The Snuggle is REAL!

Our Elf arrives with Christmas Magic! 

So as soon as our decor goes up, our elf arrives!

He usually has treats like chocolate and candies and activity books or toys. 

Santa makes these treats for the local Dollarstore, so I'm sure the Elf gets first 

dibs on these treats from Santa's Shop. 

Sometimes he writes inspirational letters and is always cheering the kids on.

The kids wake up and jump out of bed to look for the 

Elf every morning to see what mess he's got himself into at night. 

Mommy is sure to catch a picture of the Elf, especially when the 

Elf makes so much noise when he is back from the North Pole.

Nightly he magically leaves and gives Santa the daily report and 

Christmas toy list from the kids. 

Santa then gets to work!

Our Elf sure does love chocolate. 

Hot Chocolate and Marshmallows are his favorite!

What's your Elf up to? What's the most exiting thing your Elf has done?



Looking for Elf accessories? 

Check out Santa's Workshop below!

www.amazon.ca/shop/aka_mama_t

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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

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 

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! 

New Recipe Alert!!

Ohhhh yessss! 

This recipe is now a favorite and will be added to my weekly dinners! 

Crispy cabbage! This will make it easy to up my veggies at lunch and dinner! 

Sooo easy! 

set oven to  425˚F 

1 package of coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage 

Cookie sheet lined with parchment paper 

Nonstick cooking spray

1tsp of olive oil 

2 tbsp Of Everything but the bagel seasoning 

(I got mine here) 

Sea salt / pepper 

Lightly coat parchment with cooking spray 

Toss ingredients together and lay a thin layer of cabbage on cookie sheet

Cook for 15 min turning once and until cabbage is dry and edges look brown and crispy 

And there you go! A yummy veggie addition to your meal! 

Enjoy! 

Summer smoothies!

I have soo many great smoothie recipes! But for today I’ll share a few of my summer faves!!!!

Any protein shakes work for the recipes, I use my favorite shakeology. Vanilla, chocolate or cafe latte! 

What you need-

Blender or mini blender 

Frozen fruits/ veggies 

Protein shake 

Almond milk or any milk or water

Today’s fruity smoothie recipe! I enjoyed this one outside while the kids were playing! 

1 scoop of vanilla protein

 (I used vegan vanilla shakeology) 

Handful of frozen strawberries and banana 

10oz almond milk

Blend! So soo good and soo easy! 

Here are a few others I love! 

Boosted iced coffee (ok not a smoothie but cold and fresh) 

10oz coffee with almond milk 

with half a pack of cafe latte shakeology. 

Shake it up, add lots of ice! And enjoy!!

If you are looking for a balanced chocolatey smoothie, and sneaking some veggies in there haha. I have a good one for you! 

1 scoop of chocolate vegan protein powder 

1/2 cup of frozen cauliflower 

1/2 a banana 

Handful of ice 

A drop or 2 of vanilla extract

Sprinkle of Cinnamon

Blend up and enjoy this balanced cinnamon roll smoothie treat! 

Ahh there are soo many combos you can do! You get loads of protein and nutrients without all that sugar. Just look at this example I found on Pinterest. 

Ummmm 28g of sugar in a Starbucks! No thanks! 

So who’s with me! Make your own smoothies for the win!!  

Follow me on IG too so you don’t miss any new blends  I try this summer! 

Have a great day friends! 

Easy meals!

Let’s talk easy healthy meals!

We all know the deal! Veggies, fruit, protein, healthy carbs! 

So how do we put it all together the best way to get the most nutrients from our meals!? I’ll show you some examples! 

Take a look at these combos. Nothing special, no crazy recipes with tons of ingredients you need up rush out to buy. Just every day foods! 

Let’s plate it! 

Here’s breakfast. Whole wheat English muffin topped with an egg, I think I might have a slice of cheddar cheese under there too. Some bacon and heck I threw in a broccoli from dinner left overs 😛. This! This is a balanced breakfast! Even better with Stonemill bread which is my favorite whole grain bread. 

Lunch! 

Another easy meal! I split the whole wheat tortilla in half because it was a big one. Stuffed it with deli turkey, cheddar cheese, mustard and lettuce. With a side of more veggies! So easy and balanced! 

Dinner! 

Protein and lots of veggies!!! Salad, cauliflower bites mm mm and grilled chicken. Soo good. And soo easy.

Eating healthy doesn’t need to be hard! Use what you have, keep it balanced and there you go! You’re eating healthy!

Now go try it! Plate those healthy meals and tag me on insta!! @aka_mama_t 

What Do You Miss

Who else is missing some of their favorite shops? I’m totally missing Marshall’s Canada, winners and homesense! I was at one of these stores weekly! Some weeks daily 🤭

Ha! 

This workout outfit was one of the last outfits I bought at Marshall’s Canada. 😎Ahhh if they were open right now they would be filled with spring and summer clothing and household decor. It’s always my go to place to shop, for one it’s a 2min drive from me and it’s a place that has things for mama and for the kids. Because who has time to shop all over the place! 

Some of this decor was purchased just the week before March break! Ha! So I had a spring change up early this year.

I haven’t been really shopping online much for spring clothing. I’m hoping the stores open up soon for that! But I have been tempted with all the instagram outfit posts ha! 

Have you been shopping online and preparing for spring/ summer? What’s the first place you’ll shop at when we are all allowed back out! 

Ohhh and I can’t forget about a nice haircut and mani pedi! Those are high on my list of to-dos when this is all over 😃 

Grocery Shopping Reality

We are close to 60 days in quarantining or self isolation or social distancing- however you wanna call it! Many shops and restaurants have been closed for months. This weekend some are easing up and finally opening their doors to the public with many health measures. I'm watching the news and people are in line ups with masks and gloves and waiting to enter and quickly grab what they need. It's stressful and can take hours as they allow only a certain amount of people in at a time. 

When the shutdowns first began, grocery pickup/delivery from walmart or grocery gateway or instacarts were bombarded with orders. Getting a slot was like a miracle! So the early weeks of the shut down, before the lineups I had to go in and get our groceries, I did larger orders at a time so I didn't need to go in as often. Thankfully our local walmart opened up more spaces and for over  a month now I have my weekly grocery pickup, just as I use to have before this whole thing began. Remember! Those calm mornings with my Tim's coffee, driving up and getting out of my car to greet the employee, make some small talk... Not now. Now it's driving around back, opening the trunk as they quickly place the bags in keeping to a maximum time they are told to get it done which I think is 5 minutes.

We live North of the city, and yesterday we picked up our produce from a local farm. No line ups, tap to pay, in and out quickly.

Grocery bills have also increased these past 2 months. I would say they have doubled, maybe even tripled in what we use to do.  We are also trying to shop local as much as we can. Starting with this local farm for produce. Getting takeout from family owned restaurants in the area.  Being so grateful that we can help these struggling businesses. 

It's a year that will go down in history in so many ways.

 Stay safe out there friends. This too shall pass.