up with.

One more thing about moving to the Island? When I first moved to "the Island", everyone told me how bored I'd be and that there was nothing to do up here.  They couldn't have been more wrong! In fact, it's so busy here that I don't have any spare/free time to just put my feet up and have a tea!

Today is one of those days, so I'm going to have to give you some updates in bullet form.

• I'm excited to share with you my ShesConnected Brand Ambassador interview! Love it. That's pretty much me in a nutshell! Check it out :)

• Sheri, the fabulous woman behind Kidsumers is throwing what is probably the biggest, most amazing online baby shower ever! Please head over and check out all the fantastic prizes she's got lined up for this HUGE event! She really does amaze me! Makes me kind of want to consider baby #2! I'm just happy to point all my pregnant and new mom friends in Kidsumers' direction though! LOTS of useful products from brands parents love and trust!

• It's official! It hit me like a ton of bricks! Little One is going to school in the Fall! The Consortium called to confirm and arrange her bus stop for the school year. Gah! My baby is growing up! Seems like just yesterday she was learning how to breathe on her own! Now she'll be going to school? How is that possible?!

Oh, she's definitely ready! She tells us so every day! The question is...Will I survive JK?!

**WARNING** Not my usual happy, light, fun post :)


It's been just a few months since my grandmother passed away and so far I've been holding things together just fine. Things are busy, life must go on, and there's a little person who needs me to function like a normal human being.  It just hits me sometimes though. It comes in waves. The overwhelming sense of loss and the sadness just take me by surprise.
My cousin found one of my grandmother's pieces of writing. It reminded me of just how much I miss her. I thought of the last time I held her hand and how much my heart hurt.

Hubby, Little One and I have been absent from our church for a good part of the Summer. Summer is really busy on the farm and Hubby rarely gets a chance to leave the farm. He needs to maximize daylight hours and get the most out of his days. There's always so much that needs to get done.

In church on Sunday, our minister's words just hit me. I know I don't talk about religion much on my blog, but every time we attend church service, the words just make so much sense and totally apply to what I'm going through at the time.

I've had a lot of things going on in my life lately. Worries. Stress. Anxiety. People see me in public and think I  "have it together". I really don't. I've also been creating more worries, stress and anxiety for myself and my husband. The basement hasn't been finished yet and it's been in the works for the past four years. I can't keep up with the weeds in our vegetable and fruit gardens. My flower gardens are a mess. I can't keep up with my house work. It's insane. I want things done and I want it done now.

Then I heard the words come out of our minister's mouth. He reminded us of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)

I was reminded that we need to have patience. Patience is not a virtue I possess and have been struggling hard with. I know I need to work harder at it and this has been so apparent lately in so many facets of my life. My mother-in-law always tells me to "Let go and let God".

After the church service, we had lunch with Grandma (aka: my mother-in-law).


My Dad had spent the morning landscaping my front yard. I almost cried. I'd been trying to get to it for a while now, but was too busy. He just came over and did it. I am so thankful for my Dad.

Hubby took some of the afternoon off work and put farm chores aside to spend some time just lounging around with his family. Little One, Chance, Spike, Hubby and I played in the sprinkler and relaxed on the porch drinking iced tea. Well, Spike and Chance didn't drink iced tea. They had water.



Our little girl loves her Daddy so much. She cries every time Daddy or Mommy have to work. She just wants us to be together and hang out. She was SO  happy today. We just sat on the deck, but she loved it. She kept putting Hubby's hand on top of my hand and kept saying, "Daddy, hold Mommy's hand. Kiss Mommy. Group hug!!!" and she gave us both a big hug. She's so sweet. I love my little girl.

I have to remember that I really do have a lot to be thankful for. Taking time out, having Hubby spend time with Little One and me, and me going unplugged for much of the weekend certainly helped.

I leave you with this video. Totally brings me back to my high school days. I loved Warrant and was in love with Jani Lane! RIP Jani! For some reason, whenever I'm feeling my not so peppy self, this song always comes to mind.

Maybe not, but one lucky Mama gets a free pedicure! :)

My friends and I had a friendly contest going. We were complaining about how we're all in desperate need of a spa day/manicure/pedicure/massage.  We jokingly came up with a little contest, but put it into effect that night! Whoever came up with the best Ryan Gosling "Hey Girl" quote would be declared the winner.

You guys chose the winner (Booooo! It wasn't me!).  The winning Ryan Gosling "Hey Girl" photo is...
Congrats to my friend, CleanEatingMama! Looks like we have a pedi date! Too bad Ryan Gosling wasn't included in the prize! ;)

 Little One is three and a half years old.  She's at a very impressionable age.  She picks up things without me even realizing that she's paying attention.  Ummm...I caught her dancing in the living room and singing, "I'm sexy and I know it. Doo doo doo doo doo doo! Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!" Where she got that, I have no idea.
I love my little girl. Because of what we had to endure to bring her into this world, I love and appreciate her that much more.

As her Mom, I worry whether we teach her the "right" things. I also worry about what she picks up from other people. The other day, we were at a public venue and her friend tried to get her to run around (which I do not permit my child to do in public places where there are crowds) and then play in the sprinkler that was watering the plants at said venue. Her friend was tugging at the hose and trying to get Little One to join her. I may sound like a total wet blanket for not letting my child be free, but I have concerns about A) safety, B) respect for others, and C) proper codes of conduct.

Anyway, can you imagine how my heart swelled when Little One responded, "I can't! My Mommy doesn't want me to do that"?  I was overjoyed and thrilled beyond compare. It's not just in one ear and out the other for her! She actually pays attention to her Mama!

I was perusing the internet and found these via Google Images. These are some things that I would like Little One to learn.


This does not only apply to children, but to adults as well.  Do you try to live/model the values you hope your children will follow? What is important to you as a parent when raising your child?

...that Canada is in the midst of a fibre deficit!  Did you know that? The average fibre intake is only half of what it ought to be. Women aged 19 to 50 should consume about 25 g of fibre a day, and men aged 19 to 50 should take in 38 g a day.

This is going to sound really dorky, but in our household, we take fibre very seriously. In fact, it's my husband who makes sure that we all get a healthy dose of fibre each day. He's always going on about how there's a direct correlation between fibre and overall health. He does his research and he's a smart man. Our friends go to him for everything from questions about plant life, ecosystems, history, trivia, health, first aid, to conspiracy theories. Yes, I affectionately nicknamed him "Textbook". The guy is a walking encyclopedia! If he tells me to eat fibre and explains the countless health benefits of fibre, then by all means, I'm going to be getting my fibre in me.

Again, we don't have any picky eaters in our household, but we have friends who do.  A few years ago, my friend GadgetGirl gave me a great cookbook called The Sneaky Chef. Missy Lapine, the author of the cookbook sneaks in wholesome veggies into her meals. They're disguised so well that kids who "hate" veggies actually get their servings of veg because they don't even know they're in there!

Though I've never had to hide veggies in my meals for  my family (my 3.5 year old LOVES veggies), I have been known to do it when we have guests with kids who will not eat vegetables. For example, in my spaghetti sauce, I throw in LOADS of vegetables. They're cut so small, that kids don't even know they're in there! I add onions, carrots, tomatoes, two different kinds of squash, mushrooms, garlic, elery, and other veg.

Kellogg's All-Bran has partnered up with Missy Lapine. She shares some easy, delicious, fibre packed recipes. Get the fibre you need and eat the food you love!

Try this for dinner


CRISPY COCONUT SESAME CHICKEN WITH SOY LIME DIPPING SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1. In food processor, combine cereal, ½ cup (125 mL) coconut, garlic powder, ginger and pepper - processing with pulse action to fine consistency. Drizzle in oil, using pulsing action to combine. Stir in 1 tbsp (15 mL) sesame seeds. Place mixture into shallow dish or onto plate. 

2. In medium bowl, beat ¼ cup (50 mL) mayonnaise and 2 tbsp (25 mL) lime juice to combine well. 

3. Cut each chicken breast into 2 pieces of similar size and thickness (slant cut for equal thickness). Using tongs, dip chicken pieces into mayonnaise mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Coat with cereal mixture, pressing gently. Place coated chicken in a single layer on foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining coconut. Discard remaining mayonnaise mixture and remaining cereal mixture (if preparing Satay-Style Dipping Sauce below, reserve 1/4 cup/50 mL cereal mixture). 

4. Bake coated chicken in 400°F (200°C) oven until food thermometer reads (170°F/ 77°C) at centre of chicken pieces - about 25 minutes. Serve with Soy Lime Dipping Sauce*.

*Soy Lime Dipping Sauce: In small bowl, combine the remaining mayonnaise, lime juice and sesame seeds with the soy sauce and sugar. Divide into 6 portions.

Tip: Another great dipping sauce alternative is our Satay-Style Dipping Sauce. In small saucepan, combine ½ cup (125 mL) water, 2 tbsp (25 mL) reduced-sodium soy sauce, 2 tbsp (25 mL) peanut butter and 1 tbsp (15 mL) lime juice. Add reserved cereal mixture. Stir and heat to a boil. Simmer, for 5 minutes, stirring often. 



OR this for dessert!


BLUEBERRY PEACH CRUMBLE

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1. In food processor, process cereal, flour, 50 ml (1/4 cup) of the brown sugar and margarine just until moistened and crumbly. Set aside for topping.

2. In small bowl, mix remaining sugar, cornstarch, lemon rind and cinnamon. Stir into berries. Spread mixture evenly in 2 L (8-cup) shallow baking dish. Top with sliced peaches. Sprinkle evenly with reserved topping.

3. Bake at 180°C (350°F) 30 minutes or until topping is browned and fruit is bubbly. Serve warm.


The above recipes are from the allbran.ca website.

Disclosure - I am a member of the Kelloggers Network, however I am posting this blog post because I think the information about fibre is an important one to share. I have not been asked to post, nor have I been compensated for this post. This is my personal blog. All the thoughts and opinions shared on this blog are honest and my own.

I have to admit that I'm not a "girly girl". I've never been a pink kinda girl and I'm not about the bling and all things frou-frou shi-shi. This would be why it surprises me that my 3 year old absolutely loves all things pink, pretty, shiny, sparkly, and girly. She's all about the bling. The shinier, the better. She's all about everything pink or purple. Lately, she's been all about fairies and princesses.

You can imagine how excited she was when I was asked to review Nickelodeon's Winx Club fairies!

Winx Club is Nickelodeon's first girl-targeted animated TV show. It's a modern fantasy adventure series that follows six best friends (Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Aisha) as the attend Alfea College, the finest fairy school in all of the realms.

The Winx characters represent today's modern girl and focus on strength, smarts, and teamwork. Each character is smart, savvy, playful, and someone that girls can relate to. I love that the message sent out to young girls is that of self-expression, empowerment, and friendship.

Each fairy has magical powers that help fight villains and save the world from evil.  Each character is an individual and has her own hobbies and personality, yet works well in a team.

 Season five of Winx Club will launch in 2012 throughout Canada on YTV and Nickelodeon Canada. 

Now, the Winx Club fairies from Nickelodeon's TV show have been made into dolls so that fans can relive their own magical adventures.  Another cool thing is that each doll comes with a magical membership card that unlocks exclusive content on http://www.nick.com/winx. 



This brand new line of dolls is unique in that each doll has eleven points of articulation, super deluxe trend-setting outfits and spectacular hinged wings.

They're so new that they will be available in stores this coming Fall!


Experience the world of Winx Club at www.toysrus.ca/winx


Little One was so excited to receive the complete set of Winx Club dolls before they even hit the stores! She's really into role-playing and has been having so much fun with her new fairy friends.

Your little girl can too! How? Well, we're giving away an entire set of 11.5" Deluxe Fashion Winx Club dolls to one very lucky reader of mine!

TO ENTER:
Simply fill out the Rafflecopter Form below

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure - Nickelodeon Canada has given me a complete set of the new (not yet in stores) Winx Club dolls and a DVD screener copy of the Winx Club animated TV series.  This is my personal blog, and all the thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

I don't claim to be a "girly girl", but if one thing is true, it's that I am obsessed with purses, handbags, clutches...and shoes, sandals and boots! My husband could never comprehend my love of accessories.