I recently had family photos taken at Coney Island. I was sooo looking forward to the experience as we have never had family photos done. The weather conditions were not as we hoped for at the beginning of April, but that didn’t really matter as our photographer was so good at putting us all at…
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Cameo Silhouette Giveaway Perfect for Crafters
Welcome to the Silhouette CAMEO® Giveaway! I am excited to join Nap Time is My Time and several other amazing bloggers who made this great giveaway possible! One very lucky winner will receive a brand new Silhouette CAMEO® electronic cutting tool! In the box: A Silhouette CAMEO® electronic cutting tool, Silhouette Studio® software, 51 exclusive…
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3 Things I wish I’d Done Differently as a Mom
Happy Mother’s Day! I hope that if even for just a few minutes today you get the chance to celebrate you! I don’t know what is in store for my Mother’s Day except that I will happily be spending it with m 2 precious kids and Mr BAM. I try not to live a life…
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Pumpkin Spice Pretzels with a Side of Apple Butter
I posted this picture over the weekend to the Mama Goes BAM Facebook page, and the obvious joy on my son’s face had a few people enquire as to what the recipe was. My boy is a big eater, but he’s never usually one to rave about my cooking. I generally make simple but tasty…
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KiwiCanadian expat in New York with toddler, infant and Kiwi husband. Adventures in inspired family living, New York, travel, and health & fitness.Read More »
Home Office Design Inspiration from Dwell Studio and HP
I was invited to a Home Office makeover event with HP and home design expert Christiane Lemieux, who is also the Founder and Creative Director of Dwell Studio in SoHo, Manhattan. As a mother herself, she has an interesting perspective on home design. She mentioned the same challenges that all the other moms in the room faced with carving out a working space at home, while juggling space for your kids to be kids! Most of us in the room were New York based, so space constraints proved to be our biggest difficulties. As a thanks for taking part in the exclusive blogger event, I was provided with a HP Photosmart 6520 e-All-in-One printer, thank you so much HP! As a side note, I also love meeting fellow Canadians (Christiane is from Ottawa!) who have branched out and as a bonus doing so well!
- photo from Zach Jopling
I’m working with HP to offer all kinds of great home-office makeover ideas. DwellStudio.com was founded on the premise of inspiring beauty within the home, and HP makes it easier and more affordable to create a home office environment that is fun, productive and stylish.
- Christiane Lemieux, Founder and Creative Director of Dwell Studio
A Heavy Hearted More FITNESS Half Marathon Recap
I ran the More/Fitness Women’s Half Marathon on Sunday, April 14 and it is a day I will never forget. It will go down in history for me as crossing something off my bucket list that I have wanted to do for a very long time. Though it was my 3rd half marathon, it was the first time that I was running in an all women’s race and in New York City to boot. Two and a third loops of Central Park and I was done
I was so excited about writing this recap, but subsequent horrific and deadly events at the Boston Marathon the next day numbed me, left me unable to write this until now. It’s nearly a week later and my brain is still reeling, my heart is till very heavy. I have spent the past week since my half marathon stretching, doing yoga and walking. I haven’t ran yet, to be honest the ‘thought’ of it makes me a little sad rather than energizing me. I think my body was ready to run again on Thursday, but emotionally I just have not been ready to. On Sunday, I’ve booked myself in for an easy 5 miles. I’m sure it will do me some good both physically as well as emotionally to put the anger and sadness that I have felt post Boston behind me.
Besides the carnage, loss of life and senselessness of it all, the thing that really shook me personally was how elated I was to have my family cheering me on at the finish line. Mr BAM, Mr P (5 years old) and Little Miss (17 months) were so happy to see me, and I them. I can only imagine how heartbroken it would be to feel responsible as a runner for the injury or death or your personal cheering squad. Mr BAM and I have since talked about future races. Would I expect to see them at the finish line? How would he feel about brining the kids to one of my races? It’s all still blurry but hopefully time will heal all.
The quote above was taken from Kathrine Switzer, the first women ever to official enter and run the Boston Marathon. I thoroughly recommend you read her book, Marathon Woman. It’s a phenomenal read for any woman facing societal challenges and striving to carve out her own path – I promise, you don’t need to be a runner to enjoy this, strong women only! And if you are a runner then it is a MUST read to understand how easy we have it nowadays as female runners. I chose to share the quote because once upon a time, it was so true – the events in Boston have changed this, but hopefully as a community we will get back there.
Now onto the recap…
Free Blogger Event: Mother’s Day BOB Revolution SE Jogging Stroller Giveaway
Hosted by Mama Goes BAM and sponsored by Britax/BOB. The event will run for 2 weeks from May 1-12. One winner in the Continental US Only will win a brand new BOB Revolution SE valued at $360.00 in the exact plum color as pictured above. I will be writing up a review before the giveaway starts, but in the meantime you can vist the BOB Revolution SE page to find out more about this awesome stroller.
I am looking for bloggers to host the rafflecopter in exchange for a Twitter or Pinterest link on the Rafflecopter (please only one link per person). I will email the details for the post and the Rafflecopter link on Monday, April 29. Signups for this event close Sunday, April 28 at 8PM.
If you have any questions, please email me directly at ghada (at) mamagoesbam (dot) com and I will get back in touch as soon as possible.
Just fill out the linky below to be included and make sure that you include your email address, as that is my only way of contacting you with all the details for the event.
Thanks for joining!
If you would like to know when the giveaway starts so that you can enter, sign up to receive updates straight to your inbox whenever I write a post.
Dannon Danimals Smoothies Just got a Whole Lot Better
I recently received an invite from Dannons to attend a luncheon about changes to the Dannon Danimals Yogurt Smoothies for kids. My interest was peaked, as I’d recently gotten into purchasing the packages of smoothies as a quick last minute drink for my 5 year old before he heads off to a long day at school. He is a biiiig eater and where he puts the food I don’t know! But I like sending him off with that extra boost of Vitamin D and calcium before he heads out the door (side note: this is after a bowl of cereal or porridge, 1-2 fruit and sometimes toast!). Since lunch is provided at school and I can only hope he eats it all, I feel better knowing that I have at least provided the best I can for the most important meal of the day – breakfast.
I thought I would be introduced to a completely new product from the Danimals line, so I was surprised when in fact we were being introduced to the same Danimals smoothie that my Mr P has come to love, only with 25% less of the sugar.
Win a Bombe Chest from HGTV HOME
This giveaway for HGTV Home Furniture is hosted by Cheap is the New Classy and sponsored by HGTV Home Furniture!
Here’s your chance to win a Bombe Chest from HGTV HOME! Their are four colors to choose from and these retail at $999, and all you have to do is enter using the easy rafflecopter below. Good luck!
The winner must live in the Continental US. This giveaway runs from April 15-30, and coincides with the HGTV Smart Home Giveaway.
25 Ways to Say Mahalo to Your Husband #ProjectMahalo
Mahalo means ‘thank you’ in Hawaiian and King’s Hawaiian is giving YOU the chance to help them say Mahalo by voting for the charity of your choice.
Giving generously to others without expecting anything in return is at the heart and soul of Hawaiian culture, and a core value of KING’S HAWAIIAN. Giving is more than just a social formality; it is a way to say ‘thank you’ or to offer assistance. Giving brings joy to those around you.
- King’s Hwaiian
My husband is my best friend and often my biggest supporter in whatever I do – whether it is career wise, personally or even in my health pursuits he backs me up, and for the most part willingly 
. So, to honor our crazy supportive relationship I have listed 25 ways to say Mahalo (thank you) to him. I’m sure their are many more! If you have an idea on how you can say thanks to your husband for supporting you and being an awesome dad, or ideas for saying Mahalo to someone else important in your life, make sure to scroll down and tell me for your chance to win $100 for yourself and for the Charity you voted for at Project Mahalo.
If you haven’t already, make sure to vote for your charity! Each Project Mahalo charitable partner will receive a minimum $10,000 donation, and the partner earning the highest number of votes will instead receive a $25,000 donation. I voted for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, because I believe every child deserves that person they can look up to as a mentor and to have positive experiences with. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America mentoring programs have proven, positive academic, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes for youth – areas linked to high school graduation rates, avoidance of juvenile delinquency and college or job readiness.
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