Currently Jen

Did I mention I'm not really a selfie taking pro yet?  When I was a kid, I used to HATE getting dragged to Costco. No idea why. I just hated going. I was also ultra mortified if my parents even THOUGHT about buying my clothes there. Sooo uncool mom. So uncool.  Now, fast forward like 100 years later, I'm OBSESSED with Costco. I follow every "Costco Find" Instagram account and am like a top commenter/over sharer in my local Costco finds Facebook group. Last Friday night, I was psyched. My hubby took the kids tobogganing and I, decked out with a mask and hand sanitizer went to Costco to pick up groceries for the week. I prewarned my husband not to look at any online banking or credit card statements later that night. I was a mom on the loose. We are under strict COVID-19 lockdown measures and I hadn't left the house in weeks. My mission was simple. I was going to spend as much time looking at every single item in that store...even if it killed me. And even if I didn

  Today I'm liking up with Momfessionals and A Little bit of Everything for a Friday Favourites link up. It's been a really rough week, so I'm happy to use today's post to reflect on a few of the more positive things that happened this week... This cookbook (Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook) restored my faith in trying "new to me" recipes. Everything I have made has turned out juicy, crispy and delicious. Our air fryer isn't huge, and I was worried about having to cook in batches (and it taking forever). But the author provides oven cooking times for every recipe so for me, problem solved! Have you heard of Skinnytaste before? I've been obsessed with her blog for years. Check her out: www.skinnytaste.com . Do you have a love affair with an air fryer? I think we need to be friends 🤣 I've tried so many things from this book, but the buffalo chicken wings have been the families fave so far. I made them on Superbowl Sunday....we didn't even watch th

You're never going to believe this, but in January I read two whole books! In a matter of days. And while it spurred a sense of motivation to read more, I haven't cracked open a book since. But let's not get into the nightmare that is these past few months in lock down filled with remote work, remote school, remote playdates and family chats. Remote. Remote. Remote. Remote. I'm over it. January was a great time to escape into the world of fictional characters. I was drawn to this book because I am a huge Emily Giffin fan, and also, I have a love for any book that will take me out of reality for awhile and sweep me off my feet by way of a romantic comedy. You can read a full description of the book here on Emily Giffin's website . But in a nutshell, fresh from a recent breakup, the main character Cecily finds herself in a bar at 2 am drinking her sorrows away. As she is contemplating drunk dialing her ex, she hears a deep, unfamiliar yet intriguingly handsome voice s

It’s been a rough two weeks. I think the lockdown is getting the best of me and the family, and work is a bit haywire right now. Lot’s of drama and hurt feelings amongst team members. It’s so easy to get sucked in to other people’s hurt feelings. When my friends or people I care about hurt, I hurt too. I can’t turn it off. Know what I mean? So today I’m starting my day with a positive intention: to focus on 5 things that have made me smile this past week.  Here we go…. Talking to an old friend on the phone after months of not being in touch. Learning that my family and I will be making more memories together this summer (and next) regardless of what happens with the pandemic. We’ve rented a cottage and can’t wait for our little getaway. Even though the kids are sick of eachother (remote school and the lockdown situation is most likely to blame) they’ve also found comfort in one another since they aren’t able to see or play with their friends. While they do fight and bicker, they also

Did you know I’ll be 40 this year? So in light of that new revelation, I did a thing. I made a promise to myself for 2021.  SOME may say it’s a resolution if you will. Like many years before, I’ve resolved to get my "healthy on" and get back in shape. Yup. You’re stuck listening to me about this again. Back in January I committed to stop throwing away my money to WW (Weight Watchers). While I still believe tracking every BLT (bite, lick, taste) is an essential way to keep myself accountable, the WW program just wasn't working for me. So I downloaded a free calorie counting app to help me in my weight loss journey. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE WW and I don’t think it’s a waste of money per se...I just can’t find a way to make the program work for me. No matter how I slice and dice it, I always seem to lose one pound and then spend the next three weeks gaining another 3. It’s mind boggling. Am I the only one who this happens to? So back to my plan. I know that eating healthy

Christmas is literally just around the corner, and with the current COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown situations happening over here in Ontario, it's starting to be increasingly hard to finish up the Christmas shopping list. In my search for last minute stocking stuffer and gift ideas, I stumbled on these Canadian made Etsy Shops offering next day shipping (score!).  Check out these three amazing last minute Canadian Etsy finds: Mala necklace by Etsy shop owner Ava Crystal. Not only is it beautiful and has calming/healing properties, but it dispatches in just one day, is Canadian owned (score!), and the shop is offering free shipping for orders in Canada and the US. Check it out here.  It wouldn't be a COVID-Christmas without a stocking full with hand sanitizer! I don't know if you share my frustration with hand sanitizer gels (they're goopy, horrible, leak out of the bottle, and I just really hate them), so I generally prefer a spray if I can find one. Love the look a