Gentle Yoga for beginners at the Tekhummah hall starting March 27th for 5 weeks from 7pm-8pm. Instructor, Nathalie Gara-Boivin will help you calm your mind, build strength and flexibility. No experience required for all ages! 

If you have been reading my blog, you may recognize Nathalie from my Manitoulin Spotlight on the Auberge Inn.

To register for Nathalie's yoga class, contact her at (705) 377-4392.

Great news for small and medium-sized business owners!  TELUS and The Globe and Mail have brought back The Challenge! It's an annual contest that gives Canadian small and medium-sized businesses a chance at winning a $100,000 grant from TELUS!

Last year, the $100,000 business grant was awarded to Glassopolis, a specialty architectural glass supplier. View video below.



For full details about how to enter and to read the contest rules and regulations, please visit globeandmail.com/thechallenge.

Entrepreneurs, what would you do with $100,000?

Renowned Fitness and Nutrition Expert Harley Pasternak will be in store at Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens on March 19^th to chat with fans to launch his new book, The Body Reset Diet.  

Times like these are when I wish I were still living in Toronto! I'm a Harley Pasternak fan! Have you checked out his website? I was going to upload a video of Harley on The Chew, ! 

Wish I could make it, but Manitoulin Island is a 6 hour drive from Toronto!  If you attend, please tell Harley I say hello!

We love creating new traditions with our friends. This year, our Swiss friend invited us (and another family) over for an unusual St. Paddy's Day dinner!  A beef tongue dinner!

Being a farming family, we don't get to travel much for pleasure very often. The farm cannot go unattended. The animals are always up to something. I also suspect that Murphy's Law has made it so that whenever we do go away, we can expect the unexpected...like our cattle getting out onto the highway or my mother-in-law's basement flooding. You know...all the fun stuff.

We were so thrilled to discover that I was selected as one of five Falls Avenue Resort Brand Ambassadors!

Niagara Falls has always been one of my favourite destinations. When I lived in Toronto, I used to try to make it to Niagara Falls yearly. I can never tire of "the Falls".

This trip was special since this was Little One's very first trip to Niagara. It was also the first time in a long time that we were able to go away as a family.

Niagara Falls is definitely "Like Nowhere Else", and the same can be said of  Sheraton on the Falls at Falls Avenue Resort and Fallsview Waterpark!

We were so excited about our trip that we were tweeting and posting on FB the entire time we were away! I had eight friends tell me they were going to take their families to Niagara on March Break just because of my Twitter and Facebook updates! I wasn't trying to suggest they go, but more just wanting to share how much fun we were having!

Here's a little glimpse of the fun we had!



We were welcomed by friendly and helpful staff at the registration desk. To be honest, everyone we met was very helpful and hospitable. What impressed me was that the staff recognized us and some even remembered Little One's name. The reason this struck me was that they see hundreds of faces filter in and out of the hotel and water park every day, yet they still remembered us. That is phenomenal.








Our room was perfect. The beds were very comfortable and it was the best sleep I had in ages!

The view from our room was breathtaking.



Once settled into our room, we made a game plan for how we were going to proceed with our time at the resort. Of course, Little One was set on spending pretty much the entire time at the Fallsview Waterpark.



Dinner at the Fallsview Restaurant at the Sheraton Falls was impressive. It was buffet style and there was something for everyone.

We could not believe how much our Little One ate! She loved the pasta and chicken. She was even served a special smoothie. She was right in her happy place!


I'm actually kind of embarrassed to tell you that my tiny waif-like 4 year old ate chicken, ravioli, a vegetable medley, shrimp, stuffed pork tenderloin, and a slider. She then had her smoothie and went to the dessert buffet with Daddy.


I was pleased (and not surprised) to see that for dessert she didn't go for the decadent items, but chose fruit!

We were seated in VIP, where we had the most amazing view. One one side we had this...


and this...

and on the other, we could see this...


While most parents like to have their kids in bed soon after dinner, there was a method to my madness. I suggested to Hubby that we take Little One to the Waterpark after supper because:

A) It would likely be less busy because parents were probably putting their kids to bed
B) It would exhaust her and she'd sleep through the night!


I have to say that for once I credit myself with being a true genius. It was the best decision I made! We went to the Waterpark the next day and it was packed!



A little bit about the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark


It's North America's largest indoor water park and resort with 3 acres of indoor family fun! There are 16 thrilling water slides and the water park is connected to the Falls Avenue Resort (including 3 hotels + more). There is a massive indoor wave pool, which my 4 year old enjoyed immensely! The water park also features hot springs and an outdoor pool and sundeck. Not only that, but it's also a 2 minute walk to the water falls!

If it were up to Little One, we'd spend our entire vacation at the water park! I think we spent a total of 6 hrs at the water park!

My family had so much fun that we decided we will definitely be back. My poor little four year old didn't want to leave!

We enjoyed our mini vacation so much and are excited to be able to share a similar experience to readers of Life on Manitoulin!

• Fallsview Family Suite at the Sheraton on the Falls
• Four Passes to the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark
• Celebration Dinner at the Rainforest Cafe

It's no secret that I am obsessed with Twitter.  I pretty much live on there! In fact, Twitter is responsible for giving me pretty much 90% of my blog opps and even side jobs. I kid you not.

Why do I love Twitter so much? It enables me to meet and get to know so many fabulous people. I'm all about the relationships made and cultivated. Engaging is my thing. I'm as chatty in person as I am online. What you see is what you get.

This is how Kathy and Kim Originals and I met!  A group of tweeps, gathered together by my friend, @Dogpaddling would get together (on Twitter) and watch various TV shows. The commentary would be hilarious and I often think it would be so funny to get us all in one room watching together! I wonder if we'd actually be talking or tweeting? Hmm!

Anyway, Twitter has enabled me to cross paths with some pretty amazing people. Every week, I'd tweet with my tweeps and joke around on Twitter while we watched our favourite shows. I quickly fell in love with the ladies at @KathyandKimOrig. If you haven't already tweeted with them, you must do so now!

I was surprised when Kathy and Kim Originals recently approached me to work with them on something exciting! They asked me to review two of their poly mugs. The funny thing is that I have been following them for a while now and often find myself perusing their site! I have been thinking that I'd like to get the loot bag combo for Little One's friends at her next birthday. Yes, I do realize her birthday is in November, and I am in absolutely no rush for her to turn 5 yet. *gasp* FIVE!!!

I'm just really excited about all the products on the Kathy and Kim Originals website!

What kid (okay, and big kid...aka: ME!) doesn't love to have personalized items?! I'm a sucker for personalized anything! This is what we got:

 
Aren't they adorable?

The funny thing is that the image on Little One's mug bears a striking  resemblance to the real life Little One. She was so excited to receive her mug and yelled, "HEY!!! THAT'S ME!!!!"

What I love about the mugs is that they are SHATTERPROOF! You can customize and personalize your items. They make the perfect gift for everyone on your list! I know what I'm ordering for Little One's Junior Kindergarten teacher!

LOVE:

• shatterproof - Little One drops things on the floor quite often, so it's good to know that this will not shatter into a zillion pieces if Little One happens to drop her cup.
• size - The perfect size and weight for a wee one!
• personalized - You and your little ones can create your own special items the way you want by selecting from KKO's selctions (and there are lots of options in colours and designs)!
• Canadian - The company is owned and operated by two Canadian women.
• May be art of a Green living initiative - Little One loves toting her mug with her. I love that she's learning the idea of reduce-reuse/recycle. She always brings her own cup or thermos with her instead of using disposables.
• BPA/H free - The mugs are FDA approved.
• Unique - Great way to express yourself.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure - I received products to facilitate this honest review. All opinions on this blog are honest and my own.

Tell me you're not going to try this when you get a chance :)  How do you fold your undies?

I haven't made many videos, so my YouTube channel is pretty bare. I'm contemplating starting a little vlogging soon. Would you please visit my YouTube channel and show it some luv? Please and thank you?

We learn about food, our culture and how to cook by watching our parents cook.  Well, in most cases that is where our earliest introduction with cooking comes from.

I remember as a very young child, going to my grandparents' house after school and my grandfather would be watching cooking shows. Long before I became a FoodNetwork junkie, I was a Ken Kostick and Mary Jo Eustace What's For Dinner fan.

My brothers, cousins and I would always hang out in the kitchen while our grandparents taught us how to cook Filipino food. We'd loiter in the kitchen under the guise of  actually wanting to learn how to cook, when in reality, we just wanted to sample all their yummy food. My grandparents were both fabulous cooks.

I say we learn about food by watching our parents (or grandparents) in the kitchen. Now I find myself watching FoodNetwork or even YouTube videos! How about Pinterest? If I need a recipe, I just Google it and pray there's a video!

Canadian Beef has wowed me with their amazing videos. So easy to follow!

I have to say that I only really started cooking when I first lived on my own. With parents and grandparents who were amazing cooks, I never had to really put into practice what I learned. I failed miserably when I first started on my own. The fear of not being able to cook meat properly was something that stressed me out. When Hubby and I were in our first year of marriage, I was so stressed out about cooking for my mother-in-law.

Who cooks a roast beef better than a beef farmer's wife? I couldn't even make my own pie crusts, let alone cook the perfect roast! I had tremendous anxiety cooking beef for my beef farmer mother-in-law. Turns out she loves my cooking. I still wish I had Canadian Beef recipes, tips, and videos back then!

Check out this video on "How to Make the Perfect Pot Roast".


If you grew up watching Julia Child, you know you've always wanted to learn how to make the perfect Boeuf Bourguignon! Never fear, Canadian Beef is here!

With Mother's Day and Easter coming up, I know my husband is going to ask me to make one of the above recipes (most likely the oven roast)!

It's interesting how as I prepare to end this post, we come full circle. I began talking about how as a child, I watched and learned as my grandparents cooked their dishes from their home country of the Philippines. Now that my daughter is four years old, she is now learning how to cook and often acts as my very capable Sous Chef!



 If you're teaching your kids how to cook, these Canadian Beef videos will come in handy!

Canadian Beef has more exciting news for you!
Canadian Beef has partnered with Eat In Eat Out Magazine. Check it out! I read every page, as there were so many amazing recipes included. Of course, my lots of great beef tips too! You can follow them on Twitter at @EatInEatOutMag.

WIN 1 of 5 Canadian Beef iPad4 Prize Packs!



Disclosure -