Help NYC's Children Get Fit!

I don't normally post contests on my blog, but this one is dear to my heart.

Emil has been running his company, Fit 4 Life NYC for several years now. He has not strayed from his original goal of helping New York's children lead healthy, active lives. F4L just submitted a wish to Intuit’s Small Business Growing Strong campaign.

Help Emil's organization make a wish come true! Fit 4 Life NYC's mission is to help children in New York City's poorest communities to become active and fit, but most of the children in their programs do not have proper shoes or attire to exercise and play in. In addition, due to the high cost of sports/fitness equipment F4L's classes are taught with little to no equipment. 

Click here to vote for Emil and his team: http://bit.ly/11lxQjc [You can vote once a day and you don't have to register for anything!]

F4L would use the prize money to purchase shoes for their neediest kids and new sports equipment for their programs. Thank you for supporting NYC's children.

Read more...

Budding Chef

In an effort to keep Indio busy this summer we signed up for *Little Chefs*, a free cooking class organized by Ontario Early Years Centres. I was hesitant at first because the class is timed perfectly with Indio's nap and I didn't want to risk a cranky toddler every week, but he's been a trooper and has sacrificed his midday snooze for a little culinary education.

We have only attended 2 classes so far, but both have been loads of fun! We start the class with a circle of songs and stories and then get right into cooking. The instructors are great about teaching routines such washing your hands before cooking, waiting your turn [some seem to struggle with this one!], learning about the different food groups and actually measuring and mixing the ingredients. It's quite amazing to watch a room full of toddlers so engaged in creating their own snack!

During our first class we baked blueberry muffins and made watermelon juice. Indio loved pouring ingredients into bowls to prepare the muffin batter. However, he had a hard time grasping the fact that he couldn't just eat the watermelon off the plate instead of actually cutting it to put it in the blender.

pouring flour

mmmmuffin!

The end result was delicious, and I'm not just saying that as a proud mama. I think even pastry-chef-in-the-making, Summer, would be impressed! We ate the muffin hot out of the oven and Indio drank his juice so quickly that I'm not sure he even tasted it!

"mom, may i have a real knife?"

so refreshing!

Read more...

Sneaky sneaky . . .

Woah, it's been awhile! How are you all doing? I've been swimming in blog post ideas but have had a difficult time trying to sit down and write!

Since the school year ended and E made an early return to NYC, Indio and I have been busy, busy, busy! You'd think with all this activity, my boy would be eating up a storm, but as many 2-year olds do, he seems to have lost his appetite, some days living on fruits and waffles.

In an effort to ensure he's getting as many nutrients as possible, my dad and I concocted a delicious smoothie that's perfect for these hot summer days. Indy calls it "Popeye" because I told him Popeye eats spinach. He doesn't even know who/what Popeye is! And yes, I said spinach. Don't worry, you can't even taste it!

I didn't calculate the nutritional info yet, but I can definitely say it's really good for you and I'm ok if that's all that Indio wants for dinner.

Popeye Smoothie

1 large banana
1 mango
1/2 cup raspberries
2 handfuls or more of baby spinach leaves
1.5 cups milk [whatever kind you like . . . I used 2% cow's milk because that's what we give Indio.]
ice

Put everything in a blender and hit "on". Voila!
Yields about 2.5-3 cups, depending on how much ice you use.

lending a hand

Read more...

A boy's-eye view

As Indio gets older, our visits to his birth city become more of an adventure for him [and me, trying to keep him busy!]. I try to think of new and exciting things to do with Indy, who is at an age where he's curious about everything but has the attention span of a, well, a 2-yr old.

We took a customary subway trip along the A line from Indy's grandfather's place towards Far Rockaway. The train travels above ground in this segment and goes through the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and along the ocean, so there's lots to see. Not surprisingly, Indio was just as intrigued with the workmen repairing the tracks as he was the Atlantic.

here comes the A train!

playing footsies on the train

Indio's current obsession with all things transportation meant a visit to the NY Transit Museum was in order. We met up with Julie, Jonas and twins, Jesse and Miles for a morning of exploring buses, trains "from the olden days" and enough turnstiles to make you dizzy.

don't let the pigeon [or toddler] drive the bus!
supervising an oil change at the mechanic

A trip to NY always includes a visit with Alicia, Monty, Dulce and puppeteer extraordinaire, Kirsten. And much to Indy's delight, our night was filled with children's songs, complete with actions!

there was a great big moose . . .

Of course, Indio wouldn't leave all the picture-taking to me. This boy has an eye.

indy showing off his shutterbug skills to me and louly

Read more...

The Good Stuff: Battery-Operated Toothbrush

Since Indio was 6 months old, bedtime has always been a fairly easy time in our household . . . except when it came to brushing his teeth. In the beginning, before those pearly whites even made an appearance we were diligent about gum massage, and up until more recently, Indy continued to allow us to brush his teeth for him.

With his recent explosion of independence and stubbornness, he began protesting and fighting me. I had to pin his arms down and between all the thrashing and screaming, try to polish each one of his tiny chompers.

I turned to some of other moms for pointers and that led me to a battery-operated, brightly coloured, Go, Diego, Go! brush by Colgate.

What a fabulous invention! Indio wants to brush his teeth all.the.time. He asks for his "Day-go brush" even when it's not time to brush his teeth. And he still finally lets me get in there to rid his mouth of the "sugar bugs" [another tactic picked up from another mom].

Read more...

From the mouths of babes

My heart goes a-flutter every time Indio says, "Tank you!" for everything from a bowl of grapes to helping him off his highchair, without us prompting him. I'm sure Miss Manners would be just as proud.

Read more...

What I loved in October

The past month was chock-full of product suggestions from friends. Here are a few that have become staples in my life already:

I was lucky enough to lots of face time with Paula over the last two weeks, and of course, that meant sharing our fave items that get us through the day [besides wine!].

1. While at the Dollarama checkout counter, my eyes caught sight of a Reese Bar. Now, being a huge fan of chocolate and peanut butter, it was hard to look away, but I did...until a voice behind me said, "Have you tried these? Mmmm, they're so good!" [I never said she was a good influence!] And yes, it was! I ate the bar over the course of almost a week, savouring each little piece while reading in bed. I'm glad this is a limited edition, though I may just have to make a Dollarama run soon, before they run out!


2. Being moms, Paula and I are always looking for new and exciting snacks for our kids, who seem to get bored of anything we buy in bulk. [You liked it last week, which is why I stocked up this week!] On a short grocery store trip [read: Indio was with us, thus the shortness of the trip], Paula pointed out Voortman's Ginger Kids packed with *whole wheat goodness*. I just had to pick up a pack for Indio. Funny thing is, I think he's had one cookie so far while they've become a complement to my evening cup of tea. Hey, they're good for me! It says so right on the package!


3. Since having Indio, my hair has become more curly/wavy. No really, I'm serious! Of course, the wonderful combo of only knowing how to style my hair straight and not having enough time to do such styling, I've been looking like a hot, frizzy mess most days. Nooreen, my go-to makeup and hair gf [she did my wedding makeup!] continues to put up my with constant badgering of how to get my hair to look like hers. Her new fave curly products have become my new faves too! Pantene's Curly Hair Series are a product-phobe's dream! The Curl Enhancing Spray Gel and Satin Hold Hairspray don't make my hair crunchy and I can apply them over and over again for a few days without my hair looking greasy. If I was organized enough I would even show you a pic of what my hair looks like today, day #3 since washing it.
   

^via
^via

Read more...

Lions and rhinos and goats, oh my!

On Friday, we decided to take an impromptu *Family Fieldtrip* to the African Lion Safari, just outside of Toronto. It was a bright and sunny day, perfect for mingling with the animals. We drove through 9km of game reserves that included animals from Africa, Asia and the Americas, but disappointingly, no elephants! Apparently, the only way to see the pachyderms is to watch their show, *Elephant Roundup.* After the hour-long tour, we didn't have the energy to stick around for it. Maybe next time.

Of course, I took a million photos. Here's a sample of a few of my favourites:

before heading on the safari, we stopped for a visit with the goats...hilarious, isn't it?

And now for some fun facts:

a giraffe's tongue is about 18 inches long!

rhinos love mudbaths but can't roll over because of their protruding spine.

did you know the ostrich's brain is smaller than its eyeball?

king of the jungle overlooking his pride...lions sleep for 15-20 hrs a day...what a life!

African Lion Safari is now closed for the season, but if you're ever in Southern Ontario, you should definitely plan a visit!

Read more...

From the mouths of babes

Conversation between a friend and her 3-yr daughter overheard at E's soccer game.

Mom: Ally, what do you have there? [trying to see what's in Ally's hand.]
Ally: A pony[tail holder].
Mom: [quickly snatching object] Ah no, Ally, that's not a pony! [as she tries to discreetly throw the used condom rim away from her daughter.]

Ally is not pleased.

Read more...