lovely valentine’s day card crafts!

February 6, 2013 by mama lola

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!

blogging, bloggers and why i blog.

February 5, 2013 by mama lola

someone out there is the world of bloggers and cyber friends did something really nice for me. lillian of “it’s a dome life” awarded me with the authentic voice award. i know a lot of bloggers think that these kinds of awards are cheesy or silly and meaningless, but i actually feel the complete opposite.

i think these kinds of awards are really important and valuable. i feel really honoured that lillian, took the time to read my blog and include it on a list with other blogs she enjoys. blogs she describe as being written with transparency, which is exactly what i have always tried to do. and to have someone openly acknowledge and recognize this means a lot to me. enough to make me blush and now write about it.

i started blogging out of curiosity first, but then i got hooked. i find it very therapeutic, helpful and fun. i have definitely created a place here that people want to revisit, which is what i like and feel proud of. i have tried to be honest about my life, my struggles and my thoughts. i hope that comes across to you, the reader.

sometimes i feel pressure to write more, but then i end up with the inevitable blog burn-out, which is something i ultimately want to avoid. been there, done that!

i want to send out a HUGE thanks to all of you for coming and reading about my life. feel free to email me or leave a comment on the blog with some feedback or whatever. i am always happy to hear from people and their opinions about what i do here on bear & lion.

again, a huge thanks to lillian for this award. i’ve been feeling a bit blue with all the sickness in january so this award had really motivated me and lifted my spirits!

* * * * * * * * *

and, now it’s my turn to share some love and appreciation! i am passing the award along to a handful of bloggers i enjoy reading and who i think are authentic and transparent in their writing. there are lots of other fantastic bloggers out there who i love, but i feel like these few blogs are smaller and need some props for writing so openly about life, no matter how hard it may be.

it’s dilovely

bebe suisse

wouldn’t change a thing

feel free to pass along some love if your a blogger out there. lillian said to share the award, how generous of her!

i hope you keep coming back to this space. i’d love to hear from you!

HAPPY DAY TO YOU!

xo, mama lola

this moment.

January 18, 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 moment. feel free to leave a link from your moment this week.

night out! freedom!

January 15, 2013 by mama lola

as a part of my resolutions for this year, a big one is to start taking care of ME. my goal is to try and make myself whole again, by doing things that i like; spending time with people i love, taking time away from the kids and the household, letting myself have a good time and enjoy life and not feel guilty about it.

so, this past weekend dear hubby and i shipped the kids to their grandparents house for one night. we actually had almost 24 hours of kid free, adult time! it was incredible! we went dancing with friends on saturday night and boy-o-boy did we busta move! dear hubby’s shirt was soaked in sweat by the end of the night! gross i know, but great evidence of a good time!

we drank lotsa fancy drinks, danced for hours and then eventually dear hubby and i dragged our butts home, walking as we couldn’t find a cab! ha! we totally felt like 20-somethings!

i felt such incredible freedom. a feeling i don’t think i’ve felt since becoming a mother almost five years ago. knowing the kids were in good hands with my in-laws, knowing there were no restrictions to our time out or the potential for fun, made it so much easier to go out and have have an awesome time with me peeps! it’s kind of unbelievable we’ve waited so long to send the kids away for a night, but it has always felt like a bad time for a variety of reasons like my health, financial obligations and just the notion of asking a favour of people to hang with the kids, is tough. i realize it sounds silly and what have you, but we have now learned. a new era has opened itself up and dear hubby and i intend to take full advantage of all the people we have around us who want to spend time with the kids!

on sunday morning, dear hubby and i stumbled out of bed at 10am (yup, we totally slept in), headed out for breakfast and then came home and parked ourselves on the couch for some movie time/ nap time. we weren’t really hung over, just stiff and tired from the intense dancing and the super late night! the kids came home a little before dinner, happy and healthy, and ready to play. i love my kids, but they clearly need a break from me and dear hubby, as much we need a break from them.

can’t wait for our next dance night!
perhaps an 80’s & 90’s theme night?
hmmm…

winter fun!

January 7, 2013 by mama lola

last winter sucked! there was one day of snow, every other day was grey and miserable and awful. this winter, is a hit! we have had snow, we have played in it, frolicked in it and we went for a fantastic toboggan morning with friends the other day.

the air was filled with laughter.

and screams.

the adults behaved like kids.

and, it snowed all day. from morning to night, giving us an ample source of the white stuff for some serious snowman building! my guys are actually building their own hill in the backyard for tobogganing. dear hubby gets right into it and has been shovelling snow from our driveway into the backyard. it’s going to be fast and fun!

i love the winter.
it’s my favourite season. my family loves winter too.
what’s your favourite time of year?

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

January 2, 2013 by mama lola

~~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.

* * * * * * *

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

it’s been a stormy fall.

December 26, 2012 by mama lola

this fall, my family and i were caught in a personal crisis of sorts.

i found myself holding a large bowl of lemons at the beginning of november, and instead of pulling out my juicer to make lemonade, i instead chose to ride the sour wave that left me feeling raw, emotional and sad. i won’t get into the details of what happened to trigger these big emotions, as i need to hold onto some privacy here, but i am willing to share my feelings around this difficult time.

this fall i was forced to do some serious self-analysis, look at myself and really recognize the qualities that make me, me. there are some good things that i saw, but i focused more on the complicated, bad stuff. the things that are embarrassing, deeply shameful and difficult to even say out loud. but, that’s what i did. i verbally repeated my flaws to people who would listen, discussing their significance and power over my life; i took responsibility for my bad decisions admitting to everyone that although i have hidden behind a facade of happiness, there is great pain and regret in my heart and life, all which came exploding out like a pressure cooker.

during this time of crisis, my emotions were heightened with a rawness that is impossible to explain. i was unable to eat, sleep or stop pacing like a caged tiger. i had difficulty focusing on simple activities, like reading or grocery shopping. i was single parenting for a large chunk of this time, which made me feel the tremendous weight of guilt on my trembling, exhausted shoulders.

but, fortunately for me, there were people in my life who stepped in to support and help me. although many of my dearest people live in other communities, they did offer hours and hours of emotional support through the ol’ telephone. they listened while i sobbed uncontrollably, which is all i needed or wanted. others came to my help at home, without even being asked, coming over to help with the kids or just being with me as i rode these powerful waves of emotion.

now, the storm has passed and the waves are calming down. my personal growth has only begun and is now spilling over into my marriage, but in a good way! i took those lemons and threw them away, opting to start a new chapter rather than holding onto those upsets and negative feelings, that will only sour anything fresh or new coming my way.

* * * * * * *
i have missed blogging and i thought i could return before christmas, but i instead chose to focus my time and energy on my lovely guys, lion, bear and dear hubby. we had a lovely christmas with our families and are now spending lots of time together before dear hubby returns to work in the new year.

i am hoping this entry is my return to this cyper space and fun place. i thought before i start with any recipe or photo montage i should preface my absence with some explanation, even if it is a bit vague.

* * * * * * *

peace.
xo, mama lola

halloween safety!

October 25, 2012 by mama lola

A good friend of mine posted this as her Facebook status today and I feel like this message is a really important one, and one that needs to be shared. Halloween is a fun time of year for everyone, so as adults let’s ensure that happens for all the kids!

“With Halloween upon us, please keep in mind, a lot of little people will be visiting your home. Be accepting. The child who is grabbing more than one piece of candy may have poor fine motor skills. The child who takes forever to pick out one piece of candy may have motor planning issues. The child who does not say trick or treat or thank you may be non-verbal. The child who looks disappointed when they see your bowl might have an allergy. The child who isn’t wearing a costume at all might have a sensory issue (SPD) or autism. Be nice. Be patient. Its everyone’s Halloween.”

And since we’re on the topic of fun and safety at Halloween, have you considered how to keep your home safe and secure? Burglary cases sky-rocket on Halloween night – it provides the perfect opportunity for masked robbers to blend in with the crowd of trick-or-treaters. Home alarm services can install security around your house, including CCTV, motion lights, motion sensors and alert systems which can help to deter burglars, but keep your back door and windows locked anyway if you’re going to be spending a lot of time at the front door.

Additionally, we live in an age where we are fortunately more aware of food intolerances. Many children have intolerances to nuts, dairy, gluten and sulfites, so make sure your treats are suitable for all. Don’t be tempted to make anything homemade either – as nice a gesture as it is, parents simply can’t be sure what might be in your homemade treats and will likely throw it straight in the bin. Stick to wrapped sweets and make sure none of the packets have holes in or they’ll get thrown away too.

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