Optimize Your Yard

Now more than ever, it's time to optimize and take advantage of our outdoor spaces. However, it's all too common to have a yard that doesn't provide a good space to hang out and enjoy the fresh air. If you find yourself wanting to go outside but not having any reason to, here are three things to consider.

Flat Spaces

For starters, you need some flat spaces large enough to hang out in. Hills are fun when they're covered in snow and you have a sled in hand, but the rest of the year they're just a pain to get up and down. Look at deck builders Halifax or your area, or see if you have the space for a patio. 

Protection

Wherever you live, there's something outside that you need protection from. In many places, it's the temperature which is either too hot or too cold. In most places, some protection from the sun is needed. In other places, you will need something to discourage the bugs. Whatever challenges you face, you want to make sure that you can be safe and comfortable outside. 

Activities

It's not enough to have an inviting and comfortable outdoor space, you need something to do in it. Eating is a popular option: outdoor bars and kitchens make a delightful addition to any outdoor space, but there are also plenty of other games and activities that can be moved outside. You need something to do once you're outside, even if it's just to sit and talk to friends. 

Outdoor activities are very much an "if you build it they will come" situation. It's hard to make yourself go outside if you have no reason to stay there and nowhere to stay. Design your outdoor spaces to be inviting and useful, and you will find yourself using them more.

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A Name for Baby No. 2

Naming a child is one of the most important decisions any parent is faced with. Because once a name is decided, the child will bear it all though his/her lifetime. It may seem like a Herculian task, and it can at times be so, but thanks for modern technology, there is now a vast database of boy or girl names, along with their meanings, origins or roots, and even name or Saint's days.

But how do you select the name for your baby? Parents may choose popular names, or names which have a relevant meaning for the parents, or they name their child after a person who has a great influence on them. What is important I think is that the child will be identify with the name, and not get bullied for it once he / she grows up.

Since we are having a girl, (yes! it is a GIRL!), it should of course be a girl's name. Our first daughter has two names and I want the second baby to have two names too. So we are thinking of the following names:

Lilly - it is both the name of the flower Lily in english and comes in 150 varieties. A beautiful flower, it is a symbol of purity. It is also the short form for the Hebrew name Elizabeth, which means "my God is abundance" or "pledged to God". My daughter loves this name and wants to name her baby sister so.

Emilia - the Italian name has Latin origins ("aemulus") and is the female form for Emilio. When translated, it means the zealous, the hardworking, the imitator. I love the ring of the "-iya" at the end and I think that when combined with softer names, it gives the person more character and personality.  

Grace - the name is derived from the Latin word Gratia, which means grace, beauty, mercy. In Roman mythology, the three Gratia are the three daughters of Zeus. In Christendom, the name has come to mean "the mercy of God."

Hannah - the name comes from the Hebrew word "channah" and has biblical origins. It means gracious, graceful and lovely. In the bible, the name comes from the mother of the Prophet Samuel and the prophet Hannah. 

Marie - the name means "the stubborn" and "the one loved by God". Marie is considered a variant of the name Maria, the mother of Jesus, which goes back to Mirjam, and therefore has a Hebrew origin. 

Claire - the name has Latin origins and is derived from "clarus", with the feminine form "clara" being used only after the time of the Romans. It means the bright, the clear, the radiant, the shining. The name is known for St. Clare of Asissi, the founder of the Order of Claris. This is also a good name to someone who stands out and inspires. 

So these are our choices. Which name combination can you suggest? I would really love to hear from you. I will reveal in another post what Baby No. 2's name will be once we have decided on one so look out for it!     

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Top 3 Ways To Keep Your Kids Entertained This Summer

The summer's almost here, and that means warmer weather, time outdoors and, for many families, kids on school vacation. Luckily, there are plenty of fun ways to keep your little ones from getting bored over the break. Take a look at the top three ways you can keep your kids entertained at home this summer.

Learn a New Hobby Together
Experts have shown that summer activities are key to staving off boredom and mischief. With many families spending more time together than ever, this is the perfect chance to pick up a new hobby. Kids will love the hands-on messiness of putting together a scrapbook, the sugar rush of baking cookies and the rewards of growing their own vegetables in a backyard garden.

Throw an At-Home Pool Party
If you have a pool, an amazing staycation is right in your backyard. After a long winter, it's easy to get your pool prepped for fun in the sun. For example, if you're looking for pool filter maintenance Myrtle Beach SC, trained experts can help make your pool ready for the ultimate party. Your kids will be thrilled by touches of summer décor like pool floats, beach balls and neon towels. To set the mood, be sure to load a playlist of your favorite hits and keep some healthy snacks on hand, like watermelon or pretzels.

Have a Family Game Night
Summer rain keeping you inside? Try having a family game night! Board games are great for your kids' cognitive and linguistic development and also help teach focus and teamwork. When the kids are full of energy, games such as Charades are a fun way for the whole family to bond and blow off some steam.

It's important to help your kids stay stimulated over the summer. Whether it's baking sweet treats, hanging out by the pool or playing board games, these ideas are sure to keep your kids entertained without ever leaving home!

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Simple Apfelstrudel Recipe

I had my first taste of Apfelstrudel on one of our trips in Austria and I fell in love with this warm dessert ever since.

Soft, crisp and best served warm, treat your family and guests with this dessert!  

Apfelstrudel is made from Blätterteig (puff pastry dough) traditionally filled with chopped apples, raisins and cookie crumbs, topped with powdered sugar and served warm with vanilla sauce or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. This is perfect with your afternoon coffee or tea. 
This desert is easy to prepare and bake. I made my first batch last year with my daughter and it was delicious! Since then, I would prepare this recipe whenever we want to have Apfelstrudel. You can either prepare the dough yourself if you feel up to it or you can buy the ready to bake ones sold in the supermarket.
For this recipe, I used the one I found online from the magazine Bild der Frau (in German). It has well explained and simple instructions, ideal for beginners like me.

Ingredients: For the dough (if you want to DIY): 125 g flour 70 mL water 1 TBSP oil A pinch of salt
For the filling: 3 pieces apples (preferably Elstar or Boskop variety) 40 g sugar 80 g cookie crumbs (e.g. butter cookies or ladyfingers) 1 pack vanilla sugar A pinch of cinnamon 30 g raisins Lemon juice
Also: Powdered sugar for sprinkling Melted butter Clean dish cloth
Instructions: 1. Knead a smooth dough out of flour, water, oil and salt. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in cling foil and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. You may skip this step if you already have a ready made dough. In my case, I used puff pastry dough.
2. For the filling, wash and peel the apples and cut into small pieces. Drizzle with the lemon to prevent browning. Add sugar, cookie crumbs, vanilla sugar, cinnamon and raisins and mix everything well. (We skipped the raisins because my daughter doesn't like it and added some honey, around 2 TBSP, instead.).
3. Roll out the dough in a square form on a floured work surface. Lay out the kitchen towel, carefully lift the dough onto the towel and pull apart very thinly. 

4. Spread a thin layer of the liquid butter on the dough. Then spread the filling over the lower quarter of the dough, leaving a 1-2 cm wide rim on the outside. Fold the outside over the filling and then roll up the dough tightly using the kitchen towel. 

5. Place the seam down on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Brush with part of the liquid butter and bake in the preheated oven at 180 ° C for 35 minutes. Take out of the oven briefly after half of the baking time and brush with the remaining melted butter. This makes the apple strudel so nice and crispy.

6. Serve while still warm - sprinkled with powdered sugar. You can also serve this with vanilla sauce or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. The warm and cold combination is just wonderful!
Easy peasy does it! Let me know your thoughts once you have tried the recipe.

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