Just recently, my friend, @SoberJulie told me about the Zerona treatment she was trying out.  I was very curious, as I had never heard of it before!

I checked out the Zerona website and was surprised to see this:


For so many of us removing unwanted fat and trying to lose inches from our bodies has become a source of endless frustration. Perhaps you've spent hours exercising, targeting different areas of your body and yet aren't seeing the results you desire.

Zerona Canada is a company who knows exactly how you're feeling, they've developed a new non-invasive body sculpting procedure designed to remove fat and contour the body without invasive surgery. Sounds like the magical answer doesn't it? Zerona Canada's cold laser treatments are approved by the FDA and Health Canada and provide a much less invasive than other choices such as lyposuction.

Zerona doesn't eliminate the fat cells.

The treatment actually zap the cells with cold laser which creates a hole or pore in the fat cell. The pores allow the junk from within the fat cell to be eliminated and flushed out of the body. Essentially Zerona essentially detoxifies and flattens the fat cells. Zerona Canada was kind enough to allow Julie from SoberJulie.com to tour 2 of their facilities and undergo one treatment to be able to share her impressions with you all. Julie felt the offices were clean, welcoming and staffed by friendly, certified representatives. She was told in advance to ensure she was well hydrated and that she would be dressed only in her bra and underwear for the treatment. Julie was measured from multiple locations over her body, weighed and an analysis was performed of her hydration, fat percentage and other factors. Julie was told to lie down and get comfy, for a blissful 40 minutes she lay under the laser in a quiet room. The experience was relaxing and comfortable.

Julie Lost 6 Inches With My First Zerona Treatment

Following treatment Julie was measured in exactly the same locations which the lady had marked on her body. She had lost 6 inches over my body, 2 of which were from the largest part of her abdomen! The results speak for themselves, Zerona worked for Julie and now she is pleased to be sharing the news with you all! If you'd like to connect with Zerona you can find them on Facebook or Twitter and they have many reviews available to you on their website and blogs.

Twitter Party Alert!

When: Monday, February 4th, 2013 – 9pm ET  
Where: On Twitter using the hashtag #RapidInchLoss  
Who: @ZeronaCanada, @SoberJulie (host), @SimplyStacienet, @MommyMatter, @ThisLilPiglet, @ChancesMommy, @MommyKatandKids  
Why: Let's talk about rapid inch loss, you know you want answers!  
Prizes: Open to residents of Canada.

RSVP: Provide your Twitter profile name and url in the link below. 

My grandmother was the epitome of "classic beauty". She was poised, always dressed well and always had her hair and make-up done just perfectly.



Thought I've been an Olay user for what seems like forever and prefer to stick to my favourite products, I am always excited to see the new products Olay comes out with. Because I am getting older, and age is starting to show, I am very selective when it comes to what I put on my face.

I always used to joke that Asians always look younger than we actually are (I still get carded when buying wine at the LCBO!), I do see the signs of aging in my skin. I'm also worried that my years of sun worshiping have caused my skin to age prematurely.  I love spending time outdoors, especially in the Summertime. Even with wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen, I think it's still not enough to stop the damage from the sun. I've always had blemish-free skin. It seems I now have freckles!

It’s never too early or too late to start taking care of your skin and defending against the seven signs of aging with a high-quality facial regime like Olay Total Effects. 

Olay Total Effects Daily Anti-Aging UV Moisturizer Plus Touch of Foundation Cream provides seven anti-aging benefits including line appearance minimization, nourishing moisturization, subtle appearance firming, brightening, gentle exfoliation, pore appearance refinement and anti-oxidants. It helps renew, restore and protect from UV rays for aging skin with the added benefit of a sheer foundation for immediate tone improvement.  

I love this product! The Anti-Aging UV Moisturizer Plus Touch of Foundation Cream is my new must have product! It helps nourish my skin and makes it look amazing! If I'm in a rush, I just apply this, some lip gloss and a bit of eye make-up, and I'm good to go!

Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging Eye Cream Line and Dark Circle Minimizing Brush helps to instantly reduce the appearance of darkness under the eye all in one sweep of a brush. It contains a daily under-eye moisturizer that hydrates to firm skin’s appearance and minimizes the look of fine lines and a hint of tint instantly reduces the appearance of dark circles.  

 The Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging Eye Cream Line and Dark Circle Minimizing Brush really does make a noticeable difference. Love the brush too!

Olay Total Effects Refreshing Citrus Scrub offers an invigorating scrub that cleanses your skin without over-drying. Formulated with oil-absorbing beads, it gently exfoliates and cleanses thoroughly while the citrus- kissed formula refreshed your skin. 

One word: Citrus! I'm a huge lover of citrus scented anything! Helps that this scrub is gentle on my sensitive skin.

Olay Total Effects Tone Correcting Night Moisturizer provides deep hydration and helps fight signs of aging with a vitamin-rich complex designed to smooth away the appearance of discolouration and age spots as you sleep. 

Anything that helps fight the signs of aging while I sleep sounds good to me! I'm extremely worried about age spots. I have one or two right now and they really bug me.

Olay Total Effects Tone Correcting Eye Treatment treats the sensitive and delicate skin under the eye that needs to be treated with TLC. This treatment diminishes the look of under-eye darkness and helps to fight seven signs of aging. 

What Mom doesn't suffer from lack of sleep? I don't know about you, but I have a bit of darkness under the eyes every now and then. I love the Olay Total Effects Tone Correcting Eye Treatment.

How would you like to achieve beautiful, healthier looking skin with the five Olay Total Effects products outlined above? 

To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway open to residents of Canada. Ends February 9th! Olay prize valued at over $140

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Disclosure- I am a #PGmom. Although I am affiliated with P&G, all the thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

I don't know about you, but for us, January is often pretty tight when it comes to finances. It's right after the Holidays and though we have a budget for our Christmas spending, January is a time when our family tends to buckle down on spending. I'm married to a frugal farmer, so we don't tend to spend much in the first place, but even more so in January. January for us is cutting back on spending and on other things as well!

How many of you have had to wear your comfy pants for Christmas dinner? All the festivities and celebrating with food seem common for most during the Holidays. Winter makes me want to hibernate because with -20 something temperature plus windchill, the cold is too harsh to enjoy our favourite outdoor Winter activities.
Yet, we still need to keep busy and active.

Some of the things I do to save time and money in our house:

• Make food stretch - I know this sounds extremely frugal of me, but I often use one piece of meat (enough for 1 person) to feed my family of three. Instead of everyone getting their own steak, I use a single portion and do a stiry-fry with loads of veggies.
• Cook in big batches and freeze - Kind of like Canadian Beef's "big batch beef" recipe. I find if I make batches of chili, lasagna or cabbage rolls and freeze some for future meals, it cuts down on time and prep...and saves a busy mom's sanity.
• Keep our freezer full - As a farming family, our freezers are always full. I freeze the produce from our gardens for Winter use. We have a freezer for beef and other meats, a freezer for vegetables and fruits/berries, and a freezer for other things like bread, baked goods, etc.
• Make a list & avoid impulse shopping - Having a list and knowing what you need at the grocery store really does save time and money. Go in, get what you need, pay, and leave! Easy in and out shopping helps avoid the risk of impulse shopping. We're usually pretty good at this, except when Little One decides she'd like to buy something like ready-made sushi or something! Don't go shopping when you're hungry! :)  

Canadian Beef has some great tips on saving as well!

Canadian Beef's Registered Dietician, Karine Gale shares some fabulous tips on Balancing My Budget here.

Some other fabulous tips for saving include: Top 5 Beef Tips to help you save money and time,  and Top 10 grocery shopping tips to stretch your food dollar. I love these tips! I'm happy to say that I do most of these. Some are new to me, but I'll definitely be putting into practice (like 1. Do Some Legwork &
Plan out a week’s worth of meals in advance and 10. Store your Groceries Properly to Avoid Waste).

Check out the Canadian Beef site for more helpful info. You can also connect with them on Twitter and Facebook!

What are some of the things  you do in your home to save time and money?


Disclosure: I am a Canadian Beef Ambassador and have been compensated for this post. However, all opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced in any way by my association with the program.

Perhaps this isn't such a "wordless" Wednesday kind of post, but this video was shared by +Natalie Rea on Twitter last night, and I just had to share it.

1. I'm a West Island girl and can't resist sharing posts related to people or things from my old 'hood.
2. I think we need to remember all the many reasons why teachers are so important in our children's lives.

WARNING: Break out the Kleenex! You'll need it!


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

Like for all busy families, mealtimes for us are often rushed.  Who has time to slave over the stove for hours when you have work, family, activities, and everything in between?  Having said this, of course we all want to feed our families good food. Healthy food. Food that tastes amazing. Right?

I'm one of those people who loves cooking. I love creating delectable dishes for all to enjoy. I love spices and fragrances, and cultivating my four year old daughter's love for exploring cuisine from all over the world.

I have to admit that lately I've been looking for ways to get dinner on the table faster. Everyone is hungry after work and school, but time I only have about a one hour window to get our meal on the table. One hour...from prep to finish.

I was more than excited to be part of the #CavendishFromTheFarm blog tour. Always willing to try new food or experiment with new recipes and save time in the kitchen, this was the perfect tour for me!

What I love about the Cavendish From the Farm potatoes is that they are harvested exclusively from the rich red soil of PEI! That's right! They're Canadian, eh! Only the most delicious premium potatoes are chosen.

Since supper is my family's only time to spend together during the work week where we have some quality family time, I want our meals to be something we all enjoy. The experience has to be one that everyone remembers. Sounds crazy, I know. That's how much I value the time I do have to spend with Hubs and Little One though.

Here's Little One helping me get the cucumber salad ready.  I let her be in charge of cutting the cucumbers...with a butter knife, of course!
Now time to make the dressing.
Here's our Yummy Yummy Sauce recipe:

• Juice of 1/2 a large lemon
• Honey (use your discretion - I rarely measure ingredients unless it's for baking)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced (I have a hand-grater/rasp that I use for garlic)
• Salt & pepper to taste

In a bowl, whisk all ingredients together. Pour over sliced cucumbers, making sure to coat evenly with the "Yummy Yummy Sauce". Voila! Done!



We tried the Cavendish From the Farm Wedges for this meal.

Cavendish From the Farm also has
 Straight Cut

and
Rustic Reds. 

We got all three varieties and will be trying out the other two soon!

The Wedges are "thick-cut" and "skin on", and seasoned with sea salt. I put Chef Little One to work by having her crack some black pepper and sprinkle a bit of chopped parsley over the wedges before we baked them.

They were a great side dish! What I loved the most was the cooking time! 12 minutes in a 450 degree oven, turn and then another 8-12 minutes, and done!
Cavendish from the Farm Wedges info from the Cavendish website:

Low in saturated fat

Trans fat free

Cholesterol free

Source of fibre

Low in fat

Source of potassium 

• Cavendish Fresh from the Farm Wedges
• Cucumber Salad with Yummy Yummy Sauce
• Balsamic glazed beets
• Grilled chicken
• Asparagus

So good!
I also took the liberty of perusing the site and was excited to discover that Cavendish included a recipes section! I think I'll try making the Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce for brunch next weekend!

Disclosure – I am participating in the From the Farm blog tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Cavendish. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

It's no surprise that children learn from observation.  They watch our every move. They hear our words, despite sometimes having selective hearing.

In essence, we as parents really are our children's role models and their first teachers in life.  This is why how we behave in front of our children is so very important.  How we behave is a large part of what we teach our children is important.

I keep thinking of what kind of person I want to raise.  I hope to do my best to raise Little One as having her own ideas, but also knowing how to interact within society even if others don't agree with her ideas. I want her to be strong, but not pig-headed. I want her to be sensitive, but not a push-over. I want her to be compassionate, empathetic, understanding, loving, and I want her to know how to stand up for herself and what she believes in. I hope we raise someone who is considerate, and most of all, respectful to others.

This sounds a bit lofty, since she's only four years old.

I was just thinking of different scenarios and how to deal with them. For example, when someone slights you or spreads vicious rumours about you (these things happen in everyone's lifetime), do we teach our daughter to take the high road or stand up for herself and say something even if the repercussions may not be positive?

Is being quiet and ignoring other people's idle thoughts or malicious rumours the perfect revenge? One can very well say that just going on with your life and paying no attention to stupidity is the best thing to do. What about putting your foot down and getting your transgressors to tell you to your face what they didn't have the gumption to say to you directly in the first place? Do we teach our daughter to stand up for what is just and right?

I am still undecided on what to teach Little One regarding how to deal with people who have slighted her. For now, she's in Junior Kindergarten, and I'm hoping I have a few more years to figure out how to prepare her for the world around her.

In the meantime, I am reminded of this great quote:

Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” - Dale Carnegie

Right now, Little One is so good. She hasn't been jaded or tainted.  At this age, she's still a blank canvas, if you will. She's full of love and trust...and she believes everyone in the world has a kind heart.

Though I know we cannot protect our children from the world outside the home, we can certainly prepare them.

Wow. I know I've said this before, but parenting really is not for the faint of heart.

 Being part Filipina, it's in my culture to feed people.  If you are ever invited into a Filipino home, the first thing you'll notice is the hospitality.  You will always be offered food and drink. Lots of it.

I'm always concerned with making sure I have things to serve guests.  With food allergies being a big concern, I need to make sure I have something for everyone.

One of our nieces is Celiac, which means she is allergic to gluten. We've got friends with gluten intolerance and others who are giving it up by choice.  I try to make sure I have food options for everyone, so as to not let anyone feel left out.

When I was vegetarian for most of my young adult life, I often felt like the odd man out at parties when people would be eating mainly meat-based dishes and no veg.

Wow, how times have changed.

There are so many amazing alternatives. One I am most excited about is CheeCha Puffs!

I was first introduced to CheeCha Puffs on Twitter.  We started Tweeting with each other, and I really liked the brand without even having tried their products yet.  Shortly after, at the ShesConnected Conference in Toronto, we were given samples of CheeCha Puffs. My roomie, SoberJulie and I inhaled ours! They were SO good!
 CheeCha Puffs sent me a case of all of their flavours to share with my niece. Included were multiple bags of:

5 Great Gluten Free Flavours

• Original
• Sea Salt and Spiced Pepper
• Sea Salt and Vinegar
• Luscious Lime
• Fiesta Salsa

Excited, I brought over the case of CheeCha Puffs to my teenaged niece.  She and her classmate were working on a school project, so snacks were the perfect touch! The girls had fun sampling and taste testing, and deciding on which they loved the best.

All CheeCha Puffs begin with wholesome potato flour and potato starch. They are then air puffed using to release the natural potato flavour, lightly misted with sunflower oil and sprinkled with the finest seasonings.

Gluten Free* • Nut Free • Cholesterol Free • Trans Fat Free • MSG Free • Non GMO • Dairy Free

My niece's favourites were the Sea Salt and Spiced Pepper, and the Sea Salt and Vinegar.  My favourites are the Original and Sea Salt and Vinegar!

These snacks are great to have on the go, at parties, as something to munch on when you're doing a school project with friends, or just to snack on anytime and anywhere.

I'm really glad I've been able to share these with my niece and with friends who are gluten-intolerant. They've told me that they buy them at the health food store and they actively search them out now! Love it!

CheeCha Puffs also come in Low Calorie Flavours and Snack Size as well. For more product information, click here.

Connect with them on Twitter and Facebook too!

P.S. This post is long overdue!  I had been wanting to write about this since last Fall! 

Disclosure - We received the above mentioned products for review purposes.  All the thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

Okay, just typing that totally freaked me out. Now I've got the goosebumps and can't get that kid's face out of my head. You know. That kid. The one from the movie Sixth Sense.


I don't want to creep you out, but I here's a random fact about me.

I do believe that some people have a sixth sense. I used to think that this was just me being superstitious, as Filipinos often are. Seriously, have you never heard a Filipina grandmother tell stories about ghosts? It's a very large part of our culture.

I shouldn't really say that I see ghosts. There's a lot more to it than that.

The earliest memory I have of this kind of strange occurrence was when I was just a little girl.  My grandfather on my paternal side died when I was maybe three years old or so.  My parents never said anything to my brother or me, because we were so young and they didn't think we'd understand.  Dad went to the funeral in Trinidad without us. Nothing was explained.

One evening, my Mom was getting us dressed after our bath and I pointed to the corner of the room and said, "Look, Mama! It's Grandpa, and he's smiling at me!"

Mom was so freaked out. She told me years later (when I was a teenager) that I scared her.

The extra-sensory powers, if you will, were heightened when I turned 13. I was able to do "odd" things like hold someone's hand and accurately tell them what they were thinking or "guess" which number, shape, colour they were thinking of. I was able to accurately depict things that would happen or retell things that happened in the past that no one had ever told me about. These things happened too frequently for them to be pure chance.

When I was in elementary school, my middle brother and I used to go home together after school (back when latch-key kids weren't so much frowned upon). Our baby brother went to my grandparents' house while my parents were at work and they'd pick him up on their way home every evening. My grandparents lived maybe fifteen minutes away by car and you had to cross a bridge to get to their place.

One afternoon, I distinctly heard my baby brother crying. It was more like screaming in pain. How could it be possible that I could hear my brother crying if he was fifteen minutes away by car? The cry sounded as though it were coming from right next to me!

Within minutes, I received a call from my grandmother. My little brother was running and had hit his head on concrete and split his head open.

How uncanny was that?

Then there were other times like when my friend from college called me out of the blue and I told her, "Hey! It's so weird that you called me! I just had a dream about you and [insert name of friend's boyfriend] were getting married!"

I went on to describe to her the wedding. It was so vivid in my dream. I was able to describe to her the wedding dress, flowers, decor, the wedding, the guests...and, all with accuracy. She was quiet and finally said, "Oh, my gosh. I'm calling to tell you that [boyfriend] and I are getting married, and you just described what I want the wedding to be like!"

Sure enough, when I attended the wedding, it was just as I had envisioned it to be.

Once, when I was living and working in Japan in my early-twenties, I was riding my bike back to my apartment at night.  For some reason, something made me look beside me, and I saw an old man riding his bike beside me. He smelled just like my grandfather's cologne. He smiled at me. It was my grandfather.  I blinked, looked again, and the old man was gone.  The thing is, my grandfather had died three months before that incident.

I wasn't really creeped out, because I knew it was my grandfather. I didn't have a bad feeling at all.

I did get scared during my trip to the Philippines last May. My grandmother was dying and I went there to spend her last few weeks with her and to bring my daughter so she could see one of her great-grandchildren one last time.

I had fallen asleep on the couch one afternoon and everyone was at the hospital. I woke up because I felt someone staring at me. It was my aunt who had died a few years prior. She was standing outside, looking in through the iron-clad door. I pinched myself several times to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

Things like this happen to me every now and then.  It used to really scare me when I was younger because I didn't understand it.  I still don't really understand it, but I know that it's something passed down from female to female on my mother's side. My grandmother's relatives had this and so did my grandmother and my mom.

Do you believe in a sixth sense? Has anything "out of the ordinary" happened to you before?

I've got all sorts of stories to share if you want to hear! They might scare the socks off of you though!

This post was inspired by a Twitter conversation I had with my friend, Carol. She shares similar experiences here.

With Little One now in Junior Kindergarten, the Scholastic book order forms are something we get really excited about in this house.  Little One loves books. Loves them.

My friend Manitoulin Key Lime Pie started Little One's obsession with Laura J. Numeroff's adorable collection of books when she gave her If You Give A Moose A Muffin, If You Give A Pig A Pancake, If You Give A Cat A Cupcake for her 2nd birthday. At 4 years old, Little One is determined to own the entire series.  Uh huh. Guess what books we'll be ordering from Scholastic?

Okay, you're probably wondering what a book about giving a moose a muffin has to do with Singapore Noodles, right?

If you've read any of the books in Numeroff's collection, you'll notice a pattern.

If a big hungry moose comes to visit, you might give him a muffin to make him feel at home. If you give him a muffin, he'll want some jam to go with it. When he's eaten all your muffins, he'll want to go to the store to get some more muffin mix. 

The moose initially asks for jam to go with his muffin, and after stream of consciousnes-like events in between, the story ends up with something reminding the moose of a muffin and him asking for jam to go with it.

The stories in Laura Numeroff's collection are entertaining, fun, and follow a similar sequence so that children can have fun predicting what will happen. My four year old has all of her books committed to memory. I don't know why she bothers asking me to read them to her every night...multiple times.

Singapore Noodles. Right.

The other day, I posted my Curried Egg Sandwich recipe. Immediately after posting. the idea of curry made me crave Singapore Noodles. I had to laugh, because this totally reminded me of my daughter's books! These books also remind me of how Mommies can oftentimes start off at one point, get distracted by everything that goes on in the day (with work, with home, with kids, with activities, etc), only to end up right where they began. With curry. You know. Curried Egg Sandwich? Singapore Noodles? If You Give A Moose A Muffin? I can't believe you missed that connection.

Without further ado, here is my Singapore Noodles recipe.

Ingredients
5.5 ounces dried rice vermicelli
4 oz chicken, cut into thin strips
2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tsp rice wine
2 Tbsp curry powder
2 Tbps fish sauce (optional - I often forget to use it and I only use it if I'm using shrimp instead of chicken or pork)
1 Tbps oyster sauce
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbps ginger, minced
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
4 ounces bean sprouts (if you have them)
3 green onions, sliced thin
oil for stir-frying

Instructions
Soak the dried rice noodles in very hot water for 3 minutes. Do not over-soak them or they will stick together and get mushy when you cook them.

Pull noodles apart as soon as they start softening. Rinse in cold water several times to prevent the noodles from absorbing too much water. This also gets rid of any extra starch.

Chicken to a bowl and season with the soy sauce and rice wine.

Add curry powder into a small bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the fish sauce, oyster sauce and chicken stock.

Make sure to have all your prep done ahead of time, because everything will cook very quickly.

Heat a wok over high until very hot then add a Tbps of oil, swirl to coat inside of wok, then add the egg, swirling then scrambling. Put the egg on a plate and set aside.

Add 2 Tbsp of oil, then add the garlic and ginger, and then fry until the fragrances come alive. Oh,  you'll know it when it happens! Add chicken, holding aside the marinade and fry until the chicken just loses its pink color. At this point, it doesn’t have to be all the way cooked.

Add the onion, red and green bell peppers, and bean sprouts. Fry while stirring vigorously. Until the vegetables are a bright color. Add the curry powder and stir-fry until fragrant, then pour in the chicken stock and fish sauce mixture. Stir, to combine, then add the noodles and return the egg to the pan.

 If the noodles start sticking, add some water.

Top with scallions, then serve your Singapore Noodles immediately.You can switch things  up by substituting pork or shrimp for chicken. I've even done this recipe with tofu for a vegetarian option. Add some spicy chili pepper for kick if you wish!

The funny thing is that I wanted to begin this post with something like:

• "Singapore Noodles: Memories of Lunch Dates with My Dad at Le Faubourg Ste-Catherine in Montreal during my university days"
• "Yes, I traveled to Singapore just to sample some real Singapore Noodles and a real Singapore Sling!"

Yes, both of those headers are indeed true.

 Merlion - Most likely the most photographed subject in Singapore! Photo from here via Google Images.

P.S. I know many will think I am crazy, but I wish I loved Singapore more than I do! All I remember was that Singapore was super hot (like please don't let me go outside because I'm going to melt & I NEED A/C kind of hot!), expensive, insanely clean (I was scared something might fall out of my pocket and I'd get caned to death for littering), and the cockroaches were the size of small cats. Maybe not that big, but they were huge! Being so close to the equator, I guess the climate is conducive to roaches? Anyway, Singapore is a beautiful place and there was a lot to see. Love the culture and chatting up with all the ex-pats from all over the world! Fun! Wow. I totally miss my carefree jet-setting days sometimes.

**One more thing. I used this for my Singapore Noodles recipe this time. Hubby and Little One did the groceries and this is what they picked up.

Disclosure - This is not a sponsored post. Janes Family Food gets a mention today because Hubby and Little One love their Janes Chicken. All the thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

My four year old is convinced that Mom's bonkers and my husband thinks I'm just a little delirious after fighting off a horrible infection for the past 14 days.

Why?

Well, hearing me sing the following has them raising their eyebrows:

I saw the PTPA sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the PTPA sign
Life is demanding without understanding
I saw the PTPA sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the PTPA sign
No one's gonna drag you up to get into the light where you belong...
But where do you belong?

All craziness aside (and yes, it's the seal and not sign), have you seen the PTPA Seal of Approval at your local Sears Canada store? If so, snap a photo or two and submit it to PTPA and you can win some pretty amazing prizes!
{ GRAND PRIZE: WIN A NURSERY VALUED AT $929 }

You may already know that Sears Canada's The Baby's Room has received the PTPA Award (Parent Tested & Parent Approved).

A selection of PTPA award-winning merchandise – a Stork Craft Carrara nursery (Stages 4-in-1 crib and 2-Drawer Change Table), T-fal Steamer & Blender, Angel Care Movement & Sound Monitor and a Crane Animal Shaped Cool Mist Humidifier! Total value: $929.95 CDN!

 Grand Prize winner to be drawn February 1st, 2013.
WEEKLY PRIZES:
Three (3) weekly prizes of $100 Sears Gift Card so you can buy whatever you want or need at The Baby Room! Winner’s name to be drawn for 1 gift card each week on the following dates: January 17th, 24th and 31st, 2013.



Enter here: PTPA Facebook Entry Form


Tweet @ptpa, FB, use the #SpotTheSeal hashtag...and have fun!

For complete details, visit the PTPA blog here.

One of my favourite sandwiches is the Curried Egg Sandwich.  Surprisingly enough, the first time I had ever eaten a curried egg sandwich was when I was in Japan!

There was this delightful little cafe my friends and I used to ride our bicycles to on our days off. Usually on a Sunday morning, we'd have brunch at this quaint little place. They specialized in an assortment of "different" bagels and sandwiches. The place also doubled as a shop that sold really cool items like the funkiest lighters and even Swiss Army knives. The menu, the ambiance, and the venue itself were all really unique and not what I would expect to find in the outskirts of Hiroshima.

How I wish I could remember the name of that place! *Edited to add: Thanks to Facebook, I was able to ask my former co-workers from Japan what the name of that place was! It's Darren Almond! Wonder if it's named after this Darren Almond? Must be!

Whenever I have a curried egg sandwich, I am transported to that special time in my life. Hard to believe my days teaching and living in Japan are so far away. Like fifteen years ago! Wow!

The original Curried Egg sandwich I had was served on a toasted whole wheat bagel and it had capers. Here's my version of the sandwich:

Ingredients

• 4 extra large hard boiled eggs
• 2 Tbsp of mayonnaise
• 1 tsp of curry powder
• 1/2 tsp of sea salt
• 2 Tbsp of chopped fresh chives (if you want to switch things up, you can use 2 Tbsp chopped parsley)
•  alfalfa sprouts or chopped baby spinach or watercress
• a few slices of cucumber (just because my 4 year old's favourite vegetable is cucumber)
• Slices of Dempster's wholegrain bread or Dempster's bagel of your choice. This time we used Dempster's Villaggio, because that's Hubby's new fave.

Instructions
Enjoy!

Disclosure - This is not a sponsored post. We just really like Dempster's bread! All the thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

•  making me chicken noodle soup when I'm sick
• taking our four year old to her first ballet lesson tonight because Mommy's too sick to take her
• being such a GOOD person

Feel free to link up your Wordless Wednesday posts here!

When I first found out I was pregnant with Little One, I was determined that I'd be a cloth diapering Mama. I wanted to tread as lightly on the earth as possible and do what I deemed best for my child.

Then she arrived early.

Twelve weeks early.

In the NICU, Pampers was the diaper of choice. Pampers offered not only newborn sized diapers, but preemie sized diapers! They were the tiniest diapers I had ever seen! Even so, they were still too big for our 980 gram preemie! That's almost 2 lbs, 3 oz.!

Little One's primary nurse raved about Pampers, and though I was heartbroken at the fact that Little One wasn't a cloth diapered baby, I knew that while still in the hospital it wasn't feasible.

I will add that when we finally brought her home at 3 months chronological (now that she's 4 years old, we don't use her corrected age), I did try cloth diapering.  It lasted an entire month.  I'm secretly jealous of all the moms who can do it. I just couldn't keep up.

As a mom, I know that finding the right diaper for your child is important. I have to say that I'm glad that Pampers were a part of Little One's early days. If you're going to be spending that much time changing diapers (and babies can go through a lot of diapers!), you might as well make sure they're diapers that a) are gentle against baby's soft skin, b) do their job, c) fit perfectly, d) don't leak.

I also know that when Little One was still a baby, I recall telling my husband, "Wouldn't it be nice to win diapers for a year?"

The truth is, diapers add up.

Well, how would you like to WIN Pampers for a year with Shoppers Drug Mart and P&G?! How would you like a chance to remove diapers from your shopping list and household budget for 2013? Pretty amazing, isn't it?  Use your Shoppers Optimum card between December 29, 2012 and January 25, 2013 and you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win one year’s worth of Pampers diapers! See in store for more details.

Wait! There's still more exciting news! One lucky Life on Manitoulin reader will win a Pampers Prize Pack valued at over $65.

 The Pampers Prize Pack includes:

• Pampers Swaddlers size 1  
• Pampers Cruisers size 3  
• Pampers Splashers size 3-4 
• Pampers Easy-ups size 3-4  
• Pampers Natural Care Wipes 
•  HBC Canada onesie (size 0-3 mos or 3-6 mos)

 Simply enter the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win! Canada Only/ Ends Jan 31st 2013
a Rafflecopter giveaway

By entering the following contest you are accepting that if you win your contact information will be shared with a P&G PR agency for the purpose of mailing your prize.

Disclosure: I am a P&Gmom. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events and opportunities. All the opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

We try to make Sunday more of a family day in our house.  Every day is a busy day on the farm, so Sundays are great for spending a few hours of quality time together.  This means having a leisurely dinner together. I guess I should say "supper", because if you're a farmer, most likely "dinner" is normally your earlier meal and the main meal of the day. Even after eight years of living on the Island, I am constantly being corrected on this. Coming from the city, I've always used "dinner" and "supper" interchangeably. My question to my husband and my mother-in-law is always, "So, you mean dinner is lunch?"

Okay, we don't always have pot roasts on Sundays. There are so many other things we can make with beef. Here are but a few:



All of these recipes can be found here on the blog under recipes. For more beef recipes, visit the Canadian Beef website and peruse their many delicious beef recipes.

{Here's a question for you}
I remember doing a quiz from a magazine when I was a teen in the 90s. One of the questions was "What's your favourite food and three reasons why?"

You're supposed to describe the way the food makes you feel. Leave me your favourite food and three reasons, and come back tomorrow. I'll tell you what it's "supposed" to mean. It's actually quite funny!

* Edited to include: Your favourite food is supposed to symbolize what kind of person you are attracted to! I had to laugh when my friend said his favourite food was poutine because it's cheap, easy, cheesy, and greasy!