How I Saved A Life

MOMMY! MOMMY ...This was not the normal, Mom-Call., this was a panicked call for help. Katie, my mild mannered 9 year old, came down the stairs screaming my name. There is something in the potty with claws and it is screaming....

What? What did she say Andie?....I just ran, I ran up the stair and trailing behind me were the mini me's. As I peeked in the bathroom door, I heard no screaming, but there was splashing around in the toilet bowl. It took me, a couple seconds to process what was floating belly up, arms flailing behind it's head. 

It was a baby squirrel, with a wet toilet paper sticking to it's tail, head and body like seaweed. It was dying, no doubt. I now completely understand the meaning of belly up. 

All three kids had their eyes glued to me, watching ever action I made. What was I going to do? I only had seconds to decide before this baby squirrel met its end. I plunged my hands into the urine filled toilet bowl. The lifeless, soundless little body was cold in my hands. It was gasping for air, but no air was getting into it's lungs. 

"Ok Buddy. You are going to have to work with me here," I told that little squirrel. I began by pushing my fingers on his distended belly. Pee, I think it was pee, flew of our his penis and a whitish liquid came our it's nose and mouth. The body was moving slightly but in more seizure like movements then actual purposeful movements. 

You have to picture the scene, I'm standing in the bathroom, still in my pj's. My oldest, traumatized daughter watches me intently. My middle daughter, mouth agape, asks me why this baby squirrel is not moving and my just past the toddler stage son is peering at me through his fingers that are covering his eyes. Of course I am going to do the next logical step to save this squirrel. 

"Panda, get me a warm towel...Beckett get Mommy some toilet paper...KT plug in the heating blanket." I sat down at the top step our staircase, wet baby squirrel now wrapped in a towel as I began to lightly blow into his nose and mouth. "Come on Buddy, Come on Buddy," I whispered  as I gently shook his little body. I rubbed his head with the toilet paper to dry it off as best as I could. Finally, a small squeak..a little hope showed itself to my mini-me's and I. 

I continued to blow gently into the little squirrel's nose and mouth. It began to sneeze, clear goo came out of it's nose and Beckett wiped it away. KT was humming to the baby squirrel, the tune sounded familiar but I could not place it. Andie just kept stroking the top of its head. Baby squirrel stopped sneezing and began to shake violently. That deep down cold with full body shake coupled with tiny intermittent squeaks.  His little body was in shock and Baby Squirrel needed to get warm. In the strange but true file I have been here before. With cold baby squirrel in hand I knew the warmest place for him was in my bra. Now before you get all creeped out, baby squirrels need body heat to bring their little bodies back to a normal temperature. It was then I noticed, along with used toilet paper bits, the lice crawling on it's body. Yes lice, the kind it takes a monstrous amount of time to get out of your home, his body was crawling with them. But with three wide-eyed offspring watching me I was not about to let a parasite stop me from saving this creature. 

KT brought over the now warm heating blanket and covered us up. Baby Squirrel's little body began to shake less. His body temperature was beginning to raise, he moved a little more as his claws began to grasp at my t-shirt fabric. 

Suddenly, after several squeaks, Baby Squirrel jump out of my shirt and on the couch. The kids and I didn't know wether to cry from happiness or fear. I quickly scooped up this still damp little creature and took him on to our back deck. He stumbled a little and steadied himself as he ran toward the closest tree. Mommy Squirrel was waiting on the top of the roof, she must have known we would bring him out safe and sound. 

Baby Squirrel climbed in the tree and began to clean himself as little sneezes escaped from his nose. Bits of dried toilet paper fell off his body as he dry in the sun. Hours later he could be seen running on the roof of our home, carefree. 

My children watched me save a tiny life, a life that might have been lost if I had not taken my daughter's screams seriously. Each day we are faced with challenges and it is how we face these challenges  that matters in the end. What I hope my children remember about this adventure is that we as a family chose to do the right thing for this little animal lice and all. 

In our backyard lives a Baby Squirrel and now, toilet paper and all, he is part of our family. 

Baby Squirrel in Action

The Avocado Adventure - #GuthrieFamilyAdventure

We did it! Beckett and I  made the Chocolate-Avocado Muffins, actually he did most of the work while I took pictures and prepped the ingredients.

We found the recipe easy to follow and appreciated how the site explained how to properly prepare the avocado. At this stage all the wet ingredients are combined and the mixture looks gross, but I just had to share this imperfect picture. 

Beckie was the master chef tonight, he wanted to mix, stir, crack eggs and of course taste test!

Here is the finished product! We were able to make 12 regular sized muffins and 12 mini-muffins from the recipe.  The kids have packed the mini-muffins for their lunches tomorrow. That is a good sign we will be making these muffins again. 

And what would a #GuthrieFamilyAdventure be without AndiePandie eating the prop! 

What we love about this recipe:

1. It was easy to make with a four year old mini #foodie. 
2. The muffins contain Avocados from Mexico
3. The kids liked the texture and said they tasted chocolatey. 
4. These muffins are good for you! 
5. My entire family loved these muffins! 



Thank you Miss Ava Cado, we are just beginning our journey, but  we already we love our avocados! 

I was provided with products to prepare this recipe, however the opinions of this post are my own. 

You had me at Chocolate - Chocolate-Avocado Cupcakes

My children and I love to cook, bake and experiment with food. My oldest KT wants to meet Cat Cora and ask her to open a restaurant here in Ottawa. AndiePandie likes using the kitchen gadgets and Beckie likes tasting, touching doing everything his sisters are experiencing. 

After attending the first Canadian Food Bloggers Conference, I found myself receiving opportunities to cook with seasonal ingredients, create new dishes and be a test kitchen for other chefs and authors. You could say we have found our calling as a foodie family. The kids are happy & eating healthier which, in turn, makes me happy. 

We were approached by the fantastic @MissAvaCado to try some nutritious avocados. 

A moment of honesty here , I have never cooked or bakedwith avocado...ever. 

I needed to do some research, here is what I discovered:

1. Avocados are good for your heart. They contain no saturated fat or cholesterol and are almost the only fruit that provides mono-unsaturated fat. 

2. Avocados are low in carbohydrates. 

3. Avocados are perfect for people who are lactose intolerant and can add a creamy texture to smoothies and sauces. 

While on the MissAvacado site, I found this nutritional chart that amazed me, I mean just look at all the nutritional value in one serving of avocados! 

Avocados from Mexico contribute vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (just another way of saying nutrients derived from plants) that can be beneficial to your health.

Each serving of Avocado (equal to one-fifth of a whole Avocado) contains a variety of vitamins and minerals:

Vitamin / Mineral	RDA	Benefits
Vitamin C	4%	Antioxidant / connective tissue formation / immune system
Iron	2%	Oxygen transport / immune system / prevents one type of anemia
Vitamin E	4%	Antioxidant / muscular development / tissue repair
Thiamin	2%	Metabolism / cardiovascular health
Riboflavin	4%	Protein, carb and fat processing / skin health
Niacin	4%	Digestion / skin health / nervous system
Vitamin B6	4%	Nervous and immune systems / prevention of one type of anemia
Folate	8%	Metabolism / prevention of one type of anemia / prenatal health
Pantothenic Acid	4%	Nutrient processing / red blood cell formation
Phosphorous	2%	Bone health / teeth formation
Magnesium	2%	Muscle and nerve function / bone health / sustains regular heartbeat
Zinc	2%	Immune system / wound healing / supports reproduction and growth
Copper	2%	Normal blood pressure / regulation of heart rate
Manganese	2%	Bone health

(Sources: Nutrition.gov, NIH, American Cancer Society)

Of course the kids found the a cool kids game on the Miss Avacado site. They each created a custom cartoon avocado including unique background then the picture is recreated in a colouring page.  This is what Beckett created:

There are many interesting recipes on this site, but lets be honest my kids and I are going to try the Chocolate-Avocado Cupcakes first. Tomorrow is our baking night, wish us luck. I will be Instagram - ing and Vine-ing through our adventure! 

My first step was to buy Avocados from Mexico....step one ....check :) 

This Mother's Day will be Different

I have decided to approach Mother's Day from a different angle this year. Instead of figuring out what I want for this May holiday, I decided to ask myself what could give instead.

I have a wonderful Mom. She is a little spit fire, who once confessed to me that she had always wanted to be a race car driver. My Mom has been in my corner since day one and keeps me grounded, when necessary. For her, this year, I will give the gift of time. Time for us to be together, without interruption or agenda. I think she would appreciate this gift more than a trinket or symbol of love.

This is where my lens changes. I have stated before that my children have made me the compassionate person you presently know. Before my first baby arrived, I did not understand what selfless was and I saw the world in one dimension. Therefore, it only seems natural that this Mother's Day is for my children. This weekend we will decide, as a family, what activities we want to experience together rather than it being just my choice. Again time, is the only gift I will be giving, uninterrupted and agenda-less.

Mothers come in all different shapes and forms. It truly does not have to be the person who gave birth to you that you call Mom, the sentiment of love is still as strong. 

Being a Mother does not mean you move on and forget your own Mother. In my opinion, it means we adore the person we call Mom even more as we finally know how difficult their role in our lives truly was. For those who have lost children, Mother's Day is a time of sorrow & rejoicement  as they know how special a time it was, albeit short, to be a Mom to a special person who is no long with us physically but only in spirit. Finally, for those who no longer have a Mom, here on earth, who long to hear their voice one last time or give a Mother's Day hug, this is a time to embrace the time you had rather then be remorseful about the time you no longer have together.

Seeing Mother's Day as a collection of stories, rather than as a single story of Mother and child makes me appreciative of what I have. Thus, I will be celebrating my children this weekend for making me the person I am today rather then celebrating the fact I am a Mother. 

My DD9 made this video for me, DD7 was the director and choreographer...and DS4 was the star. Yes, I know he will need therapy after his years of torment from his sisters....Happy Mother's Day my friends!

This is Beckett's video debut...That's my boy !

McHappy Day is Today !

McHappy Day happens once a year, raising funds for local charities and Ronald McDonald houses across the country. I don't often talk about my current school as it is a special place with special students and their privacy is important to me. What I can tell you is that my students benefit from this event in the form of donations, opportunities and equipment. Making my student's lives easier and life in general more accessible for them is the reason I am supporting #McHappyDay. 

Show your support on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media channels with the #McHappyDay hash tag or better yet visit a local restaurant. 

I will be buying coffee tomorrow morning for my Office Administrator, Chief Custodian, Principal and 5 unsuspecting teachers in support of #McHappyDay. 

*** A donation to the Ronald McDonald house was made in my name for creating this blog post.

Maybe I Shouldn't Review Cars?

It's true, I do love my car testing activities. The new car smell, the gadgets, the music and the kid friendly accompaniments, it makes me a little jealous. Seriously, this is fun stuff, especially when you can open up the car and let her hum down the 401. Having just given back my latest car, a 2013 Verano Turbo, I realize how unhappy I am with my current 8 year old car.

Bessie, as I like to call her, has been with me for 8 years. She has never let me down, ever. Even when I have driven her past the empty mark and run her on fumes, she has been there for me. I brought home two of my three babies in this car, it has history and my respect.

Each time I am handed a new set of keys however I wonder, is this the one that will replace Bessie. Better yet, is this the vehicle I will drive my oldest daughter to her first day of hight school? Or in the scary but true file, will this be the car that my daughter drives on her first date?

Cars evoke memories of childhood drives with my hair flying behind me as I pushed my face towards the open window. The goosebumps, as I parked at my first All-Nighter Drive In movie with your high school BFF's, looking for trouble. Finally, the stomach punch and loss of feeling in your fingers emotion, the first time you see cherries flashing in your rear view mirror. Which car will share those moments with my oldest daughter in the not to distant future?




During my Verano test drive I became slightly addicted to a "new-to-me" app Vine. This is my first Vine remix. 



My next reviews are lined up, but after this last car review I found myself feeling resentment at the slow response time of my standard transmission, the limited number of musical choices available to me and the little bit of race car driver DNA that exposed itself to me when I got behind the wheel.

The top five loves of the Verano:
1. The trunk space: groceries, hockey equipment, swimming gear all fit without an issue.
2. The pick up. No not me picking up, I am a married woman, I'm talking about the rate at which the car was able to execrate when passing...just awesome.
3. Music, I am a huge fan of local radio but satellite radio is my new best friend.
4. All three kids fit in the back seat, boosters and all, without any arguing. That is a feat in itself.
5. The sporty design makes me think my moving into my next phase of life. You know the part where you no longer are changing diapers but instead working on improving yourself.

So that is my honest review. I loved driving the Verano Turbo, but it made me want re evaluate my current commuter vehicle. I drive 100 km every work day, I need a car that inspires. I wonder if inspiration can buy me a car? 

This is a link to the brochure from GM about the Verano if you are looking for specifics. Thank you to GM Canada for supplying me with a vehicle to drive to #FBC2013. It was a blast to drive and suited my families needs very well. 

Happy Earth Day from Staples Canada!

Several months ago I wrote a post about about an Earth Day contest from Staples Canada. 

"Staples Canada has partnered with Earth Day Canada to help bring technology into schools in need. Staples is helping kids like mine keep progressing with the technological tools they need to succeed. Schools across Canada can compete to win 1 of 10 computer labs from Staples Canada" 

I am happy to announce that Staples Canada has awarded $250,000 in technology to 10 deserving schools across the Canada. Congratulations to the winning schools, talented student writers and communities that came together to bring technology to their schools. 

"Held in collaboration with Earth Day Canada, Staples Canada’s Recycle for Education Computer Lab contest once again featured creative ideas from some of Canada’s brightest young minds. Hundreds of entries showcasing green initiatives were submitted by elementary and secondary schools from coast-to-coast.

“It’s inspiring to see students across the country embracing the idea that we all need to do more for the environment,” said Steve Matyas, president of Staples Canada. “These students are seeking innovative solutions to benefit their schools and to make a positive difference in their community.”

Currently in its third year, Staples Canada’s Recycle for Education Computer Lab contest rewarded the following schools with a $25,000 grant toward new computer equipment:

• Campus View Elementary School, Victoria, BC
• Windermere Community Secondary School, Vancouver, BC 
• Hillview Elementary School, Edmonton, AB
• M.E. LaZerte High School, Edmonton, AB
• École Saint-Avila, Winnipeg, MB
• Parkview Secondary School, Hamilton, ON 
• E.L. Crossley Secondary School, Fonthill, ON 
• Hélène-de-Champlain Secondary School, Longueuil, QC
• Notre-Dame-de-Liesse, Saint-Eugène-de-Guigues, QC
• Holy Name of Mary Academy, Lawn, NL

One winning essay from Darian Chakhmouradian, a Grade 6 student at École Saint-Avila in Winnipeg, showed how the entire school community decided to rise to the “eco-challenge.”

The entry told the story of how the collective efforts of 450 students led to 26 organizations coming together to plant native trees and plants on the school grounds – creating a massive rain garden – to help improve air and water quality, an initiative that is now heralded as a model across the province.

“Our principal and the parent committee received so many calls requesting tours of our school grounds that they wrote a guide book on how to improve school grounds and sent a copy to every school in Manitoba,” wrote Chakhmouradian. “Now, at least 10 other schools are planting rain gardens because of what we did!”

Earth Day Canada works closely with teachers across the country to help develop programs designed to show students the importance of sustainability; it is a critical part of their mission to foster and celebrate environmental respect, action and behaviour change. 

“Students and teachers across Canada are doing exceptional work to address environmental issues in their communities,” said Jed Goldberg, president of Earth Day Canada. “The Recycle for Education program, by providing computer labs to schools, allows students access to knowledge, and in turn the practical solutions they can leverage, to address local environmental challenges.”

Even if you your school did not win Staples Canada has environmental programs students can get involved in and advice on how schools can get a free ink cartridge bin for your school. For more information visit Staples.ca. 

A little bit more about Earth Day Canada...

Earth Day Canada (EDC), a national environmental charity founded in 1990, provides Canadians with the practical knowledge and tools they need to lessen their impact on the environment. In 2004 it was recognized as the top environmental education organization in North America, for its innovative year-round programs and educational resources, by the Washington-based North American Association for Environmental Education, the world’s largest association of environmental educators. In 2008 it was chosen as Canada’s “Outstanding Non-profit Organization” by the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication. EDC regularly partners with thousands of organizations in all parts of Canada. To donate to Earth Day Canada, please visit www.earthday.ca/donate.