Birthday girl

Oh, my, it's been a while. It is amazing how much energy and time two little ones take! My son, now just coming up on 8 months old, has been teething (enough said!). My daughter has just turned three (how did that happen?!). How time flies!

This is just a quick post to share some images from my daughter's birthday. We did a pirate princess party (I had no idea these were so popular, and can thank Pinterest for a lot of the ideas I used at our party!). It was two hours of madness: 14 children and assorted parents. The power went out for 40 minutes in the middle - thank goodness it didn't affect us too much.

I borrowed a giant Wilton cupcake cake pan from a neighbour for her birthday cake. I used the recipes for Dark Chocolate Cake and Raspberry Jam Buttercream from Food.com, and they turned out wonderfully. Unfortunately for ME, every slice of cake and every mini cupcake was gone by the end of the party! On the plus side, I'd made double the batter, thinking I'd need it, and ended up with an extra dozen large cupcakes as well as an 8x8" cake in the freezer. Phew! Personal chocolate crisis averted.

I learned a couple of things about the pan before I baked, and I'm going to pass on these tips for anyone baking a giant cupcake cake with the Wilton two-part pan.  First, turn your oven to 325 degrees rather than 350. Cover the dome side with oiled foil before baking, and remove it after the first half hour. Test after 40 minutes or so, but mine took an hour to cook fully both sides. Apparently you need two cake mix boxes to fill the pan, as the base takes 3 1/2 cups of batter, and the top 2 1/2. But, if you use the truly delicious recipe above, you only need one batch worth (unless you just want loads and loads of cake, which really is okay in my books.

Here's my sweetie before the party:

Love that girl!

Yes, I know my baby's crying.

It happens every week. A morning grocery trip turns into a spectacle as my three-month-old son screams. I know you've seen and heard babies crying at the store before. Maybe you're a parent and you've been there. Maybe you're not and you think you have something to offer.

I've had comments of all sorts from people who surely mean well and aren't implying that I don't know why he's crying or what to do about it.

Believe me, I KNOW he's crying. I do.

I've had people offer to unload my groceries onto the conveyor, pack my bags, random offers of help like that.  That's kind - and sometimes I do take people up on it - if it's gotten to the point where he's so upset I need to take him out of his car seat and bounce him to soothe him.Then, I don't have enough arms to get us out of there fast and hold him and unload groceries.

I've had the dirty looks too - like I'm a terrible mother for "letting" him cry and not doing something about it immediately. Or maybe it's for the way he's interrupting their blissful grocery shopping trance.  Or conflicts with their idea of what a mother should be doing.

Here's what I am actually doing:

I'm buying food to feed my family, just like you. I happen to like spending time with my husband on evenings and weekends, so weekdays it is. Afternoons are nap time for my toddler, so I'm there in the morning. I need to get out of the house and see adults - even if the only adult conversation I have all day long is a mundane exchange with the cashier.

You'll see me hastily shoving groceries into my cart as we make our way through the store, trying to get everything on our list while comparing prices and using coupons as I try to also save money for my family. You'll hear me talking to him, trying to reassure him that we're almost finished. You'll hear me asking my toddler to sing to him and make funny sounds to try to flip his mood. And you'll see the stressed-out look on my face as I try to manage a heavy cart, my coupons, my purse, my toddler and this crying baby. 

I'm making silly sounds. I've even nursed while shopping - one arm full of baby, one arm wrangling a big and awkward grocery cart down the aisles. So sorry if I got in your way.

And here's why he's crying:

He's tired. He naps in the morning, and while ideally he would sleep through a grocery trip, the store is so big that it takes me a while to get through it, especially with a toddler who is curious about everything she sees. I've taken the time to talk to her and answer her questions as we shop, showing her interesting vegetables, and discussing where food comes from, and the different kinds of things we eat, and how we try to save money with coupons and sales, and answering a thousand "Why?"s. Perhaps I should do that at home to speed up the trip. But, then how could she touch a dragonfruit, or wrinkle her nose at the spices? How could she see the crabs and lobsters in their tanks? Would we get into a random discussion about coconut jelly? So, I cross my fingers and hope he'll sleep most of the trip, that the motion of the cart will lull him to sleep and nobody drops a can or my little girl doesn't poke him awake.

He's hungry. Although I always nurse him before we leave the house, he's a little guy and he eats often. So I can bust the boob and try to steer the cart (near impossible, tried it, had the awkward convo-while-nursing with the bakery staff); I can steer my full cart back across the giant store to spend twenty  minutes sitting in the pharmacy waiting area and nurse him while attempting to entertain a bored and hungry two-and-a-half-year-old with a pen and a brochure (done it). Or I can rush through the check-out line - inevitably busy - while he cries loudly - and nurse him in the passenger seat in the parking lot, while my daughter reads one of her books in the back (that's what I usually do).

He's hot. Car seats just are hot. My daughter was always sweaty in hers, and he's no different. I can't do anything about that. Carrying him throughout the trip is just not on - he's too heavy, and it's too awkward. He can't sit up on his own yet. So while I can take off his blanket, I can't really solve the problem any other way. He's got to be in there. Yes, I will pull him out and bounce him in the parking lot before buckling him back in and driving away.

He's ill. My healthy looking, chubby and mostly happy little guy has tummy troubles. We've got a specialist, and we're giving him medicine for it. But the medicine doesn't completely solve the problem, and it's at home as it's a big bottle and needs to be measured out. I can't bring it in my purse. So if that's the trouble, he'll just have to wait until we're home. Home is less than 10 minutes from the store. And you can bet if that's what's wrong, I know - I can tell by his cry - and I'll be the one standing in the bathroom in the dark with the fan on, bouncing him and holding him up with his head back, the only combination of things that will eventually calm him down.

So yes, I know he's crying. Yes, I know why. Yes, I know what to do about it. One of the best things I can do is get out of there fast - but I still need to finish the job. Because we need to eat too. So if you don't mind - just be nice, don't say anything and trap me in a polite but unwelcome conversation, smile, and... get out of my way :)

Life with two

I haven't been posting that much lately, I know! With a busy - very busy - two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, and with this little guy who just turned two months, I'm not finding much time to myself these days. They decline to sleep at the same times, so I'm awake pretty much always.

 

Dexter is adorable, and very sweet - when he's not being colicky, which is often. There's a lot of crying. He strongly (and vocally) prefers to be held upright, with his head leaned way back, and bounced, with the bathroom fan on. All at once, and immediately, as soon as it occurs to him that that's not happening at any particular moment. So I spend a lot of time standing, swaying and bouncing in a dark bathroom with the fan on.

My daughter is adjusting fairly well, no real jealousy, but there are a lot more tantrums, and she is usually seeking the attention she used to get, which I just can't give her. I'm always saying, "Not just now, honey, I'm nursing/changing/bouncing/holding Dexter" and I can see the disappointment in her eyes. It is frustrating for both of us. I feel like our connection is not as strong as it once was, and I miss my time with her alone.

Me, I'm holding up - but lack of sleep is definitely making life difficult. I have no energy and find myself irritable and tearful much too often. PPD or just exhaustion? It's hard to tell. Anyway, I'm sure I will get back to more regular posts as things get easier. (They'll get easier, right? RIGHT?!?)

Back to School with Sears (giveaway alert!) #SearsBabysRoom

Back to school at Sears

My kids are still too little to experience the joy of going back to school, but I remember it with delight! I always loved the fall and return to school - the excitement of seeing old friends and making new ones, the anticipation of who was going to be in my class, and of course the new clothes and school supplies! Nothing beats a new pencil case full of sharp new pencils and a fresh pink eraser.

I wonder if our kids will know that pleasure, with technology in the schools?

Anyway, that anticipation and excited feeling is so strongly associated with fall for me that I have never gotten over. I looooooove me some back to school fall shopping.

So with the only somewhat fictional excuse of the rapid rate of child growth and the need for new fall clothes, I was happy to do some "back to school" shopping at Sears for the kiddos.

 Our little guy scored a super cute outfit from the Carters section of The Baby's Room at Sears.

This three-piece set came with a sweet stripey onesie in cerulean and white, and the grey hoodie and pants. I adore the little hoodie - it has a turtle on the front, and a plastic zipper with a soft fabric pull (it boggles my mind that some companies put metal zippers on kids' clothes).

It's super soft, and I like the jersey weight for the hoodie - not heavy like a sweater, more like a t-shirt fabric - which I think makes it more versatile. It is perfect for a cool summer morning and for all-day wear in the fall.

Mia chose her own outfit, as usual. (I did manage to talk her out of a purple, orange and pink combination that was painful to look at!). She chose a Nevada long-sleeved shirt and some fabulous sparkly pink Osh Kosh leggings.

The shirt is a size up, so she's wearing it like a dress. I'm sure I'm not the only one who buys clothes one size up - you know they're going to fit for longer, right?! It's super cute, grey with tiny pink zebras (which she insists are horses) and polka dots.  The leggings are also the next size up, so she's got room to grow.

Another awesome thing about shopping at Sears - besides the prices (and price match guarantee), brand names, and the selection - is their Kidvantage Lifetime Wearout Warranty. That means if your kid wears out his or her clothing or shoes before outgrowing it, Sears will replace it (with your original receipt). Cool!

You also NEED to know about the great giveaway Sears has for the season: the "Back We Go" contest on Facebook. With 35 daily $50 Sears gift cards and five weekly draws for $500 in gift cards! What an awesome back to school shopping spree that would be! The contest runs until September 5th.

Disclosure: I am part of the Sears The Baby’s Room Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

A safe and happy bath time with JOHNSON’S® NATURAL®

When we first started trying to conceive, years ago, I made a very conscious effort to rid my life of unnecessary chemicals. Products with parabens and phthalates were among the first on my "toss" list as I cleared out my cupboards. (Read more about why this is important for your health, and check out this fantastic - and scary - video as well)

I found that purchasing natural products made me feel better and more informed about what I was using on my body, but it also can be expensive and tricky to track down products that fit the bill.

Since I've had children, my views on ingredients in skin care products hasn't changed one bit - but I am happy to discover that there are some options for our little ones that are widely available, 97-99% natural, and paraben-, dye-, and phthalate-free: JOHNSON’S® NATURAL® Baby line.

We have been testing out these products for a couple weeks and I'm happy to say I like them.

The JOHNSON’S® NATURAL® Baby Shampoo is lightly scented (not that - sorry, but - nasty baby powder smell, either), and foams up quickly and well for good coverage of little heads. I use it on my two-year-old with her mid-back length hair as well as on my one-month-old with his 1cm of fuzz. I find it quite liquid, which makes it easy to spread out in a hurry. I emphasize the time aspect because the baby haaaates bath time for now, and getting his hair washed and clean fast is important!

 The JOHNSON’S® HEAD‐TO‐TOE®   Body Wash is also very lightly scented (the scent on both these products fades fast, I find). I appreciate not being overwhelmed by scent. It is great to use on a baby washcloth, getting nice and bubbly without using a ton of it.

The last product we are trying out is the JOHNSON’S® NATURAL® Baby Lotion. Of all three, this is the one I was least impressed by. The lotion smells lightly, and smooths on easily. It has a nice consistency, not too thick or thin. However, I feel like it goes on well but doesn't seem to absorb or do as good a job moisturizing as I would have hoped. My baby has some dry skin - nothing serious, not eczema or anything like that - but the lotion didn't seem to help that much with it. I do like this lotion for baby massage, though, as it's nice and light and slippery! 

Bath time for my daughter is a pleasure - she loves the water and would happily play in the tub for hours, playing with her water toys if we'd let her! She's not crazy about the practical aspects of it - hair washing, for example - but is thrilled to show off her burgeoning swimming skills by doing back floats and blowing bubbles with her face in the water.

Bath time for my son is a different story. He's still too little to really enjoy it, and mainly we try to minimize his discomfort by getting through it as fast as we can! He sits in his bath seat while we keep pouring warm water over him and get him washed and rinsed quickly. Draping a warm, wet washcloth over his body helps a little. The best part of his bath time is the cosy towel snuggles and his sweet fuzzy head after!

Disclosure: Product provided as promotional consideration to Emily's Latest by Johnson & Johnson Inc.

Get Outdoors (and a discount code!)! #SearsBabysRoom

Finally! Finally! Summer has reached Calgary (along with some wild flooding which this city's still recovering from). While I'm a little house-bound with a cluster-feeding three-week-old (ugh!), my toddler is ready to go!

Luckily the great outdoors is a lovely place to be, especially since we just had the lawn re-graded and sodded, getting rid of some terrible landscaping left over from the previous owners. And as long as we stay in the sunshine (sunscreened up, of course), the plague of mosquitoes mainly keeps away.

Outdoor play means outdoor toys. We love playing with bubbles, picking dandelions, pouring water and a "balance beam" made of a 2x4, but there are a few outdoor toys that I am crushing on on Mia's behalf.

We do have a Plasmart Plasmabike which Mia has been using in the basement all winter. I'm not sure if we will continue to use that as an indoor toy or bring it outdoors. It's so great on the tile floors downstairs, and we don't have a sidewalk in front of our house; just a sloped, bumpy aggregate driveway, so it would be a little tricky to ride out there unless we go on the road. We're on a quiet court, but who wants to take that chance?

Besides that, I would love for her to have the Little Tikes Sandy Lagoon Waterpark. I think she'd get an enormous amount of pleasure out of a sand and water play table, and this looks like a really fun one.

Photo from sears.ca

Can you imagine getting this Little Tykes Rocky Mountain River Race Inflatable Playset for your kids?  It's enormous! I think it would fit in our back yard, but there wouldn't be room for much else! It would definitely be a neighbourhood attraction! I think I would have been in heaven if I'd had that as a kid!

Photo from sears.ca

If you are in the market for some great outdoor toys (or any other toys!), I have an exclusive discount code for you to use at sears.ca! The code is 941612912. The offer is 20% off all regular price toys on Sears.ca, valid from July 12 (tomorrow) until July 18 (next Thursday).

Happy shopping!

 “Disclosure: I am part of the Sears The Baby’s Room Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.”

Meet the new baby, and an interview with Dad #SearsBabysRoom

I'm thrilled to say - our new little baby is here! We are thrilled to welcome Dexter to the family, born Tuesday morning. At just shy of 39 weeks along, he was 8 lbs, 5 oz and 21" - a solid 90th percentile baby. So far, so good! 

Mia's proud to be a big sister, though it is hard on her to have to share our attention. Although we did our best to prepare her, it's got to be a hard concept to grasp for a toddler before a new baby actually comes. I think he's much less fun, and taking up much more Mummy and Daddy time than she expected. 

Here she is holding him for the very first time Tuesday afternoon!

And here's my husband, what a proud Daddy he is! I love this photo - everyone smiling (okay, Dexter was sleeping) and happy. Mia's cuddled up right next to her Dad, and Dad's holding on tight to his newborn son. Cadbury, our 9-year-old chocolate lab, was pretty excited too - he's great with littles though was a little anxious about us being gone overnight! What a great first day for our little guy.

I asked him what his favourite part of being a Dad was, and here's what he had to say: "Watching our kids learn is pretty cool." Definitely! It is amazing to see how they process new experiences.

He also had some tips to pass on. Baby #2 has got to be easier than Baby #1, right? Even though they all come with individual challenges, you kind of know what to expect in general. So here are some Dad tips from Dexter's Daddy:

• Hold that baby! Babies love to be held and it doesn't always have to be Mum - the heat, heartbeat, movement and cuddles from Dad are great for soothing little one. 
• You get used to poop. Yeah, you never thought you would - but eventually (and with babies pooping all the time, that 'eventually' comes pretty quick) you have seen so much poop that another one just doesn't faze you. 
• Let Mum get some rest when you can help out that way. Seriously, happy Mama = happy family - and an exhausted Mum means grumpy Mum, kids who are clamoring for attention and unhappy babies (not to mention a Mum who's too tired is not going to accomplish those tasks that used to be priorities, like cleaning, laundry and cooking!).

I know Father's Day is technically over - but is there really a day as a parent when you're "off"? Not in my mind! So if you're thinking of picking up a little treat for Dad (or, hey, for yourself), check out Sears Days - on now until June 23rd, at Sears Canada locations and online at sears.ca which includes brands in The Baby's Room. Spend $50 between June 21-23 and get $10 in Sears Bucks to spend on your next purchase between June 24-27. Also - free shipping almost anywhere in Canada until the 23rd!! See in store for more details!

Disclosure: I am part of the Sears The Baby’s Room Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Girls

I love my little girl. I love her SO MUCH. And lately, I feel like the world is against her in ways she can't imagine (and I wish nobody else could, either).

I remember hearing when I first got pregnant with her, "When you have a little boy,  you only worry about one penis. With a little girl, you worry about ALL of them!"

Cute, right? It's a joke, right? Yeah. Right. Cute. Funny.

Except... not really.

Because penises, while they can be fun, can also be weapons. They can be used to intimidate, to demean, to hurt. They can turn your life upside down in an instant and change you from a confident person into a fearful one. Into a victim.

You can't really say that about vaginas.

I guess reading in the news last week that a five year old girl in India died of injuries sustained during a rape, then this week about those poor women in Cleveland, held and repeatedly raped for a decade, really affected me.

I can't imagine how horrible their experiences were. And I know that these few stories are just drops in the ocean of abuses towards women worldwide. I've had my own experience with rape. As awful as that was, it doesn't compare to the horror that poor child, and those poor girls went through. Or the misery, pain and terror that other women and children are going through every hour of every day, somewhere.

I weep for them. I hurt inside thinking that something so awful and cruel could happen. To a child. To a young woman. To anyone.

And I am terrified for my own daughter - that she will grow up too trusting and become a victim. That she will not trust anyone and live a closed-off life. That there is no safe zone, there is no avoiding the random, there is no possible way to tell who is going to be a "Bad Guy" in the worst, most evil sense of the term.

 The thought of something awful happening to her makes my heart stop, my gut clench, my adrenaline rush and my arms want to hold her close to me forever and never let her go. It's not fair for me to have this worry for her. It's not fair for me to want to keep her tight to me when she has the right to explore, to range, to wonder at the world in complete freedom from fear.

I hope that when we add our boy to this world in a few weeks, we'll be adding one more Good Guy to the mix. Helping to tip the balance towards decency, kindness, and respect. Raising a son that's a helper, a thinker, a boy and a man with a kind and generous soul. We will raise him with love, overflow his cup with love, so he's got lots to share. I hope with all my heart that he can make his partners feel happy, safe and loved in relationships (whether they be male or female). I hope to give him that with the lessons we teach him about how we treat other people. I can't imagine any mother wishing for anything different, really.

In the middle of the night

3:38 am.

I hear Mia cry out in her crib from my bedroom - she still only has to make the slightest sound and I wake. In I go. "I peed," she says, sleepily. We've been doing very well with toilet training, and she takes it pretty seriously. About half the time she'll wake and tell me she needs to go before she has, and we make a sleepy trip to the washroom.

So, I get her out of her night diaper and we go "have a try" on the toilet. Nothing happens. My tired girl is falling asleep on the seat. I'm sitting on the bathroom floor, enormous belly and all, also wavering between sleep and waking. We pull up a new diaper, and she reaches out, gives me a big hug and a kiss and says, "You're a nice mummy."

At that moment I forgave her for a million night wakings... I had tears in my eyes as I hugged her back, told her how proud I was of her for trying on the toilet, gave her a big cuddle and put her back in her crib. "Night, Mummy," she says as I stroke her forehead, turn on her ocean sounds, and leave the room.

I lie in bed for the next twenty minutes as the baby in my belly kicks and wiggles. If I get up in the night, so does he - the minute I lie down again. I think about my sweet girl and how she's never said those words to me before. Sure, she's said "I love you", but I've never been sure if that's a mimic response or the real thing.

4:18 am.

I am just drifting back to sleep, finally, when I hear the urgent call from Mia's room. "Mummy! MUMMY!"

I haul my seven-months-pregnant and very tired self once again out of bed and half-stumble, half-lurch into her room.

"What's the matter, Bunny?" 

"I had a little popcorn. I eat it all up. I watch the Croods with Daddy. Night Mummy. Have a good sleep." 

Okay. That one was a lot less worth getting up for....

Potty training... the adventure begins!

Yeah, I'm going right ahead and talking about poop on my blog. I became a Mum, that's what happened.

I admit it, I'm not entirely ready for potty training. We have one more big trip coming up (two weeks in Maui! I can't wait!) and I feel like we should wait until that upheaval's over before we begin.

My husband is ready - and has been for about 5 months.

My 23-month-old daughter? Well, she's surprising me.

We started her on the toilet at about 5 months old, really sporadically - put her on, go "Sssss" and she would sometimes go. Great, but not reliable and I honestly wasn't anywhere near regular with it. The good of that is that she is used to sitting there, not afraid of the flush (she likes to do it herself), and understands what it's for.  We also have a fairly open-door policy (where she is concerned) with us using the bathroom. She sees Mum and Dad using the toilet and we talk about what we're doing, wiping, flushing, washing our hands, and so on.

Santa (a.k.a. Mummy) got her some fabulous Big Girl Underwear for Christmas, which made a big impression. She talks about her owl underwear often and I think she's pretty keen to wear it.

I also got this great book out of the library, Diapers Are Not Forever, which we have been reading daily. She is REALLY interested in it, and asks for it, sometimes twice in a row, at bedtime and nap time. I like the way it doesn't dumb things down, but explains how and why we go on the toilet instead of in a diaper. Just like the big kids! I strongly recommend this book, as I think it's really helping her understand and prepare for the change.

I have looked at the various lists for readiness (stays dry overnight or during naps, can pull pants up and down by herself, tells when she needs to go, etc) and I don't see it. She will stay dry for a nap (her naps are short anyway), but definitely not at night. She has trouble with her pants, but can do it if she puts her mind to it. She definitely won't tell us when she needs to pee, but is pretty obvious about pooping.

We have had a bit of a breakthrough lately because of that. She was (ahem, TMI maybe) a little constipated this past weekend so it was extremely apparent when she was trying to poop. So we made a bit of a point of taking her to the toilet to try. And we are using chocolate chips and lots of praise as an incentive for successful trips to the toilet.

We had a successful toilet poop on the weekend, and then yesterday caught another one. This morning we were cuddling and nursing in bed (hey, she wakes at 5:30 am.... I'm not ready to get out of bed yet and like to prolong the down time with nursing) when she told me, "I poop on toilet!"

"What?!" I nearly shouted with excitement, "Do you need to go?"

"Yes!" she said, and off we rushed to the bathroom, where she promptly peed on the toilet. Yeah, her diaper was already soaked from the night, and okay, so she hasn't quite got the lingo down. But wow, that's awesome!

And today I have caught her 'trying' to poop in her diaper twice and we made it to the bathroom to do it in the toilet both times.

So we are doing remarkably well with poop... now to figure out how to get her to pee there on a consistent basis!

I'm seriously not in a rush as I feel like the traveling we'll be doing might set us back and that would be frustrating and disappointing for her. I want her to feel proud of her success. That said, I'm not that fond of dealing with poopy cloth diapers - and I definitely want her to be well out of diapers by the time the new baby arrives in June! The time is coming!

My loose plan is go simply go without diapers and straight into underwear (or go Naked Baby style if I don't think she'll catch a chill) and hang out in our tiled (and therefore easy to clean up accidents) basement for a few days. Incentives and praise for success, no shame in misses. I've heard this can be a one- to seven- day process, so I want to be able to set aside and commit the time and effort to it.

What were your successes with toilet training? Did you get on it early, or late? I'd love to hear your experiences.

Note: the links for the book are affiliate links, meaning I get a few cents from Amazon if you choose to buy through these links. I'm not kidding though, this book has really made a difference in the way she perceives going on the toilet. 

Toddler Fun: Bubble Wrap Print

Here's a fun project from The Toddler's Busy Book. Very simple!

Paint on some bubble wrap (taped to a table), and press paper onto it to make a print!

We used cheap acrylic (acrylics are non-toxic) craft paint. It's easy, but definitely can be messy. I only had BIG bubble wrap, so that's what we used. I think it would work better with smaller bubbles. But the result was pretty neat:

This lasted about 10 minutes with my 19.5 month old before she told me she was "all done". She had very little interest in the result (beyond wanting to paint on it more... she will paint on a paper until it is a sopping wad of mud-coloured fibre if given the opportunity). There was probably almost an equivalent time in prep and cleanup. But it was fun!

First Cheerios!

One of the big milestones in any baby's life is starting on solid foods. I know everyone has their favourite methods and recipes for baby's first foods, whether it's homemade organic or store-bought, but I think just about every parent I know included Cheerios in with the first finger foods.

With their high fiber, low sugar, and low fat content, Cheerios are a winner for both parents and tots. The size and shape make them easy to pick up for little fingers (and great for practicing the "pincer grasp", improving fine motor control), and once baby is able to chew, they love them.

I still like Cheerios for breakfast myself - Mia and I often share a bowl. One of her favourite things is to drop Cheerios one at a time into yogourt and eat a bite with both on the spoon. Maybe a little weird, but she likes it!

General Mills (the makers of Cheerios) has a fabulous campaign again this year to celebrate First Cheerios moments. You can join them on their Life Made Delicious Facebook page, and share a photo of your little one enjoying Cheerios - and it may even be included on the special edition 400g Cheerios box, in stores in Spring 2013! What a neat way to commemorate a fun moment in your child's life.

The first 1000 participants receive a coupon for a free box of Cheerios (one per household), and after that everyone gets a $1 off coupon towards your next box (one per calendar year)!

I added my photo to the group and loved seeing the photos other proud parents have submitted. How fun! When I was going through my photos, I realized just how many pictures I have of Mia having Cheerios. Of course, those can't just sit in my files - here's my own little mosaic of her Cheerios moments!

I hope you take advantage of this fun opportunity to share your baby's First Cheerios moment - and get a great coupon as well!

Disclosure – I am participating in the First Cheerios Blog Tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of General Mills. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Toes

I needed a re-do on my toes, and was busy during her nap, so it happened while she was awake. Of course, my toddler was fascinated.

"Mummy! Toes!" she said.

and then, much louder:

"MIA! TOES! PEASE!!!"

So I did.

Never thought I'd be painting an 18 month old's toes - it just happened. And yes, it's very cute! She loves it and keeps talking about her toes.

I'm not sure about it, though.

Why? Well...

- am I setting some kind of precedent here? Some kind of image/beauty thing? I don't even want to get into that. I mean, she's seen me apply makeup before and obviously has seen my painted toenails before... but to do it to/for her, that's different.
.
- I didn't have kiddie paint so used regular... what about toxins?

Hmm.

Playtex Twist 'N Click Snacker and Bowl Review

As any toddler's parent knows, snacking is suddenly extremely important. A hungry toddler is a CRAZY toddler, if mine is anything to go by. She gets whiny, cranky, and wild if she does not have snacks!

Some days it feels like all I do all day is prepare food, with three meals and three snacks each day (okay, the last snack is just my hubby and I after Mia's gone to bed! ha ha!). And on days when we have errands to run or anything that takes us out of the house for any length of time, it can be a challenge to make sure Mia gets a healthy snack before the meltdowns begin.

So anything that makes it easier gets my attention! Playtex has a couple new products that do just that.

Mia knew these were for her and could not keep her hands off even for a moment!

The Twist 'N Click Bowl comes in a set of two (suggested retail of $7.99 in Canada). It has an audible click when the lid is properly sealed, and is guaranteed leak-proof! It has a spot for a name on the bottom in case you are sending it to day care or school, for example. It's just the right size for a child. Mia is not a big eater and would probably not finish a whole bowl at this point, but it's a great size for taking along to the beach, errand run, hike, long drive, or any time you might want a bit of snack for everyone (I confess, I like to share Mia's snack most times!). I think in future it will be a perfect size for packing in her lunch for school as well. 

The Twist 'N Click Snacker (suggested retail of $5.49 in Canada) is a great design for a snack container. It has a snap-on lid that twists around to the base, so food stays fresh when it's closed and it acts as an extended handle and a sturdy base when it's open. The lid that stays screwed onto the cup has a flexible opening that little hands can easily reach through for grabbable snacks. And the screw top has a nice feature of an arrow that points to where you want to tighten it to for the best seal. It's nice and light, easy for Mia to hold with the handle, and it is tough.

 Here is the Twist 'N Click Snacker in action. Mia can open the snap lid herself and twist it around to the base. She quickly got the hang of reaching in and pulling out the cereal I'd put in there for her. And the lid of the Twist 'N Click Bowl makes a great plate, apparently! I just hope the cereal all made it into her mouth and not down between the couch cushions...

 Here's the arrow that indicates the area for the best seal. You can't see too clearly, but it's really obvious where you need to close it to on the bowl.

Mm, perfect for strawberries!

 My favourite bits? I love that these are durable, portable, leakproof, and dishwasher safe. I love the fun colours they come in, too! We got the lime green and hot pink combination - nice and bright.

I also like that the Snacker doesn't spill the goods even when tipped over... My daughter can't remember to keep things upright at this age. 

Overall, great products. I'm torn between which I like best. I think the Snacker has fun functionality, but the Bowls might be more practical in the long run.

Mia's current favourite snacks are: berries, fish-shaped cheese crackers (or any kind of cracker, really), dry cereal, pudding (bad mum!), those squeezy applesauce pouches, hard-boiled eggs, olives, buttered toast fingers, and baked marinated tofu cubes.

 I could use some more inspiration. Mia's diet is pretty varied, but I tend to head for the same easy snacks time after time... What are (or were) your toddler's favourite snacks?

Toddler Fun: Rigatoni

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately about keeping toddlers busy. The blog I've been enjoying the most is I'm going to make it (after all) - whose author is in the middle of a series of 100 ways to keep a toddler busy. Some are awesome and some have failed - she gives them grades on how well they worked for her little one.

I'm not sure if I got this idea there or somewhere else (Pinterest?), but it kept my 18-month old occupied for a good 20 minutes one day. And it's so simple... all you need is:

• rigatoni
• a couple of containers
• a ribbon 
• some masking tape

Wrap tape around one end of the ribbon to make a "needle".  Put some rigatoni in one container, and give the whole deal to your toddler.

 It's fun to transfer them from one container to the other, one by one.

 I had to show her what the ribbon was for at first, and she insisted I hold the tape needle for a while. Okay!

 But soon she had it figured out and did not want any help at all threading noodles onto her ribbon!

 It's also fun to shake them in the container, then pour them and make a big clattery noise!

They can be stood on their ends! I did a few to show her, then she did some, then had a great time knocking them all over. 

I tried putting them on her fingers, but she didn't like it much. She would allow one on her index finger. She tried putting them on my fingers and LOVED that my fingers were too big. "BEEG!" she kept yelling as she tried to jam them on my fingers and laughing like crazy!

 Of course, it was all abandoned after a while. You may want to count the rigatoni so you don't find dusty ones under the furniture months from now.

On to the next fun toy... the paint roller. It's great fun to roll the back of the couch.

The noodles haven't been as big a hit in days since, but I think if I put them away for a while it will be fun again.

Mia, and I, and my husband, have been terribly sick for the last few days. We had her at the Children's Hospital emergency ward two nights ago with a fever of 104. Up all night with a feverish, sick baby who can't breathe, when you're sick yourself, and then contractors coming in at 8:00 am to bang all day in the house is not fun. We had that one really terrible night and I think things are slowly getting better.

Poor little tot is miserable with this virus, but despite that she is in such good spirits. What a little trooper! I can't say the same for my husband or myself, we are both just miserable sick people!

Toddler fun: Water Painting!

Inspired by a post over at Eco-Babyz, Mia did some water painting this morning. What fun! All you need is water, a brush, and construction paper for some relatively mess-free busy toddler time.

We did this on a plastic table, so no worries about soaking through or dying the surface with the wet construction paper. You may wish to add waxed paper under your paper if you're working on a surface that might react badly to water or colour!

Build A Bear Review

I never thought I would be impressed by Build a Bear. It's a weird concept and seemed totally gimmicky and lame.

If you haven't been (as I never had before today), here's how it works - you (for "you" assume you or your child, if your child is old enough) choose an unstuffed animal, you can choose a sound pack to put in it (for an extra fee), you take the animal to the fluff machine where a staff member fills it with blown-in stuffing. You can press the pedal to power the machine if you like. Once the animal is full, you choose a small heart to add to the animal. Then the staff pull the pre-stitched threads to close it up, and you can either take it home like that, or spend more money in the "boutique" on outfits, shoes and accessories (even small plastic branded wardrobes, ugh) for your stuffed animal. A little upsell attempt at the till to negotiate, as they tried to sell me some kind of mesh carrying bag. If you don't opt for the upsell, you can take it home in a printed house-shaped cardboard box (I opted out of that too - it would just go directly in the recycling).

All that sounds awful to me as I write it out.

But I had a $20 gift card and also a $5 off $25 printable coupon for Build a Bear (click the link to get your own coupon - not affiliated or anything, just sharing). So with $25 burning a hole in my pocket, we had to go. 

We took our 15.5 month old daughter there today, and here's the thing... she LOVED it. I mean, she was in a grouchypants, complainy mood (molars, I needn't say more). And the minute we went into the store it was all squeals of delight. She's in a phase where she adores stuffed animals, so it was really no surprise. She spent a great deal of time hugging and squealing at the unstuffed animals, armfuls at a time, until we spotted The One - a chocolate lab much like our beast of a dog, Cadbury.

Pure joy!

The dog was $27 and we did not choose a sound pack or any outfits or accessories. Total cost to me after tax and my coupon and gift card? $3.10. She went to bed with it tonight.

So. Worth. It.

If you are thinking of what to get a child (anywhere from 15 months to, I don't know, 12?) for a gift, maybe a gift certificate for Build a Bear would be a good one! It's a fun experience for them.

Disclosure: This is in no way a sponsored review.

Things I wish I didn't have to say...

Oh, Honey! Don't lick the bathroom floor!

No, no! Don't put your finger in there! Yuck!

Don't drink the bathwater!

Settle down, we're dealing with poop here! 

Stop biting your pants! 

..sigh..

Friendship, for Mums

After my daughter was born, I felt so isolated. My husband went back to work after a glorious - and exhausting - month of tandem newborn parenting; suddenly, it was just me and Mia. On top of that we moved for a three month stint in a different province while she was 3-6 months old – then moved again when she was just shy of a year! My BBFs (before baby friends) pretty much made the requisite newborn visit and that was it. They mostly had older children of their own, so we weren’t in the same trenches. The friends without children… well, they weren’t interested in my favourite (okay, only) topic of conversation, and suddenly staying up late or going out was not an option for us.

Meanwhile, I was going mad without adult conversation!

After a while – when I recovered from the birth, and the shock of having a new baby - I realized that it was entirely up to me to get out of the housebound rut and make some new friends.  I really am a shy person. It is not at all second nature to me to go out and meet people; it is a major effort to get over myself and stop being such a loner! Here’s how I overcame my shyness and made some mum friends that I have a lot in common with – because that was one of the hardest parts of having a baby, for me.

Here are some of the things I did that helped me make some great new friends.

• Sign up for Baby and Me classes. Here are some places to try – your library, recreation center, fitness studio, Early Years centres (in Ontario – I’m not sure what the equivalent is elsewhere), and community centres. I joined Baby Goose at the library, which was a half-hour, once-a-week stories-and-songs program that went on for eight weeks and was quite inexpensive (I can’t recall, but I think it was around $40 at my library).  Most libraries offer programs for children.
  
  I also joined a Mother Goose program put on by Early Years, which was free (!), and that was amazing – mums’ chat time before and after, songs, stories, and lots of resources like guest speakers on topics like car seats, vaccinations, that sort of thing. I highly recommend that program if you have one in your area!
  
  A Mommy and Me Aquafit class at the local pool was also loads of fun. The babies sat in floating turtles, and us mums tugged or pushed them around the pool. We got a decent workout, the babies got to enjoy the water, as well as meeting some new friends.  There are loads of fitness programs for mums and babies; check your local rec centre, yoga studio, or look up a program like Salsa Babies. The fitness programs are generally a little more expensive, but it’s great for the self-esteem to start working out post-partum, and if you can take your baby with you, you don’t have to worry about arranging babysitting or sketchy gym childcare!


• Do drop in at the drop-in play centres. I went to one in a local church basement that had loads of toys, lots of kids, and friendly people (again run by Early Years). They had a toddler and a bigger-kid room, and did circle time and snack time as well, for the once-weekly morning drop-in. That one was free; many of the drop-in play centres have a small fee, $2 or so. Check in your area – there are bound to be centres near you in community facilities or churches (often without a religious aspect, if that is holding you back). The parents are generally local and are often regular attendees, so you will definitely have a chance to get to know some new friends if you go back a few times 


• Look online for mummy groups. I found one when we were in Calgary the first time on Meetup.com, just by searching my neighbourhood and interest. I managed to meet some really awesome people and have made at least one good friend that way – we kept in touch while I was back in Ontario and she is one reason I was not hating the idea of moving to Calgary for good – I knew I had a friend here!
   
• Start your own group. Organized mums can post their groups on community forums or on the big sites like Meetup, Craigslist, Facebook, etcetera – and get a group of like-minded people together.
  
  After I had met a bunch of mums through the various classes in Ontario, I set up a Facebook group for mums of babies in the same age group in my town. I added some of the mums I’d met, and they added more. That group is still active and getting together for walks and playdates.  My group of mum friends here in Calgary also has a Facebook presence. That makes it so easy to keep up with what‘s going on, and to arrange outings and playdates.
   
• Get out of the house and talk to people. You will find that just about everyone wants to look at and comment on your new baby – and many of those people have something to offer, whether it is advice (wanted or unwanted!), or community. Smile at other mums you see, and say hi – it just might open the door to a new friend. Nursing and baby changing rooms at malls are often full of mums just like you – getting out of the house in the daytime with their babies. In the summer, the park is a good place to meet parents of children the same age as yours, who usually live conveniently nearby. You can meet new friends anywhere that you can strike up a conversation.
  
  As an example, we just signed some papers at the lawyer’s office. I got to chatting with the receptionist about moving to a new neighbourhood, and not knowing where to get a child’s hair cut. It turned out she has a daughter close in age to mine, and was able to recommend a children’s salon. After our appointment, she gave me her email address and said she gets together with some other mums if I’d like to join them some time. How easy is that? All it takes is being friendly.
   
• Ask for advice. Everyone LOVES to be asked their opinion or for advice. Really. Think of the last time you were able to help someone with something, even finding the right aisle in the grocery store – and you will remember the good feeling that helping someone out gives you. So give people the opportunity to have that feeling – ask a question of a likely stranger! See a mum perusing the baby aisle? Ask her which products her baby loves, or what she’d recommend. It’s such an easy opening to a conversation. 

One of my favourite things about being a parent is that Mia is an instant icebreaker, and I now have at least one obvious thing in common with a lot of the people I meet. Whether we like the same movies, books, music, whatever – it doesn’t really matter, as we always have something to talk about: our children.

Making friends has now become something I work at. Knowing people in the same phase of life makes such a HUGE difference. You can commiserate together, and celebrate the milestones.  Having friends with a baby the same age makes it easy to schedule playdates (with social benefits for mums and babies), talk over any troubles, get ideas for new things to try with your baby and get advice or resources when you need them.

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the women I have met as a mother – they are funny, intelligent, friendly, and, perhaps best of all, are perfectly willing to talk about babies at length (as well as any other topic under the sun!).

I hope this inspires you to get out and make a new friend. It’s not as hard as you might think it is!

How have you expanded your social circle after children? I’d love to hear from my readers of experiences you’ve had meeting new friends – and any of your tips are welcome as well!

The Easiest Fudge Ever, and No-Sew Tutu tips

Want an impressive, crowd-pleasing treat for the holidays in under 10 minutes? This is it... Great for holiday baking tins, after dinner with coffee, to take to or serve at parties, and so many variations!

Super Easy Microwave Fudge

• 3 cups chocolate chips (any variety - dark or milk chocolate, peanut butter, mint chocolate, white chocolate, go crazy!)
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup of add-ins (mini marshmallows, chopped nuts, candied cherries, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips if using dark or vice versa, crushed candy cane, chopped candy bar, Skor bits, coconut flakes, anything goes!)
• 1 tsp vanilla
  

Combine chips, milk and butter in a microwaveable bowl. Heat 3-5 minutes on 50% power, stirring every minute until chips are melted. Stir in vanilla and add-in ingredient (save some for sprinkling on top if you like!).
Line an 8x8" pan with foil and grease foil (if you forget, don't panic - it's just a little harder to peel off the foil later).
Pour the chocolate mix into the pan and refrigerate until set.

I used chocolate chips and chopped pecans - yum!

Makes 64 1" squares of deliciousness. They look great on a tray with cookies, or in a tin in those little paper candy cups. Some of the options that sound yummy to me:

• white chocolate macadamia nut
• white chocolate cranberry
• milk chocolate Skor
• milk chocolate with peanuts and raisins
  
• dark chocolate cherry
• peanut butter with white chocolate chips
• any chocolate with rice krispies
• mint chocolate chip with marshmallows
• adding a little cinnamon or even hot pepper flakes would make an interesting change

You can divide it into smaller pans and make different batches, too (half chocolate-nut, half chocolate-cherry). So versatile! I love it.

In other news, I did end up making tutus for my nieces, and bought my tricky-to-buy-for eight year old nephew a children's cook book, which he actually seemed pretty excited about (we had the big family Christmas on the weekend).

Here is one of the no-sew tutus I made, generally following instructions I found online. It took about 6 yards of tulle, cut along the bolt fold and cut into 6" strips, per tutu. I used pink elastic at the waist, about 20" long with an inch overlap, sewn (the girls are 3 and 4 years old), and added a ribbon at the waist as well, so that they can tighten it for now and it still has room to flex later. The trick I discovered for tying the tulle is to lay the closed blades of a pair of scissors along the elastic & ribbon combo and tie the tulle around the whole thing. The blades of the scissors easily slide over to the next spot to tie, and it prevents the knot from being too tight around the elastic (if it's too tight, it won't stretch or will stay stretched out).

I will say that this took a lot longer than I had expected - it was not a quick project. I think it would be faster to make a sewn tutu! A little basting and elastic, voila. I guess I will know for next time, if I ever tackle a tutu again. For now, I am so over tulle!