Banana Bread

Would you like a delicious Banana Bread recipe that you will use over and over again? :)

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup of milk with 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• approx 1 cup of mashed bananas (I usually just use 3 large bananas mixed in my Magic Bullet)
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 tsp of baking soda (forget this and you make "Banana Brick" hehehe)

Then you'll need to:

• cream together your butter and sugar
• add the eggs and milk with lemon juice
• mix in the eggs and bananas
• slowly add your flour and baking soda
• pour into a loaf pan, or 8x8 baking dish, doesn't really matter
• cook at 350F for approx 45 minutes.  If your oven is hot you might want to check it at 35 minutes.

Then you make the topping!! (the BEST part)

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter/margarine
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds (optional)
• I like to add a couple tbsp of maple syrup too

After you bake the banana bread, take this delicious sugary mixture and pour it over top - then put it under the broiler for about 5 minutes until it starts to bubble and take it out.
IF you can wait, let it cool, slice it up, and enjoy :)  The topping makes the bread the perfect balance of sweetness and moistness, you don't even have to spread butter on it!! :)

Lucky!

Dakota found a 4 leaf clover yesterday, of course it's all wrinkly and dried up now.  But perhaps it'll bring us some good luck anyway :D

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As for p90x, I'm back at it!  I restarted the 4th week of my 1st phase (each phase is 4 weeks) last night with Yoga-X.
Tonight will be Core Synergistics!!

Cabbage Roll Casserole

Do you like cabbage rolls?
I love them!!
But I've never made them myself.  Apparently it's an art lol.
Thanks to my fabulous next door neighbour, I can now make this delicious casserole, and it's just like I'm eating cabbage rolls!
You have to try it! :)

Here's what you'll need;  

• 1 head of cabbage
• 2 cups of minute rice
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can tomato juice (i think it's a 1liter can of Heinz that I use, but I'm sure they have a store brand)
• 1-2lbs ground beef (I switch this for ground pork or turkey bc I can’t tolerate red meat)
• 1 chopped onion (optional)
• + your own seasonings.

 Then you follow these super-easy steps:

• Fry ground meat with onion and your choice of seasonings. 
• Remove tough pieces and core of cabbage, chop the rest and put in a large roasting pan.
• Add rice, tomato juice-sauce-and soup. 
• Stir in ground beef mixture and bake at 375 for 1 hour.

YUM! :)

Miles, Points and Rewards - Oh My!

I love earning free things just for buying things I need!
I'm nowhere NEAR as good at this as MrsJanuary - but I still take advantage as much as I can!


In my wallet I have :

• Air Miles
• HBC Rewards Card
• Shoppers Optimum Card
• Esso Extra (these can be converted to HBC points!)
• Petro Points Card (used to buy gas, anti-freeze, windshield washer fluid etc)
• La Senza Bra Club
• Mike's Subs (free sub after 5 stamps)
• Midas - free oil change after 5 stamps card. (click the link for a $5 off coupon in Hamilton only)
• Once Upon a Child -  20% off your purchase when you fill up the stamps, Wed. is double stamp day, and if you bring your black reusable O.U.A.C. bag you get an extra stamp!

There are amazing ways to use some of these cards!  (again - see MrsJanuary)  You can get hundreds of dollars worth of free stuff!


The cards I use the most are Air Miles, HBC, and Shoppers.


I cash in my Shoppers and HBC points during the Holidays for free gifts!

Our Air Miles are much more fun to use!!!
Every year we trade our Air Miles in for free passes for our whole family to the Toronto Zoo and Ontario Place!
We have a blast, and only have to pay for parking (stupid parking fees) because we pack a picnic lunch.

So, we get 2 full days of fun, for free just because when we shop we carry an extra card with us!  Yes, I think I'll suffer the inconvenience of carrying that little card in my wallet!!!  (can you taste the sarcasm?!)



Last year my mom came with us because Dave was (again) in Winnipeg...and yes she is short enough to ride the kids rides!!!




I can't wait to go back this summer!! :)

Do you use rewards cards??

A Day In the Life of Me

Lots of people have asked me how I "manage" with Dave gone away to Winnipeg for weeks at a time. People don't seem to understand how I can fit it all in to one day and do what needs to get done. 

I think of single parents, and how they must struggle.  At least I get to look forward to someone coming back to help me out in a few weeks.  Though I don't have the luxury of most single parents I know, who have their kids babysat almost every weekend anyway.  I don't live close enough to my family or Dave's family to have free child care *boo*

So I make do. 

I often hear parents of one child...or (god help me) people with no kids - complaining that they don't have TIME to get things done, or they just couldn't get around to doing something because they were so busy.

Ahem...but.... screw you.  Learn to multi-task and get on with it!

Now this doesn't mean if you have one kid or no kids that you aren't good at time management!  I know some people with 6 kids who are better at managing their time than I am, and I know single people who don't even have a spouse who are better than I am. 

This is just how I do it :)

A typical weekday in my house :

• 6:45am - wake up, get dressed and let Dexter out for a pee so he can stop crossing his little doggy legs.  (trying to NOT disturb Kady who, by 4am, has crawled into bed with me)

• 7:00am - get Kady's clothes (that were laid out the night before) and bring her downstairs to get dressed and start her first of many bowls of cereal.
• 7:15 - wake Jeremy and Dakota up.  Their clothes were already put out for them the night before as well.
• 7:30 - pour a coffee and watch it get cold while I get breakfast for both big kids, and another bowl for miss piggy -er- Kady.

• 7:45 - make lunches for Dakota and Jeremy if I didn't do it the night before.  And refill Kady's cereal bowl lol.
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  8:00 - warm my coffee up, make sure Dakota's homework sheets are all signed, and Jeremy's book bag is in order too.
• 8:15 - brush Dakota's hair into french braids, and help everyone get their things ready to leave.







• 8:30 - walk the kids to school....sometimes this can be a game for them :oP

• 9:05 - walk home with Kady. (and sometimes Krista)
• 9:15 - play outside with Kady (weather permitting) and let Dexter outside again.

• 10:00 - bring Kady inside for a snack, and to try the potty.
• 10:15 - turn on Dora (God no....I'm one of THOSE people - I let my kids watch TV!)  And while Kady watches Dora I do the breakfast dishes! Plus if you know Kady, you know she is obsessed with Dora.

• 10:35 - (Dora is only 20 minutes) pack a cup and some toys and take Kady for a walk.

• 11:45 (ish) - get home from our walk and make some lunch, and try the potty again.
• 12:15 - 12:30 - Kady will usually go down for a nap somewhere in this time frame.

• 12:30 - wash the lunch dishes, sweep and mop the floors in the downstairs bathroom, kitchen, dining room, living room and front hallway, scoop out the kitty litter, wipe down the upstairs bathroom, take Dexter out yet again .....and I can usually find some time for facebook or my blog :) (there is occasionally a day where I do a 90 minute workout while she naps....but that's just once a week so I make adjustments)
• 2:30 - Kady wakes up (yes, she naps for 2 hours, and I love it) She usually wants a snack and to play outside, and to go on her potty - again!

• 3:00 - we walk back to the school to get Dakota and Jeremy.
• 3:20 - get home, and tell Dakota to get her homework done and they both change out of their horrid-don't-get-me-started-on-this-topic- uniforms.
• 3:45 - Dakota's done her homework, they all have a little snack and if it's nice out - go out to play until dinner.
• 4:30 - (sometimes earlier depending on what I'm making) I get Kady to help me in the kitchen with some plastic containers or pretend cooking and I make dinner.
• 5:00 - dinner is normally early for us because of the early bedtime required for Jeremy, and because I have lots to get done after they're ALL in bed!  It just works for us.

• 5:30 - they're all done eating and apparently dying to go back outside.  However if the weather isn't cooperating, they play in the house instead. And sometimes, only sometimes, they actually get along!!

• 6:00 - I am able to catch 10 minutes of the news some days, and if they're still getting along I will rinse and stack the dinner dishes so they're easier to do later. And if I'm feeling extra lazy tired, I can just throw all the silverware in a cup full of soapy water and do it in the morning!(Thanks Jade)
• 6:15 - One kid gets a shower.  I'm pretty much doing separate showers every night.  With Dave gone the days of the 2 big ones having their showers and then Kady getting her little bubble bath are just not happening.
• 6:45 - Get the kids to help tidy up their toys, and head upstairs to get them ready for bed.
• 7:00 - Jeremy or Kady change into PJ's  - whoever didn't have their shower I guess.(Kota has a later bedtime so I cut her some slack) and they all brush their teeth.

• 7:30 - Jeremy's TV is turned off (he's allowed tv in his from from 7-730 every night) and he gets tucked in, while Kady is (yes again) watching Dora and I am getting all 3 kids clothes ready for the next day.
• 8:00 - Kota gets PJ's, Kady's TV goes off (she refuses to sleep as early as Jeremy does anyway, and it's not her TV, she sleeps in our room)
• 8:30 - Dakota's TV goes off, Kady should be sleeping, so I get changed and pop in a p90x dvd.

• 10:00 - I throw a load of laundry in the washer, and wash the dinner dishes as well.
• 10:20 - I add fabric softener (thanks for getting me hooked on that waste of money mom!) and I set my coffee maker up for the morning.  Then some nights I'll get the kids lunches ready and put them in the fridge.
• 10:40 - put the clothes into the dryer, head upstairs and shower because p90x = sweating like a porn star.  Yep, I said it.
• 11:00 - after showering, drying and straightening my hair, I take Dexter out for another bathroom break, and then it's time to get some sleep, until Kady or Jeremy wakes up crying.

So there you have it.  That is how my day usually goes - unless it's Thursday which messes things up a bit because I want to watch Grey's and I'm too cheap for PVR!!!

Having been a stay at home mom, and a working mom, and a mom that went to college and worked at the same time I must say that for ME staying at home full time is the most rewarding and fun.  I won't say the most tiring, or the most difficult, or stressful....I have time to get everything done during the day AND spend time with my kids.  I don't really look forward to the future when I have to try and get all this done while working 8 +hours a day!!!

And now, since it's past my 11:00pm bedtime....goodnight :)

Do You Like Free Stuff?

I sure do!
If you use the internet frequently, you'll like this idea.  It's super simple, and you get "rewarded" for opening your web browser!

It's called SWAGBUCKS and it's fantastic!!

It's a search engine you use in place of Google or Bing etc.  It even comes with a toolbar to make your searches that much easier.  It's not fully of spy ware or viruses, and you get free stuff just for using it!  Honest!!!

I thought for sure it was a scam at first.  Until I saw my "bucks" adding up!

What happens is this:

You sign up at the SITE and are guided through the simple process.

Any search you'd normally use another engine for, use the Swagbucks engine, and you will randomly be rewarded with "bucks"!

They work like real money, and you can buy items from their site with those digital dollars!!

Anything from amazon gift cards to home electronics!

I have used my SwagBucks to buy $10 Starbucks gift cards because it seems I have become addicted to Starbucks, and their coffee is just too expensive for me to buy on a regular basis ~ because ...well...I'm cheap!

It's actually really addictive!  I've gotten more than $50 in Starbucks cards, plus I got $15 in Amazon.ca gift cards and used them to buy a DVD and it covered the shipping as well!

I know some people that have earned so much in amazon gift cards that they are buying bikes!
You can even trade your swagbucks for paypal cash!  Yep, that's right!  Put free money right in your bank, just for using the internet :)


So go ahead and try it :)  And get some free stuff!!

Saving Money With Kids

YES, it IS possible! 
Savings money is always good, and even better when you have kids!!

Here are some great ways to help you keep some money when it comes to kid related things:

 

 

 

• One of the easiest ways to save money from the start (and it's GREAT for baby) is to breastfeed.  You will literally save yourself hundreds if not thousands of dollars by doing this, plus it's the healthiest thing for both of you!

• Use cloth diapers!  To start up with them it will only cost you the same amount of money as it would to buy about 2 months worth of disposable diapers!  Honest!  So give it a good try, for 2 months, and if you don't  like it, or it just doesn't suit your lifestyle, then you're not out anything, and you can re-sell the diapers you did buy!  They're not as gross as anyone says, and they're ridiculous easy to use.  Anyone in or around Hamilton should stop in  "Re-Diaper" at "Little Bird" on Ottawa Street North!  They have so many different options, and Anj who works there is a great help!

 

 

• Use second hand clothes!  I'm not too good to put "hand me downs" on my kids.  Some people refuse to let their kids wear anything but brand new clothes ~ and to them I say "Go ahead and waste your money!"  Having 3 children I know how long their clothes can last, and how fast  they outgrow them!  Kady is currently wearing a lot of Dakota's old clothes!  They went through Dakota, then my niece Madison, and now Kady, and they are still in good enough condition to pass back to my newest niece Brooklynn!  Right now I have 10+ Rubbermaid totes in my basement with clothes for all 3 of my kids!  Ranging in size from 3T all the way to 10.  That will literally save me thousands of dollars through the years!

 

 

 

• School Pictures - one word expensive! I don't order these anymore.  Having 2 kids in school you need to order 2 packages, and they don't give you a discount until you have 3 or more kids in the same school.  Not nice.  Take your kids to WalMart, or The Real Canadian Superstore for portraits!  They are much cheaper, have better background choices, and you don't have to send your girls to school with their hair down for picture day and risk them getting lice! Or better yet, if you're good enough just take the pictures yourself!

• Speaking of lice - not a topic people want to talk about but let's face it, almost every school has it at some point in the year.  A very inexpensive way to avoid it is Tea Tree Oil!  Add a few drops to your kids shampoo, and apply a drop or two behind their ears or in the "part" of their hair.  It will save you the $30 or so that it costs to buy the "Treatments" and also save you from having to re-wash bedding and stuffed animals etc.

• Buy a reusable swim diaper.  They're similar to cloth diapers, but for swimming.  You will never have to buy "Little Swimmers" and they come in SUPER cute patterns and colours! Just remember, same as with "Little Swimmers" they're not meant to be absorbent, just to stop solids from entering the water!!

• Take advantage of free fun programs at your local library!  Our local branch offers all sorts of fun activities for kids in specific age groups and it's educational, so an added bonus!

• Instead of going to theme parks or any place that charges for admission, take your kids to a nearby garden, playground, water park, or beach.  Bring along a picnic and some balls or Frisbees.  You can have hours of fun without spending money.  And if it's walking or biking distance you will save on fuel too! (which would be nice at $1.34/Litre!!)

• Birthday Parties ~ So many parents go way overboard with their kids parties.  And oddly enough it's at an age where they will have NO idea and NO appreciation for this.  If your kids are under 5, bake up and decorate your own cake or cupcakes, have them help you!  Cut up some fresh fruit and vegetables, and make up a big platter of sandwiches for friends and family that come over.  Voila, there's your party! Does a 2 year old really need a reception hall rented out with streamers and a clown and to have it catered?  Because if so, that's going to be one "Diva" of a child as they get older, and the parties will just get more expensive with PONIES and LIMOS!  I'm not up for that!  The most expensive birthday we hosted was at a bowling alley when Dakota turned 7, and the nicest thing about it was that I didn't have to do a THING!  But we aren't always going to have the extra money for that, so this year we went back to cupcakes and cake with friends and family, then did the same for Kady's 2nd birthday!

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  Laundry ~ Let's face it, kids make clothes dirty.  Lots of clothes.  So. wash all of your laundry in cold water, and hang it outside or on an indoor drying rack whenever possible.  If you have a "smart meter" for your electricity, only do your washing and/or drying during "off peak" hours.  Doing so will save you 66% or more on your Electrical Bill!!

• If you happen to have a hobby like sewing or knitting, put it to use for your kids! Make your own hats, scarves, mitts, etc!  Not only will they have super cute, and unique winter wear, but you will spend less then half the retail price of those things!  I'm not lucky enough to have this skill, but a friend of mine does, and she even makes these items to sell!  

 

These are one of her cute creations!



• NEVER be afraid to use coupons!!! Coupons should be your best friend for saving money on kids things!  I never used to use them, I always figured "What does $0.50 save me, really?"  Well, really, it adds up!  And 50 cents saved is 50 cents that stays in MY pocket!  There are fabulous ways to use coupons, you just need the right resources to be able to use them all to their full potential.  My cousin-in-law has made this an art.  She is a resource for anyone to use, so if you're interested in saving money on EVERYTHING in life (not just kids!) take a peek at her amazing blog Mrs.January She is the coupon-queen!

These are just a few of my ideas.  Feel free to add your own money saving ideas!!  I hope you're able to use some of these!