Archive by Author | Life With The Mcgavins

2015 The Year That Changed Everything! 

Jan1

I’m not really sure where the year went. They say as you age time goes by faster. I must be 102 for how fast 2015 passed me bye! 

2015 changed my life forever! It was the year I was blessed with having my amazing son. He is the light of my life, my whole world, my everything.  

2015 taught me that I have to stand up for myself, love myself, and be prepared to walk away from those willing to hurt me. 

2015 reminded me family isn’t defined by bloodlines or marriage.

2015 proved to me that even the darkest cloud has a silver lining.

2015 provided me the opportunity to take risks and to be brave enough to say “why not”. 

2015 solidified that I can do anything I put my mind to, even if the task is excruciating! 

2015 was the year that really opened my eyes. I became a mother, a 1/2 marathoner!  I felt emotions I never dreamed of. I learned what it feels like to love something more than life itself. To be willing to give up everything to protect something else. I let go of my belief in keeping the peace and doing things I don’t want to just to appease others. I trusted myself more than I ever have. I trusted my ability and my strength. 

I’m ready to take on 2016 with my little man by my side!! Let’s do this!!   

‘Twas The Week Before Christmas…

Dec19

I know we are all busy this week! Busy seems to be a common thread that ties us all together in the chaos.

I made sure to take time this week for a few important (to me) moments.  A few little things that remind me of what this season is all about. Giving, sharing, and enjoying the simple things!

This week I made a point of supporting local businesses and home based business as much as possible!  While I shop local as much as possible all year long this week I treated myself to beautiful handmade bracelet by a local artisan, Eva. I bought our cases of Christmas wine from The GrapeVine in Abbotsford. We bought our gorgeous Christmas tree from an Aldergrove family farm. We got our eggs from a nearby farm and made sure to recommend local options to friends and family seeking advice on their purchases. If we all made a point of trying to support home based business, local farmers and our local communities amazing things could happen!


This week I was also fourtune enough to get to spend an evening with some of my amazing girlfriends. We had a fun little cookie swap at my house! We all baked a different kind of cookie and gathered for some snacks, some mulled Apple cider and some much needed relaxing together!  It’s tough to get a group together these days but in the last few months I’ve really found my groove of organizing little events. That paired with my friends being extremely supportive of my Epicure adventure I’ve been very blessed with their presence.


Giving…I try my hardest all year to share. I try to share my time, my love, anything I can to help others. I believe a little giving goes a long way. Many people think giving has to be monetary but it doesn’t. It can be time, support, kind words, advice, anything.  Every Christmas we try to help somewhere, some how. This week a local need in our own neighborhood was brought to my attention and we made our choice to give our Christmas giving to that cause. It’s not a secret this year has been a tough one for my little family given my health issue and Kevin’s injury so it really made me happy to be able to do something for someone else. I’m not going into detail because I don’t want praise. It’s simply  a reminder to myself that even when things are tough I am truly blessed.

 I think this week I really made a point of being present, being hopeful, and embracing things.

I love this time of year but this year feels different. It feels like the first time ❤️

Quitting… 

Dec9

We all have a thousand things to do this time of year! Lets face it, we have a thousand things to do at all times during the year.  Life can be overwhelming at times and for me yesterday was one of those times. 

Yesterday I made the decision to quit Weight Watchers. I am both saddened and relieved by this. I am saddened for a few reasons, mainly because I will miss the weekly visits with my meeting friends. I’ve made some strong friendship connections since joining in June. I know I will still see those friends, just not as frequently. I am also saddened because by quiting im losing my built in accountability of a weekly weigh in.  Back in 2011 (before my Lupus got bad) I had amazing success with Weight watchers. I lost over 50 pounds in a year with the program! Of course my life was very different then and I had amazing support from a friend, freedom/ability to workout when I wanted, much less responsibility, etc. This time around my success has been much slower. I’ve lost 15 pounds since June 1st. I realize my illness and my new Mom life are both factors in my slow loosing and I accept that. I make a point of eating healthy and doing what I can when I can, that to me in itself is a success! Not all victories are revealed by the number on the scale or the size of my pants!!

You might be wondering why I quit given I just told you all about my success!  I quit because I can’t get behind the new program released this week.  The changes are substantial and I can’t wrap my head around a program that says I can have a beer for less points than a glass of milk!  I can eat heavily processed/ chemical laden brand name potato crisps for less points than a 1/4 avocado.  In my opinion the points values of many foods no longer represents their nutrition!  I can’t force myself to follow a program that doesn’t give me enough daily points to have oatmeal with milk, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter for breakfast. A green salad with 4 oz of grilled chicken, 1/4 of an avocado, & 1 tablespoon dressing for lunch, and a high fibre wrap with 4 oz lean protein, 1 oz of cheese, veggies and salsa for dinner. Plus one serving of Greek yogurt and berries for a snack!  That’s three healthy meals and one snack and according to the new program I wouldn’t have enough points for that. 

When a program starts to cause more stress than health benifits it’s time to throw in the towel.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not throwing in the towel on healthy eating! I’m just throwing in the towel on paying $60 a month to be stressed out when making healthy choices!! 

  

Gingerbread Cupcakes 

Nov29

I love this time of year! Christmas time is so magical! This year even more so for me thanks to Jacob! Im looking forward to all things Christmas. Next week one of my best friends is hosting a Christmas party and requested I bring gingerbread cupcakes. Not wanting to disappoint I did my research, combined and tweaked some recipes and came up with these moist, delicious cupcakes featuring Epicure’s gingerbread spice! 

  
INGREDIENTS 

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar 
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 molasses 
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/3 cups white flour
  • 1 teaspoon real vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 teaspoons Epicure Gingerbread spice 

*Allow milk, butter, and egg to come to room temperature before beginning  

 

METHOD 

Cream butter and sugar together in mixer.  Add in egg, milk and vanilla.  

 

Add in molasses. Mixture will look chunky.  

 In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and Epicure gingerbread spice.

With mixer running at low speed add dry ingredient mixture to wet. Once added mix throughly on med/high speed for 30 seconds. Use a spatula to scrape down sides and mix for another 10 seconds.  

 Fill 12 paper lined muffin tins 2/3 full.

 
Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven – 350 degrees.  

 Allow to cool on wire rack before frosting. 

I frosted mine with cream cheese frosting and used a tiny fresh baked gingerbread man to decorate! 

 I hope you enjoy these as much as my friends do! ❤️🎄❤️

  

We Choose Huggies! 

Nov29

I was recently given the opportunity to review Huggies little movers diapers. Influenster sent Jacob a complentary package of little movers diapers for testing and review purposes. It’s safe to say they are now our go to diapers! 

 When Jacob was born we tried Huggies but found they didn’t work well for him as he constantly wet through the sides! As the months passed and Jacob’s little body shape changed the brand of diapers we were using no longer kept him dry!  We were happy to give Huggies another try and quickly learned the Little movers line was exactly what we were looking for!! 

I’m happy with these diapers as they lock away wetness and keep Jacob dry during his constant crawling & furnature walking adventures!  They also work well at night. 

I also appreciate the fact these diapers are unscented and are very gentle on my little ones delicate skin! Jacob never gets redness or diaper rash with Huggies little movers! To me that is a huge factor when making my diaper choice! I also like the fact I can buy these diapers in a huge box at Costco and save a bit of money. 

I highly recommend giving these diapers a try if you have a little mover on your hands!!  Thanks Influenster for giving us that chance to share our opinion on Huggies little movers! 

A Little Life Update 

Nov23

Hi friends! I’ve missed you!  Jacob is napping so I thought I’d take a few minutes and say hello! I’ve been busy chasing my tiny terror everywhere! He’s small but he can move!! 

Last week I did something I’ve been considering for a long time, I signed up with Epicure as an independent consultant. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about this. I’ve been using and loving Epicure products for a couple years now. Any of you who follow me on Instagram know how often I share my creations featuring Epicure spices, blends, and cookware! I love that their products are low/no sodium, healthy, gluten free, and many are certified non-Gmo! I also love that it’s a local, woman run company!  I look forward to sharing my Epicure adventures with you all! 

Erica McGavin with Epicure – check out all Epicure’s awesome products here!
 
On the home front we had a koi pond emergency this past Saturday. We aren’t sure what exactly happened but the pond drained from 5 feet to 1 foot over night. Needless to say we had our hands full trying to relocate and save our fish! Between the raccoons, heron and leak it’s been a tough year for those suckers! Rest assure they are safe… They will be spending the winter in our hot tub. We had to quickly seal the jets with pond tape but it’s done and they are as happy as can be!  I bet we have the only indoor pond on the block! 

I was lucky enough to receive free passes for The Westcoast Christmas show this past weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed browsing, shopping and seeing Santa!  

  

   

 

The weekend prior we got to check out the Langley Christmas show and I picked up some great local products! 

 We’ve also been busy celebrating Kevin’s birthday and our 5th wedding anniversary! Seriously where does the time go??? Wherever it goes, we’re exhausted!

 

I hope everyone is happy and healthy!  ❤️
   

He Made Me Cry

Nov13

I cannot believe my tiny baby boy is almost walking. I can’t believe how fast he’s learning, growing, and evolving into a little boy. Though he’s 9 months old it feels like he was born yesterday. I blinked and my tiny baby is a power to be reckoned with. He has a mind of his own and keeps me extremely busy!!

On Halloween we realized how excited Jacob was by all the lights. Every time he sees a Christmas tree he gets so excited. Tonight while at Costco he got super excited over a little 4.5 foot tree! Given his reaction we couldn’t not buy him one. So $125 later he has his tree. When we turned the lights on he got so excited he squealed and waved his arms. His reaction made me cry. Happy tears. I love Christmas and I can’t wait to share this amazing time of year with my son! ❤️


Maple Pumpkin Spice Muffins 

Oct2

It’s officially October meaning we are fully submerged in Pumpkin everything!!  I admit my pumpkin season started in August…don’t judge me!  

I decided to bake some maple pumpkin spice muffins because warm fresh baked muffins are a crisp Fall morning necessity.  These muffins don’t require a fancy mixer or a lot of time! They taste great with butter or better yet pumpkin butter.  Feel free to get creative and toss in a few walnuts, raisins, chocolate chips etc! I left mine plain and served them with pumpkin butter. 

 Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup cooking oil

1 cup cooked pumpkin (without spice)

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp maple extract (vanilla also works) 

 Method

Mix dry ingredients (except sugar) into a large bowl. 

 Crack egg into small bowl and beat until frothy. 

 Combine egg with remaining wet ingredients in bowl with sugar, stir to combine.  

 Once wet ingredients are well combined add them to dry ingredients, stiring to combine. 

  Once combined divide into 12 standard greased muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees or until toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean. 

 Once baked allow muffins to cool on wire rack. 

 These muffins are quick, easy and bake up light and fluffy. They are not overly sweet and are fantastic with pumpkin butter, peanut butter, jam, etc! 

Enjoy! 

 

Keurig 2.0 K200 & Van Houtte Specialty Coffee Review 

Sep30

As some of you know I was lucky enough to be chosen by Influenster to receive a complimentary Keurig 2.0 K200 Brewer and Van Houtte specialty coffee for testing and review purposes.  While these items were provided to me free of charge, I guarantee you these opinions are my own.  

 Let’s start with Keurig 2.0 K200.  I love the coffee maker! No really I’m seriously smitten with this shiny little black despenser of hot coffee goodness!! 

As a new Mom who often has her hands full in the morning the K200 is a life saver. It’s fast, easy to use and doesn’t take up a ton of counter space! I love being able to pop in a K-cup, push a button and a few minutes later my coffee, tea, or hot chocolate is ready to go!! 

 I love that with this machine I can brew a single cup of coffee or an entire carafe when friends and family stop by! I also love that it despenses hot water! I’m a big tea fan and this definitely makes life easier. 

Im also enjoying trying all the varieties of pods available for the Keurig Brewers! I found a local store that lets you pick out 24 K-cups for $17.99! I’m not going to lie, it took me over 30 minutes to pick out 24 K-cups!  

 On the topic of coffee variety and K-cups, Influenster also sent me Van Houtte coffee’s new specialty collection. I received their new cappuccino and vanilla latte coffees.  

 These new coffee are a two step system consisting of a powder and the coffee k-cup. Simply dump the powder in your mug and brew the k-cup into the mug then stir! Super easy coffee house inspired drinks at home!  

 They are definitely a step up from your regular K-cups and quick easy specialty coffee when you can’t get to your favourite coffee house. 

I enjoyed both varieties but I liked the vanilla latte the best. Both varieties have a Sucralose flavor I could live without but overall they are a nice change.  At 110 calories they also fit nicely into my day as a sweet treat. 

Thank you Influenster  for including me in the Keurig and Van houtte Voxbox! I’ve throughly enjoyed trying these products and sharing my opinion! 

RUNLOVEBOX

Sep29

I was recently lucky enough to have the opportunity to receive a Runlovebox to review and share my thoughts!   I heard about this new company through Seawheeze and was more than excited to see this box show up on my door this past Saturday!

 Runlovebox is a monthly subscription box company based out of Vancouver BC!  They are a new company that is already doing great things! Runlovebox is the brain child of Alyssa, a busy triathlete who is also a Family medicine resident!  I love ambitious women and I think starting a business while a full time Resident counts as seriously ambitious!!  Alyssa knows how hard it can be for busy runners to get their hands on new products and knows we don’t always want to commit to a full size version of something prior to trying it. With this knowledge her vision was born! 

Each month for $15 Runlovebox subscribers will receive a box full of running goodies! My favourite part of this subscription box is each month is based around a theme! Septembers theme was “The Early Bird”, a collection of things to help runners start their day off right!  More on that in a minute!  I also really enjoy the fact that Runlovebox takes the time to list the company information of each goodie to save subscribers the time of sourcing out company info. All the info is listed right there on the included card!  It’s nice to know where the products come from and how to get our hands on more of the things we love!

Okay on to the goods!!  

 I love local products, so I was excited to find Orgins coffee in this months box!! Based out of Vancouver, freshly roasted organic artisan coffee! Delicious!   My faveorite sample this month was the Go Macro Chashew butter bars! Oh my gosh, so yummy! I found these were great to grab in the morning when I was wrangling Jacob to get his day started!  You really can’t go wrong with these bars as they are vegan, non-gmo and delicious!   This months Runlovebox also included Burt’s Bees lip balm! This is a welcome addition at this time of year as my lips start to suffer in the crisp air and running outside makes them worse!  I love the addition of peppermint in this balm! I’d recommend this balm to anyone who suffers with dry lips.  A genius product addition I found in this months box was the paper shower! A large wipe to freshen up after a run and a dry towel wipe to dry off.  This is such a great idea to keep in your gym bag or purse for after a run or a workout! I love running at the park and often feel gross afterwards and avoid even quick stops before going home. With this product I can wipe sweat away and not feel so gross prior to getting a shower!  Also included were Nuun hydration tablets. Electrolyte drink tabs without added carbs! At 8 calories each they are much easier on the diet than other sports drinks.  Plus they taste great! It’s safe to say I am seriously impressed with Alyssa and Runlovebox! The fact it is a local company is the frosting on the cake!! I think $15 a month is a great price for the opportunity to try out products and sample goodies! 

If you’re a runner or even a walker check out Runlovebox. A monthly subscription would make a great gift for the runner in your life. There is no minimum on the number of months you must sign up for so ordering one month or a number of months as a gift is easy. 

Check out this great subscription box! You won’t be disappointed!

RunLoveBox