Hiatus and a Winter Warm-up!

It has been a while since I have been on here, I kept meaning to log on and share something but just couldn't find the time. I returned to work fulltime last year in March, when Emi was only 5months old. It was extremely hard, I definitely wouldn't recommend it if isn't something you have to do. But, one of the major benefits of working seasonally is an annual Hiatus. So at the end of November, I was done my fulltime contract and I finally had a little more time with the kiddos.

Now that it is January, and the Christmas rush has subsided, the kids and I are having many slow days at home. Catching up on little jobs around the house, playing in the fluffy snow, reading and watching movies, and lately enjoying lots of yummy hot chocolate. Recently Pip requested some hot chocolate, but we were out of mix. So I whipped up some hot cocoa, which we all liked immensely!

Winter Warm-up

2 big 'mugfuls' almond milk (or any milk of your choosing)

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

4 teaspoons honey (maple syrup or raw sugar work too)

1 drop of orange or peppermint Essential Oil

Warm milk in a saucepan on the stove, whisk in cocoa powder and honey pour into mugs. Add 1 drop of your preferred oil (for the adults) and mix up for a tasty treat!

I recently joined Young Living, and have to say I can't believe I didn't do it sooner! I have dabbled in Essential Oils for years now, but have never included oils in all aspects of my life. Young Living oils are therapeutic grade and 100% pure, also the only oils I would personally consume. I am steadily replacing everything in my home with essential oils, and enjoying the benefits of having them in my life!

Do you use essential oils in your home? Do you have any questions? I am happy to help!

xox

Margot

Winter Fun for Everyone

This weekend we packed the family up and headed North. I know, some of you are thinking 'don't they already live North?'. Well friends, we went further North.

It all started with an idea. We heard about the ice trail at Arrowhead Provincial Park, and thought it would make a fun winter destination. So we found a place to stay near-by and made a weekend of it. We bribed the boys with the promise of ice-fishing, and off we went.

Photo Credit: Nicole

We arrive at the cabin around supper time, on Friday. Moved in, had some food and the boys headed out to set-up the ice-hut for the weekend. The first night proved to be difficult to convince the pre-schooler to go to bed. Pip was just too excited about everything we had planned and refused to go to bed until almost midnight (yawn). In the morning we relaxed, ate some food, the boys did a little more fishing, and we headed out to Arrowhead in the afternoon.

Pip is still just learning how to skate, and in the beginning he wanted Daddy to carry him. Finally, dad decided on tough love. He put Pip on the ice trail and stood to the side. After a minute or two Pip was standing on his own, and trying to move forward. One of the cutest things I have seen since becoming a parent!

The ice trail is 1.3km loop, on an ice covered road through a campground. It has only been open for the last three years, and has become quite the popular winter destination. We went on a Saturday, which (after a little late research) is the busiest day! If you are thinking about heading up there perhaps try for a Sunday afternoon. Even though it was very busy, it was a lot of fun. I would love to go back sometime, but I think we will wait until the kidlets are a little bigger.

Emi rode in the chariot (thank goodness for that invention). And after skating like mad to lull her to sleep, she slept the entire time! She also had a great time snuggling with everyone during our cottage time. On our way out, our friends noticed that Arrowhead also has tubing, and decided to return the next morning for some more outdoor fun. I figured our little guys were too small for that, so we stayed behind and had a lazy time at the cottage.

Snuggling with Daddy and smiling at Pip.

We ended the entire weekend with an awesome fish fry once we got back home. All the time the boys spent in the ice-hut resulted in a big pile of fish to clean, fry and eat! And then everyone in this house had a big sleep. It was an awesome, but extremely exhausting weekend. I understand why some people choose to stay close to home with babes, but I think the fresh air was good for everyone!

Here's to our next outdoor adventure! Spend time in nature, you will feel better :)
xox
Margot

Celebrating

This past weekend was Reggie's birthday. He is an avid fisherman anytime of the year and really wanted to get his ice hut out on the lake. So Saturday we drove up, knowing the recent weather had not been promising for good ice conditions. We decided to walk out and check the ice along the way. It was a beautiful day for a walk on a lake!

We decided we had better wait, and left the hut on shore and drove home. Saturday overnight was very cold and we were hopeful that it would thicken the ice a little bit. Sure enough when we arrived on Sunday around noon the cold temperatures had increased the ice depth by an inch or two everywhere we checked - so out the hut went!

Another gorgeous day on the ice! We stayed late until it was quite dark and then made our way home. I think it was a pretty good weekend for the birthday boy even though the fish weren't really biting. And it was the first trip to the hut for the little one (does in the belly count?).

What was your weekend like?
xox

Winter Wonderland

Last week, on a couple days we had off between visiting family and one of my shifts at the store, Reggie, and his parents and I decided to make an adventurous trip into the family cottage. Now might I add that this cottage is not really set-up for winter visits. But armed with wood for the wood stove, some soup to warm up and lots of warm clothes and blankets we made our way in.

The walk in was long, but it was rather warm so we didn't mind. And Reggie took his snowmobile and made numerous trips dragging our stuff behind him. The next morning we woke to beautiful fluffy snow, and rather frigid temps - and as good Canadians we made our way outside!

 

Reggie decided to try out this Norwegian Fire Log, something he saw on a youtube video - seemed to work rather well for heating water.

Later on, as we got packed and ready for our long journey home, the sun came out. Who doesn't love a bright cold winter day!?

 

I didn't make it all the way out, Reggie picked me up on his sled and I got a ride for the second half. Boy was I happy to get home and have a hot bath! It was a great couple days, and we are already talking about going up again.

Are you a winter person? Or do you stay indoors with the heat and hot chocolate?
xox

It's beginning to look a lot...

Like Christmas? A little early, I know. But look what I woke up to:

 

Snow sparkling in the sunshine! So lovely:) What a great way to start the day, and on that note, thank you everyone for your kind words yesterday - I truly appreciate it! It was nice to know that I'm not alone when I'm feeling down. And yesterday got better as it progressed and I managed to finish a project for my shop, and bake these delicious treats to go with the ribs:

 

I decided to show you the magazine photo cause it was dark and there were many buns missing when I took my photos. They were delicious. If anyone is interested I can share the recipe! And it made two sets of buns, so there is a second one in the freezer waiting for another tasty dish to pair with. Today was a much better start to the day, and I'm hoping Gunner and I can get outside and get some fresh air.

In fact I have a little post today over on the 7 Day Push Blog about just that, you should go check it out and get inspired to get outside!

Thanks again, it's wonderful to know I have such lovely readers!
xox