Friday, October 23, 2020

Life of a Virtual School Mama

 Here we are! Week 6 of Virtual Learning!

Here is a little glimpse of how our day looks like :)



I wake up around 7am and get my mama self ready for the day. 

I'll usually plan one of my Instagram posts around that time too :)

I set my coffee timer for the night before so it's ready for meeee OR i'll run out for a quick Tim's run. 




Around 8am I wake up the kids and head downstairs to make breakfast. We have super simple breakfasts during the week. Cereal/Milk, Waffles or Granola bars. Fast and Easy. The kids usually like to watch some cartoons as they get ready for their day. 

Google Home is our assistant. Ha! Yup! We set all the timers on it so we can easily stick to schedule. 




As soon as the timer goes off around 8:50am the kids go and sit at their Chromebooks. We have our set up in the kitchen.  We did start off in the office, but we noticed that the sun coming into the kitchen and having more space was just better :) So Monday -Friday my kitchen table is School! We have all our supplies and books set up in easy to move baskets. (Friday after school I move everything to the office to have a clean kitchen table for the weekend) 

The kids have a set schedule that consists of online meetings with the teacher, break times and independent learning. Just like a regular school day. 




They adapted really well to their schedules. I am more of their hall monitor haha! ensuring they are listening and controlling their volume haha. 

I usually make their lunch during their first break. That way their second break in the afternoon they get a good 40 min to play with eachother.  They usually go into the backyard for "recess" or up to their playroom. This is also my mama break too and I catch up on my reading or any online work I have. 




We have SK and Grade 4 here and their schedules are bit different. SK has the last hour of school online and my Grade 4 has the last hour offline for homework.



During their independent learning I help with homework. It's also great for me to really see the kids strengths and areas they need a little more help in. I can also regulate their day, say for example if they had a "big" learning day with "big" milestones, I'll make sure their Homework time is shorter so they don't over stress themselves.   Or if they had a light day, then I know spending that extra time on a topic they need more help in is the day to do it. 


Afternoon donut breaks happen sometimes too.



The kids are usually done around 3-3:20 , They close their laptops and run around  ha! I tidy up and go straight to dinner prep! 

It's definitely different here, but I must say, we are fully embracing this different way of learning. It feels more like 1-1 learning and with mom and dad around to help ha! (oh yes DH is also home, working from home). Our routine is super simple and it's working best around here for these crazy times. The kids really enjoy it and love learning from home so it makes it easier. 




Today is Friday so we will get takeout and have a movie night with lots of popcorn, oh and definitely hit the swimspa to relax for the weekend!

For more about my day in the life go over to my Instagram page! @aka_mama_t



Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Pretty little things

 Did I ever tell you that I'm a Maskcara Beauty Artist!  




Definitly sounds like a cool title.  Also sounds like you need to be a professional to have this title. Well let me tell you, any one of you can be a Maskcara Beauty Artist! You know why? Because this is the easiest makeup application you'll ever do, but with the look of being a makeup Artist! 





First, you'll need a Color match! Just send me 2 photos, one with makeup and one without makeup. That way I can pick the perfect colors for your skin tones. 


Follow these steps!




Send me your photos on IG @aka_mama_t


Once I get your picture, I'll work on your color match!




It will look sorta like this. 




Know what you put on your skin! Check out the ingredients list below! And some comparisons of other brands.











Maskcara makeup comes with easy to follow application instructions to get your perfect look! Trust me, it's easy!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=RDQMg6KIRLsgy6k&feature=share&playnext=1

Follow me over on IG too, and check out my daily stories for my easy to follow makeup application. 

I love the Cheetah HAC! You’ll see, ha!

Here are some of my very own makeup color pics! 










How long does each tin last? Well, a little goes a long way! I apply my makeup everyday and my foundation lasts just over 6 months! 

Here’s an idea 







Go ahead! Send me your photos! 


Oh!! And if you want to join my team of awesome women DM me over on Insta!



Photo cred: @emily.johnston.photography 

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Mama T’s baked Empanadas

My version of baked empanadas! 





I buy these pre-made empanada dough shells at my local Walmart. I keep them in the freezer and always have them on hand for these yummy beef empanadas! 




These can be made with left over chilli (yup) or left over ground beef from taco Tuesday! 


The recipe for the beef stuffing can really be anything you like. Mine is always different. Some ingredients I do love in the mixture though would be, cumin, paprika, adobe seasoning, cilantro diced potato and black beans. (Be sure to drain excess liquid) make the day before and refrigerate the mixture over night so you can scoop in the shells cold. 


Once we have the beef mixture and dough ready, we can stuff them! 





Ingredients for my beef empanadas 


Beef mixture

Empanadas dough 

Cheese (marble or mozzarella, monetary Jack is yum too, really any you like, experiment)

Boiled eggs (cut them up to bite size)

Olives (I usually use the small stuffed ones but I only had these sliced ones today) 


Eggwash 

Baking sheet and parchment paper 


Preheat oven 400F




Follow these steps! 

Scoop beef mixture

Add cheese

Add a piece of boiled egg 

Add some olives 





Brush edges with egg wash and use a fork to press down the edges. 


Brush the full empanadas with egg wash. 






Put them in the oven for 25min or until golden brown 





These are soo good! My family eats these all up! You can put anything in them really! I also made some stuffed with hot salami and cheese! 





I usually make extra  and freeze some for easy lunches, just pop them in the microwave or toaster oven. 


Enjoy!