Do you know what hunger looks like?

Did you know that 1 in 5 canadians skip meals just to make ends meet? And 4 out of 10 of those assisted by food banks are children. The people we see everyday only show their outward appearances, we do not know who is hungry, who is having problems paying their bills and buying new clothes for their kids. It may surprise you to know I lived most of my childhood years very hungry and without nice new things. My family survived solely on food bank food and we would usually go hungry until we were able to utilize the food bank again. I was around 8 years old when it all began so there was not a lot I could do. By the age of 12 I had gotten my first job and could not wait to escape. I know how it feels to depend on handouts and I know the importance of the food bank and the people behind it. For a lot of people it is not their fault that they need help from the food bank, a lot of users are just down on their luck, or single parents trying to make ends meet, or elderly people living off very small pension income. But there is people out there who are using their food bank because they use the money they do have for alcohol or drugs, and even if that is the case the reason they get food bank food is usually because their is children at home they are taking care of. So the next time you get a chance to donate to your local food bank think about why and who you will be helping. It is not just lazy people who don't want to get jobs, or work hard enough to support their families it is children and people in need. 

If you are in the Okanagan area I invite you to come down to Lil' Sproutz Children's Boutique in West Kelowna and enter for your chance to win one of our awesome prize baskets. Total of all prizes is over $400! Ballots are 2.00 each or 3 for 5.00 and half of all the proceeds will be donated to the West Kelowna Food Bank!  A place that kept my tummy full when I was a child!

AWAKE! Chocolate Review and more...

I am addicted to chocolate! I love sweets period but chocolate has got to be at the tip top of my list. I am also a fan of caffeine, being a mother of three busy babies obviously being alert and awake is very crucial. So when I heard about AWAKE Caffeinated Chocolate I was ecstatic!  I got two of each flavor caramel and milk chocolate and let me tell you, not only was it delicious but I was pretty alert. They have managed to pack an entire cup of coffee worth of caffeine into a chocolate bar. Caramel was my fave but not by much because they were just ridiculous in flavor. Its not the mild milky flavor you see in other milk chocolates either its almost like a mixture of milk and dark chocolate and it is just nuts!

About The Chocolate

Click the link below for nutritional info:

Nutritional Information

They can be found in a ton of grocery stores and even online for more information check out their website at http://www.awakechocolate.com/ 

 

Play Time!

We decided to take a packing break and head on over to McDonald's for some play time at the play place. It was nice to get out and take some time away from the cardboard. The kids had a blast.

I cannot believe how fast time just whips by. My little guy is now 6 months old and eating solids. Holy cow! That means teething is killing us right now and as soon as that first tooth pokes through no more breastfeeding. I believe six months is very good for breastfeeding, I don't like the thought of a talking toddler hanging onto my chest plus it gives me a little more freedom. The worst part of it though is not the weening its making your milk stop. With both my kids my doctors said just stop, your breasts get so engorged you just want to rip them off but eventually the milk stops filling your breasts and completely vanishes. Your sore for a while but I guess that's life. I know some girls have gotten things called "dry up" pills? I have no idea if that's even a real thing but I'm not really into taking meds I don't really need.

 

 Oh so handsome! I love my babies and I am so lucky to have such wonderful kids! I hope everyone finds the love and happiness we have its a feeling you never want to let go of!

Perfect Threads Review!

So as you know I am a huge advocate of children's consignment. Getting quality products for your kids at a fantastic price is what every parent wants! I got to review an online clothing consignment store this week and I gotta say I am quite pleased. I got an outfit each for my two oldest as well as a onesie and a bib for my little guy. My daughters outfit was an adorable pink shirt from old navy originally and baby gap shorts, in perfect, like brand new condition. My sons outfit consisted of a Gymboree shirt with the tags still on it, the original price was around 20.00 just for the shirt. My babies onesie still had tags on as well and bib looks like it was never used! All of this would have retailed for around 75+ dollars but through perfect threads I would have paid around 35.00. All articles are shipped right to your door and when you place an order you can also get free "clean out" bags to do consignment on and get credit to do your shopping through Perfect Threads, or donation bags where all proceeds go to help the SickKids Foundation, Rosalie Hall, Red Door Family Shelter, Covenant House, or Children's Wish Foundation. All very amazing charities. 

My sons onesie says Major Hunk and I was a little late snapping the photo so my tiny teether has drooled all over it, probably should have wore the bib. Nothing better than all natural photos though right! That is what life is all about. They ship to anywhere in Canada so go for it and see what amazing deals you can score. Check out www.perfectthreads.ca!

 

 My house is in complete chaos right now with packing and organizing and three kids. Yikes, here is what I get to look at for the next couple weeks til moving day.

Cardboard brown is my least favourite colour in the world but it is in every room. Very depressing. But there isn't a whole lot I can do about it. I am not happy with my neighbours or the way the house is smelling, mold is a very scary subject though and there is rules about such things. So if you are a renter or a landlord make sure you read about the Mold and Mildew tenancy act if you have any leaks. You can find it here, this is for BC but I am sure there is one for every province and possibly state. 

So back I go to packing, cleaning, and everything in between! Have a great day!

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers Day everybody! This collage I made represents my life and how my time as spent. I made it on CollageIt Pro, which I am giving away right now, 20 Copies of this awesome software! Get entered into the contest to win your copy! I hope you all get to do the things you love and enjoy today and milk Mothers Day for all its worth. Because tomorrow is just another day! So go take a bubble bath, eat some cake, and watch TV! You deserve it! Or if your like me and your thinking baking, cleaning, and organizing are your favorite things here are the projects I am going to tackle today:

Making Mothers Day Cards with my kids! (should have done this weeks ago) oops!


Baking: I found some really retro cookbooks to get recipes from to try out something new but old. Here are the recipes I chose to make. Because its mothers day I am going to do it the shorter/lazy way and just take pictures of the first recipe right out of the book. Less typing for me, great recipes for you. It is a win-win situation!
 

These muffins were so delicious! They are so simple and just fantastic! 

 This recipe has to be typed its impossible to see in the photos, so here you are. Marmalade loaf:

1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Marmalade
1/2 Cup Milk
1 1/2 Cup Flour
2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp. Salt  

Beat sugar, butter and egg until creamy. Add the rest of the ingredients and place in a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 mins. 

 
Packing and Organizing (moving again) :(

I am still getting rid of seven things everyday I just haven't posted them all with my crazy hot water heater problem. But I have all the pics and will post them tomorrow!

I hope you enjoyed your special day with your special babies mommy's!

CollageIt Pro Giveaway!

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

CollageIt

 

 

Make photo collages on Mac OS X & Windows for free

CollageIt is an easy-to-use photo collage maker for Mac OS X & Windows, which makes collage automatically. In a matter of seconds, this collage software can turn any ordinary photos into impressive collages.
Try this free collage maker to produce you own style collages and share them with your friends and families in a unique way.

 

Try it  for free here: http://www.collageitfree.com/download.html
You can also buy the pro version of it from there as well for $19.90 or win one here in my giveaway!

Features	CollageIt Pro	CollageIt Free
Crop Photo		No
Watermark	No	Yes
Page Size	12000*12000 pixels	2000*2000 pixels
Price	$29.90 $19.90	Free

        




  I was given a copy of the software to aid in writing this review. I absolutely loved this software, it was a lot of fun to play with my favorite photos and creating collages. I made one into my wallpaper on my computer! With the pro version you can crop your photos anyway you like. I love how I can pick which picture goes where and then add text if I like. I know you will love this software as much as I do. Now for the giveaway:  a Rafflecopter giveaway I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.