It’s Time to Give Yourself a Parenting Break! Embracing the Real Side of Parenthood

November 30, 2016 by Kathryn 17 Comments

Parenting is tough, but it gets even tougher when we spend too much time comparing ourselves to our own ideal image of what a perfect parent should be. And as much as I love social media, I also know that a constant barrage of perfect images can be discouraging to those of us doing our best every day! That’s why I love Quaker Canada’s new campaign to #stopCOMPAREnting. It’s time to show the real side of parenting in all its disorganized, wild and wacky glory! So I’ve decided to embrace some of the ways that I will always fall short of reaching my own parenting ideals. These are four reasons I’ll never be a perfect parent…and I’m okay with that!

1) I will not create perfectly balanced, Pinterest-worthy lunches.

bento lunch — Photo credit to my good friend Jody at Mommy Moment, who makes the most beautiful Bento lunches!

I have two boys in school five days a week, which means I pack just under 400 lunches in the course of a year. And I am a little ashamed to admit that I’ve probably ogled twice as many beautiful, themed Bento lunches on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram. From checkerboard cheese to rainbow fruit kababs…who wouldn’t want to surprise their kids with a masterpiece like that? But let’s get real. I have just over an hour each school morning to make breakfast, make lunches, get my boys dressed, check agendas and get everybody out the door. They’re happy with a wrap, some fruit and a Quaker granola bar, so I am too! [Read more…]

Hit the Road with Enjoy Life Foods Gluten-Free and Allergen-Free Snacks the Whole Family Will Love-Giveaway

August 12, 2016 by Kathryn 115 Comments

When it comes to road trips, good planning is a must. With just a few weeks of summer left before the start of a new school year, there’s never been a better time to head out on the road and see a new place. Planning tasty and delicious road trip snacks makes a trip run a lot smoother but for families with food allergies, that can be harder than it seems. Luckily, Enjoy Life Foods, a company whose delicious gluten-free and allergen-free baking mixes I’ve featured in the past, also has a line of snack foods perfect for taking on the road!

What I love about Enjoy Life Foods is that not only are the products certified gluten-free, they’re also free of dairy, eggs, nuts, soy and fish/shellfish. Yet even so, the cookies, chocolate and trail mix are full of flavour that even kids without food sensitivities will love. On our recent two-day road trip to central Ontario, I took a few of the snacks along to keep us fuelled up on the road.

[Read more…]

Trying to Teach Kids Life Lessons? On Netflix Canada, There’s an “Ep” for That! #StreamTeam

May 16, 2016 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

With both my boys in grade school, I’m always amazed to see how much they’re learning every day. Benjamin has almost mastered reading and has a great grasp of basic math concepts, while Zackary has started learning multiplication, division and paragraph structure. Yet some of the most important skills and lessons my boys have to learn are ones that are never taught in a classroom. From the importance of being honest to dealing with peer pressure, finding ways to explain and develop my boys’ life skills is no easy task!

Luckily, with Netflix, there’s an “ep” for that! Some of the most popular children’s programs on Netflix Canada are also ones that can help kids learn valuable life lessons. Wondering what episodes are best suited to your child’s needs? Here’s some suggestions to help you get started!

For Younger Kids

Sibling Rivalry – Watch The Hive Ep. S1E1: Babee’s Room

Buzzabee and Rubee compete over who Babee (their new sibling) gets to room with. Mom and dad must explain to Buzzabee and Rubee that Babee needs to grow up before she can share a room. [Read more…]

Gluten-Free Turtles Brownies Made Easy with Enjoy Life Baking Mixes

January 19, 2016 by Kathryn 116 Comments

One of the biggest downsides of dietary restrictions is missing out on tasty treats. I have an allergy to raw mushrooms and even though I discovered it in my tween years and haven’t eaten them since, I still miss the delicious marinated mushrooms my mom used to make for potlucks. I can only imagine how much harder it is to find tasty snacks and treats with an allergy to gluten, dairy or nuts!

That’s why I’m so happy Enjoy Life baking mixes have come to Canada. This line of mixes and gluten-free flour lets those with dietary restrictions or allergies indulge in some of the tasty foods that most of us take for granted. From pancakes to muffins to pizza, these mixes help make restricted eating fun!

I recently received an assortment of Enjoy Life products to test out and I couldn’t wait to get cooking. I’d just tried a scrumptious Caramel Nut Brownie on a press trip and wanted to recreate it in a gluten-free version using the Enjoy Life Brownie Mix. And so my Gluten-Free Turtles Brownies were born! [Read more…]

Air Wick® Life Scents™ Help Me Always Feel at Home

August 10, 2015 by Kathryn 28 Comments

I’ve spent almost my whole life in the same house in the same small town in Saskatchewan. And while I did live elsewhere for a few years in my early twenties, the house I lived in for my entire childhood always felt like home. Later, I was able to buy it from my mother and raise my own children there. I have to admit, I didn’t think I would ever live anywhere else.

But now change is afoot and in preparation for an upcoming move to Ontario, that childhood home has been sold. I know it won’t take long to feel at home in the house we will eventually buy after moving, especially once I have all my favourite knick-knacks and home décor items in place. But in the meantime, my home is a two-bedroom apartment in the small city of Moose Jaw. And as a woman that’s always lived in a town, I have to admit that it feels pretty strange.

So how did I make this new environment feel like home? Luckily, I had a few tricks up my sleeve to help me feel comfortable and at peace in the new environment! And the most important one for me was adding the scent of home to the air with Air Wick® Life Scents™. Featuring the first constantly changing fragrance, the true-to-life aromas have me feeling at home the second I walk through the door. [Read more…]