bear & lion

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

DIY stamps!

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DIY, stamps, gift tags, gift wrap

about 10 years ago i made some simple potato stamps and decorated tissue paper with hearts and x-mas trees. every christmas my mum and i still use the few sheets that are left for each others gifts. there is something sweet about the personal, creative touch, don’t you think?
so, now that my 5yo bear is a super-keen-artist-dude,  i think he’s ready to make some fun stamps. after researching ideas for this blog post, i too am eager to roll up my sleeves and get creative. we’re going to stamp everything from gifts tags, wrapping paper, cards and whatever we else will find.

you can make stamps for any and all special occasions!

here is a round-up of ideas, how to’s and examples of what other creative types have made.

upcycled wine corks from soap deli news

 

cork stamp from makita studio

 

DIY extra large letter [foam] stamps from the cheese thief

 
festive potato stamps from juggling act mama
 
 

carved rubber stamps from minna may

 

wine cork mustache stamp from bespangled

 

DIY stamps (random shapes) from play based learning

 

potato stamps from kanelstrand

 
rubberband stamps from sas + rose
 
 

butterfly stamp from can’t stop making things

 

eraser stamps from gathering beauty

 

hand carved stamps from gennine’s art blog

 

arrow tail shirt print from whimsy box

 

i’m in stamp heaven: gift tags from caro’s heaven

 

christmas stamps from claire belle makes

 

my local grocery store had erasers on super-duper sale, and i bought a large handful of them! i’ll share our stamp creations soon!
DIY, stamps, gift tags, gift wrap
xo, mama lola

vegetarian crock pot recipe round-up!

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this time of year, my crock pot is in full action. i use it a couple of times a week, for chili or soup or even for a hot breakfast! here are some delicious and healthy vegetarian crock pot recipes ranging from breakfast, soup to entree. YUM!

 

 
 

loaded baked potatoes from martha stewart

 
vegetarian chiliveggie chili from bear & lion
 

indian chole from while chasing kids
 

vegetarian soupafrican inspired soup from kalyn’s kitchen

 
overnight cinnamon apple oatmeal from chocolate broccoli
 
 
rice puddingrice pudding from bear & lion
 
greek yoghurt
greek yoghurt from the little red house

oh, my mouth is watering just thinking about these recipes!
let me know which one you’re going to try first!

xo, mama lola

how to prevent lice, naturally!

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here are some quick tips ‘n tricks to preventing lice! september and january are the two times of year when the kids are coming back to school after being away for a while, and also the two most common times of year lice make their rounds at schools. now, that’s not to say you or your child can’t get them whenever!

here are some tips i have collected from the internet and from my friends, on how to best prevent lice. again, nothing is 100% and maintaining regular checks and routines is the best way to ensure you remain lice free.

source



QUICK FACTS:

  • lice are parasites found on human heads.
  • lice is the plural for the word louse.
  • according to some 1 in 10 kids are being treated for lice at all times. YIKES!
  • head lice do not affect pets
(from source)

source

PREVENTION TIPS!

  • first, you the parent have to educate yourself. know what lice look like, how they multiply and their life cycle, how they travel from one head of hair to another, how to rid them properly and know not to panic!
source
  • do not wash your kids hair often. their hair doesn’t even get that dirty after a day at school. but, lice prefer clean(er) hair, so the more days you let the natural greases and oils build up, the better.
  • for kids with long hair, tie it back, use kerchiefs, clips, barrettes etc.
source
  • get some tea tree oil and put 10 drops (or so) into your shampoo bottle. 
  • before heading out to school spritz your kids’ hair with some natural hair spray, or rub some essential oils in between your fingers and then rub your fingers through the hair.
  • remind kids NOT to share hats, combs, brushes or any other hair accessories or products with their friends. sharing all clothing should also be avoided.
  • clean and wash bedding, combs, brushes and clothes regularly. i know this is kinda obvious, but proper hygiene is so key!
  • be vigilant. check your kids (and your own) hair regularly and talk to other parents to see if anyone has heard of someone who has had lice.
  • teach others how to prevent the spread of lice and if necessary the removal of an infestation.

the bottom line here is, lice suck so let’s work together to prevent the spread of them. if you have them, TELL PEOPLE, because then the people you have been in contact with can check to see if they have them. let’s break the stigma of head lice, especially since they are not an issue that affects any particular group of people. ANYONE CAN GET THEM!

leaving you with a little lice humour…


p.s. this has been the itchiest blog post to write. i have been scratching vigorously for hours!
xo, mama lola

autumn vegetarian squash recipes!

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i love squash. so does my whole family.
this time of year is harvest season and all the gourds and squashes are ready for the picking!

here is a round-up of various vegetarian squash recipes. some recipes are vegan too!

 

roasted butternut squash with goat cheese from anja’s food 4 thought
 
 
spicy asian spahetti squash from slender kitchen
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
black rice with acorn squash from vegetarian mamma
 
 
 
 
 
 
butternut squash lasagna from bon appetit
 
 
 
 
creamy butternut squash (vegan) pasta from dishing up the dirt
 
 

butternut squash soup from bear & lion

 

this time of year the thought a piece of yummy bread with hardy stew makes my mouth water!

i’ll let you know which recipes i’ll be trying!

xo, mama lola

perfect fall apple recipes!

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fall has arrived.
the kids are officially back to school. the trees are starting to slowly change colour and lose their leaves. people are taking about going apple picking and there’s even a crispness in the air on some mornings, oh yes, fall has definitely arrived.

this time of year i like to use my oven a lot for baking and dinners; we don’t have our furnace on so it’s a great way to warm up the house when needed. here are 10+ fall recipes to get your home smelling delicious and cozy this fall!

apple sandwiches from oh she glows
 
old fashioned apple crisp from blissfully delicious
 
apple chips from whole living
 
caramel apples from dot come women
 
orange cocoa apple bread from kitchen illiterate
 
spirit tree apple pizza from off the beaten palate
 
apple muffins from the girl who ate everything

 

 

apple pie bites from yummy mummy club

apple sauce from canning basics

(vegan) apple pie from the southern vegan

which one is your favourite?
let me know if you try out any of these recipes!

xo, mama lola

fun vegetarian lunch ideas!

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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!

 
 

make your own sushi from bear & lion

(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

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!
xo, mama lola

teach kids how to sew!

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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!

sew lavender pockets from red ted art



sewing with kids from flax & twine


felt heart garland from putti’s world


stuffed felt carrot from sewing school

celebration garland from made by rae

whale stuffies from him & her

quilted x-mas tree ornament from all free kids crafts

denim lunch money wallet from my little hen


which one is your favourite?
do you think you will get your kids sewing sooner rather than later?

xo, mama lola

a wonderful post on breastfeeding!

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i don’t often do this, but i wanted to share a very specific post by another blogger with you. it’s about breastfeeding. there is so much information out there, but as i remember my days as a nursing mama, i distinctly loved hearing about other women and their own experiences with feeding baby safely. even the “easiest” of babes can have various problems or concerns when it comes to nursing and then there are babes who need extra care of attention and mama needs extra skills to get things flowing properly (like the pun?)! on top of that, i faced some unique issues myself. for example, where i nursed my children, it was frightfully cold most winters so i had to look up a guide on how to prepare for breastfeeding in such cold conditions. so every mother will face their own unique struggles and it’s important she finds way to overcome them.


even though, i’ve been a non-nursing mama for almost a year now, i am still keen on spreading good information to new mama’s when i stumble upon it!


kritstin at one organic mama wrote a post about her experiences as a nursing mama. but, her post is so good one, as in REALLY GOOD… she shares her stories, she has a great list of resources that are totally my kind of resources (kelly mom, dr. sears etc)

this her post: BREASTFEEDING REFLECTION

read it!

* * * * * * *
just a little fun story to share: when bear about a year old, facebook was giving lots of mum’s i knew trouble for posting pictures of themselves nursing their cute babes. i too had picstures removed and received warnings. so one sunday afternoon, i decided to send emails to various news services and programs i thought should know about this. the local CTV station contacted me within hours, asked to come to our home and interview me. i was on that evening news report, ranting about facebook’s sexist policies!

anyhow…. here are a few of our family’s breastfeeding pics…

when i would nurse baby-lion, bear would often sit with me a nurse one of his babes or friends.

this was taken on bear’s first birthday. i was a sobbing mess. for some reason i thought because he was now one i would or should stop breastfeeding or that he would stop! boy was i wrong!

here’s lion nursing after a play crisis. he ate chalk and the barfed, but nothing a little of mama’s milk couldn’t soothe.

happy day to all!
xo, mama lola

10 delicious asian foods!

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we enjoy asian foods at our house. the kids will devour sushi, udon soup, fried rices and various forms of cooked tofu. stir fries are so easy to throw together; vegetables, herbs and a protein and you’re good to go. some people like to add rice noodles, soba noodles (japanese buckwheat noodles), quinoa or rice as a side. 

: : SOURCES: :

1. tofu stir fry from bear & lion
2. hot n’ sweet sesame tofu from OMG! i love to cook
3. smoked stir fry from veggie wedgie
4. vegan veggie stir fry from motivated mama’s
5. vietnamese summer rolls from tartine & apron strings
6. teriyaki shrimp stir-fry from social cafe magazine
8. chinese fried rice from katherine martinelli
9. make your won sushi from bear & lion
10. udon noodle soup from cherry bomb kitchen

asian foods are often great for people with all sorts of allergies, or who are vegetarian, like us (well we do enjoy some seafood now and then!) there are so many countries to draw inspiration from and adjust flavours and spices according to your taste.

let me know which one is your fave!

xo, mama lola

millions of peaches… 20 awesome peach recipes!

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we LOVE peaches! and, when they’re in season we devour baskets of them! to get ready for the world’s best peaches, which will be in season in a matter of weeks here in southern ontario, i have collected some awesome peach recipes, from pizza’s, to sorbet’s to salsa’s!
i did include a crisp and a cobbler for good measure, as well!
YUM… here we go…

{ 20 PEACH RECIPES }
 gouda and peach frilled cheese from winthrop chronicles
 carolina peach margarita from garden and gun
shrimp
 bellinin sorbet from the hungry australian
rustic grilled peach pizza from love cook eat
peach cake from i heart eating
grilled peaches from the snails view
 lavender peach cobbler from the baking bird
 blackberry peach crisp from the key ingredient
peach dumplings from LGB studio
molasses glazed salmon, sweet n’ spicy peach salsa from grab a plate
sweet peach pancakes from spicy southern kitchen
 fish taco’s with pineapple peach salsa from kristine’s kitchen
peach tart from the patterned plate
peach, mango & carrot smoothie from eat, drink & be merry
 peach salad from feasting at home
peach wine coolers from annie’s eats
summer peach rolls from my recipes
peach jam from better homes & gardens
mmm… my mouth is seriously watering after compiling this peachy list of yummy peach recipe’s. let me know if you try any of them or if you have a must-try peach recipe of your own!
xo, mama lola
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