{Green} Banana Nut Milkshake Smoothie

2 / 28 / 133 / 2 / 13

Miss G and I have been loving this simple twist on the first ever smoothie we really made together. Unlike many of our other green smoothies, this one is creamy and milk-based {and tastes more like a milkshake than a green smoothie}.

For extra flavour and an extra burst of nutrients, my little smoothie lover and I top our drinks with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Of course she just slurps it all up.

{Green} Banana Nut Milkshake Smoothie

2 frozen bananas
3 large kale stalks, stems removed (or a couple of giant handfuls of spinach)
1/4 cup of old-fashioned oats
2 tablespoons of all-natural nut butter (we usually use peanut)
1 tablespoon of hemp hearts
1 tablespoon of ground flax
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
1/2 a cup of plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups of the milk of your choice (we often use an unsweetened vanilla almond)

Blend on low until everything is combined, then blend on high for an additional 45 seconds. Serves two.

Enjoy!

♥

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Times Two {a whismical children’s book}

2 / 28 / 133 / 3 / 13

When I learned about Times Two, a beautifully illustrated, hardbound children’s book written and illustrated by two talented local mamas, I knew I had stumbled upon something special.

The story, which was originally a lullaby written by singer songwriter Sheree Plett, is about the beauty of limitless love. As you flip the pages, you’re taken on a journey of two raccoons, determined to show their love for one another across oceans, into the sky, and up to the moon and the back.

Accompanying the soft, lyrical words are gorgeous, dream-like watercolour illustrations done by artist Shari-Anne Vis. Gracen and I were lucky enough to meet Shari-Anne {and her little boy} a while back and not only is she absolutely lovely {and obviously remarkably talented}, but she’s a real mom, which I just adore.

Grae and I have enjoyed this book time and again over the course of the last few weeks. She loves the whimsical little animals throughout and the book is the perfect size to take along with us in the car.

And as an added bonus, included is a link so you can enjoy Sheree’s song and the book {and a little drum session if you’re Grae} at once.

I can’t say enough good things about this charming little book. Not only am I glad I found it for our own benefit, but I’m excited to have a new go-to newborn/baby shower gift to add to my list as I’m certain almost any new parent would fall in love with it immediately.

To purchase your own copy of Times Two, click here and to stay up to date with the Times Two crew, like their Facebook page here.

♥

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Stompa.

2 / 28 / 133 / 1 / 13

Miss G’s been a big fan of this song for quite a while and now that they’ve started playing it on our local radio station? Well she’s pleased as punch.

♥

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Don’t Cry

2 / 27 / 132 / 27 / 13

While watching a video of the ‘5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed’…

Gracen: (very matter factly) Don’t cry, Mama.

Mama: Don’t cry?

Gracen: No, Mama… Don’t cry. It’s okay to fall. You just get up and try again.

That’s my girl.

♥

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Balloons and Sharpies: A Creative Table

2 / 26 / 132 / 27 / 14

{this post contains affiliate links}

This morning as Gracen was playing in her room (aka tearing everything off of every shelf and pulling everything out of every drawer) and I was doing a little bit of tidying, I decided to quickly load up her creative table with some new supplies. We’ve had balloons floating all around the house since her half birthday balloon bath, so I grabbed a couple of soup bowls, placed a couple of balloons inside, and put out a little jar of my {coveted} colourful Sharpies.

Without a word of exaggeration, upon coming into the room, Grae’s eyes lit up, she punched both fists into the air, and squealed “Yaaaay! New crafting stuff!”

She found it pretty hysterical that she was allowed to draw on balloons, and asked several times, “Mama, it’s okay to draw on dese balloons?”

Once she accepted that it was most certainly okay to draw on the balloons, she dove in. Her favourite was a ‘game’ she asked me to play with her… I was to draw dots all over the balloon and she was going to colour over top of each.and.every.one.

While the thought of balloons popping did cross my mind, day old {and therefore slightly squishy} balloons and well-used Sharpies = success.

So what do you do with balloons that have been drawn on? Well, all of the things you do with a regular balloon I guess… Play keep it up, have a game of indoor volleyball, try kicking it really hard to see how far you can make it go – the usual. Unless of course, you’ve drawn a face on it – then you can attach cardboard feet and have a little balloon person hang out around the house. Like I think the majority of kids’ art should be, this is all about the process. ☺

See some of our other creative table ideas here.

♥

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Contact Paper, Tissue, Sequins, Confetti, & Glitter: A Creative Table

2 / 25 / 133 / 1 / 13

This creative table set up had a good long run in our house… It’s been worked on day in and out for over a week now, and I’m sure Gracen would still be adding to it if there was any sticky space left on the contact paper.

When it began, it looked like this… A piece of clear contact paper, sticky side up, tacked down to one of our vintage apple crates (it could just as easily be taped down to a table top), and a few little jars of decorating goodies, as Miss G calls them.

Included were sequins, confetti, tissue squares, and a container of glitter.

Although I often set up Gracen’s creative tables while she’s sleeping, this time around she helped me set up, selecting the glitter (of course) and the sequins to be part of it.

When we’d finished gather our materials, she began creating without direction or instruction… Carefully adding each item, one at a time, and pressing them down onto the sticky paper.

The lovely thing about contact paper is that because everything sticks to it, projects (even when they include a full bottle of glitter) never get wildly messy.

Grae revisited it daily, adding a little bit each time, until today when we decided it was time to switch things up a little.

Now we could have easily called it quits at this point, because art like this is definitely about the process and not the finished product, but Grae had announced early on that she would be hanging her finished piece on her bedroom door. In order to preserve it a little better, we took out our contact paper once again and cut a piece the same size as the original one.

I then peeled the backing off of just the top edge of the new sheet, carefully lined it up with the art piece, and pressed the two sheets, sticky sides together, down. Afterwards, I pulled the remaining backing off in order to cover the entire piece.

Here’s what it looked like with everything sealed in. We could have left it as is, but Gracen chose to cut it into two hearts rather than keep it as one large rectangle.

Here’s the finished product. She very proudly hung it on her door turned art gallery, but it would be super pretty hung in front of a window where light could shine through too.

To learn a little bit more about how we do creative tables around here, visit this creative table post and this one too. Or, pop by Tinkerlab, where Rachelle, the creator of the Creative Table Project explains.

♥

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{Birthday} Balloon Bath

2 / 24 / 132 / 27 / 13

This is ridiculously easy way to amp up the bath time fun, but it may just be Gracen’s favourite of all time. I wish I had a video of the shrieking, jumping, splashing, and balloon batting just to illustrate what a hit it was. Lucky for us, our tub has sliding glass doors, so the crazy was at least contained. ☺

I decided to try this tonight for Gracen’s half birthday, but it make a great regular birthday bath, and would be just as well received any day of the year I’m sure.

Just fill up the tub nice and full, add some bubbles and a bunch of balloons (I think 10 is a good number if you want it nice and full) and let the fun unfold.

♥

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Two and a Half.

2 / 24 / 139 / 22 / 13

Today my baby girl is officially two and a half.

One of the little traditions we started when Gracen was born was the celebration of her half birthday. Because well, why not really? That extra ‘half’ is a big deal when your age is still in the single digits. It’s nothing fancy… Just a fun day with “cupcakes” after dinner. This year was extra special as it fell on a weekend which meant Papa got to join in on the fun.

It started with Miss G waking up to a doorway full of balloons, ended with chocolate coconut banana muffins topped with freshly whipped cream and candles, and had muffin making, playing in the rain, an awesome presentation of The Cat in the Hat, and a sushi dinner sprinkled throughout the middle.

Oh, and there was this… A bath filled with bubbles, balloons, and a shrieky jumpy excited girl.

Happy half birthday, my love.

♥

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Healthy Chocolate Coconut Banana Muffins

2 / 24 / 131 / 6 / 14

One of the little traditions we do on Gracen’s half birthday (ohmahgerd, I have a two and a half year old) is make a fresh batch of muffins (aka ‘cupcakes’) to top with freshly whipped cream and candles later in the evening. So today we used our usual no sugar added banana muffin recipe, tweaked it just a little bit, and came up with these delicious chocolate coconut creations. They are super yummy and truly do feel like a cupcake instead of a healthy muffin… Especially if you add the dark chocolate chips I added to the adult half of the batch (with which I doubt they can be remain in the ‘healthy’ category, but hey – I try my best). ☺

Here’s the recipe…

Healthy Banana Chocolate Coconut Muffins

4 large ripe bananas
1 organic egg
1/3 cups of coconut oil
2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons of cocoa
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla

1 1/2 cups of wholewheat flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut shavings
dark chocolate chips (optional – we used 1/3 of a cup in half the batter)

Preheat oven to 350° . Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan by brushing it with coconut oil.

Mix the bananas, other wet ingredients, and cocoa until the mixture is mostly smooth and only slightly chunky. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (save the coconut and chocolate chips) well. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Slowly stir in the coconut (and chocolate chips if adding them). Fill greased muffin tin with the mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool.

Enjoy!

The Last Crumb

2 / 23 / 132 / 27 / 13

It seems like one of our weekend traditions has become going out for afternoon tea as a family of three. We have lots of little local cafes we love to support around the city, but one thing I’ve noticed is that many of them close between 4 and 5, which often doesn’t work out well with Gracen’s afternoon nap.

So today, we headed down Main Street to try something new. I’ve had my eye on The Last Crumb for a long time now, and as luck would have it, they were open until 6. We made our way inside, ordered drinks and chose a couple of baked goods (they have tons of gluten-free options too), and made our way upstairs to a quiet table in the corner.

While they don’t have a kids’ area like many of our favourites do, I did spy a big empty corner near the washrooms that would make a perfect kid-friendly space, so maybe it’ll happen one day? I don’t know… I do realize not every establishment wants to cater to children and I completely understand, but I can still hope right? ☺

Our drinks were good, the baked goods were yummy, and the overall space was lovely – bright, open, and modern. Gracen loved watching food being made from above and I enjoyed {politely} checking out the afternoon tea set-up a couple of ladies had next to us.

It was a lovely way to end our Saturday and we will most definitely be back.

The Last Crumb is located on 3080 Main Street and is open every day of the week except for Mondays.

♥

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Sunshine & Stanley Park

2 / 23 / 133 / 13 / 13

Brrrrr! This morning we bundled up and headed down to Second Beach in Stanley Park to enjoy the sunshine. It was absolutely freezing and the wind was so strong that my ears felt like they were on fire from the cold, but Miss G didn’t mind one bit. She had two new playgrounds to explore and discover, plus many, many warm layers, so the cold was the last of her worries.

Here’s our morning in photographs…

Bundled up for the cold.

Super excited.

‘I thought we were just having a leisurely swing, Papa?’

‘Everyone hold on!’

Mama and G.

Slide race!

The perfect hiding spot.

Moccasin feet.

‘Uh, Papa? What are you doing?’

Wheeeee!

♥

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Dress-Up Centre

2 / 22 / 132 / 25 / 13

A long while ago, while we were home in the Okanagan for Thanksgiving, I mentioned a wooden dress-up station I’d seen on Pinterest. Grandma Charlotte asked for me to send her the link, and before we knew it, a surprise wooden dress-up station was brought down to the coast for Grae (spoiled little lady!)

Gracen’s Poppop built it for her (adding a very useful top shelf), and though it still needs a little sanding and a few coats of paint, we put it to use as soon as it arrived and it’s been in Gracen’s room ever since (we’ll get to the painting…eventually…)

To add to the few Halloween things we had and the hats we’d bought from IKEA, Grandma Charlotte collected all kinds of dress up goodies and put them together in a huge costume collection as one of Grae’s Christmas presents.

She now has everything from one piece numbers, to tutus, boas, wings, hats, glasses, bandanas, and crowns.

Needless to say, dressing up has been a popular activity in our house for a long while now… Not to mention that I love all of the pretend play and role play it encourages.

Although it’s not currently the right time of year, if you’re planning on starting a tickle trunk for your little one, I’d highly recommend shopping in the few days just after Halloween. I got this cute little fleece robot costume at the beginning of Novemeber for $1.82 when costumes were 90% off (seriously, in the words of Brad, it was costing me more NOT to buy it ☺).

♥

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Currently // 02.22.13

2 / 22 / 132 / 28 / 13

Watching: To be honest, not a whole lot. Though we turn on the television for a little bit each day while she slurps up her post-nap milk, lately she just hasn’t been interested. We usually end up turning it off 3 minutes later and move on to reading books instead (which suits me just fine ☺). Besides that, she does still enjoy watching her usual music videos.

Singing: ‘This Girl is on Fire’ by Alicia Keys. With a carrot microphone naturally. That or a broccoli spear will do.

Playing: ‘Kick’, which basically involves kicking or throwing a beach ball back and forth again and again. It just never seems to get old. What’s amazing is how much her gross motor skills have developed lately… Throwing, catching, and jumping off and over things seem so natural to her now. The other thing she’s been doing lately is “exercising”. Sometimes I’ll find her in the middle of the room, our bath mat under her, doing some strange bending/curling/squatting/crunching movement repeatedly. Other times I’ll call her and she’ll respond with a frank “Sorry, Mama!!! I’m busy right now. I’m exercising!” Such a funny little lady we have.

Talking about: “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” “What ’cause?” It never.ever.ever.ends. So when the fourth “What ’cause?” to my response to her original comes along, I take a breath and remind myself that each question is an opportunity to be the kind of parent I want to be. Because sometimes that’s what it takes.

Reading: Sit, Truman was one of her recent library favourites. The best part was that after a week or so of reading it multiple times a day, she began reading it to us. There’s something about listening to your little one “read” a book that just melts a parent’s heart. As for home books, Scholastic’s Number Tales (books I have for teaching) have, without a doubt, been a clear favourite for the last month. Each of the books has a ‘Can you find…?’ page at the end, which Grae just adores despite their simplicity. Because of this, Grae’s deemed them “game books” and nothing else will do before bedtime.

Eating: Okay, so technically this is drinking and not eating, but this girl loooves tea. She first had it at Baba’s house during our crazy Christmas adventure and she fell in love immediately (tea in fine china for everyone – including kids – has been something that’s happened in my Baba’s house since I was Gracen’s age). Since then, I’ve found some really yummy caffeine-free tea that are also free of weird herbs that may not be kid-friendly, so Miss G’s been enjoying a cup of tea with an ice cube as a special treat every now and then.

♥

Danielle from Sometimes Sweet, a blog I’ve followed for a very long time now, does regular Currently posts which inspired my Gracen-modified ones. ☺

Family Day at the BC Home & Garden Show {& a FLASH Giveaway!}

2 / 21 / 132 / 22 / 13

Today Gracen and I were lucky enough to be invited to check out Family Day at the BC Home & Garden Show at BC Place. Admittedly, we didn’t spend a whole lot of time browsing what most people come to the show to see (the home and garden exhibits obviously), but we definitely would have spent a whole lot more time down there if a) we owned a home and b) if we didn’t have plans to move overseas come August. From spa pools to lane way homes to landscaping and cleaning products, every topic pertaining to home owning/renovation/care was covered.

Where we spent most of our time was in the Kid Zone, set up especially for Family Day. Gracen had a wonderful time roaming around visiting all of the booths and was thrilled to see her favourite ever photographer, Bethany, from Images by Bethany at the Vancouvermom.ca booth. Bethany took some photos of her in front of a rainy day backdrop which are bound to be gorgeous, so I’ll be sure to share them when we get them back. Along the way, we picked up some Monkey Toast, learned about Kibooco, and did a little project at Beesafe.

One of the highlights was definitely having Miss G’s face painted by Kristal of Faceaballoonza. Grae selected a turtle and Kristal decorated her face with this gorgeously elaborate turtle painting in two minutes flat.

The BC Home & Garden Show continues tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday (22nd – 24th) and they’ve generously given us two tickets adult tickets (a $30 value) to giveaway! Kids 12 and under get in for free, so this means the whole family can attend.

This is a FLASH giveaway, so get your entries in now! A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow evening (Friday, the 22nd) at 5:00 p.m. PST. There are multiple ways to enter, so please be sure to leave a separate comment for each.

To enter to win TWO complimentary tickets to the BC Home & Garden Show (taking place in Vancouver, BC this weekend):

Leave a comment below telling me one thing you’d love to update or change in your home.

For additional chances to win:

–> ‘Like’ Mama.Papa.Bubba. on Facebook, then come back and leave a second separate comment saying you did so (or that you had previously).

–> Follow @jkossowan on Twitter, then come back and leave a separate comment saying you did so.

–> Tweet about the giveaway and leave an additional separate comment saying you did so.

Don’t forget to leave your email address! The winner will be announced on Friday the 22nd on the Mama.Papa.Bubba Facebook page and will be contacted via email. Good luck!!

♥

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Lime Refresher Green Smoothie

2 / 20 / 133 / 1 / 13

Miss G and I continue to start most of our days with a big green smoothie each, and I must say, we’re loving it. It’s become a morning routine for us… Grae retrieves the blender and fresh produce, I grab the freezer ingredients and chop things up, she puts everything into the blender, and together we enjoy our mason jars of green goodness.

I really shouldn’t even say this, but we’ve managed to make it through the season of sickness, with friends and playmates all around us dealing with endless bouts of flu and colds, without getting sick once (*knock on wood*). And I have to say, I think these vitamin/nutrient-packed immune boosters may just have had something to do with it.

Here’s our newest favourite…

Lime Refresher Green Smoothie

1 banana, fresh or frozen
1/2 an apple
1/2 a pear
1/2 cup of frozen mango
1 large lime, peeled
3 stalks of kale, stems removed
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
1 – 1.5 cups of cold water, depending on desired consistency

Blend on low until everything is combined, then blend on high for an additional 45 seconds. Serves two (plus a wee one if you’re willing to share a little).

Enjoy!

♥

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