My Big Blue World

A little bit of mystery in your mail box- A Luxe box Giveaway!

2012-02-24T12:26:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of the "Luxe Box" by Loose Button yet?
Well you are in for a real treat because I'm about to tell you all about it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordless Wednesday- Concert

2012-02-22T07:22:00.000-05:00

Last night I took my sister to her very first concert. Simple Plan, These kids wear crowns, All time low and Mariana's trench.
I'm not really into the bands as much as she is, but it was worth it to see how much she enjoyed herself :)

Have a great day everyone

Wordless Wednesday-Valentines Day

2012-02-15T06:03:00.000-05:00

So yesterday was Valentines Day.. Hubby and I had plans to go to this fancy restaurant for dinner and I was super excited!
When I woke up yesterday morning at an insane hour (thanks Calvin lol) I was surprised with these beauties.

I have mentioned a few times I would love a pair of diamond earrings. Logan helped pick them out :)

Hope you all had a wonderful Love day :)

Motivated Monday

2012-02-13T07:18:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!

Today is another Motivated Monday :)
I have a question for you.. how do YOU stay motivated?..
For me it is a really hard thing.. I don't know why, but I do really well then I fall off the wagon time and time again.
Some people get motivated because of a special event that they want to lose weight for, like a trip or a wedding.. I have neither of those happening any time soon so I decided to chose my birthday in June :)
I would really like to be down at least 15 pounds by then, which I think is realistic since it's 4 months away.

I was searching online for tips on how to stay motivated and here is what I found. Most of these I realized that I do now, but I would love to find a work out buddy!

1- Set Goals
2- Make it fun!
3- Make fitness part of your daily routine
4- Work out with a buddy, it can be that boost you need to push yourself harder
5- Reward yourself for your accomplishments

Most importantly is don't get down on yourself if you do slip up now and then.. pick yourself back up and keep on going!

Are you crafty?

2012-02-09T11:16:00.000-05:00

Do you like doing crafts?
I have always been a crafty person. I have made jewlery,soaps,candles ect.
My new obsession is paper crafts. It all started with this machine.. the Cricut!

Now I have started a little side venture making paper home decor, banners ect. I am so overwhelmed by the great response. I'm thinking the money I make from doing this will help pay for my Blissdom Canada expenses this year :).

These are some examples of what I've made.

If you'd like to check out more you can visit my Facebook page Imagine With Paper

Valentines Sweeps- $100 Paypal

2012-02-07T08:25:00.000-05:00

This Lil Piglet and Tales of a Ranting Ginger, together with a group of the following fabulous Canadian bloggers are proud to present the Moola Love Valentine Sweeps cash giveaway February 7th 12:00 am EST - 14th at midnight.

Enter to win $100 cash via PayPal. Anyone with a PayPal account can enter to win this "lovely" cash prize; open worldwide

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Motivated Monday

2012-02-06T06:13:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!
It is always a rush for me to write these posts on Monday morning. I should learn to write something before hand and just have it set to auto post in the morning..

Here is my update . I finally stepped on the scale and I am UP 3lbs.. not a huge deal considering I'm normally up more around this time. I have not made it to the gym for a few days because I've messed up my shoulder somehow. I will have to call my chiropractor today and get it checked out.
I'm hoping to get back into the gym in the next couple of days. I am not sure if the gain is because of food, water weight or putting on muscle from working out.. trying not to fret overt it (what good will that do anyway?).

My hubster on the other hand is down 15.2 lbs and looks incredible, you can totally tell that he has lost weight. Now he just has to start getting work outs in :).

Hoping for a better update next week, how did you do ?

New members of the family :)

2012-02-04T21:02:00.000-05:00

I have been a lazy blogger the last couple of days. I have been so busy that I haven't had the time to sit and even think about a blog post. But something exciting happened today that I just HAD to share with all of you :)
We welcomed two new members into our family :)..
"Lola" and "Moo" are our new kitties.. unfortunately their old owner couldn't care for them anymore so they came to live with us.

Lola is the top picture she came with the name "Peter" but it just didn't seem right to leave her with a boy name lol..and Moo is below.. Moo really lives up to his name, he is such a porker :P

Hope you like the photo's of our new kitties, as I type this they are snuggled up with each other beside me (so sweet)

Cupids Cash $300 USD Giveaway!

2012-02-01T00:00:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the Cupid's Cash Giveaway Event!

Kidsumers and Sober Julie Doing Life have partnered up with lots of different and wonderful bloggers to bring you a fabulous prize, just in time for the Valentines Day!

The prize is $300 USD in Paypal Cash!!!

Giveaway starts February 1st at 12:01 AM EST to February 14th at 12:01 AM EST. Giveaway winners will be announced through the Rafflecopter widget and notified by email by the end of the day on February 17th, 2011. Winners must reply to email notification within 48 hours of delivery, or a new winner will be chosen.

Participating Blogs:

Sober Julie Doing Life

Kidsumers

Nugglemama's Handful
Funny Things Are Everywhere
Between The Kids
Elegantly Said
Shopping in Your Pjs
My Little Review Corner
The Jolly Blogger
A Hen's Nest
Nolie's Place
Wisconsin Mommy
Raising My Boys
Humble Pie
Tara's View of the World
My Secret Home
Shasher's Life
Maple Leaf Mommy
Mommy Moment
Smookie Style
Thriftymommastips
Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar
Rants Reviews
Pixie Deals
Noteworthy
Country Mouse, City Mouse
Mommies Point of View
Bewildered Bug
Canadian Coupon Mom

My Big Blue World
The Momma Stuff Blog
Number Crunching Momma
Family Tales Not Ties

*This giveaway is open to Worldwide entries

*There will be 1 winner chosen to win this giveaway

GIVEAWAY ENDS TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14TH AT 12:01 AM EST

GOOD LUCK!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordless Wednesday- Dancing Baby (video)

2012-01-31T19:19:00.000-05:00

Watch this.. you won't be dissapointed... my neice shakin her thang .. she's got the moves like jagger..

Motivated Monday-little update

2012-01-30T19:43:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, I just realized that I didn't make a "Motivated Monday" post..
Today has been a really busy and stressful day, my head definitely was not in blogging mode.

I have been staying away from the scale this last week. My goal is to be on "scale strike" for 2 weeks. I decided to do this because around "that time" I tend to gain a lot of water weight, when I see the number go up, I get really down on myself. I am still feeling great and working out as much as I can. Hubster is still doing great as well :).

Next week I should have more of an update for you all, I just wanted to post to let you know I haven't dropped off the face of the planet :P

P.S don't forget to check out my good friend Julie's progress over at www.soberjulie.com . She also has a list of other fabulous ladies who are on journey's of their own.

Today is Family Literacy Day!

2012-01-27T10:22:00.000-05:00

Do you read with your kids?
Honestly I don't read to them as much as I should. It has been a goal of mine to sit with the boys and read more, life always get's in the way.
Today I was suppose to go to a Literacy Day celebration at Ham's school. His bus was cancelled so he is staying home today (he is not happy about it!). I was planning on taking a collection of Curious George stories to read to him and his class. He was quite upset to be missing out, but I promised to read some stories to him here at home.

What better way to celebrate Family Literacy Day than with a giveaway!
This giveaway is from the Home Education Resource Emporium. You can find lots of great used books on there to enjoy with your kiddos. All you have to do is enter with the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Celebrate Chinese New Year with #VHSauces!

2012-01-25T08:22:00.002-05:00

This year is a special year in the Chinese culture. It is the year of the Dragon.
"The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend. A symbol of good fortune and sign of intense power, the Oriental Dragon is regarded as a divine beast - the reverse of the monster that Westerners felt necessary to find and kill. In Eastern philosophy, the Dragon is said to be a deliverer of good fortune and a master of authority. Therefore, those people born in Dragon years are to be honored and respected."

Since this is such a special year, VH Sauces has created some fabulous dishes to help ring in the Chinese New Year.
These are a few that sparked my interest:

All of the recipes on the VH Sauces website look so delicious. However I decided to make something up on my own.
I made Garlic Hoisin chicken with bok choy and veggies over cauliflower "rice". It was so yummy!

This is what you need:

Chicken (I used boneless skinless thighs)

VH Garlic Hoisin sauce (1 cup)

Baby Bok Choy (I used 2) sliced in half and steamed for 5 minutes

Any other veggies you like (I used red pepper, mushrooms and broccoli)

Directions:

Marinate your chicken peices for 2 hours in Garlic Hoisin sauce. Then sear on both sides until browned. Pop into a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.

While your chicken is cooking you can chop all of your veggies and steam your Bok Choy.

When there is about 10 minutes left on your chicken make your cauliflower rice (Directions HERE).

Stir fry your veggies until they are cooked how you like 'em.

Once your chicken is cooked you can plate it up.. Put a cup of cauliflower rice in the bottom of the bowl and drizzle with soy sauce.

Place your stir fry veggies on top and then the bok choy and chicken. Drizzle some of the juices from the chicken over top and enjoy!

VH Sauces wants you to be able to enjoy the Chinese New Year with your family, so they are giving one of my lucky readers a $60.00 VH Sauces prize pack!

All you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yummy Cauliflower Crust Pizza!

2012-01-24T14:33:00.000-05:00

I have seen this recipie floating around for a long time now, honestly I was too scared to try it.
Yesterday I was invited to my sister's house for lunch. The plan was to make the boys all individual pizzas.. but what was I going to eat?. I really didn't feel like having a salad or the same old chicken and veggies, so I decided it was time to try this idea out.
I already had the ingredients so why not.

This is a picture of the crust before it was baked.

And this is what it looked like after I added my toppings and it turned all sorts of yummy!

I would definately make this recipie again.. I was suprised at how well it tasted. Only thing is I left it a little too thick in the middle, so I'll have to remember to really squish it down more.

Here is the recipie for thoes who might want to try it (don't be scared like I was.. it didn't bite me)

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp garlic salt
olive oil (optional)
pizza sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of toppings* (I used Mushroom, cooked chicken and spinach)

Directions:

To "Rice" the Cauliflower:
Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.

To Make the Pizza Crust:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).
Enjoy!
*Note that toppings need to be precooked since you are only broiling for a few minutes.

Motivated Monday-17 day stats!

2012-01-23T07:11:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone.

Today marks day 23 of our "17 Day Diet". We are now into Cycle #2 and can eat brown rice,beans,quinoa, lean cuts of beef, pork and shell fish and also potatoes!
This morning I noticed that my belly is considerably flatter (YAY!), so I decided to measure myself to see the change. I have lost 2 inches around my belly!
You have no idea how exciting that is for me.. I always said I had an "old man belly" since having my kids. Seeing it flatter and smoother makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :D.

I decided to post a picture of the chalk board I have in our kitchen, on it I keep track of our stats :)

Maybe next week I will be brave enough to post a picture of my belly before starting and what it looks like now...

Have you checked out my good friend Julie's Motivated Monday post yet? If not check it out HERE and be sure to leave her a comment.

Have a great day everyone! and don't forget to leave some comment love <3

Best Night EVER!-Meet the Arkells

2012-01-21T10:40:00.002-05:00

On Thursday I got to meet one of my all time favorite bands, the Arkells.. It was one of the best nights ever. They have a "chose the encore" contest on their facebook page, I entered and I won!
I was so excited that I couldn't contain myself, I called my sister right away to tell her my awesome news.

For those of you who don't know who the Arkells are, shame on you!
They are only one of the most amazing Canadian groups around.
The band members met while they were studying at Mc Master University in Hamilton, Ontario.
My hubby and I got to the show and listened to the opening act "The Darcy's" for about half an hour before going to the meet and greet. I was super nervous all day because I am in love with this group.. I was afraid they would be kinda stuck up.. I was so wrong. They are such down to earth guys, so relaxed and laid back.. super friendly and all around awesomesauce!

The show was amazing. It started a little later than it was suppose to due to some lighting problems, but it was well worth the wait. This was our 4th time seeing the Arkells and each time they get better and better. I can't wait to see them in concert again.

PS. My hubby got to see them two nights in a row, I am super jealous and he definately owes me one!

Wordless Wednesday- It's the little things..

2012-01-18T05:02:00.002-05:00

Every parent of a special needs child knows that no accomplishment is to little.
Last week "Ham" was sent home with two stars from school, one day after the other. I was so proud of him!

You can see the first one.. but the second one says "Liam is getting this star for working really hard. He printed his name and made his name in play dough.. Great work!"

:) Way to go big dude!

Motivated Monday

2012-01-16T07:46:00.000-05:00

My beautiful friend Julie from www.soberjulie.com has started "Motivated Monday's".I decided as a way to keep going and stay accountable I would also post a "Motivated Monday" to share our results. Julie and I had chatted around the new year about what I was doing for my diet and was interested. I sent her the information and I am happy to say she is doing AMAZING on her journey. (Make sure that you go over and check out her page!)

So it has been 16 days into my first cycle of the 17 day diet!
I am down 8.6lbs and my hubby has dropped 12! It is amazing the results we are seeing on the scale with this diet.

For those of you who may be thinking " wow! what are you eating?", here are a few photo's of some of our yummy meals.

(Egg muffin with Greek yogurt on top,grapes and yogurt) (Tilapia and tons of veggies!)
I have had an issue with my cravings lately.. I could have downed at least a row of cookies yesterday, but I didn't :). Wednesday we start on cycle 2. I need to read up more about it but the hubby seems to have it figured out. We will eat foods from cycle 1 the first day then cycle 2 and alternate like that for the next 17 days to help trick our metabolism.

My cravings for coffee are pretty much non-existent now and my wallet doesn't mind. $1.63 a couple times a day at my favorite coffee shop adds up over the year!

This Thursday hubster and I are going to see one of my favorite bands the Arkells and I'm super excited. I was hoping to be down about 5-6lbs by the concert but I have exceeded that!
I will be sure to post some photo's next week!

I hope you all have a fabulous day and please feel free to share your "Motivated Monday" with me!

The scale is my enemy..

2012-01-11T19:11:00.000-05:00

I can't remember a time when I was 100% happy with my body image.
I was young when I became pregnant with my oldest son, I don't even remember what my body looked like back then. For the last 9 years I have gone up and down in my weight, When I had Calvin I weighed in at 235 lbs! (not many people know that).. about 2 years ago I made it to 172lbs, I don't remember weighing less than that over the last decade.

(Me about 2 weeks after Calvin was born.. don't I look happy??)

I ballooned back up to 191.6 lbs (weight on new years day). Looking down at the scale and seeing that number all I could think of was " I will not get back to the 200's... I can't".
January 1st the hubster and I started the 17 day diet. To this day I have lost 7lbs and he has lost just about the same. I have eaten more lean protein and veggies in the last 11 days that I have over the last 6 months. We have both cut out coffee (and we use to drink a LOT). It is amazing to me how much better I feel since we started this diet.
If you have never heard of the 17 Day Diet you can read more about it here.

(My sisters wedding day, Sept 2008)

Our first 17 days is up on the 17th and I am looking forward to having some beef ;).
I found that I had a headache the first day from no sugar and no coffee but I have been fine ever since. This plan is really easy to follow, there is so many foods that you can eat!

I am committed to making myself a priority, I am determined to reach my goals. By the time Blissdom Canada 2012 rolls around this fall, I will NOT be the one hiding myself behind everyone else in photo's, or doing the "side tilt" so that I look smaller. I will be happy with my body and proud to be front and center.

(Blissdom 2011, doing the "side tilt"..not this year!)

Have you made any resolutions to get fit this year?.. how are you going to reach your goals?

Wordless Wednesday-A favorite photo :)

2012-01-11T07:08:00.000-05:00

This is one of my all time favorite photo's of my hubby and I. I was feeling great about myself at this point in my life. I am working on feeling good again and will post more tomorrow about my journey to a healthier me :)

This is us on our way out to a fancy restaurant for hubby's birthday/valentines day dinner <3

Have a great day everyone!

Blogaversary Giveaway #4- Mabels Labels Tag Mates

2012-01-08T09:25:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!
I'm just a little late getting this last giveaway up (sorry!), been busy with life as usual.

So here it is, my very last Blogaversary giveaway. It's another from the oh so fabulous Mabels Labels :)
This time you have the chance to win the Colorful Tag Mates (ARV $21.00).

(From the website)

Tag Mates™ are laundry safe, peel and stick clothing labels that require no ironing or sewing. Simply apply to clothing care tags.

Price: $21.00

Colour: 40+ multi-coloured designs
or
3 solid colours to choose from

Features:

Washer safe
Dryer safe
UV resistant
Peel and stick to clothing care tags
Satisfaction guaranteed

Quantity: 70 labels

Size: 21mm x 10mm (13/16" x 3/8")

These tags are great and so easy to add to all of your childrens clothing.

Entering is easy, just use the Rafflecopter form below.. don't forget to share with your friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A reflection on 2011

2011-12-31T08:21:00.001-05:00

Today is officially the last day of 2011.
I will spend New Years eve at home with my family and will probably be asleep well before the ball drops.

2011 was a year full of great events.

- I saw my little baby go off to school for the first time (I was able to hold back the tears)
- I watched my oldest play guitar in his first ever concert.. the pride in his face was awesome!
- I started school
- I got to spend 1 week in beautiful Cancun with my amazing hubby.
- I attended my first ever blogging conference (Blissdom Canada YAY!) and it was amazing.
- I have made so many new friendships this year.. with amazing people.
- I got to see some of my favorite artists in concert with my hubby :)
- Liam has come a long way this year.. ending the year off with finally being able to spell his name, and write the first two letters of it :).

There are some things I would rather forget about 2011, but that is in the past and it's time to start a fresh new year :).

I see big things for me,my family and my blog in 2012. I have set a few resolutions for the next year.
1st, to be a better mom to my kids. Take more time to enjoy them, even if they are driving me bonkers.
The second is to get myself healthy. I have about 35lbs I plan to lose in the next year. No more excuses, it's time to do it, and do it right. My husband and I are starting the 17 day diet on January 2nd and I plan to have a separate blog (which will be linked up on the sidebar here) to blog about our progress.

I want to thank everyone who has become a part of my life over the last year. Each and every friendship means so much to me.

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2012!

Date with the little dudes-#EqualCanada and #CBias

2011-12-28T09:50:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!
Since the husband is off having "man time" with his friend and the oldest is off at his aunties house tonight, I decided to take the two little guys out to Mc Donalds for dinner. The boys always get jazzed when I mention the golden arches, my waistline however dosn't like it too much (lol).

(notice the snow... barf!)

The boys always get a happy meal, even though Calvin didn't want the fries he still wanted the chocolate milk and of course the toy. Liam got the chicken nugget happy meal with chocolate milk and I got a Big Mac (yeah I know... bad me!) a coffee and I ate Calvin's fries. Our bill came to almost $19.00, which isn't nearly as bad as when the whole family is there.

(what's with the weird faces boys?)

This praticular Mc Donalds we went too is probably the oldest in Guelph, or at least it looks that way. The Woolowich street location hasn't changed since I was probably 10 years old, they do have Wifi which is a plus I guess.. but I think more people would go to one of the nicer locations if they planned to sit and use the computer for awhile. The staff seemed friendly enough.. the interior definitely needs to be updated. One thing that I found odd was the sign on the door that read " We do not accept Mc Donald's gift cards at this location".. kind of strange that a company won't accept it's own gift card..

(1980's interior)

While I was there I figured it was a prime opportunity to search out Equal low calorie sweetener. To my disappointment they do not offer it at Mc Donalds :(. I spoke with the lovely lady behind the counter and the manager who both told me that they did not carry it but could possibly have it in the future.

(evil Big Mac and coffee)

I chose to have my coffee with good ol fashioned sugar because I don't care for the brand of sweetener that they have at Mc Donalds right now. I think it is important for the company to have variety when it comes to the sweeteners. A lot of people are turning to low-cal sugar substitutes and most (like me) have their preference in what they use. Every brand has a different flavor, some better than others.

I think Mc Donald's definitely needs to include Equal in their selection, having one brand is not enough.

Since I couldn't find a comment card in store, I went to the Mc Donalds website and filled out the online form to let them know I would like to see more variety in the sweeteners that they offer. I would especially like to see Equal in all of their restaurants as it is personally one of my favorites.

(screen shot of online survey.. and a coupon!)

If you would like to learn more about Equal brand sweeteners head over to www.Equal.com . You can also learn more by following @EqualCanada on twitter and of course Facebook.

***Disclosure- This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias. All opinions are my own*****

Blogaversary Giveaway #3- Corel Editing Software!

2011-12-24T10:10:00.001-05:00

Good Morning everyone!
While most of you are getting ready for the big guy in the red suit, I decided to post another giveaway (yay!). This giveaway is graciously donated by Corel. I fell in love with this software at Blissdom Canada back in October. I have not one but three bundle packs to giveaway to my awesome readers.

Here is some information taken from Corel's site:
The ultimate photo- and video-editing software

With our best photo- and video-editing software—and two valuable bonus packs—the Corel® Photo & Video X4 Ultimate Bundle is everything you need, for everything you shoot! From easy tools to retouch photos fast, to advanced photo-editing features that put pro-level tools in your hands, Corel PaintShop Pro X4 Ultimate makes your pictures perfect. And with Corel VideoStudio Pro X4 Ultimate, you get an end-to-end video-editing collection that will have you wowing any audience with your own blockbusters complete with titles, amazing effects and more!

Create professional-looking photos with sophisticated effects, layer editing, and more than 75 new and enhanced photo-editing features
Get big-screen impact with end-to-end video-editing software featuring spectacular titles and effects, high-speed HD editing and much more
Easily share your photos and videos directly to Facebook®, Flickr®, YouTube™ and Vimeo

PaintShop™ Pro X4 gives you the photo-editing tools you need to create the professional look you want. From standard editing features for fixing common flaws, to specialized tools that let you tap into the latest trends in photography, it’s all here in a sleek, responsive interface designed to make photo-editing fast and enjoyable.

VideoStudio Pro X4 Ultimate provides an end-to-end HD video-editing experience, with import support for a wide variety of cameras, advanced image correction, high-speed editing, amazing real-time effects and sharing options that range from YouTube™ to Blu-ray™. It’s everything you need to turn your action-packed video into pro-quality movies.

All you have to do is click on "read more" and enter VIA the rafflecopter form.. easy peasy.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordless Wednesday- First concert :)

2011-12-21T06:29:00.001-05:00

Since Christmas is just around the corner (yikes!) I wanted to post this video of Logan's very first Christmas concert. He did a great job and we are all so proud of him :)

Have a great day everyone!

P.S- I <3 comments :)