Scrapbook Nerd 'Stash busting' Online Crop Recipe Challenge

 Margaret here guest designing for the Scrapbook Nerds! 

This week we are having an online scrapbook stash busting crop - come join us over on Facebook for a chance to play along and use up some of your crafty stash and enter challenges for a chance to win FREE STUFF!

 This is my recipe challenge ....hope you are inspired to play along!

 

I had fun playing with the Ernest and Zelie Gnomes from Carabelle and coloring them with my Blends markers from Stampin' Up! They make coloring a breeze!

 

You can create such a fun background layer using the new oxide sprays from Tim Holtz ... mixed media so much fun! I than embossed it with a retired brick embossing folder. Added some bling with a Wink of Stella  and added some cute little star embellishments from my sequins stash. 

Finally I created a custom 'Gnome School's Cool' sentiment from my retired stash stamp set Skinny Miny Letters from Stampin' Up! I love alphabet stamp sets they are perfect for making custom sentiments! I have the Pink Fresh Adore alpha on my wishlist!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

*this post contains affiliate links

Cinnamon Calm

The smell of Cinnamon definitely makes me think of Fall and the upcoming holidays ... it has such a nice 'comfort' feeling associated with it of love, laughter and good times with family. It also has HUGE health benefits from improving brain function, blood circulation, pain relief, blood glucose and aromatherapy speaking it is a great air cleanser and freshener and well the lists of potential benefits goes on an on. 

As a result I love both baking with it, adding it to my smoothies and PLAYING with it with the kiddies ... we also love adding the doTERRA Cinnamon Bark essential oil to our favorite play dough recipe for an amazing sensory experience ... plus the added benefit that the cinnamon helps to reduce any little 'hand germs' that might try to take up root in the dough while playing!

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Play Dough

Original base recipe for the dough comes from the Celiac Disease Foundation  I  adapt / tweak for my preference

What you need:

• ½ cup white rice flour
• ½ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup salt
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cooking oil
• Food coloring, if desired. We added a little 'orange' to ours for fall.
• 3 drops Cinnamon essential oil you can also use 1 tablespoon actual ground cinnamon but it will change your texture a bit. 

What you do:

• Mix ingredients. Cook and stir on low heat for 3 minutes or until it forms a ball. Cool completely before storing in a sealable plastic bag.

 Player's note

Cinnamon can be an allergen or skin irritant for some ~ if it is your first exposure to it please use with caution on a small area of skin.

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Totallyawake4-life 

Pumpkin in the air

Image and recipe sourced from doTERRA blog

Fall is my favorite season ... I love the changing colors of the leaves, the cooler nights, the crisp smell and I love PUMPKINS ... the look of them and the taste of them!

I am not sure about your neck of the woods but here it is still nice and warm during the day and well I am not a coffee drinker anyway to enjoy all those Pumpkin spiced Latte things at the coffee shops but THIS hits the spot for me PLUS with it being back to school the GERMS are working on overtime with the Fall Flu season getting an early start so the short of the +doTERRA International  On Guard is specially helpful to help with immunity!

What you need

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 teaspoon pure Vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon Pumpkin spice*
• 2-3 drops of On Guard Protective Blend
• 1 cup ice
• Optional ~ scoop of vanilla protein powder to make it pack a punch

What you do

• Blend all ingredients together in your blender
• Garnish with a dairy free coconut whipped cream
•  Sprinkle with more pumpkin pie spice  

* Spice options

I love Epicure's convenience so typically use their combo ~ found here  or you can make your own by mixing the following together and storing in an airtight jar.

• 1/4 cup ground cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground all spice

Have an amazing day
Margaret
Life Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Totallyawake4-life

Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
2 frozen bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning
2-3 drops On Guard Protective Blend
1 cup ice
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.
Note: For a garnish, add some whipped cream and pumpkin pie seasoning.
Makes 4 servings.
- See more at: http://doterrablog.com/essential-recipe-on-guard-pumpkin-smoothie/#sthash.yHtRaELF.dpuf

Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
2 frozen bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning
2-3 drops On Guard Protective Blend
1 cup ice
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.
Note: For a garnish, add some whipped cream and pumpkin pie seasoning.
Makes 4 servings.
- See more at: http://doterrablog.com/essential-recipe-on-guard-pumpkin-smoothie/#sthash.yHtRaELF.dpuf

Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
2 frozen bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning
2-3 drops On Guard Protective Blend
1 cup ice
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.
Note: For a garnish, add some whipped cream and pumpkin pie seasoning.
Makes 4 servings.
- See more at: http://doterrablog.com/essential-recipe-on-guard-pumpkin-smoothie/#sthash.yHtRaELF.dpuf

Aussie Bites Recipe

Gluten Free Vegan Aussie Bites 

The kiddies are back to school and with that comes the challenge of making fun snacks that pack a punch of nutrition but also are 'kid approved'. 

This week I saw some Aussie Bites at Costco and wondered 'how hard would those be to make at home for my gluten free egg free daycare crew?'

Being a busy women I am the firm believer of 'why recreate the wheel' especially if I do not have to so off to Google to search for Aussie Bite  recipes others may have already created for these tasty little nuggets. I found a great one over at Oh My Veggies that fit our dietary needs so I thought I would give a go ~ we got 10 thumbs up around the table with these!  

You will need the following:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour *see note below
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup unsalted roasted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup flaxseed meal (make sure it is meal and not just seeds)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I personally do not add salt but original recipe has it)
• 1/2 cup raisins 
• 1/2 cup dried apricots (we added Craisns as well think you could do any dried fruit)

Love my Blendtec

Bakers Notes: If you cannot find Gluten Free oat flour you can make your own using gluten free rolled oats,  ~ I love my Blendtec to make my gluten and grain free flours at home so I can help ensure they ARE indeed gluten or grain free. Whatever you choose you just would need to pulverize approximately 2 cups of oats in a food processor until it reaches the consistency of flour, and then measure 1 1/2 cups of the flour for the recipe. 

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. I love baking with my silicone moulds cause they do not need any extra prep but if you are using something else the original recipe says to spray the cups of a mini-muffin pan with non-stick spray or rub with a little coconut oil to prevent sticking.
• Heat the coconut oil and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until coconut oil has melted. Set aside. If you have a microwave you can also heat it up in there just be careful it does not boil over and make a mess on you. 
• In a Blendtec or food processor or hand chopper depending on what you have, add oat flour, oats, and sunflower seeds. Pulse a couple of times until the seeds and oats begin to break up. Add the coconut, flaxseed meal, baking powder, and salt. Pulse to mix.
• Add the raisins and dried apricots ~ we liked a few craisins as well and pulse until the apricots are approximately the size of peas. 
• Pour the melted coconut oil and maple syrup over the dry ingredients, then pulse just until combined. Transfer to a large bowl and stir well to make sure all ingredients are well-combined. If any of the dried fruit sticks together in clumps, separate and distribute them throughout the mix. 
• Scoop by the heaping tablespoonful into the cups of the mini muffin pan ~ Pampered Chef has a great scoop I love from my time when I was a consultant with them ~ 15 years later and it is still working awesome.
• With your fingers, press each gently but firmly to pack and flatten or if you are making for non family members like me you can use the Mini Tart Shaper to reduce any 'germ' contamination of the fingers. 
• Bake for about 12 minutes until set and edges are golden.
• Remove from oven, allowing to cool for about 10 minutes. In my experience silicone muffin tins allow you to just pop them out but if you used a 'tin' you might need to gently use a butter knife to help pop each bite out of its respective tin; carefully remove from tin and place on a wire rack until completely cool and set. They may be fragile until completely cooled ~ I personally left mine in the 'silicone' a until they were mostly cooled to help with that.

This recipe yields about 48 separate muffins ~ you can bake in two or three batches if you only have a 12 or 24 cup muffin pan with no issues. 

Once baked keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days or freeze in a Ziploc bag or airtight freezer container.

My must have tools suggestion to help make baking easier:

Measuring Scoops for baking ~ perfect sized everytime

Mini Tart Shaper - keep those fingers clean

  Pampered Chef Stackable Rack
great for space saving I have 4 of them I can stack on top of each other!

If you give them a try ~ let me know how your crew enjoyed them!

I am wondering if some 'dark chocolate chips' might be a nice addition next time around?

Have an amazing day!
Margaret 
Life Well, Laugh Often, Love Much!
Totallyawake4-life 

Practice vs Punishment

Image from Kristy Lee Memes ` Gentle Parenting Inspiration on Facebook

This is such an awesome reminder especially as we start a new 'school year' .... when we see 'behaviour' in young children it is merely a reflection of the skills one has mastered OR in some cases the skills one is still working to master if only someone would take the time to coach them on how! 

When a child is scribbling outside the lines or holding their scissors all wonky so they wont cut or they just cannot seem to grasp that 2+2 = 4 or that blue and green are different colours we do not feel the need 'punish' them. We see that they are struggling and we COACH them with more practice until they 'get it'. This reaction comes naturally and easily IMO mostly because the behaviours they are exhibiting affects no one but the child themselves. We do not seem to see it as a 'personal reflection' on our self when they are struggling with academics nor do we think 'she is scribbling like that just to spite or manipulate me into colouring that for her'. 

However when we find a child is whining instead of using their words or throwing a tantrum because they did not get what they wanted or cannot make something work or the little one's who is aggressive because they do not know how to resolve conflict or enter play and are stuck in the 'fight or flight' impulse we, as a society,we tend to believe we need to feel that this is done 'on purpose' somehow to push our buttons. 

We have this value system that negative behaviours related to 'social skills' are some how a 'slight' towards us, they are questioning our authority or are an attempt to manipulate those around them. Therefore they a reflection of our childrearing and parenting skills that we 'allow' this behaviour to happen. We feel much more invested to 'stop' the behaviour and as a result we tend to look to 'punishment'  in order to correct it as quickly as possible. When the reality is that this behaviour is typically a cry for HELP and an indication that the child needs support to acquire BETTER coping skills in the world ... they do not benefit or acquire new skills through punishment or loss of privilege but rather through support and reflecting on the natural consequences of their behaviour, ideas and strategies on better choices they can make next time and an action plan moving forward. 

As an early childhood educator I can totally empathize that it is a fine line when dealing with behaviours that affect 'others' to find that balance between keeping the other children 'safe' in a group setting while still ensuring that the child who needs support and help to master empathy, impulse control and anger management skills has opportunities to 'practice' acquiring the skills they need.

Investing in giving children time to practice totally helps with moving more quickly to acquire the skills desired.

We love to make use of 'puppets' for role playing and practice cause a puppet can do things that  sometimes an adult cannot to help ~ like bop another puppet on the head to talk about how that might feel and is it a positive choice to solve the problem ;)

Do not under estimate the power of reading books where the characters are trying to acquire the same skills we are for active reflection with the children on what the characters did and how it worked out for them and so forth.

Practice and coaching when you are not 'in the heat' of the moment allows for you the adult to remain calm presenting the message and also allows for the child to be in a better place to receive the 'coaching' so to speak!

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Life Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Totallyawake4-life.com 

Back to School

Today was the first day of school for many kids here in Canada  ~ and with the first day of school often comes TEARS from either the children, the parents or both. Deb from over at Take Heart Canada had an awesome idea that I just LOVE to share with others this time of year ... Comfort Hearts make a great transition object for children and adults alike during times where separation anxiety might be running high. You and your child each hold a heart and fill it full of all the love and positive energy you can spare and than you exchange hearts and go on your way for the day ~ during those stressful times of the day you hold your heart and draw on its energy to help each other find comfort while apart! 

Imagery is a powerful helper for the brain in helping with self regulation and comfort hearts are an amazing visual ritual for children and adults too! If you'd like to learn more about Take Heart Canada check out Deb's website here or give her page a like on Facebook!  

If you'd like to take your ritual a step further than just the 'visual' you can add a 'sensory' aspect to it by adding an Essential oil that will help with calming the nerves. A few drops of oil onto the comfort heart can provide hours of aromatherapy for the soul. Here are a couple of my favourites for diffusing when we have a new friend in the program who is feeling a little anxious about their change in routine. 

Balance

Is a grounding blend of oils from dōTERRA that is awesome in my experience for helping with anxiety.

The warm, woody aroma of Balance, the dōTERRA grounding blend, creates a sense of calm and well-being. Ho Wood, Blue Tansy, and Blue Chamomile relax the body, while Frankincense supports an overall well-being.

Lavender

Lavandula angustifolia or Lavender is known for its unmistakable aroma and its ability to create a calm and soothing environment. In ancient times, the Egyptians and Romans used Lavender for mummification, bathing, relaxation, cooking, and as a perfume. It's relaxing aroma is amazing at calming nerves and balancing emotions.

Wild Orange

Citrus sinensis or Wild Orange is one of dōTERRA’s top selling essential oils due to its energizing aroma and benefits. Wild Orange possesses stimulating and cleansing qualities and it can be used on surfaces as a natural cleaner. In my expeirence the cirtrus scent is also helpful at 'centering' emotions! 

Serenity™

Calming Blend the Serenity essential oil blend soothes the soul, providing a safe haven from life’s daily stressors. Serenity’s calming aroma is the perfect blend to diffuse at bedtime or to add to your Comfort Heart.

Bergamot

Citrus bergamia or Bergamot is unique among citrus oils due to its aroma’s ability to be both uplifting and calming, while also cleansing the skin. An awesome addition to your Comfort Heart.

Use individually or combine the oils to create your own blends!

Have an amazing day!

Margaret 
Life Well, Laugh Often, Love Much!
Totallyawake4-life