Funky Frugal Mommy

Family Day is coming soon and that means we have another awesome reason to enjoy quality time together. Below you'll find a roundup of four all-age activities that every family member will enjoy. The biggest city around here in B.C. is Vancouver so I thought I could highlight a few fun activities that will be happening on February 8 in the city. Snow Adventure: Take a ride 885 metres above the Howe Sound to a winter playground where families can connect with the great outdoors. Enjoy snowshoeing or tubing and finish with a fondue chocolate treat at The Summit Lodge restaurant. www.seatoskygondola.com Ice Skating: Pickup a pair of free skate rentals, lace up and take a spin around the Robson Square Ice Rink with the family, then warm up with a complimentary hot chocolate. www.robsonsquare.com Make Art: Get creative at the Vancouver Art Gallery offering unique activities geared towards children 12 and under, including live exhibitions and art-making activities.

Children are oftentimes hesitant to fully embrace new experiences for fear that no one will like them. As soon as a child makes just one new friend though, they typically begin to thrive and enjoy the new experience that they were once apprehensive about.  “Wally Wuzzlemoore Makes New Friends” is a children’s book with an imaginative story line and illustrations designed and written by professional artist Tom Schinderling.  Written to resonate with both children and adults, “Wally Wuzzlemoore Makes New Friends” tells the story of a friendly monster’s quest to meet new people and decide who his friends should be after moving away from his old home in the country to a new home in the city.  “Kids are just like adults in that they are afraid to make new friends,” Schinderling said. “When I wrote ‘Wally Wuzzlemoore Makes New Friends,’ I did so with the goal that parents could read it with their children to ease their worries, prepare them for change and help them make new frie

  The design of a room speaks volumes about who you are, right? Well, the same goes for your kids’ room. It’s  their own little space inside the family home that represents their personality. But unless you have piles of  money lying around, you want to make the most out of what you can afford when designing your kids’ room.  Luckily, there are easy ways of bringing out the best look of your kids’ room. By choosing to cut corners, a bit of  DIY, and some smart investing, you will have created the perfect indoor playground for your kids, with that all  important personal touch. Color is Everything All kids’ rooms design should be playful, and adding color does just that. The time of the pink and blue room is  over, so get in touch with your artistic side. Painting the walls yourself will not only save money, but you can  personalize the room to match your child’s character. The base color can also be a canvas. You can paint fun and interesting images,

Valentine's day is closing in and I think it is a great opportunity to show someone how much you care. Everyday is a chance to show love and affection but you might as well take advantage of the specific day and endulge in the pinks and reds, hearts and flowers of the holiday. Everyone loves chocolate and candy especially high quality treats that melt in your mouth. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory makes your Valentine's day shopping easy for everyone on your list. They have all kinds of assorted treats to please all tastes and diets. I especially love their candy apples they sell in store. And their ice cream is to die for. A box of chocolates is good for a whole family or just one chocolate lover to hoard it all and chocolate suckers put huge grins on tiny faces. The truffles are a unique treat that is truly indulgently sinful. So whichever you choose know that it all tastes fantastic and shows how much you care. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and I

Canada Blooms announces the 'Garvinea Sweet' series of gerberas as plant of the year TORONTO,  Ont.   — With a bloom that will last for the entire Canadian summer,  the ‘Garvinea Sweet’ series of gerberas has been chosen by Canada Blooms as its 2016 plant of the year. Canada Blooms — the country’s largest garden and flower festival — has been connecting people to the joys and benefits of gardens and flowers for 20 years now, and its pick for "plant of the year" is always a highly anticipated announcement that sets the stage for flower trends and colours for the upcoming spring. “The 'Garvinea Sweet' series of gerberas is a great plant for people with all different levels of gardening know-how,” said Terry Caddo, General Manager of Canada Blooms. “The 'Garvinea Sweet' is  a reliable garden performer in the spring, summer and fall with increased disease tolerance, cold tolerance and an excellent re-bloom habit that makes it the perfect

  I have had the pleasure of raising three adorable children, it has been a learning experience for sure and I have found that when beginning your journey it is nice to have a book to look into and discover answers to questions you never knew you had. Baby Care Basics is one of the best books I have read regarding everything you need to know about having a baby. It covers every topic from planning, to medical conditions, and everything in between. An excellent book for any new parent. Baby Care Basics The perfect parent guide — all the essential information you need about babies, from birth to 12 months old. Despite all the planning in the world, nothing can quite prepare you for the big step from pregnancy to parenting. What can make it even more challenging is all the well-intentioned but often confusing advice offered by family and friends. Written by leading pediatric experts in a friendly, easy-to-understand style,  Baby Care Basics  offers a concise yet compr

There is nothing better then a warm bowl of homemade soup on a cold winter day. I made a delicious variation of ham and potato soup that includes dumplings and lentils. I included lentils as part of the Pulse Pledge. You can find out more about that at www.pulsepledge.com  . Ham and Potato Soup 2 carrots  2 stalks of celery 5 large potatoes or 5 cups of diced potatoes 1 medium onion 2 cups cooked, diced ham 1 clove garlic 1 can of corn niblets 1/4 cup flour 1 tbsp butter 4 cups chicken broth 1 cup heavy cream  Salt and pepper 1 cup cooked lentils 1. Start by melting butter in a stock pot and then add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and ham. Cook until onions are translucent.  2. Add flour and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock to the pot and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add corn niblets. 3. Prepare lentils by adding 1 cup of lentils to 3 cups water. Cook for 15 minutes on a gentle simmer.  4. While the lentils cook peel and add potatoes to the soup a

Chef Michael Smith takes the Pulse Pledge and challenges Canadians to eat more beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas International Year of Pulses recognizes pulses as one of the world’s most important foods January 1, 2016 (Winnipeg)—Canadian pulses—dry beans, dry peas, lentils and chickpeas—are stepping into the spotlight in 2016 as the world celebrates International Year of Pulses (IYP).  Chef Michael Smith is the first Canadian to take the pledge to eat more pulses in 2016. “Many Canadians are familiar with lentils, peas, chickpeas and beans, even if they don’t know the term pulses, which are edible seeds of plants in the legume family,” says Chef Michael Smith, Canada’s International Year of Pulses (IYP) Ambassador. “Canada can be proud of the pulses we grow here. They are nutritional superstars, affordable and easy to prepare, and they are sustainably grown, meaning they are good for the planet, too.” In conjunction with the kick-off of IYP, a Pulse Pledge campaign is bein

PARTY ON! NOUWEE MAKES THE HOLIDAYS EVEN MORE MAGICAL Santa Lanterns, Snow Rainbows, Piñata Balloons will liven up  festivities worthy of lasting photographic memories! If you could take a happy memory, a milestone event or a family get together and make it even more special, would you? This Holiday Season, imaginative Quebec-based NOUWEE is asking Canadians to create the magic of memories through unforgettable party accessories.  In time for the holidays, the brand  has expanded into Ontario with  three newly developed, family-friendly party favours.  My kids and I had a blast with all these products and shared them with friends and family as well. What a terrific way to bring more magic to the holidays! DEAR SANTA:  This year, children can send their letters directly to the North Pole with the NOUWEE Dear Santa Lantern  - a mini hot air balloon with a letter attached for Santa that kids can customize with their wish list and personal messages. THROW A RAIN

The Niagara Icewine Festival returns to the Scotiabank Convention Centre January 29-31 NIAGARA FALLS, Ont.  (January 4, 2015)  – It may be an unseasonably warm December, but snow or no snow, the Niagara Icewine Festival will turn the Scotiabank Convention Centre into a winter wonderland. In just its second year in Niagara Falls, the Niagara Icewine Event in Niagara Falls has quickly become the largest Icewine Festival Event in Canada.  Organizers are expecting over 10,000 visitors over the weekend events to sip, sample and savour seasonal vintages of the uniquely Canadian icewine from Niagara vineyards and delicious culinary creations from some of Niagara’s top chefs while taking in the grandeur of amazing ice sculptures. The Niagara Icewine Festival takes place from January 29 th  to 31 st , 2016. "The Niagara Icewine Festival in Niagara Falls has become a must see event” says Festival organizer Anthony Annunziata, “This is an authentic Niagara wine and culinary event t

We have no shortage of snow here in BC which is nice if you like the cold, sledding, skiing, snowboarding, etc. Sadly it can create terrible driving conditions and a lot of people can't stand it. The snow can be a very joyful family event if you let it, especially around here where there is tons of hills for sledding which is my favorite since its free family entertainment. Another excellent way to enjoy the snow is to eat it. Snow is safe to eat as long as you stay away from contaminated areas. Snow Ice Cream 10 cups snow 1 1/2 cups milk  1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla  Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and adjust to suit your needs. If you want it thicker add more snow, sweeter add more sugar, and so on. You can also make different flavors by adding chocolate or strawberry syrup, just use your imagination.  Snow Cones 2 cups sugar 2 cups water 1 pack koolaid Boil water and sugar together to form a simple syrup than mix in koolaid mix. Let syrup co