July 21, 2015
Photography Fails #WW with linky
I had quite a few items to photograph this past weekend in order to get caught up on blog posts. What I didn’t take into consideration was the effect that the weather may have on my photos! We had intense heat over the weekend and it seemed to have left a glossy, almost foggy look on all my photos (well I am blaming the weather as this has never happened to me before!). So I am taking my fails and sharing them with you today, if you have any suggestions or tips for this photographer to prevent this, I would love them to as this has never happened to me before.
Weird, right?
Well here are my two only good photos from that day that I took in the shade:
Make sure you link up below so that I can come visit you to! Have a great week!
July 21, 2015
Imaginative Play Outdoors with Dragons and Netflix
Summer is meant to be spent outside and since we have such a short summer it is even more important to get outside while we can. Especially for our kids! Playing outside and using their imaginations is important for their growth.
Putting together an outdoor play box will help encourage your children to get outside, get active and have fun!
Here are some tips to get outside and get started on creative play:
Create costumes and masks to encourage creative play. We were given these fantastic Dragons masks from Netflix to celebrate the release of the new Dragons,Race to the Edge series (which by the way is a Netflix original series!). We had so much chasing each other around the park pretending to be dragons and of course both kids had to be Toothless! But in all honesty how can you not love Toothless, he is a sweetheart!
Chalk! Sidewalk chalk never goes out of style! You can spend hours creating pictures and designs up and down the street. You can create hopscotch patterns, draw animals, create epic battles and write words (the best was when my kids made me a Welcome Home sign for after surgery!).
Picnic time! When the weather permits, pack up your lunch and head outside. There is nothing more adventurous and fun then eating outside with your children. Pack a nice big blanket, all your lunch time favourites and find a shady spot outside to get comfortable. Even if you are only sitting in your front yard, it still beats sitting inside and following your regular routine.
Visit a splash pad. Refresh yourself after an active day outdoors at your local splash pad. Some of our best afternoons have been spent at a splash pad, myself included – forget the bathing suit! Sometimes running through in your yoga pants and shirt is just way too much fun and a fantastic way to cool down.
Make sure you check out Netflix this month to catch up with Toothless in Dragons, Race to the Edge, you will not be disappointed.
How do you like to get outside and encourage creative play with your kids? Do you pretend to be characters from your favourite shows?
Disclosure: I am a Netflix StreamTeam member and receive perks associated with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.
July 17, 2015
Conquer Your Pain in 9 Steps
Conquer Your Pain in 9 Steps, is all about recognizing your pain and how to overcome its limitations.
About Conquer Your Pain in 9 Steps
From her own years of unnecessary suffering, Carole Staveley makes it her mission to maximize your chances of overcoming health barriers in the shortest possible time. Her 9 Step Health Champion approach shared in this book will help you achieve your full potential. She helps you achieve this by taking you through the process of establishing a Health Champion mindset, building your most effective health team, and maximizing your odds of persevering through it all. Become your own Health Champion and keep your healthy vision alive—no matter what challenges you face!
My Thoughts
Pain is subjective and can be felt differently from person to person based on severity. A headache that may debilitating to one person, is a normal day-to-day functioning health condition for another. Learning how to deal with your pain and conquer it in order to live a fully functional and happy life is so important!
Carole is like so many of us, suffering with chronic pain and being bounced back and forth. When she realized there were no easy answers, she knew she had to take charge of her own health. This is one area that I have always felt strongly about, patients need to be in charge of their own health, they need to ask questions, research (from reputable sources) and question whether treatments are right for them. While similar, all of our bodies respond differently to chronic conditions and treatments, so you need to work together with your health team to develop a treatment plan good for you.
Carole is an incredibly motivating individual that provides ideas and thought starters in order to take charge of your own health. This could range from individuals who suffer from chronic headaches (myself) to others who suffer from chronic diseases and conditions that puts them into positions of chronic pain. Treating your body with not only medication but also healthy food, supplements and exercise is just as important. Carole teaches us how to be an active part of our healing with chronic pain. Her book is one that you can work slowly through and come back to time and time again for a refresher.
You can purchase Conquer Your Pain in 9 Steps on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Chapters.
Rating: 4/5
Book Trailer
About the Author
After suffering 13 years of debilitation caused by a chronic myofascial pain condition, Carole Staveley realized there was no “magic bullet” coming to her rescue. She took charge of solving her health challenges and went on to complete an IRONMAN triathlon in 2013. Carole’s book, Conquer Your Pain in 9 Steps, takes you through her proven 9-step Health Champion approach to suffering less and achieving more. Carole Staveley is President of Inner Victory Coaching, an organization she founded to empower others to become their own Health Champions and reach their full potential. You can connect with her online, Twitter and Facebook.
The Giveaway!
Q&A with Carole Staveley!
Q: There are many books out there about health and wellness. What makes Conquer Your Pain in 9 Steps different?
A: Conquer Your Pain in 9 Steps is not just another general health and wellness book, nor is it focused on tips to overcome pain. It presents a 9-Step approach to dealing with any health challenge you might be faced with – now or in the future. This 9-step approach emerged from a retrospective analysis of how I conquered a 13-year struggle with chronic pain. Once I took control and became my own Health Champion, the improvements in my health were so dramatic that I was able to train for and complete an IRONMAN triathlon just 4 years into my recovery! The book was written with a deep desire to communicate to others that they can achieve things they never dreamt possible by following the process and becoming their own Health Champions.
Q: As a mom, writer, owner of your own company, athlete and Wellness Coach, how do you balance your time?
A: I get asked this a lot, and my answer generally goes like this: The biggest mistake we can make is to envision a “balanced” life in which our time is equally divided into all aspects of our lives (family, workouts, work, etc). This type of utopian expectation is what sets us up for frustration and self-deprecation. There are many priorities in my life: My kids, my husband, my fitness, care of my home, work / income, friends, etc. What I’ve come to accept is that different priorities take precedence at different times, and this makes me feel balanced. For example, in the last few months, my daughter has struggled with a significant health challenge. My priority has been to make sure she fully recovers, which means work and fitness have taken a back seat. And that’s OK. I feel balanced. I’m doing what I need to be doing right now. Your mind is what decides whether you’re balanced or not!
Q: What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done.
A: I have to say the most courageous thing I’ve ever done was showing up for my very first triathlon in 2009. I was just beginning to unravel the mysteries behind my chronic pain condition, and wanted to do something physical to celebrate feeling better. So I signed up for a Sprint distance triathlon. I had only begun to swim (other than goofing around in the pool as a child) in 2008, and had never done an open water swim in my life. I hadn’t done a swim or run workout for 6 weeks prior to the race due to nagging injuries (part of the condition I suffer from), but I decided to show up for the race that morning. I was never so scared in my life, which made the reward that much greater when I crossed the finish line and hugged my husband and kids.
Q: What is your favorite travel spot?
A: My absolute favorite family trip was in Loreto, Mexico, in the Baja Peninsula. It was a magical land of natural beauty, where desert meets ocean. We were outside the tiny town of Loreto, and it was practically devoid of humans. The whole family was mesmerized by it.
Q: Is there anything quirky about you that you’d like to share with readers?
A: I have to admit, I’m a Starbucks addict! And I mean it has to be brewed in a Starbucks store! I’ve tried many times to buy their coffee beans and brew it at home, but it never tastes as good. Maybe it’s all in my head, but I really look forward to picking up my “Grande bold in a Venti cup” in the morning.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
July 16, 2015
Up Your Grill Game This Summer With Vegetables and Fruits #CelebrateCanada
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Weber Grills Canada for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
Canada Day marked not only our 148th birthday but also the start of the Canadian outdoor summer season (which let’s be honest, isn’t near long enough!). Summer is the perfect time to get outside, get active and spend quality time together as a family. Our weekends are usually spent by the pool in the backyard, relaxing and just enjoying each others company. Our weekend time together is very important to us and we use this time to remind us what is most important in life, family.
And what better way to top off this quality time with, then with delicious food straight off the grill (spoken like a true Italian Canadian girl, eh!).
The days of traditional grilling are long gone and there is pretty much nothing you can not cook on your Weber grill. While hamburgers and hot dogs are still fun, why not try to spice up your grill a bit by giving your recipes flavour and variety.
While my husband tends to lean towards steak, chicken and pork (he could live off this combination of food everyday), I like to balance out our meals with veggies and fruits (yes, you can grill fruits and they even taste great!). Some of the best fruits to grill include: watermelon, pineapple and pears. Just make sure your grill is clean and on a low temperature before grilling your fruits.
Creating mouth-watering vegetables that are not overdone or dry, is easy when you grill them in tin foil. Follow these easy steps for delicious vegetables that are perfect on the side or added on top of a steak or chicken sandwich:
For this recipe you need:
- large rectangular shaped piece of tin foil
- vegetables of your choice (I used mushrooms, onions, red peppers and zucchini) cut up in small slices
- one tbsp of olive oil
- garlic powder and Montreal steak spice to taste
Make a tray with your tin foil and line the inside of the tray with olive oil. Place your vegetables and mix the vegetables together to coat them with the olive oil. Add your spices to taste.
Use the remainder of the tin foil to create a lid for your vegetables. Place the tin foil directly onto the grill at medium to low heat and cook until done.
If you really want to shake things up a bit, why not try naan vegetable pizza on the grill? Using some of the leftover zucchini from above and tomatoes, you can create a nutritious appetizer that will please any picky eater.
Just lightly coat one side of the naan bread with olive oil, add the zucchini, diced tomatoes and some ricotta cheese. When you place this on the grill make sure you are doing so at a low temperature so you do not burn the bottom of the bread. Remove the pizza when the bottom is golden.
Grilling up nutritious fare is an important part of outdoor fun and can be made that much more exciting when you experiment outside of the box.
What is your favourite recipe for the grill?
If you are looking for more grilling fun, check out Weber Grills You Tube Channel, full of helpful tips, recipes (Sangria – yes please!) and more.
July 14, 2015
PanAm Football Matches #WW with linky!
As many of you may already know, the PanAm games have officially started in Toronto. We attended two football matches, Panama VS Peru and Brasil VS Canada. Both matches were full of excitement and we had a wonderful time.
Make sure you link up below so that I can come visit you too! Have a great day!
