HUGGIES® Baby and You Blog Tour with Mom Central Canada

Mom Central Canada, Huggies & President's Choice

I have to admit I was over the moon to be included in the Huggies Baby and You Blog tour with Mom Central Canada. I have been on the “diaper train” for the past eight year, so I do consider myself a bit of a diaper expert. One of the biggest issues I have had with diapers is the overnight leaks, with Huggies I can honestly say the Stretchy SnugFit* waistband and grip tabs for a secure fit have not let me down. The only time Baby Boy wet the bed was when he figured out how to take his diaper off and took great joy peeing all over the pillows.

Huggies and President's Choice have teamed up to offer Moms and Babies the opportunity to come together and make some very cool & nutritious dishes.

For Mom the Chef will be making Quinoa Pancakes and for Baby Sweet and White Potato Mash will be on the menu.

Please see the attached recipe cards just in case you want to test out the recipe in advance. Every Mom who attends will also receive Huggies coupons and adorable Tiger Ears to kick off the Halloween Season.

All the fabulous event details are listed on the Loblaw Bay and You Facebook page, go on like it you know you want to!

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

I will be giving away one lucky Mom a 50.00 Loblaws gift card! In order to be entered in the draw simply tell me what your favorite Mom or Baby dish is. Include your recipe if you like and best of all you can enter everyday. I will be picking the winner on Monday, October 31st. Good Luck! (Canadians Only)

Show some Twitter love by tweeting it out it out:

#HuggiesBabyandYou @sherriemae23 and @MC_Canada are giving away a $50 Loblaws gift card on http://goodkarmababy.blogspot.com/

Disclosure – I am participating in the HUGGIES® Baby and You program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Kimberly- Clark Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.”

Sweet and White Potato Mash

Ingredients

1 White potato, peeled and diced

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1oz unsalted butter or olive oil

¼ cup milk – use breast milk or formula

2oz grated mild Cheddar cheese

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350° F.

2. Put the white and sheet potatoes into a

saucepan and cover with water.

3. Bring to a boil then cook for around 20 minutes,

uncovered, until tender.

4. Drain the potatoes, and then place them in a

bowl and mash with garlic, butter and milk.

5. Place in a baking dish and top with the cheese

6. Bake for around 30 minutes, until nice and brown.


Quinoa Pancakes

Your family will love this quinoa recipe, which is a healthy alernative to regular pancakes.

It is also a great way not to waste cooked quinoa leftovers (if you use cooked quinoa,

you need 1 cup (250ml)).

Ingredients:

½ cup (125ml) PC Organics Quinoa

½ cup (125ml) PC Organics Whole Wheat

Flour

2 tsp. (10ml) Baking Soda

2 PC Blue Menu Omega-3

Eggs – Large

1 cup (250ml) Milk

¼ cup (50ml) Melted butter

2 tbsp. (25ml) PC 100% Pure Maple Syrup

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup (250ml) of water

to a boil. Add the quinoa. Reduce heat to low,

cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from Heat

and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow

to cool.

2. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda,

cooled quinoa, eggs, milk, butter, and maple syrup;

stir together until smooth.

3. Spray a large nonstick frying pan with cooking

spray and heat it to medium-high heat. Cook the

pancakes one at a time, using ¼ cup (50ml) of

batter for each. Cook 2 minutes or until the surface

starts to bubble and the sides turn golden. Turn over

and cook two more minutes.

4. Serve with additional maple syrup or with PC

Twice the Fruit spreads.

Nutritional Information

Makes six servings. Per serving:

160 calories, fat 3g (saturated fat 0.5g), sodium 160mg, carbohydrates 27g, fibre 2g, protein 6g.

Low in fat, low in saturated fat, source of fibre

Children at Risk - Celebrity Pumpkin Carving Contest 2011

There are some charities I will go the extra kilometre to support. Children at Risk (Ottawa) is one of them. They support children and families affected by Autism. Each year they host a celebrity pumpkin carving contest. The pumpkins are outstanding and the prize packs that come with them are amazing as well. This year I was at the Carlingwood Mall supporting this great event.

My favourite pumpkin by far was Jason Spezza's he also the best prize pack,  including 100 level Ottawa Senators tickets, signed pumpkin, t-shirt, 20th anniversary scarf and toque and collectable mug. The bidding was fast and furious and I lost in the end, to an aggressive Spezza fan. While chit chatted my my fellow Spezza fan, I  realized he was a bit of a hockey afichiando and knew everything about Number 19. I was a little disappointed to hear that we might be losing Spezza to Toronto. **This is just a rumour, but is would be sad to see him go to the big Losing Leafs. 

I was lucky enough to snag the Ian Black  (@blacksweather)  of CBC Ottawa pumpkin. The kids picked it out because it came with a huge set of Schleich Farm Animals and Barn included. My husband, a huge CBC fan was impressed, he cannot wait to brag to his fellow engineers tomorrow about winning Ian Black's pumpkin. 

It was a busy weekend for the kids and I. DH was at the cottage finishing the railings and getting everything ready for closing. It's a little bit a sad time as we love spending time at the cottage together. But, in my own selfish way, I do loving having all three kids to myself for an entire weekend. 

Saunders Farm at its Finest - 20 years of Fall Fun!

Strolling musical farmers

Guthrie Fall Family Adventures 

What a busy weekend in Ottawa! Our first family adventure started at Saunders Farm, we were invited to a costume birthday party. We had visited the farm earlier this summer, it was a fairly quiet yet fun event. In the fall however Saunder's Farm shines it's brightest. All the staffers are in full Halloween mode, with music, costumes, musicals and treats! I was surprised at the sheer number of people, but with the huge amount of space to explore of the farm, I never really noticed the crowds. 

There was a variety of food & activities for my under 8 crowd. My only concern about the entire experience was the washroom situation. My kids are scared of port a potties, weird but true. I think the girls might be a little claustrophobic like me, Andie wretches on cue as soon as she opens the door. The are only 3 or 4 'real toilets in one area near the entrance of the farm and there was consistently busy. And for you city slickers thinking about coming out, the Saunders in on well water so it has a certain eau d' country smell, if you know what I mean. 

KT ready to party! 

Bring your own snacks and you can save money. However, there are lots of choices including beavertails, award winning fries and candy apples. We all loved the Apple Chucker and Corn Launcher, especially Beckett. The Adventure Wagon Ride is a tamed down version of the Spooky Wagon ride. I will warn you however (without giving away all the good parts) there  were several scary parts were just enough to make me cringe. HINT: If you go on the ride with little ones, sit in the middle bench and do not sit at the back.  Overall an A rating for Saunders, think of it as a mini Halloween Disneyland just outside of Ottawa. 

Saunders Farm recently lost one of their young talents. Jamie Hubley was an Ottawa teen, who recently committed suicide. As part of the Saunders Farm 'family' he will be missed. A fundraiser in honour of Jamie was held on Friday October 22, 2011. It was very honourable of Saunders to help others, who like Jamie are struggling. Kudos for your efforts. 

My Sweet Ride to Blissdom Canada with General Motors Canada

Fast and Furious on the Road to Blissdom Canada 

Love the way it looks in my driveway! 

The good people at GM Canada, get social media. Specifically that bloggers, twitter-folk and media mavens are a force to be reckoned with. Let's be honest, I have a very small blog, but I have loyal followers and audience specific content they enjoy. I find my tweeps to be some of the most supportive people I know and my Facebook followers are a caring community. GM Canada recognized my presence and gave me a Chevy Orlando to drive to Blissdom Canada in 2010 and 2011. This is one of the most luxurious cars I have ever driven. With three children, space, comfort and safety are key characteristics when looking at a car. This vehicle had everything I am was looking for, with my family needs in mind.

Ready to Go! 

The girls loved the personal headphones. KT said that the creator of the car must have had kids, and knew that it was noisy in the car sometimes. It is that a small token of appreciation for my that made a big difference in our driving experience.  By making the kids enjoy the experience as much as I did driving the Chevy Orlando, my stress level during the trip. The middle row had cabin seats so both girls felt like they had their own space. Beckett took up most of the back row with his car seat, snacks, bubba's and toys. He loved being able to watch the movie along with the girls. Driving to Toronto in the vehicle was a dream, it truly was one of the quietest 4.5 hr drives I have ever had. 

Room for all Mommy's stuff 

There are several convienince features that made me love the Chevy Orlando even more. The first was the middle consel, there was enough space for my purse, iPhone, movies and other essentials for the drive. The second feature (that I am now purchasing) is the XFM radio. I had no idea the options out there as far as radio is concerned. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of Ottawa Radio. We have many excellent personalitiies that have make Ottawa radio a more personal experince. Once I hit Brockville on my drive, I no longer care what the announcer has to say, it does not mean anything to me. My favourite station on XFM is 20 on 20, awesome station. 

One other little perk from GM Canada, they dropped off the car at my home and picked it up. It really is the little things that make an experience like this over the top. 

***Disclaimer...GM Canada gave me this vehicle to drive, but the opinions are my own. Thank you Adria! Make sure to follow GM Canada on Twitter at @GMCanada. 

Ottawa 67's Hockey Experience

Hockey for the Whole Family Ottawa 67's Style

My children's school participates in a wonderful free program run by the Ottawa 67's Junior Hockey Team  called Adopt A School. Free tickets to all 67's home games are given out to schools all over Ottawa and the valley. Our family was lucky enough to win tickets in September. This was an excellent opportunity to take my 2 year old son for his first every hockey game and not worry about the cost of the tickets if we had to leave early. 

All 3 of the kids and I went to the 67's game together, I have not been for quite a long time and I must admit I was very impressed. I was impressed by how the actual hockey game is only a part of the overall experience. Face painting, bouncy castles and live music made the arena a lively and colourful place to experience. As a parent I appreciated the moderate cost of the souvenirs. We purchased pompoms, a foam finger, a hat, a mini stick and a t-shirt for under 50.00. We munched on regular hockey fair, popcorn, french fries, and best of all Egg Rolls from the famous Ottawa Golden Palace ! It was very impressive! 

I was able to speak to Erin the community manager and found out about all the amazing community partnerships & community opportunities the 67's support. Best of all, the 67's host birthday parties! Overall we were very pleased with the entire experience, great atmosphere, family friendly and affordable. 

***These opinions are my own, I was not paid nor received compensation for this post. 

Finding my Bliss at Blissdom Canada with Catherine Conners

Bliss at Blissdom

Over the past 48 hours I have listened, learned and reflected on who I am. More importantly about who I am not. I am a very inclusive person, I will support my fellow blogger and put myself out there. I am not exclusive, I respect all people regardless of their social media 'cred'. 

Catherine Conners @herbadmother 's key note address made me think of who I want to be within this sphere. She made literary, global and historical connections to our ever growing & ever changing interface. She asked us to look beyond our selves as singular and as a whole. The mantra we are greater than the sum of all our part resinated with her address. 

I will admit I have been blessed, from the fabulous Ottawa network of friends to the larger groups I interact with, my foundation is solid. Wonderful people like Julia, Diana and Mel, they are like minded, positive and get the person I am and appreciate it. 

My teaching career is driven by leadership and leading by example. I think it is about time I have the same presence on line. Trolls will be trolls, but maybe those trolls just need a little more understanding or a social media time out. I have never walked a mile in their shoes and as such I do not judge. Thank you to all the in depth conversations, flyby hugs and fellowship. I am honoured to be among the Canadian social media cohort and look forward to our adventures together. 

Buzz Agents to the Rescue!

Scrubbing Bubbles Review


I am busy...I know we all are but between my teaching career, 3 active kids and 2 spoiled dogs, it's crazy around here. I'm not sure if you know about the Buzz Agent program, but I am a proud Buzz Agent. The products keep me up to date about the latest and greatest products and yes I have email Jono and gotten a real response.
I hate cleaning...it's true, I would rather go to the dentist that clean. Jono recently sent me the new Scrubbing Bubbles One Step Cleaner which I am looking forward to seeing if it really makes cleaning the bathroom easier. After the first couple of uses it really did seem to make a difference, I will keep you updated as the weeks go on! I have 5.00 coupons to whomever who like them...Leave a comment and I will mail the coupon to you! *Canadians Only :)