mimm : my birthday

The following is a super special guest post written by "my little taste tester", who celebrated his 9th birthday on November 7th. Since we've spent the last few days celebrating, I thought it would be nice to view the world through the eyes of a nine year old, for a change.

Katie throws a party for us every monday - connecting people together from all around the world. hearts and hugs to you Katie for doing this for us ♥

Hello!

4 days ago it was my birthday. 

I was really, really excited for my birthday.

On Thursday, my Mom and I were out shopping...

and when we came home, my aunt Kirsty was at our house:

Kirsty was visiting my grandma and grandpa in Cornwall and came to see me because it was my birthday.

That's it!

                                                                                                                                                                   

"My little taste tester" was born at 11:11pm on Sunday, November 7, 2004 in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. 

That night, the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) lit up the sky and for the first time in my life, I caught a glimpse of the lights from the delivery room window. 

Auroras were spotted all across Canada and the United States, as far south as California and Arizona. Even days later, people in Australia, New Zealand, and parts of the U.K. reported seeing the lights in the night sky. 

How cool is that?

Here's what we saw in Ottawa:

If you would like to see more photos of this incredible celestial event, please visit Science @ Nasa's November 2004 Aurora Gallery. 

Big hugs and kisses to "my little taste tester" for writing this post. 

Thank you for reading! Have a MARVELOUS Monday everyone! xo

Have you ever seen the Northern Lights? 
Do you ever see the numbers 11:11 on your clock? I ALWAYS do! Today I saw the number 1:11, 4:44, and then :44 on my oven timer. neat-o!

currently : november

...watching the snow fall from my balcony. it's shaping up to be a wet weekend here in Ottawa but i don't care. i love it.

...singing along to this song (thank you Davida), this song, this song, this song, this song, or any song from this cd. #ConfessionsOfASwifty

...celebrating my little taste tester's ninth birthday. november seventh. party at grandma and grandma's house tomorrow. what do you get a nine year old boy for his birthday? #Lego(MyEggo).

my little taste tester's fourth birthday. little boys are the biggest sweethearts ♥

...drinking one liter bottles of rise kombucha mint chlorophyll flavor. love. and organic traditions maccacino drink with a dash of homemade almond milk.

...learning about yoga and your moon cycle (thanks to this beautiful woman). #YogaNidra

“the monthly hormonal cycle of menstruation serves as a constant backdrop for the mental and emotional life of every woman, as well as being an important factor in her overall state of health. 

from the spiritual point of view, the days around the menstrual period are very powerful and auspicious for a woman to practice meditation and japa yoga.

 the period commencing three days before the onset and continuing for five days of menstrual bleeding and the first five days of the new cycle is a time when a woman gains a heightened level of awareness naturally, by virtue of the altering hormonal balance. 

this is a time when her natural insight and intuition become very prominent, and it is a most powerful time for psychic awakening.“  – from asana pranayama mudra bandha by swami satyananda sarawati.

...reading how the scots invented the modern world by arthur herman. i am eager to learn more about the history of Scotland and the scots; it's part of my heritage.

...eating cucumber and radish slices with sea salt and amy's kitchen : indian vegetable korma in the oven. fancy!

...wishing for more snow on the ground. i know it's cold. and wet. yet my nine year old thinks it's one of the most magical things in this world. walking in a winter wonderland.

...thinking about christmas and christmas shopping. yes, already. i want to try to start early this year. i love it so much and always have so much fun with it! it really is the greatest time of the year. i dive head first into this season and want everything to do with it and it's fine with me if it starts in november!

...trying to comment more often on blogs i really enjoy. it's so easy to read blogs in a reader and then flip to the next one. but i know as a blogger that i love getting comments so i'm really trying to share the love. but just know that even if i don't comment every. single.time. i'm still reading you.

...sharing the following finds from around the world:

-the anatomy of a compliment so interesting.
-twitter owes me $4. how much does it owe you?
-things that will never happen to you.
-ten romantic movies currently streaming on netflix, for your viewing pleasure.
-the world's ten most polluted places. so sad.
-slaves of the internet, unite!
-and finally, ten reasons your dentist probably hates you. so good.

xo Maria

healthy breakfast recipe : nut berry quinoa bowl

breakfast is one of my favorite meals, and i never, ever, go without it.

for me, breakfast is always nutritious and healthy. it jump-starts my metabolism. it’s the fuel that gets me going so i can face the day ahead. i cannot emphasize how vitally important breakfast is to get you started on your day. you've just had maybe 6 to 10 hours of not eating – your body needs sustenance and is ready to be refueled.

some mornings i like to have quinoa porridge for breakfast. i mix between quinoa and chia, quinoa and steel -cut oats, this cereal, this cereal or this cereal. 

quinoa, pronounced keen-wah, is a grain-like seed. quinoa is complete protein food, which means it includes all of the eight essential amino acids that are needed for growth and repair. it is a complex carbohydrate, high in vitamins and minerals, and gluten free. sometimes i use quinoa flakes and other times i use the traditional quinoa seed. it is so very easy and quick to do, plus it is jam-packed with nutrition.

nut berry quinoa bowl

ingredients:

1/4 cup quinoa

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup almond milk (more or less)

1 TBSP maple syrup

toppings: almonds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, berries, banana, goji berries, bee pollen (one of the most nutritious foods on the planet, which contains a myriad of health benefits).

directions:

1. add quinoa and 1/2 cup water to saucepan. cook on low to medium heat, stir every so often, until it has reached a creamy texture (about 15 minutes).

2. add a dash of maple syrup to sweeten.

3. remove quinoa from pan and add to bowl and let cool for a few minutes.

4. add almond milk and stir.

5. add toppings 

feel free to get creative and add anything you desire!

how do you like to eat quinoa?
what do you like to eat for breakfast?