Thursday, June 11, 2020

Vancouver Island Winery - cocktail recipe


Raise your hand if you are a wine girl like myself?! I have always enjoyed a glass, in the younger years it was the cheap boxed wine from Target but as I get a little more mature my wine tastes have as well. I am so lucky to live in wine capital of Canada! With vineyards all around there is always a new local wine for me to taste. 

Since COVID-19 hit and heading to an afternoon at a winery is not an option anymore I was more than pleased to find a message from Rocky Creek Winery out of Vancouver Island asking if I'd like to try their wines. YES, PLEASE! They are a small family owned winery on the island who, like many small businesses have been struggling during this time. They sent me 3 bottles to try including this Wild blackberry which is uniquely Vancouver Island and can be made into cocktails. (see recipe card below) Rocky Creek Winery has created a discount code: BUYLOCAL for 15% off and if you are a BC resident you receive free shipping where the rest of Canada receives 50% off their shipping rate. 
Sunday, March 29, 2020

homeschooling for the non-homeschooling mom


Hands up if you are now finding yourselves "homeschooling" your children. I for one, NEVER thought I'd be in this position as I am sure neither did most of you. However, here we are! I have been putting together  some thoughts over the past couple of weeks since the BC school system decided to suspend school indefinitely. We have been on Spring Break, but that comes to an end starting tomorrow and some sort of academic work should be on our schedule.

I have spoken to many friends, mamas, teachers, etc about what the next steps in this crazy process should be. Where to even start? Where to look for resources? What should I be teaching? It becomes so overwhelming so I have decided to take it one day, one step at a time. There is no need to rush this process as our children WILL BE OKAY!

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Social Distancing Activities for Kids


We all know what is going on in the world right now is scary, confusing, and just plain sucks! But with small children at home I don't have time to lay in bed all day binge watching Netflix drinking wine like I would probably be doing if I was still in my 20's. I have two little girls, one who is up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6:30am, self isolating or not! Laying around all day trying to just barely get by would not be healthy for any of us. Therefore I have created a schedule to get these girls on a routine for a sense of normalcy considering the circumstances.

Last Sunday night I made a list of 10 activities to do with the girls while Sofia is on Spring Break. We received notice today that the schools in BC will be closed indefinitely, which puts an entirely new spin on things. I had major anxiety all day, I am NOT a homeschool mom nor would I ever want to be! Ever. Just take a look back at this blog, nothing resembled a woman who would become a homeschooler. But, here I am. In a situation where I must learn to make the best of. I am not worrying about homeschooling activities just yet, I am focusing on the next two weeks which is "Spring Break"!
Wednesday, March 11, 2020

working from home mom


I have been working from home for the past 8 years now. I quit my corporate job, quit my MBA program and became self employed. I did hold a nanny job on the side to help get me through the hick-ups of the beginning stage of any business. 3 years into my Photography & Blog business I quit my nanny position which simultaneously lined working from home while becoming a mom. Sofia was 5, it was the summer before she entered kindergarten when I learned to balance finally having the chance to work from home full time but also becoming a full time mom. We had about 5 weeks together before she started school. Once she started I would drop her off in the mornings while I scrambled to get my work done all day, then head off to pick her up as school was ending at 3pm.  I entered the Stay At Home Working Mom category. 

Fast forward  4 years when Lyla entered the world which put a whole other twist on things. I was used to having one child who was at school most of the day which allowed me to get into the groove of accomplishing all I needed to for work while still having the stay at home mom vibe. Now that I have a baby it has taken me almost a year, yep you read that right, a year to learn how to get my work/mom balance back. It hasn't been easy and at times my company has suffered but I do consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to not have to leave my baby for 40 hours a week. 
Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Roadtrip - Oregon Tulip Festival


Part 3 - Oregon Tulip Festival (dates - April 4th 2019)

Here I am, 11 months later posting about our #PuckettRoadTrip2019 and totally out of order now...opps! When we decided to take this crazy idea of a road trip we had a new born baby who didn't sleep worth a damn, we were sitting in -20 degrees with 3 ft of snow outside and my husband has lost his job just days before we welcomed Lyla into the world. In Part 1 - Vancouver BC I talked a little about what we were off to do, and once we got home I did get a post up. key word, A, as in ONE post up! I eventually got Part 2 - Canon Beach up in July and now, almost a year later I am getting another part up for you to read. Looking back, the emotions of that time in our life, the trip, the absolute chaos was overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, we made memories of a LIFETIME and there is a small part of me who can't wait to do it all over again but maybe a bit differently next time!

Anyways, I am excited to share more with you about the trip! I am now going out of order, I still have the Redwood Forest where we slept in our car,  Downtown LA where we had the dogs walking through Beverly Hills, and our time in Arizona. I am going to do my best to get you those posts before next year :) For today, we have Part 3 - Oregon Tulip Festival because its quickly becoming that time of year again & if you have never been I HIGHLY suggest booking a trip. If you remember 2 years ago, Stephen & I took an anniversary trip to BLOOM, the tulip fields in Abbotsford, BC and of course last year was Oregon's Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm
Friday, February 28, 2020

Feeding Babies - 12 months



Feeding Lyla has been one of the biggest learning curves we have come across in her first year of life.  If you remember back in September I wrote a full post on homemade baby puree which is how we opted to first introduce solids. Lyla had teeth very early and was constantly biting/chewing things. For this reason I was worried to do full Baby Lead Weaning so purees were first then small bites of solids slowly followed. I'd say this was our standard feeding choice from age 6M to 9/10M. As Lyla got older and interested in more foods I started to mix things up a bit. I also wanted her to learn to feed herself instead of having me constantly spoon feed her for every meal. 

I did some research, talked with friends and put together a few standard meals I would make ahead of time to have ready for Lyla's breakfast & lunch. At dinner time Lyla always eats what we are having, very rarely does she eat something different unless what we are having is spicy. Below are a few ideas and easy simple recipes for feeding babies! (I am obviously not a doctor or nutritionist this is just what I have found works best for us!)
Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Desert Family Fun


I love being able to take the family with me on work trips. When we moved from Arizona I knew we all would be coming back at least once a year. Not only to see family but also because I still had a large group of clients that booked their family photos with me annually. Pssst if you are new here my photography company is: SteshaJordanPhotography!  It is a wonderful excuse to go down and get some warm weather, spend a little quality time, and for me work A LOT.  and I mean a lot. Typically I spend my days waking up at 6:30am leaving to shoot a bunch in the morning, then head home to my in-laws for lunch, then back out again to catch golden hour. Sometimes the entire fam will come with me in the evening, especially is the location has lots to offer like this Papago Park. It makes me feel a bit better because I get to enjoy the "vacation" a bit with the girls, and also helps get the kids out to see some new locations. 

However, when taking them with me it can be a bit more stressful especially with Lyla Girl and all she needs. This TWELVELittle peek-a-boo leather backpack diaper bag has come in as a life saver! I kid you not! It is so spacious, convenient to haul around, and even clips to the stroller. Most of all, the accessibility to the wipes.... life changing! Either Stephen or I will throw it on our backs and away we go.