Heads Up
Heads Up
** This is NOT a sponsored post! Just a great product we love!**
A few months ago I went to my girlfriend’s house for a games night and was introduced to this great game played on your tablet or phone!
Heads Up!
We had so much fun playing this game, and hadn’t laughed so much in a long time!
Here’s what the website says:
Heads Up! is the fun and hilarious new game that Ellen DeGeneres plays on her show — and now you can play it with your friends!
From naming celebrities, to singing, to silly accents — guess the word on the card that’s on your head from your friends’ clues before the timer runs out!
Features:
– Play with one friend, or one hundred at the same time.
– Draw a new card simply by tilting your phone.
– Keep videos of your hilarious game play for your own amusement, or share them right to Facebook.
– Diverse categories let you challenge your smartypants friends, and entertain your kids for hours, all from one app!
With 18 themed decks to choose from, each packed to the brim with exciting gameplay cards, the fun will never stop!
Decks include:
– Celebrities
– Movies
– Animals
– Accents
– Characters
– And lots more!
Your next party, road trip or wait at the bank will never be the same.
How it works
Download the app. HERE
Pick a deck to play.
A word will come up on the screen and you have to describe it to the person holding the device. Sometimes you have to act it out!
If they guess it correctly, tilt the tablet down and the next word will appear.
If you cannot get it, tilt the tablet up to “pass” and a new word will appear.
A list of the words you get correctly will appear at the end, along with the video that is being recorded as you play.
The game is great for a party of adults, but we decided to try it out with our kids!
This was a huge hit!
We play two of the free decks: For Kids and Animals
Our 8 year old loves the game and has fun describing the clues… just watch him in action in the Animal deck.
He also loves guessing.
Our 6 year old gets a bit frustrated playing the game, as he says he can’t think as fast as the rest as everyone else, or can’t spit out the answers fast enough.
To solve this, he plays on the same team as an adult (who conveniently stays quiet until needed) and he does just fine and slowly builds up his confidence!
This is a great game to pass the time while you are waiting, or to spend a few moments together before bedtime!
We highly recommend that you check it out!
How to Properly Fold a Shirt
How to Properly Fold a Shirt
When I was a university student I worked in a women’s clothing store in the mall. I made some great friends –with whom I still hang out with today! I learned many things. How to sell multiples (more than one thing to a customer) Be careful because that dude likes to go in the dressing room and come out and model the cream-coloured stretch pants. If a girl goes into the dressing room with an outfit 6 sizes too small, she’s probably shoplifting. Best of all:
The customer is not always right. But, the customer is always the customer.
One of the skills that I learned, and still use over 25 years later, is how to properly fold a shirt. This methods makes nice crisp folds like on a store shelf, but it’s also great for home. Shirts fit nicely into the drawers, and compactly into a suitcase! 
Here’s how to properly fold a shirt There are two versions of the same method. The first is on a table using a folding board. Once you get good at this method, proceed to method 2 – on your chest. Use a Folding Board Get a folding board. For this, I used a cutting board. You could also use a flattened cereal box. Lay the shirt flat on the table (or bed) face down. Place the folding board in the centre, right under the collar. 
Fold in the sides – making mirror images. 
Remove the folding board. 
Fold the bottom to the top. 
I like to fold it twice to make a compact size! To fold a short-sleeved t-shirt, the process is pretty much the same. Place the folding board in the centre, right under the collar. 
Fold in the sides – making mirror images. 
Remove the folding board. Fold the bottom to the top. 
I like to fold it twice to make a compact size! 
When you are ready, move on to the next level: Folding a shirt on your chest. With this method, your arms become the folding board. Lay the shirt across your chest. 
Extend the sleeve on one side and fold it to the opposite edge. 
Fold it back to the edge to make the sides even. 
Fold the opposite arm in to the centre. 
Use your chin to hold the shirt in place while you fold up the bottom. 
It’s way easier if I just show you! So, watch my step-by-step video.
While writing this post, it reminded me of a video done by my friend, Mary Beth: How to Fold a Fitted Sheet. I am still working on this! How to fold a fitted sheet Happy folding!
How to Make Sushi
How to make homemade sushi
I lived in Japan for 3 years. While there, I tried to take advantage of every cultural experience.
I spent a lot of time with my neighbours. The mother, Reiko, taught me how to cook a lot of Japanese food, including sushi!
People get confused by the word sushi. They think it means raw fish.
It doesn’t.
It means a vinegared rice.
When I make sushi, I NEVER use raw fish (except for canned tuna).
These recipes are with vegetables.
To make the sushi rice:
1. Start with Sticky rice. You cannot use regular long-grained rice. It must be sticky rice. This can be found in many local grocery stores. It will say “sticky rice” or “Japanese rice” or “sushi rice” on it.
Locally, I buy mine at the Superstore or Save Easy. It’s a PC brand that works wonderfully.
2. Cook the rice. I use a rice cooker, but you can cook it on a pot on the stove. You’ll have to work out how much to cook – depending on how much your family will eat. I usually plan on about 1Cup of cooked rice per person.
3. Make the vinegar solution. In a small bowl, mix 2:1 vinegar to white sugar. 2Tbsp vinegar to 1 Tbsp of white sugar. If you are making a large batch of rice, double this.
4. Heat the solution in the microwave for about 1minute until the sugar is dissolved.
5. When the rice is cooked, pour the solution over the cooked rice.
6. DO NOT STIR. Instead, take a wooden spoon (or a rice paddle if you have one) and cut the rice into strips both vertically and horizontally until it looks like a checker board.
7. While you are cutting the rice, fan it. Use a Japanese fan if you have one, or if not, a book is just fine! This cools the rice. Besides, it’s what Reiko taught me to do!
Fillings
Now you are ready to make your toppings. These are the ones that I typically make.
Sweet Egg
Scramble 3 eggs in a frying pan with 2Tbsp of sugar
Corn-Mayo
This is my favourite. Apparently, it is known as a “child’s sushi”. When you go to a revolving sushi restaurant in Japan, they rarely have it on the conveyor belt. So, you have to ask for it, and they smirk, as it is usually for children. But it is so good!
Cook frozen corn (I do so in the microwave).
Add mayonnaise to make a nice mixture.
Tuna
Open a can of tuna and add mayonnaise to it
Cucumber and avocado
Slice these into long julienne strips
How to Assemble Sushi
There are 2 ways to assemble sushi.
1. Te-Maki: this means hand rolled.
I put all the above mentioned ingredients in separate bowls on the table, and cut the norii (seaweed sheets) into squares.
These seaweed sheets are available locally at the Superstore, Sobeys, and Eos in Wolfville. You can also find them in Asian grocers.
When you are ready to eat, put a square of norii (seaweed) in your hand. Scoop some rice on top, add some ingredients, and then roll and pop it into your mouth!
This is the easiest way to make sushi, as everyone gets the fillings they want. My boys love this! The norii is often an acquired taste, so some people make sushi on their plate without using the seaweed.
2. Rolling Sushi
Place a full sheet of seaweed on a sushi rolling mat. These are available locally at Eos and Absolutely Fabulous Bed Bath & Linen. Otherwise, try your local grocer or Asian market.
Cover the sushi rolling mat in saran wrap. This makes for much easier cleaning!
Cover the seaweed with rice, leaving 1” from the top.
Put your toppings along the bottom edge of the seaweed.
Using the mat, roll and tuck the sushi to create a roll.
Watch this video. I will show you exactly how it is done.
You can also make a “reverse” sushi.
Cover the seaweed in rice and then sprinkle it with sesame seeds.
Flip the seaweed over.
Make the same was as above rolling and tucking as you go.
Watch this video to learn more.
**If you keep your hands wet, it will make it easier when handling the rice. It won’t be so sticky!**
Serving
Serve your sushi with a bit of soya sauce for dipping.
You may also want some wasabi on the side and some pink pickled ginger.
We always eat our sushi with Japanese soy beans (edamame) boiled and then sprinkled with sea salt.
Eta daki masu! Let the feast begin!
Let me know if you have any questions!
Gambare masu! Good Luck!
Baby Laundry with #Dreft
Deft Laundry
**Disclosure: I received samples of Dreft laundry products to try**
Dreft has lots of products to help busy moms and dads!
This month I tested the Dreft Laundry Stain remover in both a spray and a pen format.
Dreft Laundry Stain Remover is specially formulated for tough stains on infants and children’s clothing, bedding and blankets.
Because the product states that it is especially good for infants’ clothes, and as I don’t have an infant in the house any more, I phoned my sister and asked her if I could borrow some of her dirty laundry.
“You want to take my dirty laundry and wash it?” she asked incredulously.
“Yes. Yes, I do!”
She obliged and gave me a bag of her 1-year old son’s clothes to wash.
Some of these clothes were pretty stained.
I sprayed the stains on the sleeper with the stain remover spray, let sit for 3-5 minutes, and then threw it in with the wash.
On the t-shirt, I rubbed the stain with the stain-remover pen, blotted it, and then tossed it into the washing machine.
I loved the smell of the product, too. It had a lovely fresh baby smell that reminded me of my own kids when they were little!
Wait and see….
When the clothes came out of the laundry, the sleeves of the t-shirt were clean! No more stains!
The sleeper had a multitude of stains on it. Some were fresh that morning, and some were a “few washes old”. The stains that were fresh immediately came off. Whereas, the older stains, did not. This is consistent with what the product says… spray the clothes when the stains happen.
I have no doubt that had that happened, these stains would have come out, too!
Try it for yourself!
Learn more about the Dreft product line.
A $0.50 off coupon is always live on the site here
Happy washing!
Acadia Woodlands Nature Trails
Acadia Nature Woodlands Trail
The Acadia Nature Woodlands Trail in Wolfville is a fabulous hike to take in all seasons.
The K. C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens is located at Acadia University, 32 University Avenue, Wolfville. The entrance to the Gardens is located off University Avenue, to the far left of the main entrance of the building. Look for the cast iron archway featuring the name of the Gardens.
There are so many wonderful pathways through the garden that features the different ecosystems found in Nova Scotia.
You could spend the afternoon traversing the brooks, or walking through the herb gardens. Most of the plants are labelled, so it’s a great learning opportunity, too.
If you want to extend your walk, the gardens connect with the Woodland Trails.
Your best bet is to stop into the Irving Centre and pick up a map. These maps can be found to the right when you go in the main entrance. This way, you can properly map out your walk.
Or, go here to get a PDF version of the hiking trails.
The Woodland trail is a 1.5km hike through the woods that follows an old brook and takes you through a variety of forest habitats. There are 2 shorter loops that you can take if you don’t have enough time for the whole trail.
I have done this walk several times with the boys, and it has easy terrain and is a perfect distance with interesting scenery!
Most recently, my friend and I decided to go here for our weekly snowshoeing adventure.
We parked at the top of University Avenue and picked up the trail from the side entrance (near where the picnic shelter is on the map).
I have an Acadia parking pass, so we could easily park here, but for others, there are parking meters on campus, or you can park for free, depending on the zone, after certain hours. The parking regulations are here. Otherwise, try parking at the top of the hill (near the Kwick Way or on a side street).
The opening to the trail was a bit tricky to find because of all the snow.
But, once we climbed the snowbanks to get in, it was smooth sailing. This is a well-used trail, so the trail was groomed and well-tamped down, making it an easy trail. We just had to follow the snowshoe trail, and didn’t even really need our trusty map!
The trail winds through the forest and is a beautiful, peaceful place to visit.
Along the way, there are wooden posts with signs pointing the way back to the Irving Centre.
We chose to follow our map and walked through the Norway Spruce Forest before crossing Skyway Drive to go through the White Spruce Falling Forest.
At the top of this forest there is an old water well that supplied water to Acadia’s farm during the 1800s.
From here, we continued along the path and back across Skyway into the Falling Brook and Old Growth Forest. We ended up on University Avenue across the street from where we entered the trail.
There were a few other offshoot trails and loops that we could do, and will leave to explore another day.
The entire loop took us about 45minutes-1hour. Walking this same route with the children took about the same amount of time.
If you are looking for a nice quiet getaway in a beautiful setting, try exploring the Acadia Woodlands Trail.
As always, I suggest picking up a map, but it’s totally doable without one, even though there aren’t many sign posted.
Happy walking!
Museum of Natural History Halifax
Halifax Museum of Natural History
Disclosure: I received a NS Museum Pass so that I could visit these museums to tell you all about them.
We kick-started March Break with a visit to one of our favourite places – the Museum of Natural History in Halifax.
The museum is a great place to visit with kids as they have a great permanent collection, as well as a wide array of revolving exhibits. Exhibits are always interactive, hands-on for kids, which makes it a great place to visit.
When we were kids, we always called the museum “the place with the frog on the building.” Well, that frog is no longer on the outside of the building, but he can be found inside, now!
The Museum of Natural History is located at 1747 Summer Street in Halifax, near the Commons. There is a (paid) parking lot adjacent to the building, making it easy to visit.
Hours and Admission
Open 9-5 from Tuesday to Sunday
Family (with 2 Adults and Children) $25
Family (with 1 Adult and Children) $18
Adult $9
Senior $8
Youth $5
Child (5 and Under) Free
Annual passes are available, and of course, with the NS Museum pass, entry is free!
Scavenger Hunts
When you buy your ticket, be sure to ask for a scavenger hunt for the kids.
There is a scavenger hunt for the current dinosaur exhibit, and there is also one for the general museum. My kids always love filling these out and it gives them a focus for our visit.
However, I find that you have to remember to ask for them, as I don’t think I’ve ever been offered one. The onus is on you to remember to ask!
Dinosaur Exhibit
The current exhibit is Dinosaurs Unearthed and runs until May 24, 2015
Here’s the description from the website:
The discovery of one fossilized bone can be the start of an amazing story about a particular creature from long ago. This experience presents a number of fossils and animatronic dinosaurs to highlight how discoveries and meticulous research continue to enlighten us about prehistoric species. Showcasing a range of dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods, this 2,000 sq ft exhibition delivers a larger-than-life, memorable and interactive guest experience.
Since the 1990s, scientists have learned more about the dinosaurs than anything up until this point in time. It is amazing what technology can do!
In this exhibit you will see moving dinosaurs created based on this new research. The depictions of these dinosaurs will challenge your pre-conceived notions! Dinosaurs with feathers and coloured skin! You have to see it!
The dinosaurs all come to life as you go through the exhibit. This by far was Thomas’ favourite part of the museum visit.
I was worried that some small children might find this scary, but when we were there, there were lots of toddlers and preschoolers who were not bothered at all!
There are a lot of interactive components in the exhibit from digging for fossils
to colouring your own dinosaur.
Permanent Exhibits
The Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History has launched a new permanent exhibit, Sable Island: Over the Dunes, Beyond Wild Horses.
This is located in the marine room (a showcase of many of Nova Scotia’s native marine animals. Here, visitors get to experience a life-sized replica of a Sei Whale and several species of sharks. This permanent gallery also features a complete skeleton of a pilot whale, the rib of a blue whale and the jaw of a great white shark.)
The best part of the Sable Island exhibit is the sand table. Thomas and I played here for about half an hour!
This is a regular sandbox with a data projector above it. As you reshape the sand, the image projected shows the topography of your creation. Higher piles of sand become orange-green showing the height, while the lowest level of sand is the blue water. You can constantly reshape the land – thus showing how wind and waves are constantly changing Sable Island!
It’s incredible and a lot of fun to play with it!
Other permanent exhibits include archeology, geology, Natives, and any child’s favourite – the taxidermy section of native Nova Scotia animals!
At the main entrance there is also a woodland of animals to explore – some real and some not.
Lots of buttons to press. Don’t forget the bee display where you can see bees building a hive – as there a tube connected to outside where the bees come and go at will.
Gus
Gus the tortoise is a highlight in the museum. He lives at the front entrance and is 92 years old! While we were there, we experienced a first – the curator took Gus out of his enclosure to feed him, and let him go for a walk through the museum – with the kids close at his heels.
The kids were able to ask all sorts of questions and learn so much more! This was another trip highlight!
Time
When we visit the Museum of Natural History we usually budget for about 1.5 hours. The kids always learn something new each time – especially if we remember to pick up a scavenger hunt.
Regardless of the revolving exhibit, this museum is always a great place to visit with your family! We love visiting in every season – seeing the bees in different states of activity, and often in the summer they host the butterfly pavilion. Keep checking their website for updates.
If you are in the city, they are constantly hosting interesting events for kids and families, so be sure to check it out!
