Archives for August 2013

fun vegetarian lunch ideas!

August 29, 2013 by mama lola

i know many kids have already returned back to school. my eldest goes back next week, and to prepare i have collected some healthy, fun lunch ideas! my bear gets easily distracted from eating, so i’m hoping if i change things up a little and create little fun surprises, then maybe he’ll be more inclined to eat. we’re vegetarian and his school is a nut-free, waste-free zone, meaning there are certain foods i’m not allowed to include in his lunch and we need to use a steel lunch box to reduce product waste. i’m not bothered by this because i’m very conscious of dietary issues and always do my bit for the environment! anyway, i want to make sure he’s getting everything he needs in a day with these restrictions in place!
i guess only time will tell!

how do you get your kids to eat their school lunches?

it’s so easy to always make the same thing for lunch. i love these ideas, because it shows that if you think a little out of the box you can really get creative!

here’s what to think about:

presentation is key; it’s not just about fun shapes, think brisght colours too
hitting the oh-so important food groups
cutting things into smaller, bite-sized portions
don’t forget about drinks too
investing in good BPA-free containers that are easy for kids to open and close
don’t forget to label all the pieces of the lunch sets

sooooooooooooooo…. here we go!

delicious lunch box selection from kids kitchen

make your own sushi from bear & lion

may the force be with you bento box from wendolomania

(i think the bread actually has meat inside, but you could easily substitute with hummus or cream cheese.)

healthy choices from i pack lunch

vegan club sandwich from healthy. happy. life.

roasted tomato grilled cheese from the wimpy vegetarian

slow roasted tomato basil and hummus wraps from oh my veggies

falafel & tzatziki from peas and thank-you

pizza pops from bear & lion

vegan sweet potato, coconut milk and sweet chili ravioli from reclaiming provincial

christmas cactus from organized bites

coming up soon… hot vegetarian school lunch ideas!

perfect for cool fall or chilly winter days!

the PIN IT PARTY #20!

August 29, 2013 by mama lola

Welcome to THE 20th edition of THE Pin It Party!

Are you interested in co-hosting THE Pin It Party? It is a WHOLE lot of fun and a great way to grow your Pinterest following. Go here to get more information and to secure your spot now!

Grab the code for our button here!

1. Please follow the host and co-hosts on Pinterest.

2. Send out a tweet about the party! Just click here:

3. “Like” THE Pin It Party on Facebook by clicking on the button below.

4. Grab the party button above and add it to your blog’s sidebar or link up party list.

5. Post 1-3 links to your blog’s most “pin-able” posts from the last few weeks. (Please, no links to other parties, giveaways or shops please. If you are an ETSY shop owner, come back this weekend and link up at the Weekend Blog Block Party!)

6. Mingle! Reach out to somebody new and pin their stuff. You never know when you will meet your blogging bestie!

7. Have a FABulous day and come back next week for more Pinterest fun. XO

Host: Ellie @ Creative Geekery

Co-Hosts:

Cindy @ crazylou

Mama Lola @ Bear & Lion

We will each choose our three favorite posts from the party and pin them to this party’s collaborative Pinterest board: THE Pin It Party – The Best of the Best! Woot woot!

what is happiness: by dilovely!

August 26, 2013 by mama lola

i’ve been wanting to share this post by my lovely blogger friend, dilovely. i have written a lot about happiness and contentment here at bear & lion, but i wanted to share something on the same topic, but with a different voice. (read my stuff HERE and HERE.)

as we head into fall, and the routines it brings with it, it is refreshing to be reminded of what and where we want to be, before we are overcome by the drudgery of it all!

please send dilovely some love and go read this article by her!

HAPPINESS AND THE MULTI-MULTI-MULTI-TASKING BRAIN.

* * * * * * *
i love how freely kids express themselves.
they go from goofy to sad to overjoyed in an honest stream of emotions.

happy monday!

heading further north: from pancake bay to wawa and beyond!

August 25, 2013 by mama lola

our road trip continued up along the trans-canada heading north from pancake bay to wawa and then to marathon.

in wawa we stopped at the famous young’s general store and saw henrietta the moose. we had a photo opp with the big goose as well!

in white river we bought the worst veggie burgers ever from A&W for dinner, although their sweet potato fries were delicious! we stopped at the iconic winnie the pooh statue. the black bear that winne the pooh is based on is oroginally from the forests of white river, onatrio. learn more HERE.

then we kept driving. we had hoped to camp close to marathon, but then we saw a real black bear on the side of the road sniffing some garbage and i lost my nerve. but, finding a motel in marathon proved to be surprisingly difficult; we declined a smoking room in town and opted for a non-smoking room, but it was at a motel next to the highway. so it goes, you win some, you lose some!

breakfast at the motel.

the next day it was a rainy drive, with essential stops at timmie’s for my double-double coffee’s and pee breaks. the kids were tired and eager to get to the much talked about city of thunder bay! i don’t like driving long stretches in the rain, because it’s not as easy to stop quickly to check out a water fall, or some tiny musuem, or have a quick picnic. you’re stuck in the car or inside restaurants. booo!

just outside of thunder bay we stopped at the terry fox memorial statue. before we arrived dear hubby was explaining to bear why terry fox is an important part of our recent history. explaining cancer, amputation and death to a five year old is tricky stuff, especially when you’re talking about a young man. i was unable to participate in the conversation, as i was quietly crying thinking about terry’s amazing marathon of hope, but mostly i was crying because i was thinking of terry’s courageous mama and the unimaginable pain and pride she must have felt.

thank you terry.

thunder bay is not a beautiful city. it has a roughness and sullen feel about it’s. the grey, rainy days probably exaggerated these qualities but, my heart has a fondness for good ol’ t-bay. it’s where i met my lovely husband and the city has lots of finnish culture there! as soon as we drove into town our first stop was a restaurant known fondly as the scan. it’s the scandinavian home and they make awesome finnish food there. we had finnish pancakes/ crepes called lettut with finnish style strawberry sauce and whipped cream. it was divine!

the sleeping giant.

we visited fort william, in the rain. the kids loved it and the rain mostly held off. although it was cool, as you can tell by the toques, jackets, fleeces and turtlenecks we’re all wearing! it was shockingly cold up in t-bay!

these are handmade birch bark canoes!

the tools below were used for tooth extractions. yikes!

while in thunder bay we rented a student townhouse at the local university, instead of staying at a hotel. we had our own four bedroom house, with a living room, kitchen and an outdoor space for two nights. it was perfect for our rainy t-bay visit!

the kids some flowers to press.

we had deer come and visit us. i took this photo through a window.

kakabeka water falls just outside thunder bay.

more pictures to come!
there are more pictures from thunder bay and then manitoulin island!
like i said there are a gazillion of them!

to read about the first leg of our trip go HERE.

this moment.

August 23, 2013 by mama lola

as inspired by souleMama; one photo from our week, no words, only an image to sum up our time as a family. one that captures a moment in time and is a visual reminder of where we were at this time in our lives.

i would love it if you left a link to your { this moment }.

wind tubes craft!

August 19, 2013 by mama lola

here is a fun, simple and creative craft project for kids. my 5 YO was happy to do most of the work himself, which was great!

materials:

tube like containers like toilet paper rolls, yoghurt containers, etc
various colours of tissue paper
duct tape & string
scissors, glue, markers, stickers, paper, sparkles

instructions:

glue toilet paper rolls together
decorate the outside of the tube; use your imagination and get creative!
cut tissue paper into strips (about 2cm’s wide)
cut the end off a container that has a bottom. cover sharp edge with duct tape, if necessary
glue tissue paper strips to one end of tubes. this will be the bottom of the wind tube
make three holes at the opposite end of the tissue paper and tie string through them. this is the top and tie the three string together at the ends, so that the wind tube can be hung

we hung our finished wind tubes outside on our front porch and watched the wind make them dance! the kids were super impressed and felt pretty proud. they were able to do so much of this craft on their own!

do you think this craft project is something your kids might be interested in?

the first leg of our epic summer road trip!

August 18, 2013 by mama lola

and so our second annual family summer road trip started with a weekend at the cottage with dear friends. we left home on a stormy friday afternoon and arrived at the cozy cottage where the weather was calm and beautiful. so, we decided to get our bathing suits on and jump in the lake! it was a great way to start the weekend!

our weekend was fun in the sun; we swam, chatted about everything under the sun, sat by the fire, roasted marshmallows, drank various drinks, the kids played and played… it was glorious!

we left the cottage on a hot sunday afternoon and headed north on highway 400. our first stop was french river. it is a beautiful spot, perfect for a picnic and stretching your legs. we did both!

our first night of camping was fine. dear hubby and i were a bit out of sync, but seeing as it was our first night on the road, we allowed ourselves the learning opportunity to figure it all out. it took a lot re-organizing to get things into good order. for example, packing up my camping kitchen, i just tossed things into my bin at home, but here at camp i organized it as now i knew what i needed first when starting a meal. We had to look at getting the best heavy duty camping chair (well two actually), because we couldn’t stay on our feet constantly!

we also bought the kids their own camping chairs and surprised them at our first campfire. they seriously believed us when we told them the forest fairies brought them! it was so sweet!

our first morning at fairbank provincial park and this is what the crater created lake looked like. kinda unbelievable!

then we hit science north in sudbury! (a shout out to all the sudbury peeps, YO!) man, it was fun, awesome and did i mention fun? if you’re even by the big nickel, hanging out on the rock go check this place out!

this big guy here, was the tallest man alive once-upon-a-time. he too had some issues with his pituitary gland, different from mine, but i felt a bond with this freakish moving robot man!

then it was time to hit the road. the kids were quiet and sleepy after such a busy morning, which made for easy driving. we did get stuck behind the road painting truck, which was super frustrating and hilarious at the same time!

and then we saw this sign (see below photograph). we passed the english version before i could snap a photo, but here is the french version (canada is billingual – and the french-speaking province of Quebec is a unique place to go if you want an experience that is neither fully french, nor fully english). the sign reads “please do not feed the bears”. then on the brown part “bears are dangerous”. um yeah they are! they have massive claws and teeth, which are not there just for looks! and, here i thought there is no way in hell anyone in their right mind would want to get near an actual bear, never mind feed it. clearly i am naive!

we drove to sault saint marie, arrived after dinner time so the kids were grumpy and had a hard time finding a good place to eat. eventually, we decided to get a room at the motel 8 and get some grocery store sushi, cheeses, baguette and fruit. kids loved it, i loved it, and dear hubby loved. it was easy and delicious!

the next morning we piled into the car and headed for the famous canal locks. we arrived just in time to see an american tourist boat experience the strange wonder of the locks. the boat started out at one water level and then slowly was lowered to another water level. it’s actually super cool, but also scary!

we visited the bush plane museum in the soo. it was very well organized, and even though it’s a small museum, there is a lot to see and do. the boys of course loved it!

after the soo, we headed along the trans-canada highway north to camp at a provincial park.

that was when we discovered the wonder that is pancake bay.

as we set up camp we could hear a deep rhythmic pounding in the distance. so, we walked over the soft, sandy dunes and saw this.
a breathtaking view of sand and water and sky and forest.

dear hubby and i sat and watched as the kids played in the water, becoming more and more soaked as the waves kept crashing into the shore, and as the kids kept running into them. the boys were not bothered at all by the frigid temperatures of lake superior, or the cool wind that was blowing over the lake; they laughed while running and playing! it was perfect.

then, evening came. dear hubby put the kids to bed, i hooped…

and then this happened. wow.

more pictures and tales to come later from our epic road trip!

yochi yochi shoes: a product review.

August 14, 2013 by mama lola

my little lion woke up one morning, stumbled down the stairs in his groggy state and found these super adorable frog shoes waiting for him on the table!

“for me?” he asked.
“for you. try them on” i replied.

he slipped the shoes on easily, and as soon as he landed his first step the shoe made a silly squeak. then he landed another step and another, and the shoes kept squeaking away! the smile on my three year old’s face was priceless, as he repeated “rib-bit, rib-bit” jumping around the kitchen pretending to be a frog, as his shoes squeaked away!

these adorable shoes are by yochi yochi. they have four different designs you can pick from: lady bug, panda, skull n’ cross bone and of course these frogs! check out their website HERE. they also sell adorable socks that rattle with each movement. the socks are meant for babes.

the silly squeak is not only fun for kids, but also a great way to keep track of your independent toddler at a busy grocery store, for example. the sizes go from 4-10. the shoes are light weight, with easy to use velcro straps and a handy tab at the heel to help pull the shoes on. my lion loves to do up his own shoes and these shoes are no exception.

these adorable yochi yochi shoes are a perfect gift for any little person!

HAPPY SQUEAKING!

[ i was compensated in exchange for writing a product review for yochi yochi shoes, but the views and opinions are my own.]

ontario, the beautiful.

August 13, 2013 by mama lola

my family and i went on an epic road trip this summer. just over two weeks of driving, camping with a few pit stops in m/hotels. i say this trip was epic, because although we drove a similar distance last summer when we drove all the way out east to the maritimes of canada, on this trip we headed north. north to where life is rougher, the temperatures much cooler and for us the trip felt more challenging, mirroring the way of life.

we live in south western ontario, which is mostly farm country, with pockets of lush forest. everything down here is flat. once you’re about 5 hours north of toronto, you start to kind of notice the rock, the rougher landscape, but just after sault saint marie, which is about 8 hours north west of toronto you really, really notice the rock cliffs, the trees fighting to survive and the lush green of the south is long forgotten and replaced with a scragglier, rougher landscape.

dear hubby and i met 12 years ago in those scraggly forests just outside of thunder bay, while treeplanting. this vacation was really a trip down memory lane and a way for us to re-experience all of those fun new-relationship places we got to know each other at all those years ago! we’ve had a tough year of marriage and life, and even though the kids were with us, this vacation felt like dear hubby and i were reconnecting in all the right ways! so great!

the raw feel of the landscape along lake superior really affected me. i grew up in finland, which has a very similar look and feel, so i was feeling quite nostalgic. the rocky cliffs lining the shores of the great lake are capped with moss, thin spruce trees, the odd birch tree and some berry bushes. you can imagine the freezing cold wind blowing up from the lake, creating incredibly cold conditions. we camped at a few provincial parks along the shores of lake superior and were surprised at the fine sand beaches we found, with awesome crashing waves. felt like we were in the caribbean without the crowds of tourists and palm trees, oh and the salt water!

we truly live in a beautiful province, one that i think most people take for granted. it is so easy to forget to look at the beauty that surrounds us, to acknowledge the wonder that is in our own backyard. i am proud to share the awesome adventures ontario has to offer with my kids; it doesn’t sound like a very exotic place, this good ol’ ontario, but we saw and experienced some awesome things. it isn’t a coincidence that our car license plates here say “yours to discover”!

i have a million pictures to sort and edit, stories to organize in my brain and many details to write down! i will be sharing vacation pics and tales in spurts!
keep checking back!

teach kids how to sew!

August 11, 2013 by mama lola

sewing is an important skill to have. we don’t all have to be experts, but some basic knowledge of how make things is valuable and helpful. i realize in today’s culture where everything is so cheap and easily replaced, rather than fixed, it might feel strange teaching kids how to darn socks! but c’mon, from there you can make awesome sock monkeys! haha!

here is a small collection of simple, small and lovely sewing ideas for small fingers. some are use a machine, others use hands for threading, some use felt, others denim. i’m sure you won’t regret teaching your kids how to sew, and it can prove to be a very useful skill for them. if you were to be a Cultural Care Au Pair looking after small kids, sewing might be an activity that you would like to take part in with them. as a mama to two boys, i am going to make sure they are exposed to sewing and i will encourage them to learn. bear, 5YO has expressed some interest and curiosity!