bear & lion

here's a peek into the highs and woes of our life

holy moly, guacamole!

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is there such a thing as too much guacamole? i don’t think so. today for a family dinner, we were asked to contribute some guacamole, which i was happy to make.

is this not the most perfect avocado you have ever seen?


INGREDIENTS:

2 ripe avocado’s
1 tomato
1/4 of a lemon’s juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
generous sprinkling of black pepper

this serves 4-6 people

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. dice up tomato and cut up avocado. place into a mixing bowl. 
2. mash avocado and tomato with a fork. add salt, paprika, lemon juice and black pepper. mix ingredients well.
3. chill before serving.



my kids love guacamole. we eat it not just with tortilla chips, but often on crackers, toast or we dip various veggies into it. so healthy, so good for you skin, hair and your brain!

after dinner there was some serious trouble gaming going on! remember that silly board game from the 80’s? well, bear received it as a gift at christmas time and he is what some may call, addicted! 



xo, mama lola

carrot bread :: nom, nom

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this recipe is a big hit at our house! 
the kids love it, dear hubby slathers mountains of butter on it and i like to nibble on a chunk while sipping fresh coffee. yum!

(the original recipe is from the joy of cooking, but after years of baking it, food allergies popping up in our family and after adding just my own preferences this is the recipe that i’ve settled upon.)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 as desired sprinkling of ground cloves
3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs/ or preferred egg substitute
1/2 vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (you could substitute zucchini)
1/2 sunflower seeds
1/2 chocolate chips (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. preheat your oven to 350F, and grease your bread pan.
2. mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves together.
3. in another larger bowl mix, sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla and salt. add dry ingredients. then add carrots and chocolate chips
4. scrape batter into your pan. bake for about 45 minutes or until bread pulls away from the sides of the pan. let cool before serving.

baking can be demanding, exhausting work, especially when you’re two and it’s right before lunch and one’s afternoon nap. this pouty lip appears quickly, but disappears just as fast, if lion is distracted by something else.

it’s so nice to have a helper around!

and, voila carrot bread. because i don’t bake with eggs my breads and loafs don’t rise quite as well, as yours will if you use them. we discovered a year ago bear’s terrible eczema was caused by eggs, so we stopped eating them just like that, all four of us.

xo, mama lola

family long weekend!

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last weekend we had a beautiful long weekend up at the cottage with good friends. there was heaps of snow, super cold temperatures dipping down to close to -30c at night and warming up to about -15c during the day, and a lack of running water! that meant we got to use an out house, which with those temps was kinda cold on the tushie! but, the kids were brave and did it; it was us adults who needed more encouragement! for drinking we bring big jugs of water from home and for dishes we melt snow, but because there is electricity it’s not as bad or difficult as some may think. and there is a beautiful fire for cozies and warmth! 
it’s a super fun adventure!

we tobogganed for hours, went for a long walk up the road, the kids played all sorts of games, we ate tons of yummy food and us adults had a roaring good time after the kids went to sleep!

i took a gazillion pics, so instead of posting them all i made this wee movie. 

ENJOY! CELEBRATE!

and, as usual we were the last family to leave and as usual we got stuck. this time, it wasn’t slippery conditions, but a dead car battery. but, CAA arrived quickly and we were on the road after lunch!

can’t wait to do it all again!

xo, mama lola

bear’s 5th birthday :: the chirp cake

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my son is very particular about his birthday cakes. he chooses and plans what he wants and then DH and i are in charge of making these wishes come into fruition. luckily for us, bear’s wishes are not outrageous or complicated. in fact, they’re adorably simple. for his third birthday he wanted a car cake. for his fourth birthday, he wanted a triangle cake.

and, this year for his 5th birthday he wanted a chirp cake, as in chirp the wee yellow bird from chirp magazine.

this recipe is directly from the joy of cooking. any modifications we made are marked with an asterisk.
INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt

2/3 vegetable oil
3 large eggs *we used boxed egg substitute
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
1 cup chopped walnuts *DH has a srious walnut allergy, so we use sunflower seeds instead
1 cup golden raisins
(1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple)this is optional and we never include the pineapple


INSTRUCTIONS:

1. preheat oven to 350F, grease and flour you pan.
2. whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. whisk together the wet ingredients in a bowl, then with a rubber spatula, stir into the flour mixture until just combined.
4. stir in the rest of the ingredients.
5. scrape batter into your pan, ensuring it has spread evenly. 
6. baking time depends on your pan size/ dimensions. we used a 9 inch round cake pan and the cake baked for about 35 minutes.
7. let cool before applying icing, if so desired.


each month the magazine is complied together with a theme. one month it was BIRTHDAYS and there was a recipe for a chirp cake. bear saw it and immediately came running to me excitedly saying that that was the cake he wanted. we tweaked it a little; instead of donuts for eyes we used a puddle of icing and plopped blueberries for the pupils. we used dried pear slices for the beak. and the inside was yummy, egg free carrot cake. delish!!!


the kid was so happy, delighted and proud. he and lion actually worked hard with dear hubby with the mixing of all of those ingredients. i love that the kids are so eager to be involved!

xo, mama lola

bear’s birthday party!

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WELCOME TO BIRTHDAY WEEK!

on sunday, my bear had a birthday party for his 5th birthday. he insisted that no adults were allowed except for dear hubby and myself, and all four grandparents. so that’s what we did, a drop off party. i was a little nervous and skeptical that it would work, but another mum had recommended it and since bear really wanted to do it, i figured why not.


the party was short, two hours. the plan was to let the guests trickle in, but they all arrived promptly at 11am! that meant party time! the kids played, while i made some fruit kabobs and cream cheese wraps. then dear hubby had them play a few rounds of pin the tail on the donkey, then it was lunch time, and then cake time!


after devouring the carrot cake the kids played again for a bit, and then it was present time! and then, again the parents arrived promptly and the party was over! for any parent considering hosting a drop off party… DO IT! for us as hosts, it was easier as we didn’t have to feed as many people, and i wasn’t trying to catch up with a friend while trying to organize the kids as well. i actually had several opportunities to sit and chat with my folks, drink coffee and just watch as the kids played. We did look into bouncy castle hire with the intention of having some inflatables as we knew the kids would love this, but we decided that it wouldn’t be safe having one at a drop off party. It would be too much pressure for me and the hubby to make sure all the kids were safe on the inflatables and still manage everthing else we had to do for the party.
the kids themselves were so well behaved. there was no fighting, no shenanigans of any kind; they followed directions, ate nicely, chatted amongst themselves and were super adorable, quite frankly!


we made an amazing cake that i will post about in another entry. and, i will share what we did for loot bags this year in another post.

THIS IS BIRTHDAY WEEK!
bear is turning five on valentine’s day and i’m building up to my letter that i wrote to him for this special occasion.

xo, mama lola

lovely valentine’s day card crafts!

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kids love to hand-out valentine’s day cards to each other at school. we were even sent home a list of all of the student’s in bear’s class to ensure that no kid is left out, i suppose. 

here are eight super cute, super easy cards you can make with the kids for valentine’s day. i find my kids love to be involved and even my lion who is only 2.5 years old, can easily participate in the creation of these cards.

: SOURCES :
1. olive you card from better homes and gardens.
2. fly away with me from life in wonderland
3. hearts in a jar from hooray hurrah
4. i’m glad you’re in my school from simple organized living
5. have a “dino”mite valentine’s day from life in wonderland
6. i love you from my kids guide
7. would you like a lollipop? from the matthews family blog.
8. some bunny loves you from so crafty on squidoo

let me know which one you decided on!

xo, mama lola

frida kahlo was a phenomenal woman.

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the other week i had a special date with my dad. we went to the art gallery to see the frida kahlo and diego rivera exhibit. 
it was stunning. 
just breathtaking.

frida lived such an incredible life, one which she documented so beautifully through her art. her life was vibrant and bold full of tragedies, love, lust; full of political and emotional turmoil and a love for her homeland of mexico unlike anything else. 

when i was eighteen i went to mexico with my mom. we travelled around the country, never staying in a resort, but instead immersing ourselves into the culture. it helped that we had friends there who took us in and took us around. but, we did travel on our own as well, seeing all sorts of beautiful sights: mayan pyramids, beaches of glorious white sand where we were the only tourists. 

in mexico city we saw some diego rivera’s famous mural’s at the presidential palace. they were huge and astounding! his magic with murals is jaw dropping and mind boggling! 

we also visited the famous house that frida and diego shared, la casa azul, the blue house. their love of history, bold colours, textures and art were all on display in this fascinating house. what a treat to see this place!


at the art gallery of ontario you are not allowed to take pictures of some of the art, something about copyright laws or something. i don’t really understand as when we were at MOMA in NYC, we took pictures of the big hits by van gogh, picasso, monet and other’s.


check out my handsome date!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

xo, mama lola

the new year brings with it some baggage, but in a good way.

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a new year and a new project.
i’ve joined the fun at 365 project; come check out my profile HERE. I’ll be posting a photo a day as a kind of photo journal of our days in 2013. I know I already post lots of pics here, but I like the idea of choosing one picture to describe our day, like I do for this moment every friday.

* * * * * * *


a new year and new habits.
we have gorged ourselves with gingerbread cookies, various decadent bark flavours, other baked goods and lotsa food in general, and yesterday was the final day for pigging out. The kids have been eating way too many treats and the thought of all of that sugar on their pearly whites freaks me out. I am so done with all of that refined sugar moving through their wee bodies, making their behaviour erratic and wild, and mucking up other good habits.

Three cheers and health to us all. Less sugar, less white flour, less processed foods, regular dental checkups with our Dentist Vineland and back to the goodness of real, whole foods. my mouth is watering just thinking about the dinners we’ll enjoy again!

* * * * * * *


a new year and a time for calm.
After our chaotic fall and busy holiday season, I am eager to enjoy the calm and routine the new year will bring with it. Yes, the routines can be mundane, but the predictability of the routine will allow me to work on myself and my needs and reduce the anxieties tied up in my shoulders. I am hoping to learn new habits for old relationships.
I also need to place priority on myself more, so today I rescheduled my chiropractor’s appointment from next week to this evening, as I think I have a pinched nerve in my neck causing intense pain in my neck and shoulders. I know this doesn’t sound like a huge thing, but it’s a step and hopefully the baby steps will lead me to a healthy, strong, balanced destination. Anyone who has ever pinched a nerve will know how painful that is and how much you just want relief. Seeing my chiropractor is a positive thing, it shows that I want to take care of my health. If you are in the same position as me then get yourself that help, look up a chiropractor and Visit Website of one near you to see if they can help you too.

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A new year and quality time with my dear hubby.
Yes, we instilled a regular date night over a year ago, but truth be told, we have spent many friday date nights running errands and only talking about the kids. I am hoping to spend more quality time with my partner, talking about us, life, goals and yes, the kids as well, but I don’t want them to dominate our time. I want to turn off the tv and play board games or card games, laughing together, as we enjoy each other’s company.
I am hoping to turn to our families more for help with the kids. I have nothing to prove and sending the kids away on overnight visits to grandparent’s houses is going to be the new thing for us. can you believe we’ve never done that?!

* * * * * * *

what does 2013 look like for you?
did you make any resolutions?

xo, mama lola

xo, mama lola
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