Date Night!

My husband and I don't have many "date nights" at this stage of our busy lives, but occasionally when we do we make the most of it. One thing I have learned to appreciate is the importance of making time for US! Well.....this past Saturday hubby and I ventured out for a night on the town kid-less, as we joke!

Marriage is the foundation of a family. Just like the foundation that keeps your house strong, a healthy marriage keeps the family strong. I am certainly no expert in relationships but I do know marriage takes work and relationships that get lazy often suffer.

My husband and I cherish every minute we have with our children. We work full time and have busy lives and look forward to the weekends. I miss my kids when I am apart from them, and I often feel guilty when I do have to go out. One thing I have learned is to never forget the importance of US (husband and wife) time too. Our love is the reason for all the wonderful things we have been blessed with.

Moral of the story, never lose yourselves or your spark in the ciaos of children, work etc. Always make time for yourselves, listen to one another and focus on your foundation.  Plan that DATE!

"Love Is The Flower You've Got To Let Grow" 

-John Lennon

xoAngela

Proof!

Parenting is not always an easy job. Quite often I find myself questioning the way I parent, did I say the right thing? Did I act the right way? My goal is to raise two girls that are kindhearted, respectful, loving and honest givers. Our family motto is BE SILLY, BE KIND, BE HONEST! While it's important for me to teach the girls to be caring it is also important to teach them to be silly and have fun too!

As parents we work hard to teach our children the qualities we feel are important. When we begin to see these qualities and attributes naturally flow out of our children it's pretty awesome. This is what my oldest daughter recently gave me. It is strangely on coffin shaped paper but it's the words that are written on it that really matter.

The left one says Mom I love you every time I look at you, and the other Happy New Year Mom, I love you. This is just two of the six notes I have accumulated. I have started writing her little notes back as well.

She did this on her own and it's truly a refection of the amazing young girl she is. This is proof that we must be doing something right(wink). Moral of the story...... eventually you will get to enjoy the magic moments making the bumps in the road, time, frustrations and few gray hairs all well worth it. I promise!

My girls are my world and because of this I choose not to mention their names or show pictures of them on here for their safely. Believe me, if I was 100% sure there was no risk I would plaster this blog with nothing but tidbits and pictures all about them. There are some wonderful blogs that I follow that focus primarily on their children but for me to rest my head peacefully at night, I choose not to.

I am one proud Mama!

xoxAngela
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December Round up!

December was a very busy month for us so I want to take this opportunity and reflect back a bit on some of our holiday traditions.

Every year my girlfriends and I have a "girls only" x-mas party with a secret Santa gift swap. This year we choose a restaurant to carryout the festivities. We all look forward to this annual event and  I know this tradition will last a lifetime!

Another tradition is "spa day" with my kiddos and my very good friend. We started this a while back in lieu of gifts to one another. A few days before x-mas we visit our local aesthetics school for manicures and pedicures. We make a memory and give the gift of time and togetherness to one another.

Our x-mas eve and Christmas were amazing. We spent the night before stuffing our bellies with Chinese food and sweets with family. This year we decided to cut the grownup gifts out and instead give back to the community. I cannot even begin to tell you how great this feels and the stress seemed to almost vanish that is sometimes associated with gift giving.  It is hard to even imagine spending money on "stuff" when there are so many people without the "essentials". I loved including my kids in the actions that we took to give back and help others.

It has been a great year and a very special holiday. Here are a few randoms.

Good times, great friends and wonderful memories. What more could you ask for?

xoAngela

Christmas Eve Wishes.

It's Christmas Eve so let me say, preparations at our home are well underway! 

The stockings are hung and the presents are wrapped, the cookies are made for ol' St. Nick's snack. Joey's nachos are made for the festivities tonight and the eggnog french toast is ready to bite. The kids are bouncing off the walls fueled by sweets, they are looking forward to many more treats. Today is the day we say goodbye to our elf, the dust will continue to collect on the shelf. Although he has put smiles on our kids faces he has caused my husband and I to get on each other's cases. Chinese food tonight and turkey tomorrow, we'll be feeling like we are on top of mount Kilimanjaro. 

Wishing you all a wonderful night, enjoy this heartwarming season of love and light!

Merry Christmas!

xoAngela
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Living in the Moment

I recently went Christmas shopping with someone I deeply care about. We hop into the car, I help him get his seat belt buckled and we're off. We listen to familiar Christmas music. I sing and he hums along. We arrive at the mall and I take him by his arm and help him to the door. We walk around the mall, our list in my hand. After some gifts are bought we usually break for dinner. Conversation is limited but the company and the caring eyes make it alright. We finish our meal and continue on with the shopping. We buy everything we need and have a few chuckles and smiles as we go. He likes to play "tricks" on me and goes the other way when I turn my head for minute. I make a joke,take his arm, offer a comforting smile and continue on.

(source)

Since my stepfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease almost five years ago, I have taken him Christmas shopping each year. Although he does not remember a lot of  events of his day now, he was asking about our shopping trip, specifically when we would go. When my mom told me this I was thrilled. I really wasn't sure if he would be up to going this year.

I am writing this as a reminder to myself of the wonderful tradition we share. It is a gift I give to myself. He thinks I am helping him but he is really helping me.

I have learned to live in the moment with my stepfather. "The moment" seems to be a comfortable place for him. Some people are scared by "the moment" but not me. I will continue to cherish every "moment" we have.

We do not remember the days, we remember the moments.

Enjoy the moments. 

xoAngela

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Christmas preparations are in full swing around our house. A Swiss Chalet festive special has been consumed and last weekend we attended the annual Christmas parade. The morning after the parade we awoke to find our elf on the shelf had returned. While we were asleep the elf decided to set up our Christmas tree (minus the ornaments & lights of course). We spent last Sunday afternoon nibbling candy canes and listening to Christmas music while decorating the tree."This is the best day ever," my youngest said.

The advent calenders have been opened which means the official countdown is on.  

Since I was little I can remember going to Swiss Chalet for the holiday festive special.This is a tradition I will never let go of.

Our Christmas tree is very kid friendly. I have tucked my fancier decorations away for when the girls are much older. What is the sense in having a tree if you can't enjoy it and the kids can't play with it right?

Hope you are all enjoying your preparations for the holidays!

Remember it's not about the stuff, it's about the feelings and the memories you create.

xoAngela
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Drug Store Adventures #4

I recently grabbed this nail color by Sally Hanson in Sand Storm from Shoppers and I am in love! Not only do I love the color but the formula is a dream to work with. The Sally Hanson Insta-Dry is a super fast drying polish that cuts waiting time in half, at least. As a  Mother of two, I don't have a whole lot of extra time to sit back and wait for my nails to dry, if you know what I mean.

The formula itself is quite thick so one coat basically covers well. I still applied a second coat but it was not even necessary. The brush is the perfect size and it's angled just right for my nails. My nail painting skills are terrible (no joke), probably the worst but with Insta-Dry they looked great without too (wink) many imperfections.

 I have also been using the Sally Hansen Ultimate Shield base and top coat. It goes on smooth and helps extend the life of my polish. Another great Sally product!

I

I also picked up Maybelline's 24 hour Color Tattoo - Leather- in 80 creamy beige. It's a beautiful creamy dark beige/light brown color.  I use this as a base without primer and my eye shadow stays put all day. I love these shadows and I am happy they came out with some more less shimmery colors. Now that it is officially fall, I am reaching less for the shimmer and more for a matte eye look.

What drug store product are you loving for fall?

xoAngela

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A Fun Day in FUN-DY!

The next day we woke up and hit the trail yet again. This time we were Fundy National Park bound!

For those of you that are not familiar with the area, Fundy showcases a rugged coastline with hiking trails, camping and more than 25 waterfalls and is most famous for having the highest tides in the world. It's a beautiful natural gem located in Southern New Brunswick, Canada.

With five children in total, three under the age of six  we had to choose some hikes that would best suite the little ones.  We choose Dickson falls and Wolf point to discover.

After hiking up an appetite we headed into the town of Alma and settled upon a great little seafood restaurant called Fundy take out. My husband ordered the fish and chips and said it was the best he has had. We finished off our seafood feast with some famous Alma sticky buns from kelly's bakery. One word, YUM!   

Here is a shirt my nephew picked  out at the local gift shop in Fundy. Love it!

Another day the Maritime way!

We had a wonderful time with our family from Ontario and are so grateful for the memories we shared. We look forward to spending more time with you guys in the future. Big hugs to you all!

xoAngela
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Home Away From Home

As I mentioned in yesterdays post, we drove down to St. Andrews on our vacation to go whale watching in the Bay of Fundy.  After our sea adventure we retreated to a two unit cottage that was minutes from the waters edge where we spent the night.  The Seaside Beach Resort is a stones throw from downtown which makes it the perfect central location to stay.

We grabbed a bag of charcoal and fired up the iron grill. I had forgotten how much I love the smell and taste of a charcoal grill. Super yummy BBQ!

St. Andrews is one of those places I must visit in the summer. A summer is not a summer until I have strolled the main streets of St. Andrews and smelled the sea salt in the air.  The smell takes me to a very comfortable place. I can remember when I was a child spending lots of time exploring the ocean floors. Being by the ocean just make me feel at home.

While exploring the beautiful ocean front of our cottage we came upon a jelly fish that did not go out with the tide. We tried many things to get the slimy creature back to it's ocean home.  Finally after many attempts with several branches he/she was rescued. We watch the sun go down knowing we had saved the life of one little jelly fish.

The next morning we headed to the awesome park beside the St. Andrews elementary school. The kids loved it, it is amazing.  You could easily spend a whole afternoon there.We would have stayed longer although we hurried along on the happy trail to Comeau's which is a restaurant famous for it's local seafood.

Following a delicious deep fried seafood feast we headed to New River Beach, aka seaweed beach.  I am not sure why but the beach was covered in seaweed. I don't remember this from my past visits although maybe it was left overs from tropical storm Arthur.

Another great day with such a wonderful family. 

Stay tuned to see where we headed next on our East Coast adventure.

xoAngela

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Brownie Strawberry Trifle

When I was young I can remember going strawberry picking with my Mom and Dad.  My Dad would joke and say, they should have weighed me before going in as I would eat more than I picked. To carry on the memory of strawberry picking, I take my daughters picking every year. We don't pick a lot, just enough to eat and make a few recipes.

My in-laws were coming up this weekend to visit so I knew I wanted to make something special for dessert. I had a bunch of strawberries to use up so I started looking on the internet for a new strawberry recipe and this is what I found, Brownie Strawberry Trifle.

I have to tell you this was super easy to make and incredibly delish to eat. We all agreed that this recipe would be a keeper.

Next time you have a bunch of strawberry's and need of quick dessert, this could be your winner.

I found this recipe on Food.com.  Here it is:

Ingredients

• 1 (20 ounce) boxes brownie mix ( I use Betty Crocker)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 quart strawberry, thinly sliced, save one whole for decoration
• 2 (3 1/4 ounce) packages French vanilla instant pudding
• 8 ounces Cool Whip
• hershey's shell chocolate syrup, as needed

Directions

1. To make brownies:.
2. Heat oven to 350°F.
3. Grease bottom of a 13x9 inch pan.
4. Stir brownie mix, water, oil and eggs in medium bowl until well blended.
5. Spread in pan.
6. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean; let cool.
7. While brownies are cooling slice the berries and set aside.
8. Mix pudding with 2 cups of milk and whisk until thickened.
9. Fold in Cool Whip.
10. To layer, put brownie for first layer, add strawberries for second layer, drizzle with chocolate shell and the pudding mixture layer.
11. Repeat layers ending with the pudding mixture.
12. Decorate with the whole strawberry, cool whip and drizzle with the chocolate shell.
13. Chill until serving about 3 hours at least.

xoAngela

Zesty Jerk Chicken

This is a great recipe that I have made six times now. It is so yummy and the chicken turns out perfect every time.  I learned how to make this in a cooking class I attended. We had a few people over for dinner on the weekend and we decided to make it.

Here is how you can make it too:

Ingredients:
6 green onions, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
3/4 cup of soy sauce
1/2 distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
2 tbs of brown sugar
1 tbs chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1 1/2 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:
In a food processor or blender (I used the magic bullet) combine all the ingredients except the chicken. Mix for about 20 seconds.
Place the chicken in a medium bowl, and coat with the marinade ( I put it all in a large zip lock bag). Refrigerate for 4-6 hours, or overnight.
Preheat grill (BBQ) and cook chicken until juices run clear.

This is a meal that we always look forward to. It's got a little spice to it but it is not too spicy if you know what I mean. I usually serve this with roasted sweet potato, cumin rice and a crisp salad.

Give it a try, I guarantee you will like it too.  

xoAngela
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Six Steps to the Perfect Family Getaway.

For the past couple of years my family and I have held an annual get together in the summer. We usually rent a house or cottage preferably on the water and all chip in to enjoy a few days of R&R (not the booze - well not that kind anyways, ha ha) and plenty of good times.

Imagine waking up to this!

Here's how you can plan your family or friends getaway:  

Pick a Date - Send an e-mail to everyone who is interested with a few available dates. The date with the most votes wins.

Find Accommodation – Once you figure out how many are planning on attending your get together you will have to find a place with enough room to accommodate everyone.  This is trickiest part, although you would be surprised how many people rent their homes and cottages for the summer. You can find sites on provincial websites, kijiji and various property management companies.  It is always nice to end your day with a campfire so be sure to ask what amenities are available when booking your accommodations. It may seem like a lot of money but remember you are splitting this 3-4-5 ways.

Plan Your Meals – Instead of everyone bringing a whole bunch of food send out an e-mail with all the meals for your stay broke down by day.  Example, Monday – breakfast, supper etc. Ask everyone to fill in which meals they would like to plan to make. If you are really on the ball you can get them to send you what they are planning on making and create a menu for everyone to have. You don't have to get fancy either, keep the meals easy like a breakfast casserole, or pulled pork sandwiches or freeze a pot of  spaghetti sauce to bring.

Plan Your Days-  Find out if there are any local attractions like beaches, vineyards, gardens etc, and send out a little e-mail describing some of the local attractions to everyone.  If you are planning on doing a beach day let people know as certain beach essentials will need to be packed.  Bring along some board games and a deck of cards for if you have a rainy day.

Fun Things to Bring – Glow stick are always a hit whether you are young or old, same applies to bubbles, hula hoops and fireworks (although always use extreme caution) and of course marshmallows if you plan on having camp fires.

A vacation would not be a vacation without a few drinky poos. One idea I came up with was to ask people to bring one “local” drink to share with everyone. It could be a bottle of wine from a local vineyard close to their home or beer from a local brewery or maybe there all-time favorite cocktail. 

Last and most importantly – Take lots of pictures/videos, enjoy every minute with your family/friends, focus on making memories that will last forever. Life goes by way to fast, take time to stop and nurture  relationships. It may seem like a lot of work to plan something like this but once you do it you realize the cost of time with those that you love is priceless.

Happy planning!

xoAngela
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