{Gluten Free} Pineapple UpsideDown Cake

Earlier this week I was at a lunch play date and the host (aka. a wonderful BFF) absolutely spoiled us with the perfect, summery dessert! And to boot, she made it gluten free!! (This is when you KNOW its true love, when she never lets me go without the amazing yumminess!!)

I could hardly wait for an excuse to recreate this divine little cake, so I didn't! I made it the following evening for dessert! What a hit! Its moist, perfect, delicious and so crazy easy to make. Its the perfect potluck dessert, too... just be prepared for the invitations to come rolling in once you share this with your friends!

Jamberry Application Tips & Tricks

Since I started using Jamberry wraps a few months ago, I have definitely improved my application technique and I'd like to share some of the tips I've picked up that make the process so much easier! If you haven't checked it out already, head over here to check out my new obsession & find the link to the Jamberry Application video.

Jamberry Journey

Its been a while (yet again) but I am finally getting a few minutes to sit down and share. We've been spending most of our time outside in the nice weather. Its almost impossible to get the boys inside long enough to eat a meal before they are gone again! I can't complain though, I was sooooo ready for coats & boots season to end. 

I'm really excited to share with you that I have joined Jamberry Nails. I have been using them for a few months now and decided to take the plunge and see where it takes me. I'd like to take the opportunity now to share a little bit about these trendy, fun nail products and to share why I'm so in love!

Jamberry is a family-based business. Briefly, three sisters came up with the idea to create these durable, easy-to-use nail wraps in beautiful colours and designs to appeal to nails everywhere! The nail wraps are non-toxic and can be applied right to your nail with heat and pressure.

I'm a nail polish-aholic, and I love doing my nails so I couldn't wait to try these wraps! There are many benefits to using them, including the ease of application, no dry time, and no chipping! This is super exciting for me as a busy Mom of 4 little boys. I rarely ever have time to paint my nails and have them dry without someone needing something and the consequence is always bumped and flawed manicures. Also, within a day or two, polish always chips, and that's a real bummer.

Once I learned the proper way to apply Jamberry, I was hooked! They last on my hands up to 16 days (I might have been able to leave them on longer, I was dying to change it up!) I've done my toes as well, and I got well over a month on my first attempt! 

There are more than 300 nail wrap designs, solids and tips to choose from so no matter what your preference, we've got you covered. If you can't narrow down the choices, don't worry! Wraps are Buy 3 Get 1 FREE!

The nail wraps come with enough to do 2 complete manicures & 2 complete pedicures, with enough leftover for a bunch of accent nails.

Here are a few pics of my recent Jams.  

Lovely Spring Shamrocks & Rainbows

Even did a Toe-Jam!

These Get Hoppy Easter wraps were so sweet!

Gelato & Rose Gold Sparkle

And finally, Desert at Dusk!

I would love it if you would check out the styles over on my site, and let me know with a comment here about what designs you LOVE! Everyone who comments will be entered to win a sheet of accent wraps!

Check out the application video!

Let me know your fav design!

{Gluten Free} Mini Snack Bars

Hello All!!  Its been so long since I've posted that I hardly know what to start with! How about, Happy New Year! Its still technically the new year and I think its still allowed right? Since just before Christmas, things have been crazy around here with two boys in hockey,  a major holiday, school commitments, etc. Its sometimes hard to come up for air! So I apologize for my blog neglect, and I hope that this doesn't happen again (at least for a long time...).

I'm excited to share this amazing recipe! It happened because I messed up another recipe and didn't realize until I had half of the bars pressed into the Perfect Petites mould. So then I thought, rather than scoop it all out and start again, I'd just give it a go and see what the results would be. Well I'm thrilled to report.... they. are. DELICIOUS! And for a gluten free treat (especially a homemade one) no one else even noticed! They are the perfect consistency, kind of like a granola bar with a soft centre. How EXCITING!! So then I thought to myself, "YAY! Lunch treats!". Except then I thought to myself, "you DOPE! You put pecans in the recipe!". So I'm making the pecans optional and saying use either that or double the dried fruit for gluten free, nut free yumminess!

Hasbro Monpoly Junior Review - Game Night Fun

Well it's been a while since I've had a chance to get on here and actually write something! I did start this post one evening 2 weeks ago and forgot to save it so that was sad. 

We've been really enjoying the new Monopoly Junior game that I was sent by Influenster! And I just love receiving free & relevant items to review! This one was a hit!

{Gluten Free} Halloween Rice Krispie Squares

I've been slacking pretty bad around here. You will note that even the pics I'm using in this post are just cell shots. The blog is getting some unintentional neglect as our hockey season is in full swing with two little guys, and then there's swimming and homework and laundry, oh and did I mention they still want dinner EVERY night?! Yikes. 

I did find a few spare minutes though, and I threw together these amazing little festive treats that the kids just love!

         

So cute, right?? So this is simply simple. And so quick to make, you'll look like a rockstar in 15 mins or less!

I'd like to say it was fancy, but I just used the recipe inside the box of gluten free Rice Krispies, and then I topped them with the cutest sprinkles and pumpkin Peeps (I did NOT know Peeps made pumpkins!! What a pleasant surprise!)

       

How festive! I love these! I stashed a pan away for myself! Haha!

{Gluten Free} Mini Pumpkin Pie Cakes

It feels like FOREVER since I've shared a recipe! I'm not even going to look back and see how long its been! This one is better-late-than-never, but I have a few reasons for that.... Its been crazy busy here this fall. So that's one. The second reason is that I have tested this recipe several times and its finally tweaked to perfect (if I do say so myself!). The third and most important reason is my little bambino who just absolutely loved to be held (by me) pretty mush all the hours that he is awake.... And he's not a fan of sitting still for me to blog. 

In case you didn't know it, I'm a pumpkinaholic. I love pumpkin almost as much as my kids and chocolate and so I have been seeking really good pumpkin recipes that are gluten free. For those of you who eat a gluten free diet, you will understand just how important 'good' recipes are. There are a lot of different products out there, and recipes, but its hard to find DELICIOUS ones. I have pretty much perfected this recipe and I am excited to share it!

Tutorial: Get your lashes on! (Quick & Easy!)

If you want the secret to long, full, beautiful lashes in minutes, you've come to the right place! As you can imagine, with the busy schedule that comes along with having four boys, I don't have much time to dedicate to anything else. Occasionally I get the chance to clean up a mess before the next one lands, but in general its go, go, go! So when I discovered the 3D Fiber Lashes from Younique, I was sold on everything about them! My absolute fav feature is how quick you can apply the lashes! It only takes minutes! 

Here's a quick step-by-step tutorial on applying these great lashes! (I did this in the car with the kids loaded because we were early for the bus! I figured I might as well make good use of the time!)

Not Just Lashes - Younique Review

I am quite excited to share more about the Younique products that I have been able to test this week! I have been pleased with each product that I have tried. Stephanie and I got together just the other day and played with various items from her presentation kit. We did a little photo shoot and without further adieu, here is a little summary of the products we tried out!

Amazing Lashes -- Younique 3D Fiber Lashes

I'm working on a few more posts to get you as excited as I am about these amazing products from Younique! In the meantime, I'm going to share some before/after shots of just how fabulous these lashes look! 

If you missed it, check out this post! I've been helping out my friend Stephanie with her new business, and I'm happy to report that she's been having amazing response to the company and products that she is representing! 

The 3D Fiber Lashes are absolutely amazing! These lashes will replace the fakes in your life! And I've been wearing mine everyday, you decide what kind of a look to wear by using more or less!

Fabulous Product Alert! 3D Fibre Lashes & Much More from Younique

I've got a new love in my life. 

There. I said it. 

I'm totally OBSESSED with a new product and I'm so excited to share I can hardly stand it! 

Back to School - Successful First Week

We survived the first week! And it was even pretty great! I think we were all equally excited about the return to school (well I might have been just a little more excited than the boys). Its been so great to get back into routine and schedule! The weather has stayed beautiful, even nicer for a few days! The littles and I are enjoying our alone time while the big boys enjoy their friends at school.

The first day was a bit of a mess. I neglected to read the bus paperwork thoroughly and so we waited at the old bus stop instead of the new one, so we ended up driving to school (thankfully its very close by!).  The following bus photos were captured on the second day.

This post has taken longer than I thought but the first week was tiring! Between school and various other plans/activities I have finally found a few minutes.... And just now as sat down to write this, crazy toddler stuck a popcorn kernel up his nose. Nice. 

Here are a few more cute shots of the first week.

This was wee baby being super cute finding his toes while the rest of us were busy getting ready the first morning.

Ethan was playing with a friendly butterfly while we waiting at the wrong stop.

Look at us all smiley. We hadn't yet noticed that we were at the wrong bus stop yet.

I thought it would be hard for this little to see his brothers leave, but he was quite the opposite! He enjoyed his first day alone playing in his brothers' room and touching their stuff!  It reminded me of Home Alone where Kevin thinks that he's not alone in the house so he's shouts out, "Buzz, I'm going through all your private stuff, you better come out and pound me!".  Anyway...

Here he is enjoying the iPad, alone.

Here he is scaling the fridge for a snack, alone.

The only slight issue is that school seems to be too early for wee baby when he's been up all night. Actually, pretty much every morning I have to wake his little butt up to make it on time.

All in all a great first week of school was had by all. 

Oh, and I did get the popcorn kernel out of the nostril before I started writing.

Do you have little ones going to school? 

When did they start back?

How was the first week?

Lancôme Grandiose Mascara

I am excited to share my latest VoxBox goody from Influenster. I received this Lancôme Grandiose Mascara free to review from Influenster! I was super excited as I am always looking for a great new mascara, but am generally nervous to spend the $$$ to trial them, so I tend to stick with what I know.

First of all, I love products that look unique! This is one of the best mascara tubes I have ever seen! I just love everything about it... The shape, the shine, the Lancôme flower in the handle! It's beautiful and that is a great selling feature in my opinion. Look at this beauty: 

My Unsolicited Opinion: The ALS article that went too far

I have seen this article shared on Facebook several times and I've been holding my tongue.... But it just keeps being there, slapping every person affected by ALS in the face, and their family & friends & healthcare providers and anyone else this disease has impacted. Here is the link if you want to read it:  

http://www.macleans.ca/society/health/why-the-ice-bucket-challenge-is-bad-for-you/

This article irritates me for two main reasons:

1) This disease is not preventable, not curable. Many of the causes of the competitive diseases in this article are lifestyle related, preventable & manageable. (ie. smoking, diet, sedentary lifestyle, stress, etc.) I say many because I acknowledge that genetics and other inborn defects are absolutely causing chronic illness and therefore some of these illnesses are less/not preventable. 

2) Who is this guy to decide that one chronic & terminal illness is less important than another? They're all horrible. If you have ever seen or cared for an individual with ALS, you will appreciate the how serious and terrible the condition is, and I doubt that you would say that it is a less deserving cause.

A few other thoughts:

"Only about 600 people per year die (of ALS) in Canada". 

--- So it's less important? How many deaths per year would make it a charity worth your money? Is there a guideline? 

"ALS research is not an urgent need".

--- That's a pretty strong statement. I wonder how the author would feel about the urgency of this illness if he were unable to feed himself because he had lost all motor function of his limbs (and I suppose unable to type such an insensitive article)?

As far as the article implying that its just a fad or a dare, aren't lots of different campaigns for different charities similar? I donate to the Cancer Society because they come to my door. I donate to CHEO because Walmart cashiers ask me when I shop. I donate snowsuits to CPAN because the Scottish lady on the radio gets to me every year. All of those campaigns put you on the spot in essentially the same way that this one does. This is just another campaign for another worthy cause and they nailed it. People are gaining awareness and it's voluntary just like any other campaign.  

I say good for ALS for creating such an amazing campaign to achieve the purpose that they set out to! (Probably blew their goal out of the water, in fact!) 

And hopefully this can be a motivation to other worthy causes for future fundraising and awareness efforts! (How about if the millions of smokers out there save their cigarette money and donate it to cancer research instead? Or next time we are tempted to go through the McDonald's drivethru, how about take that $15 and send it to the Heart Institute instead? This guy's article seems to imply that the population doesn't have enough money to go around, however people are making choices that are leading to the top killers... And paying for it.)

ALS is not preventable, it is difficult to manage, it is incurable and terminal. I think that's worthy of my 56 second video and my money.

I just wanted to put this out there. It's sad and absolutely insensitive that this article is spreading the message that it is.  #ALSIceBucketChallenge 

Summer Lovin' - What We've Been Up To

It's been quiet around here (and by here I mean the blog, not our house!). This summer is sailing by, and with only a couple of weeks left until school, we are trying to squeeze in as much fun as we can! I can't believe I started out the summer feeling nervous overwhelmed completely terrified about being alone all day with these four high-energy rug-rats... one of whom spends a good part of his days attached to me. I definitely can't believe how awesome its been. Now, don't get me wrong, there are days when its all I can do to remember to eat/drink something in between feedings, diaper changes, spills, endless mountains of laundry and dishes, and driving the boys around to their activities, etc. etc. All things considered, I think it has gone pretty well!

Without much further ramblings, I'd like to share a little bit of what we've been up to over the past 6 weeks....

10 School Year Calendar Ideas {Perfect Pins}

The summer seems to be sneaking away from me. We have had a full & busy summer, and over the next couple of weeks we will be trying to develop some kind of routine as we get ready for the boys to go back to school. Some days I'm sad with the anticipation, other days I'm counting down. Its always a bittersweet time. On one hand, it will be nice to have a bit more time for the wee boys & for myself, but on the other hand, I will miss the big boys tremendously.

As today was a day where I'm feeling that back to school can not come fast enough (and when I'm hoping that tomorrow will be different!), I got to searching for some organizational tools to get back into the swing of things. So without further ramblings, here is a great collection of school year calendar systems to help you organize time for school activities that are just around the corner!

Creamy Dilly Cucumber Bean Salad

I'm still in salad mode while the weather stays nice. I love salads of all  kinds, and I love trying new things! If you missed them, check out my recipes for Greek Quinoa Salad, Taco Bean Salad & Cranberry Arborio Salad.

In the past few weeks the neighbours' garden has had a surplus of cucumbers. First of all I'd like to say this makes me sad & sentimental as we have not found the time for our garden over the past two summers. I loved my garden. I really wanted to have a small one this year but there are just not enough hours in the day with my little army of boys around here. My hope is that next summer the two older boys will be excited & helpful with a little garden. But I digress, I'd like to thank my neighbours for growing too much and sharing. It also makes me very happy to have fresh produce from their lovely garden and I love the inspiration for new recipes to use these fresh veggies!

Fruity Chocolate PB Popsicles

I'm almost out of ideas for the rest of the strawberries that are hanging around here. Tonight I decided to make some popsicles for the week that the boys and I can enjoy in the heat. This recipe is delicious! 

Outdoor Furniture Re-Do

Last weekend I completed a project that I had started last summer. Well, I suppose I didn't really start it. I picked up a set of outdoor furniture for $20 with great aspirations of doing a makeover and creating a gorgeous set for around our fire pit... and for probably 96 reasons I ended up putting it off and then eventually forgetting about it until summer was long over and I was no longer motivated to do it seeing as we couldn't enjoy it with the snow that was looming. I'm sorry for mentioning that dreaded word, by the way.

So for the past few weeks we have been staring at this ugly furniture and I've been hoping to sneak in the makeover... and I finally did it this weekend!  I have to say that the finished product is even better than I had imagined it! I have a sore back as most of this was done with a little baby wrapped to me. He certainly prefers to be held, and so that was pretty much the only way to complete this project. I can't say I mind, he's super cuddly... only my back is paying for it a bit because of the bending, etc. required to paint the furniture.

10 Homemade Iced Tea Recipes {Perfect Pins}

We've been loving the summer weather, and loving the days that we've been able to spend outdoors. In an effort to keep hydrated without a ton of sugar, I've been searching out homemade iced tea recipes that I can make ahead and have in the fridge. I've made a few of my own recipes and I am hoping to share one or two soon but in the meantime, check out these great Pinterest finds!