Fit Natural Family

Busy week

On April 4, 2012

Yesterday we had a great hike with a small group of moms at Enniskillen Conservation Area, it was the first time any of them had been there. What is nice about hiking here is that it is fairly flat, so great for beginners, the trails are not too long and there are picnic areas and outhouses throughout the trails. We hiked the outer loop and then turned back in to the middle as we were nearing the end of the trail to stop at the main picnic area to enjoy a snack and a chat. Two of us brought our dogs along so they had a great time rolling around in the grass and playing with each and even managed to collect quite a few burs between the two of them. The little ones all seemed to be enjoying themselves and all managed to stay awake for the whole hike. We couldn’t have asked for nicer weather, the sun was shining and there was very little wind.

Here’s a photo of all of us after our break Today Paige had her first swimming lesson. It is a rather large class, but I am sure it could shrink as time goes on. Paige was having such a great time kicking and floating in the water. Paige giggled away each time we bobbed down under the water and back up. I definitely have a water baby. I am happy that she really enjoyed the pool. Bath time is one of her favourite activities, but we weren’t sure how she would react in the pool, but she took to it right away. Paige definitely prefers the big pool to the warm baby pool. Tomorrow we are off to the Toronto Zoo to walk with the same group of mom’s we walked with last week. This week it is going to be a bit more challenging since we are going to be tackling the large hill at the Canadian section of the zoo. Hopefully I won’t feel the burn too much (I like to think I am in reasonable shape, but I guess the walk tomorrow will prove it!). Depending on the weather we might stick around for a little bit after to see some different animals than we did last time (maybe check out the Africa section of the zoo to see if the lions are out and watch the penguins for a bit). If we don’t stick around at the zoo, I may pull out the finger paints when we get home so Paige can do some more painting for family since she had a blast last time. I think this time I may put the navy blue away and not put it out as an option as Paige gravitated to that one when I had all of the bright colours in front of her.

Birthday card for her Pop’s Thursday we are leading another hike back up to Country Preserve in Uxbridge. Maybe this time we will try a different loop, or at least a new portion of the trail system. We have a busy week ahead, but no plans for the week-end yet. I am sure we will be off on an adventure of sorts come the week-end since we generally find some new trail to check out or some new place. We discovered a number of hiking trails near us the other night when we took some back roads home from our hike in Uxbridge, so we may need to check out a few of those and see what they are all about.

Great week-end

By katyemanuel

On April 2, 2012

In Daily Happenings

It was a little cool this week-end, but we made sure to get out and enjoy the fresh air each day.

Friday was our stroller walk at Colonel Danforth Park. The temperatures had definitely dropped by the time we arrived at the parking lot to meet the other moms, but we didn’t let that stop us. It’s always a great group of ladies to chat with. This week there were a few women asking me about cloth diapering-tips, tricks, brands I like, etc. We chatted about that most of the way down and on the way back there was some discussion about sign language (I took Paige to sign language classes when she was 3.5 months old) and feeding solids to our little ones. The discussion about cloth diapers got me thinking that maybe I should write some posts on the things I have learned since starting to cloth diaper and to review some of my favourite companies, so stay tuned for that.

Paige was a little fussy since she decided she wanted to be carried rather than sit in the stroller so here are a couple of the ladies helping me get her on my back. Paige had not slept so well the night before again. We have discovered the cause of it and it we don’t think it was teething as we originally suspected, but rather carrots. So I guess we will be avoiding carrots for a while and will try it again come the summer.
tSaturday we headed to Raglan to Purple Woods conservation area for the Maple Syrup festival. There is a nice, short little trail down to the sugar shack where they were demonstrating how they heat the sap to make the syrup. Along the trail they had made teepees out of fir trees and were showing the traditional way of making maple syrup over the fire. We didn’t get out on the wagon ride since we were a little late for that. Paige was having a great time in the backup with all of the new things to see and people to watch.

Sunday was cool and rainy all day so we had planned to just hang out at home after doing groceries, but Paige would not nap at all, so at 3:00 we decided to gear up and head up to Uxbridge to hike the Countryside Preserve trail. This is a nice gentle trail that runs through forest, open meadows, and back into forest. We will definitely be returning here in the spring, since one of the signs said that the bluebird makes it home in the meadows. We think it may be a little too warm in the heat of the summer since a large part of the trail is out in the open. It was a nice hike and the rain was very soft so it was comfortable for us to be out. Paige dozed off about 20 minutes into the hike and stayed sleeping until we returned to the car. We were surprised to cross paths with a few people out enjoying the day.

Paige has a thing where she has decided she does not like to have her arms covered by the carrier cover, so we just have to keep tucking her hands in when it is cool since she will not wear mittens either. Any tips for keeping little ones hands warm when out on the cooler days?

Hope you all enjoyed your week-end. What did you get up to? Paige and I are off to lead a hike today with a group of moms, it should be fun.

Sneak Peek

By katyemanuel

On March 31, 2012

In Renovations

As I mentioned in my first post, we are in the process of updating/renovating our kitchen. Our kitchen looks great from a distance, but once we moved in we realized there were some issues. The tile countertop was laid in place when it was put in almost 20 years ago and unfortunately due to the weight of the tiles pulled away from the wall. It left a big gap at the back of the counters which has been driving us nuts since it is a spot that always collects crumbs and water. The other problem is that some of the tiles have been broken and the grout is started to break down.

I love the tile countertop since you can pull things straight of the oven and place it on the counter without damaging them. Last week-end we checked out countertops and made a final decision (beech butcher block from Ikea- for those of you with butcher block counters, how did you seal it around the sink (linseed oil, beeswax, marine finish, water lox)), went to look at sinks, faucets, hardware and picked up the paint for the island. We decided to go with Behr Pencil Point.

The main cupboards are going to be a slightly brighter cream than what they are now. We are then going to give the walls a fresh coat of paint (a very light brown) and will have to decide on a backsplash. We have the sink on order. &It is the Kohler Hartland Self-Rimming Cast Iron Sink. It should be in the end of April. I love the look of a white cast iron sink and the durability will be great as well.

Now to make our final decision on the faucet and we will be well on our way. I can’t wait to see the end result. I think it may be a bit before we paint again now that the temperatures have dropped, it is too cold to take the cupboard doors outside to paint. Here is a sneak peek at the island so far, it has only been painted so far, but it makes a big difference already.

We’re Going To The Zoo, Zoo, Zoo….

By katyemanuel

On March 29, 2012

In Daily Happenings

Yesterday was a great day at the zoo. The weather was cool when the wind was blowing, but when the sun came out it was pretty strong so it would warm up nice.
We bought an annual membership so Paige and I can go as much as we want. (Note: If you are thinking of getting a membership, all of the rates are going up as of May 1, so you may want to get it before then) We met up with our hiking group for an easy walk through the zoo with the strollers. We stopped to see a few of the animals as we walked our circuit. All of the animals were out playing yesterday. I guess they prefer the slightly cool weather and less people staring at them!

Our walk with the group consisted of all of the outdoor loops except for Canada (since that one has a very big hill) we are saving that for next time. While walking we ran into one of the other Mom’s, and their little one, that we have been doing some of our activities through meetup with so had a quick chance to catch up before rejoining our group. Paige had a nap for the last part of the walk which meant she would be awake and alert when we went to visit the animals.

After the walk, all of the other mom’s and babes were heading home, but Paige and I decided to make a day of it. So we headed off to see the Polar Bear Cub, since it had been on the news and we were hearing how cute he was. Paige was quite taken with watching him (or maybe she was having more fun playing with the glass on the enclosure, since I had to take her out of her stroller to get down some stairs so we could see the cub).

While at the enclosure we heard all sorts of people snapping pictures outside so we thought we better check it out.It was 2 of the adult polar bears having a great time playing in the water. We thought we might as well get a shot of them as well.

Paige enjoyed watching some of the monkeys that were playing and putting on a show, as well as the fish. She didn’t quite get the point of the Orangutans who were just lying on the ground. She kept looking at me as if to say, “Ok mom, not sure why we are sitting here, but can we get going to see something more exciting”. When it was time to go Paige got rather upset once we got into the parking lot, I guess she liked the zoo, but I figured we should save some for another day! What is your favourite animal at the zoo?

6 Month Checkup

By katyemanuel

On March 28, 2012

In Daily Happenings

Yesterday was a chilly day here in the morning, so it was pretty quiet for us here.

We had Paige’s 6 month check up in the afternoon and the Dr said she was doing great and such a great baby. My daughter is always happy and kicking her feet. She weighed in at 8.6 kg (approximately 19 lbs), and 75 cm long.

Paige’s favourite things to do are:
Singing and dancing to music
Bouncing in her exercauser
Going for hikes in the carrier and walks in the stroller
Snuggles
Reading books
Swinging on her swing outside
Skype with her Nanna & Pops

Milestones:
Stand on her own
Crawl (only when she thinks we can’t see her)
Sit on her own
Babbles
Feeds herself with a spoon
Wave Bye Bye
Give Hugs
Talks to her Piglet

Favourite Foods
Avocado
Quinoa
Wild Blueberries
Sweet Potato

We had a bit of a rough night last night. Paige was teething something awful, so not much sleep was to be had. We did manage to get a few hours sleep when I tucked her into bed with me to snuggle. At this early hour in the morning she is fast asleep in her own crib now (hoping that she gets a few hours sleep). We are headed to the Toronto Zoo today provided Paige is up for it with a group of ladies to walk and then I think we will stick around after to check out some of the animals and make a day of it.

First Post

By katyemanuel

On March 27, 2012

In Daily Happenings

So this is my first post with the new direction my blog is taking. The past 6 months have just flown by with my daughter. We head off for her 6 month appointment today to have her weighed and wellness checkup. She was born weighing 9lbs 12.6oz and was definitely worth the wait. I have been in love ever since.

We have a pretty busy schedule these days. We have a stroller walk every Friday with a group of mom’s in Scarborough where we walk a paved path down to the lake and back. I think it is about a 6 km walk on flat terrain. It is a great group of ladies and we generally have some good laughs. We met this group when we joined a hiking group back in November where we were hiking with the babies in carriers 1-2 times a week. Now that the little ones are getting bigger this group prefers the strollers.

Thursdays is Musical Babies through the Ontario Early Years Centres (http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/earlychildhood/oeyc/index.aspx) They have some great programs for little ones. My daughter just loves singing, so this was a great match for her. This is the second session we have done of this program. It doesn’t look like they are running this program for April so I will have to find another musical type program for her.

Wednesdays are a variety of activities. Sometimes we stay at home and play in the yard, go for a stroller walk up the road or a hike. Last week with this beautiful weather we organized a group of moms (through meetup) to go hiking on the Seaton Trail. It was great weather and great to meet some new moms in our area with a similar interest. We hiked just over 5 km on the trail heading south from Whitevale so it is a moderate trail due to some hills.

Tuesdays tend to be a quiet day at home with a walk in the afternoon in the stroller which usually entails visiting with neighbours along the way, seeing the wild turkeys and various other wildlife and if the weather is nice we walk up to the pond at the end of the road to watch the ducks.

Mondays are our library day, when we go to get some new music and a book or two. As I mentioned previously my daughter loves music so we usually try to get 3-5 new children’s cd’s to listen to for the week. She seems to be a big fan of Sharon, Lois & Bram in the car and loves to sing along with them. She is also a fan of The Wiggles and Fred Penner. We are also adding some of our favourites in there as well. This Monday we had organized a hike at Glen Major Forest, but with the wind chill (-12oC) I decided to cancel it rather than take a chance with the little ones.

The cancelled hike we have now tried to schedule for Wednesday (tomorrow) so we will keep our fingers crossed it is a great day.

This week-end we started renovating our kitchen. We can’t afford to replace the kitchen so we are giving it a fresh coat of paint, replacing the countertops, sink, faucet and hardware. We went to Ikea on Friday to price out butcher block counters and tried to pick them up but realized when we got there they would not fit in my vehicle so left Ikea and went and took a look at some sinks and taps and picked up the paint for the cupboards on the island. I painted 3 coats on the cabinets just to be on the safe side. We went with Behr Pencil Point for the island. (I will post pictures of the finished kitchen once complete).

Since the weather was great on Sunday we went out to hike at Enniskillen Conservation area. We hadn’t been there before so it was a new adventure. It was also our daughters first time in the backpack carrier, since I normally carry her in a soft carrier for hiking. She loved the backpack since she could see so much more. I could feel her kicking and bouncing the whole way! The trails were nice and easy and there were some great picnic areas throughout the trails with washrooms. I think we will be returning here throughout the spring and summer months with picnics.

What activities do you like to do with your little one? Any hiking trails you enjoy? I would love to hear from you.

Some tips when taking family photos this summer

By katyemanuel

On July 4, 2009

In Photography

There is a great article on scrapbook & cards about how to get some great family shots and with the summer always comes lots of family shots so thought you might enjoy.

http://scrapbookandcardstodaymag.typepad.com/scrapbook_cards_today_blo/2009/07/designers-photo-tip.html

A Few June Scrapbooking Ideas

By katyemanuel

On June 28, 2009

In Scrapbooking

Let’s start with the obvious ones first, everyone knows June as Dads and Grads month, keeping that in mind, here are a few ideas for you to scrapbook around these topics.

Grads

If your child is graduating this month, How do YOU feel about it? Scrapbook and journal your feelings about your little one becoming a graduate.

College Graduate? How about scrapbooking some childhood photos of your child and their childhood dreams of what they wanted to be when they grew up and compare that to what they studied or will study in college.

Did your child follow in the family footsteps? Did they start off on a brand new path of their own, scrapbook and jounal about their path, how do you feel about it?

Dads

Get your husband to play along if he will, how does he feel about being a dad? New Dad? Have him journal about his feelings on Fatherhood and scrapbook it for your him and your kids

Is your hubby a great dad? Journal about it, consider comparing and contrasting him with your dad, or his.

Scrapbook a photo of you and your dad, when you were younger, Write a letter telling your dad how you idolized him when you were a young girl, or boy.

Is your dad still an important part of your life, or maybe not, journal about it

Here are some other ideas to get you started on your June Pages

The school year comes to a close for most kids this month, what are your kids going to do with their summer vacations

How do you feel about school being out for the summer (My Poor House!)

Do you remember how you felt when you left school on the last day of the school year?

Scrapbook those report cards and end of year certificates

What are your plans for the summer

Are your kids playing baseball? Swimteam? Make sure to document those great team photos

How about sports camps?

Is your teen getting his/her first job this summer?

What was your first summer job?

Consider journaling/scrapbooking about your summers as a kid, how did you spend your time? I bet you went outside and played kick the can or flashlight tag or something other than video games! Scrapbook a page about the old days and how you spent your summer vacations

June is National Iced Tea month, what is your favorite summertime refreshment?

Remember those lemonade stands we did when we were kids, get your kids in on the fun, it will teach them about money and give you great photo ops!

What is growing in your garden right now?

Do you eat outside in the summer?

Scrapbook about your summer family traditions or vacations

Is your little one outside catching fire flies, what a great scrapbook opportunity!

Summer school??? Your little one will love that you scrapbooked about that someday!

Yummy strawberries are in season, I love strawberry shortcake, oh and fresh corn on the cob, what are your summer guilty pleasures?

Is the icecream man coming around again? My kids and I take an annual last day of the school year trip to the local Ritas shop for shaved ice, dont forget to document the little things

Check out http://aliedwards.typepad.com/_a_/2009/05/top-20-tips-for-creating-design.html for more scrapbooking tips, she has some great ideas.

38 ways to use ribbon in your scrapbooking

By katyemanuel

On June 28, 2009

In Scrapbooking

I love the versatility of ribbon when scrapbooking. Ribbon can be used to draw focus or just add some embellishment and bling. Many of you may be looking for ways to use up all those ribbons you have stashed, especially those that are retiring. I hope this article will give you an idea or two, to use ribbon in your scrapbooks!
1.Tie a knot in a piece of ribbon, then trim the tails at an angle (to prevent them from fraying) and use a Mini Glue Dot™ to secure the knot at the corner of a photo
2.Use the same method next to your journaling.
3.You can also wrap ribbon around a photo or around your page as a border, securing the ends of the ribbon to the backside of the photo or paper with tape, this will add an interesting corner to your photo or page.
4.You can also attach ribbon with brads (make a tiny hole through the ribbon before securing it) or even staples or clips for an artsy look.
5.Tie onto a tag, photo mat, border, or photo as an accent.
6.Use with a hole punch to make a booklet.
7.Use to secure a fold open photo frame
8.Tie it to paper clips or other fancy clips to add interest to your design
9.Staple on the edge of your photo, journal block or title
10.Places strips of ribbon behind your photo to use as a mat
11.Attach a ribbon charm and use as a long border
12.Thread through eyelets and tie as an accent
13.Tie onto a slide holder for a small picture frame
14.Tie onto each end of a metal label holder
15.Tie small bits of ribbon onto a larger piece for a unique border design
16.Stamp words and sayings or even images onto your larger ribbons and use as a title
17.Weave ribbons together like a basket to create interest and texture in your layout, use this a as a mat, a background, a border
18.Tie many ribbons around a plain spiral notebook to create an interesting journal or scrapbook
19.Use ribbon to secure several paper bags, envelopes or any other paper scraps together to create a small scrapbook
20.Tie around jump rings of small, shaped scrapbooks to spice them up a little
21.Fold and secure your ribbon with snail adhesive to make your ribbon form the letters of your scrapbook title
22.Use ribbon and your paper scraps to create an interesting journaling tag for your layout
23.Tie it to the bottom of your photo mat, to add interest and texture
24.Make small bows for your girly scrapbook pages
25.Fold thick ribbon diagonally to make your own photo corners
26.Use ribbon to create stems and leaves for your stamped flowers on your Layouts
27.Place a decorative brad in the center of small ribbon strips to make a faux flower embellishment
28.Use as a simple page border
29.Use as color blocking borders
30.Use small strips of ribbon to jazz up and add color to your chipboard shapes and letters
31.Tie a small piece to a chipboard letter to add some bling
32.Use ribbon scraps and rhinestones to create candles on birthday layout
33.Use your re-inkers or chalks to add color to your plain white ribbon, you have virtually any color at your hands
34.Stamp a decorative border onto the ribbon and use on your layout
35.Use small letter stamps to add bits of journaling to your ribbon strips, such as dates, lists or just random words pertaining to your layout like (soccer – goalie – sports – determination, etc.)
36.Set eyelets or brads through the length of the ribbon to create a funky trim for your layout
37.Use the eyelet punch to add an interesting border to your layout, mat or journal box and thread your ribbon through it to add a trim
38.Tie ribbons through buttonholes and attach with glue dots.

Looking for ideas……Think Outside the Box

By katyemanuel

On May 8, 2009

In Scrapbooking

I have agreed to be a WOW presenter at Stampinpalooza taking place this October in Toronto. This exciting event is being hosted by my upline Caroline Lebel. There will be some fabulous presenters that day. For further information check out the website at: http://www.stampinpalooza.blogspot.com.

I am looking forward to learning some great ideas and meeting new people.

Now the big task for me…. to decide what my wow will be.

I have set a goal this summer to try and make at least 1 of everything I put on my “Things you could make using your Big Shot!” sheet. I am still looking for further ideas from any of you, so if you think of anything please let me know. I am trying to incorporate all of the 50 different materials that can be used in the Big Shot which include:

Thick corkboard
Thick chipboard (59 mil)
Colored magnet
Ruffle board
Paper wood
Balsa wood (3/32″)
Bass wood (1/16″)
Metal mesh
Aluminum (.016)
Tin (.008)
Adhesive and non-adhesive mat board
Drawer liner
Shelf liner
Vinyl
Static cling vinyl
Shrink film
Fine sandpaper
Clear acetate (20 mil)
Vellum
Card stock
Patterned paper
Flocked paper
Contact paper
Textured paper
Metallic paper
Linen paper
Suede paper
Embossed metallic paper
Basketball embossed paper
Faux alligator textured paper
Self-adhesive glitter paper
Fabric
Canvas
Iron-on fabric
Soft plush fabric
Burlap
Velvet
Corduroy
Lace
Heavyweight denim
Terry cloth
Funky fur
Thin leather
Quilt batting
Warm & natural batting
Fusible fleece
Self-adhesive craft metal
Self-adhesive cork
Self-adhesive foam
Self-adhesive magnet
Self-adhesive felt
Adhesive and non-adhesive rubber
Pop up sponge
Poly foam
100% pure beeswax (cut with parchment paper on top & bottom of beeswax.)

So far I have come up with the following ideas:

Personalize your flip flops with fun foam
Label your garden with fun shaped garden stakes
Home decorations
Decorate your child’s clothing and items
Create your own trivets with cork board
Felt Boards
Decorate your bathroom or childrens bedroom with vinyl shapes
Create a personal gift by decorating tea towels or hand towels
Create your own album using chipboard
Tea light holders using aluminum or tin
Flashcards
Magnets
Quilting
Decorate candles for gifts
To create a small pouch
Headbands
Decorate your hat
Finger puppets
Belts
Table decorations for special events
To create a template for glass etching
Learn to tie your laces/ button your clothes activity
Tic Tac Toe game
Banners ie Birthdays/ Showers
Window decorations
Masks
Apron
Tole painting
Christmas decorations
Necklaces
Gift tags
Ornaments
Wedding/ Party Favours
Recipe Cards
Rolodex address book
Hair Clips
Card Candy
Paper / Wood / Silk Flowers
Pop-up Cards
Stationery Gift Sets
Acetate boxes
Quilt Cards
Picture frame
Shaker cards