Han-or-ama

Summer holds so much magic for me. From an early age, I came to understand that summer time meant being outside, playing foursquare in the cul-de-sac, heart beating out of my chest at the sound of the ice cream truck [I only have one memory of actually purchasing from said truck however haha] hands scratched and covered in sticky juice while enjoying raspberries right off the bush, but mostly soaking up sun alongside the concrete neighbourhood pool. We swam endlessly and tirelessly, loving every moment amidst the din of giggles, laughter, shouts, and conversations.

This past week we embarked on a family vacation, and most of our time was spent in the pool. Eli brought his trunks to us daily, bobbing up and down with excitement before the word 'pool' even crossed our lips. Darius made breakthrough after breakthrough with his swimming, charging through the barriers of fear he had previously established, and plunging into the water! Here is a little recount of the swimming adventures had by my sweet man-o:

"my swimming adventure was awesome! I wish I could be in han-or-ama again! I love papa so much and wish we could swim all day together!My jumps are amazing and awesome! I love my jumps and wish I could do them again! Swimming underwater feels so good! My favourite part about swimming underwater was when I swam across the pool and did dives into the water! I even got $5!! I am an Olympic swimmer and do great Olympic dives!"

Darius was non stop action in the pool, and inspired his brother to blow bubbles, dunk his head, and even jump off the side of the pool! Here's a little photo recap of the swimming adventures in 'han-or-ama' [I love the way he pronounces that haha!] We loved our time with Papa Aquaman and Karen, cousin Ayden, and all the aunts and uncles that were able to steal time away along with us! We love you guys!

Here's to you Mr.Robinson

The past few days have been cooler, hovering around 20*C instead of the 30 and above we were lucky enough to enjoy for a bit there. With the cooler weather comes a chance to catch up on household duties that get neglected when the sun is shining, and the beach is beckoning. Between all the housework over the last few days, we've snuck some cookie and bread baking into the mix.

 One reason for baking cookies is for Hottie Husband who has an extreme endurance event this weekend and needs healthy snacks with a complex combination of high carb-healthy fats-and protien to keep him fueled and racing for a full 24 hours! Sounds like fun right? The boys and I are looking forward to cheering him and his team on -  and if the boys are happy, we'll make it a full hour on the sidelines...I can only imagine what level of exhaustion he will be feeling upon completing this; and what sense of accomplishment as well!

 And the sweeter, chocolatey cookies were whipped up to say 'thank you' to Mr.Robinson [as Darius calls him] whom has been driving the-best-Daddy-in-the-world to work the past few days so we could have the car to run errands. Pretty awesome service in deed! According to Darius,"Mr.Robinson doesn't feel old enough to be called Mr.Robinson, but that's his name; so that's what I call him." I love how he calls adults Mr&Mrs and at times throws their first names in the middle too! Either way, Mr.Robinson is a great guy, and we really wanted to let him know that we appreciate his kindness and thought cookies might help drive that message home :)

Once both batches of cookies were whipped up and taste tested I just needed to share! Not only have both recipes received high praise and rave reviews, esspecially from Eli who cries when his cookie is gone haha! but there is always a need for cookies from the two extremes - healthy, and not so healthy but oh so incredibly yummy!. So here's to you Mr.Robinson! We'd love to bake for you anytime!

Cosmic Cookies

adapted from Planet Organic's orignial recipe

2 1/4 cups	old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups	Spelt flour
1 cup	Sunflower seeds
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp	Pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup	Shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/4 cup	Flax seeds, measured prior to grinding
1 cup	Granulated cane sugar
1 tbsp	Cinnamon, ground
2 1/4 tsp	Sea salt
1 3/4 cups	Dark chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups	Raisins
1/4 cup	Water
1/4 cup	fancy molasses
3/4 cup	apple sauce, unsweetened
1 cup	almond milk, unsweetened

	Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line baking trays with a silpat pad.
	In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients, everything from oats to raisins. In a separate large bowl, combine wet ingredients, everything from water to almond milk. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix slow at a low speed (or by hand) until just combined. Do not over mix.
	Portion cookie dough using a 1/3-cup measure and place onto lined baking tray. Gently flatten cookies before baking. Bake for 24 minutes or until lightly browned. Yields 24 cookies [ we also made smaller cookies, which are pictured above. For the smaller cookies we used our cookie scoop, and they baked for 12 minutes] Let rest on pan before transfering to cooling rack to cool completely. These are a fabulous option for breakfast cookies, meal replacements, or snacks!

Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies

adated from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients

1-¼ cup fresh ground whole wheat  flour*

¼ cups (Rounded) Cocoa Powder, Unsweetened

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

⅛ teaspoons Salt

6 Tablespoons  Vegan Butter, Room Temperature

3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

½ cups Granulated Cane Sugar

½ cups Powdered Maple Syrup [alternatively use brown sugar]

1 whole Large Egg [alternatviely use egg replacer, flax egg, or chia egg]

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla

1 teaspoon Coconut Extract

1/4 cup apple sauce, unsweetened*

1 cup Shredded Coconut (unsweetened)

1 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips


Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In an electric mixer, cream together the butter, coconut oil, and sugars. Scrape down the sides and then add the egg, coconut extract, and vanilla, applesauce; mix to combine. On a low speed, gradually add the flour and cocoa mixture, until incorporated. Add the shredded coconut and oats and mix. Add chocolate chips and mix until just folded in. The dough will be pretty solid. Form into balls about the size of a heaping tablespoon and place on a lined-baking sheet (with a Silpat or parchment paper).
Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 2 minutes more on the sheet, then remove and place on a cooling rack.


* omit applesauce if using all purpose flour.


Makes the most of these wonderful summer days, and bring the fun inside when outside isn't quite cooperating. Darius and I had a blast baking up a storm; and I'm sure Hottie Husband and Mr.Robinson will enjoy the fruits of our labours as well! 

Veganpalooza!

Starting tomorrow and running through to July 15th is an amazing opportunity to learn more about living conscientiously, eating healthfully, and doing more good! Better yet - this is a free online event! To learn more about it, and to register for this event, head on over to Veganpaloozas home page here.

a little bit of heaven

         

          Summer is in full bloom in our neck of the woods - and we are loving it! Two mornings this week my sweet Darius was able to attend Stay N Play in our local park while Eli and I played on the playground, ran around, and snuck up on Darius to give him loves and hugs. Stay N Play is a program our city puts on for 3-5 year old kids from 10am-12pm for a week straight in several communities across the city. Because the weeks don't all coincide, you could potentially hit up a new community each week and have your child playing it up with others all summer long.
             Darius was thrilled to join this program, and I was equally happy as I watched him in his element - socialising, running, and laughing! It is a return to real entertainment, good old fashioned games like "What time is it Mr.Fox?", "Sleeping Giants", "Frozen Tag", and "Duck, Duck, Goose." I have such fond memories of these game - that was a major benefit to growing up in a cul-de-sac full of kids! The one downside was the port-o-potty on sight was a new sight for many kids, including Darius, and so it was a hot commodity. Because it was so popular, the camp leaders kept it pad-locked unless a child was using the facilities. Darius being the quiet ninja he is, was using the bathroom and the leaders didn't realise it; he had simply slipped in when another child was done. So when the activity changed and they were heading away from the port-o-potty area, Leader Buzz [the two girls took on special names for the week, one being 'Buzz', and the other 'Glitter'] locked the toilet and walked away. Meanwhile Eli and I were at the park, and noticed the kids moving on, but couldn't see Darius, so we began sweeping the park looking for him - fully expecting him to jump out at us from one of the stands of trees. The longer we looked, the more worried I became, and then I saw the port-o-potty door rattling...but no sound coming from inside. I ran over and said,"Buddy is that you?"
            "Mom, I locked myself in here hahaha!" Thankfully he thought he had done it, so it was funny! I told him to hang tight and that I would get someone to help me get him out. He calmly waited while I went and got Buzz, and she and I ran back to let him out. Darius amazes me daily, but really this is one of those situations where he took my breath away! Without loosing a beat, he ran right back into the fray once the door was opened - no worries, no need for consoling, simply pure confidence that his Mama would deliver the rescue that was had promised! Later when I told him that hes one of the bravest people I know he laughed and said,"of course I am Mom!" I simply love this boy!!

            
           After a morning of running with the neighbourhood, we head back out after nap time to play at the beach. Basically we are living outdoors haha! But it is wonderful, sunny, and a shame not to take advantage of the beauty of it all! I am looking forward to getting to the beach with Hubby in tow so I can enjoy some paddle surfing while the boys build sandcastles with Daddy - something that will make this summer really stand apart from all the rest! Loving lake living - loving life! And loving learning important life lessons - like trust and confidence - from my sweet men!

Time Crunched

Between work, travel, catching up with friends - and of course being a Mama! - I have had little to no down time in the past few weeks! It seems like every moment I think I will have to sit down and ruminate for a minute gets swept up in reading Bob the Builder, making popcorn, playing at the park, or returning phone calls! Not that I'm complaining! In fact its quite the opposite, I have been having a great time with my little family as summer has finally decided to arrive in our neck of the woods.

 The important thing to remember, health wise, when life sweeps you up and carries you with the current, is to stay consistent in choosing good foods, making fitness a priority, and getting the sleep your body needs - regardless of the length of your 'to do' list! Caitlin over at Healthy Tipping Point illustrated this point perfectly today, so instead of reiterating, I am going to gladly link you over to her! Have you seen her blog before? I seriously love it! And for time crunched fitness, head on over to bodyrock.tv for 12 minute workouts - a great alternative to doing nothing when you only have minutes to spare!

the mind

Have you ever set a lofty goal - and then fell flat on your face? Or have you set a goal that stretched your imagination, and then accomplished it and MORE? What is the deciding factor in this?

When I decided to run a marathon, I had a broken foot, my maximum distance was 15km up to that point [a marathon is 42.2km] and I chose a marathon less than 6 months away. And yet, I KNEW I could do it! I never really understood what the difference was between this goal, and so many others that I had set, but this one was, and I could feel it.

Bob Proctor is the first person that has explained to me why two people can set out on the same path, and one person will be wildly successful while the other will fall and never get up. It is fascinating - and so simple! Watch this gem of a video [thanks Les for sharing it with me!] and you'll have what you need to switch on success - it really is amazing!

Embracing the Moments

Being a Mama has taught me a few things:

1) I am stronger than I think and greater than I can imagine!


2) Giving up before you even try is the worst failure - lead by example and try, try again!

3) Get up overtime you fall!

4) Hugs and kisses are always needed, wanted, and appreciated!

5) Life is worth living to its fullest! Eat sand, get muddy, and go to bed exhausted!

6) Food is fuel in its purest form, and poison when genetically modified. Let food be thy medicine!

7) Early to bed, and early to rise really are wise words to live by.

8) Never stop learning, wondering, exploring, and inventing!


9) Saying "I'm sorry" is powerful and humbling.

10) Saying "I love you" can change everything!

My sweet boys [all three of them] keep me grounded and focused on what really matters - afternoons at the beach, cuddles before the sun rises, stories before bed. Life is full, good, challenging, and bright. Growth around every corner, and opportunity in every moment. Life is wonderful when you recognise all the amazing blessings you already have!