Imagine yourself in a house full of 3, 4, and 5 year olds (and their moms), sprawled out on the floor with their sleeping bags and pillows!  Popcorn, every single flavour of Goldfish crackers available to mankind, fruit and veggie platters decorated like fish, a coral reef and starfish and  multi-coloured gummy frogs and turtles swimming in a sea of blue Jello?!  What mom would willingly open up her house to a dozen junior kindergarten kids for a fun movie matinee? Me! That's who!

The Plot

What the moms thought

What the kids thought

Disclosure: I am participating in A Turtle’s Tale 2 – Sammy Escapes From Paradise Blogger Campaign by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Ever since the beginning, Little One just had to be unique.  She insisted on catapulting herself into existence at 28 weeks gestation.  This was a first in our family's history.  There were no preemies on either side of the family.

To this day, our four year old displays her uniqueness in the way she thinks, the way she vocalizes her opinions (Ha! So young, yet has an opinion about everything), and especially in displaying her likes and preferences.

Friends and family know that I have always been anti-pink.  Even from a young age, I boycotted pink! My aunts used to always get everything in pink for me and I resisted.  I always opted for blue!

When Little One was born, I wanted no pink items.  We ended up with everything pink.  I believe it was to spite me that everyone showered us with PINK!  Despite my protests, Little One's favourite colour is pink.  She is a veritable girly girl.  I don't know how that happened, since we haven't raised her in an environment that teaches girls to love pink and be girly girls or play with dolls.

In fact, Hubby bought her John Deere outfits and we got her toy trucks, trains, school buses and cars.  Still, she somehow gravitated to the pink and the dolls, toy kitchens, doll houses, etc.  There's nothing wrong with that at all, and we encourage her to do what she enjoys.  I just think it's rather interesting how given all opportunities to use tools and do science experiments (which she loves), she also loves playing house and being a princess-fairy-ballerina. I think it's great that a princess-fairy-ballerina can play in the dirt and play with Star Wars action figures with her friends. Why not?


Since Little One is an only child, we have no reference point to determine what makes her different from other children.  She's without a doubt, one of a kind.  She has risen over what seemed to me to be insurmountable odds of being a preemie and she is thriving.  I think what makes her unique in our eyes is how tenacious she is. She's spirited and feisty...and that may not necessarily be a bad thing.

All I know is that each child is unique and special in their own ways.  I like that Kinder Canada "gets" that.  Kinder Canada has launched their Kinder Surprise Pink and they're celebrating with a contest.




I'm a fan of the original/classic Kinder Surprise with toys that are gender neutral.  Having said this, my daughter is a fan of the Kinder Surprise Pink.  She loves the cute little animals, the jewelry, and girl toys.  I have to say that she also likes the cars and cool toys found in the blue Kinder Surprise too.

Kinder Canada is having a great Pink contest!  Tell Kinder Canada what makes YOUR child one of a kind and you can win 1 of 3 $250 VISA gift cards! To enter, "like" Kinder Canada on Facebook and enter here telling them what makes your child unique!

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.

When I think of all the many toys that have passed through my parents' house and endured the test of time, tiny hands, sticky fingers, and that have given countless hours of play, I think of Fisher-Price.  I remember playing with the Fisher-Price record player, telephone, airplane, farm, and all the old school Little People when I was a kid. My brothers, cousins and I would spend hours playing with our favourite Fisher-Price toys.

We even kept a few Fisher-Price toys at my grandparents' house so we could play with them when we were there. To this day, I still look back on those days with fondness.

I have to say that when I was little, my favourite Fisher-Price toy was probably the record player. I think it's interesting how children gravitate towards certain toys and have an attachment to them. I know that Little One absolutely loves her Laugh & Learn Say Please Tea Set!

Little One can often be found pouring tea for her friends and playing hostess, serving up imaginary treats! It is endearing! I am also amazed at how much she has grown, learned, and developed in the past year or so. The Laugh & Learn Say Please Tea Set has taught her phrases, numbers, and more! I'm in constant awe of how this toy captures my daughter's imagination.

Though the recommended age for this toy is 6 months to 3 years, Little One is now 4 years old and loves this toy just as much as she did when she first got it 2 years ago.

Another reason I love the Laugh & Learn Say Please Tea Set is because Little One has been severely opposed to learning her numbers. To say she was resistant is an understatement. When she entered Junior Kindergarten last Fall, at 3 years of age, I tried to practice recognizing and writing her numbers and alphabet. She would always get distracted and not want to have anything to do with her numbers and letters. However this particular Fisher-Price toy has recently piqued her interest in numbers without her even knowing it. Before, it seemed like it was all about just playing. Now she's been counting and using her numbers - even when she doesn't realize she is.


It makes me so thrilled to hear her say things like "One tea for you, and one tea for me! That's two cups of tea!" or "If I have five biscuits and Daddy eats one, I eat one, Mommy eats one, and Chancey eats one, we only have one left!"

Apart from the obvious educational element, I'm most pleased about the fact that it's pure joy when Little One plays with her Laugh & Learn Say Please Tea Set.


About the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Say Please Tea Set:

•    This adorable set has 3 play modes-learning, music and imagination.
•    Teaches baby about numbers, shapes, opposites, manners, greetings and more
•    Tip the tea pot to hear fun sound effects. Three sung songs.
•    Press the teabag to hear a sung song or lift the lid to learn about opposites and manners
•    Includes 2 teacups and a shape-sorting cookie tray with 3 teethable cookies

Check out the Fisher-Price Favourites! They're specially picked to help give you and your baby a toy box packed full of fun that will help you grow together through the joy of learning.

This is one toy I always tell my friends about. If they don't have it on their "Must Have" list, I get it for their kids for birthdays or Christmas. That's how much we love this toy!
Toys aren't the only things on Mom's "Must Have" list! There are also so many Fisher-Price Baby Gear items that I tell my friends I absolutely loved having (and needed) when Little One was an infant!

A few items I've gotten for expectant mom friends are the My Little Snugabunny Cradle 'n Swing, Ocean Wonders Aquarium, Infant to Toddler Rocker, and the Space Saver High Chair.

To pick just one favourite would be too difficult, because they all have their purposes and they all help make Mama's life a little easier! Having said this, I think the Space Saver High Chair is a definite must.


We certainly didn't have room for a big, bulky high chair. A high chair like this is perfect. It's easy to clean, portable, and it doesn't take up too much space. What's not to love?

Fisher-Price Favourites are toys that have been tried & tested through the years, and year over year have been favourites of moms, not just in Canada, but World over. They encourage child development and support children in achieving important milestones.

EXCITING NEWS!

I've got a Mom Central and Fisher-Price blogger discount code to share with my readers! With the code FISHERPRICE20 you will be able to receive 20% off Fisher-Price favourites at Toys ‘R Us! This PIN is effective March 29 to April 30. Visit: http://www.toysrus.ca/home/index.jsp?categoryId=2567269 to use the exclusive PIN code!

If you don't already have the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Say Please Tea Set, I highly recommend it! I'd love to hear what favourites you'll be buying with the use of the special PIN code!

Do you have any Fisher-Price favourites? What are they?


Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Blogger Campaign with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Being a Mom is nothing I expected it to be.  Nothing could have ever prepared me for all the amazing moments motherhood would bring. Nothing could have prepared me for all those other moments either. You know those moments - OVERtired, OVERexhausted, OVERwhelmed, OVERstressed, OVERjoyed, OVERthemoon, and so on.

Motherhood is not without the other moments.

Here are some of my favourite moments. They're moments that make me smile.

•      My Little Snugabunny™ Bouncer ($89.99 CAD)
•      Laugh & Learn™ Dance & Play Puppy ($59.99 CAD)  
•     Ocean Wonders™ Aquarium ($54.99 CAD)

I'm from the city. My husband is from the country. He's of very Anglo-Saxon heritage and I'm what some endearingly call a "Heinz 57". A little bit of this and a little bit of that. Spanish-Filipina-Caribbean-Chinese is as multicultural as we get over here.

Hubby and I come from two very different worlds. Sometimes, though English is my first language and I majored in English Lit, minored in Linguistics, and taught English as a Second Language, I don't think Hubby and I speak the same language. Our expressions, phrases, and sayings are like night and day. "Oh, it's about ten minutes by the crow flies" and "It's six of one half a dozen of the other" had me clueless in the beginning.

I remember the first Valentine's Day we shared, he said "Here are some Valentine's Love Berries for you".

"Love Berries"???

He went on to show me that when cut in half, a strawberry looks like the shape of a heart.
He wasn't lying. Strawberries do look like hearts when sliced in half.

Now, Hubby and our four year old call strawberries "Love Berries".

Because I'm a frugal farmer's wife, I make sure that I always keep strawberries on hand for any occasion. After harvesting our berries, we eat the strawberries fresh, use them to make jams and other preserves, and I process them and freeze them in our produce freezer for Winter use.

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I'm going to surprise Hubby and Little One with something I don't make often. We're basically very conscious of what we eat, but every once in a while Hubby and Little One want a little treat. You're going to be shocked at how simple this dessert is. Okay, it's one of those "half-made, homemade" desserts.

{ Super Easy Homemade Ice Cream Cake }

Ingredients:
16 ice cream sandwiches
1 container frozen whipped topping (16 oz)
1 jar chocolate fudge topping (12 oz)
Strawberries, sliced
Optional
Shaved chocolate and mint to garnish

Instructions: 
In a 9x13 baking dish, place 8 ice cream sandwiches side by side. Spread chocolate fudge topping evenly over the ice cream sandwiches. Next, spread half the whipped topping, making an even layer. Repeat with another layer of ice cream sandwiches and toppings. Arrange sliced strawberries on top of cake. You can garnish with chocolate shavings and/or mint if you wish.

Chill in freezer. Remove about 15-20 min prior to serving so you can let it thaw a little.

Although, I have been perusing the Life Made Delicious website, and have to say that these recipes look very appealing! I'll have to try them out! Anyone want to be a taste tester?

• Valentine Sandwich Cookies 
• Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Cake
• Berry Ice Cream Pie
• Turtle Brownie Ice Cream Dessert

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.

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.

Our Kinder Canada box arrived, and to my surprise, it contained forty-eight Kinder Surprise eggs! FORTY-EIGHT! 24 KINDER® Barbie and 24 KINDER® Hot Wheels eggs! How eggciting!

Before I begin, I have to say that we tried to raise Little One in a non-girlie fashion. When I found out I was pregnant, I opted for all gender-neutral items and wanted nothing pink or blue. When Little One was born, everyone kept giving us pink items! PINK!

As much as I resisted and boycotted, and didn't want Little One to grow up a total girlie girl, things sort of turned out that way. Even though Hubby and I never encouraged or thrust upon her all things girlie, she has developed a love for frilly, frou-frou, blingy, sparkly, PINK things. Though in our house, we never introduced her to Dora, Barbie, or Hello Kitty, princess, fairies, Little One is obsessed with all of the above.

To say Little One is a girlie girl is indeed a huge understatement. Take a look for yourselves:
A friend gave Little One her first Barbie last year for her 3rd Birthday, and all of a sudden, they multiplied! She now has six Barbies and two Kens! Ken has changed since I was a little girl. He sort of looks like Justin Bieber now, don't you think?

Anyway, when we found out about KINDER® Canada's Barbie and Hot Wheels eggs, the excitement could not be contained. Curious about Kinder for Girls? Click here for more details.

Little One instantly gravitated towards the Barbie box, but she was also interested in the Hot Wheels, saying that she can't wait to share them with her friends. She does like cars, and plays racing games with her friends.

Though we love the classic Kinder Surprise eggs, Little One is pretty excited about the Barbie and Hot Wheels ones! I did let her have one Kinder Surprise after school the other day as a treat for doing a great job practicing getting in and out of her snow pants and coat --something she is having difficulty doing on her own at school. She says her zipper sticks. She did well when we practiced, so I let her have an egg. When she got the little Barbie inside, she was elated! I can see how these Kinder toys will add to her playtime fun. She is using her little Kinder Barbie as one of her other Barbies' babies! She said "Barbie and Ken had a baby. This is Baby Barbie!"

Have I mentioned how much she loves playing house and cooking? She was cooking for her Barbie and Ken dolls, saying they were her children and that Arthur is her husband. Ummm...Apparently, Little One thinks she's going to marry Arthur. Arthur the aardvark from the cartoon series! Oy!

To kick off this amazing launch of these new Kinder Surprise Barbie and Hot Wheels eggs, Kinder Canada is giving away 40 Kinder Barbie and Kinder Hot Wheels Prize Packs!

As of January 10th, for 4 weeks, you can participate in the Kinder Canada Barbie and Hot Wheels contest simply by becoming a fan of Kinder Canada on Facebook and following the contest rules!


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.

 I don't know about you, but I've always found a certain charm in all things homemade.  No, seriously! There's something so special about a handmade card and knowing that someone put the time, effort, love, and thought into making your present.

Sure, a completely renovated basement and a new 53 inch TV would be great. Oh, and a trip to either Disney World or Hawaii would be greatly appreciated as well. Hubby, are you reading this?!

All kidding aside, in the past few years I've been all about the DIY gifts. Now that Little One is a little older and can  help more (Read: Not destroy the kitchen completely), it's really a lot of fun to create things with her.
For me, the Holidays are all about FAMILY.
It's about the turkey and stuffing,the Bûche de Noël, singing Christmas carols, watching Frosty the Snowman and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the kids excited to see if Santa came to deliver presents and just being together. Of course, it's also a time for us to remember the true meaning of Christmas and the reason we celebrate. I remember going to midnight mass every Christmas. We haven't done that in a while since Little One wouldn't last until midnight.

For me, Christmas is all of those things, and it's also about the BAKING!

My husband finds it interesting that I love to bake, but I am not big into sweets. I do enjoy concocting things that make people happy. I pretty much bake only on special occasions.

Resurrected from the blog vault:  You may have seen some of these before, as I like to recreate these during the Holidays. Since it is the Season of Giving, I will share this recipe! I can't remember where I got the recipe. I've been making these since 2007 though!  When you see these, you'll know why I only bring these bad boys out at Christmas!

{ CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE CUPCAKES }

Ingredients:
Filling
1 pkg cream cheese, softened (8 oz)
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c sugar
a pinch of salt (and over the shoulder for good luck. Kidding!)
1 pkg chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate, 6 oz)

Cupcake
1 c sugar
1 1/2 c flour
1/4 c baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c water
1/2 c oil
1 tbsp vanilla

* Cute festive candies, sprinkles and other embellishments are the perfect finishing touch - along with your go-to cream cheese frosting.

Instructions:

• Combine the cream cheese, egg, sugar and salt in a bowl.
• Add chocolate chips. 
• In a separate bowl, mix sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, water, oil, and vanilla. Make sure to mix well and until smooth.
• Line muffin tin with paper cups. Fill 1/3 of the way. If you're feeling a little daring, fill 1/2 full.
• Drop a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture into each cup.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
• Once baked, remove and let cool before icing and decorating.

Above: Cross section of the Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcake. The minty candy cane decorations are really festive and perfect for the Holidays!

Below: It's not Christmas without Shortbread Cookies!!! I used the same Holiday decorations/embellishments on these, but with a Royal Icing.


 As for the crafts, I love the idea of having Little One make a decoration for the Christmas tree each year. I also love reusing, recycling, and re-purposing items around the house.  These ornaments were made before Little One was born. After Hubs and I got married, I wanted a Christmas ornament for the tree each year. I made one for Hubs and one for me using old light bulbs.

This is a great thing to make if you don't know what to do with all those burnt out light bulbs! Don't throw them away!

What are your favourite Christmas recipes?  Do you also make Christmas crafts? What do you think of homemade/handmade presents?

For lots of fun holiday cookie and baking ideas, check out the LMD Facebook page. Pillsbury will be sharing their ideas from December 3rd to the 15th and Betty Crocker will be sharing their ideas from December 17th to the 31st.
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