Finish Quantum dishwasher detergent - Giveaway!

You may have been following along as I tested out Finish Quantum dishwasher tabs. Trial by fire in two dishwashers (the old beast at the rental house we lived in, and a higher-end one in the house we moved into). The results were sparkling!

I don't think I mentioned in any of my previous posts how much I appreciate that there is no strong scent in the product. I really don't like scented dishwasher detergents. Eating off a lemony, soapy smelling dish does not appeal to me at all. One more thing I like about Finish.

 Check out the Finish Canada Facebook page  as they once again are offering FREE SAMPLES!

The kind folks at Finish have generously decided to give TWO boxes of Finish Quantum to one of my lucky Canadian readers!

Click 'read more' if you don't see the form. Giveaway begins at 12:01am May 19th and ends at 12:01am on May 29th (EST). Best of luck!

Do you know a Mom of the Year?

When you think about all the mothers you know, it's amazing what those women have accomplished. Mothers who work, and mothers who work at keeping a household. Mothers who put everyone ahead of themselves. I think the moment you become a mother - whether it's a child you birthed or a child you foster, adopted, or provide care for - you grow up. It may be of necessity, but it's 100% a labour of love.

I know there are mums out there who have overcome huge personal crises and obstacles in their lives and I admire that. I also admire the everyday heroes, the mums who keep families running smoothly and happily, mums who can be counted on to be there for their little ones, stand by their husbands, put family first and still find time to be good friends.

There's one mum I know who I really admire for all she does. Maggie is a mum of four great kids who are happy, smart and interesting children (not to mention cute as all get-out). She manages to keep her house spotless, get the boys off to school, entertain her two little girls all day, and prepare a hot dinner for the family, all before heading off to work at her job - and still finds time to hit the gym.

Maggie is also a great friend. She organizes play dates for all the mums she knows, often hosting loads of little ones and their mothers at her house (and I'm sure you all can imagine the chaos that can entail). She is the person who gets everyone together and sorts out what to do and when. She's a great listener, and a thoughtful and intelligent person to have a conversation with. Just the sort of friend you want to have. 

Maggie is my pick for Mom of the Year. What is MOTY, exactly?

This year Walmart is launching the Mom of the Year Award to help celebrate and recognize the huge contribution moms make as role models and integral members of the family and community.  This award will become an annual program to celebrate all that Mom does and shine a light on what is important to her.

Nominations will be accepted Mother’s Day (May 13) through July 8, 2012 and can be submitted through www.momoftheyear.ca. They can come from daughters, sons, family members, friends, colleagues or community members.


Eight finalists will be selected and notified in mid-August and will be treated to an award celebration weekend in September. The Mom of the Year Award recipient will receive $10,000 for personal use and $100,000 to their cause or charity of choice. The remaining seven finalists will each receive $10,000 for personal use and $10,000 to their cause or charity of choice.

 Wow - talk about a generous and amazing award! Way to go, Walmart. So get thinking about who you are going to nominate for Mom of the Year.


Disclosure: I’m part of the Walmart program by Mom Central. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own. 
Mom of the Year Award: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY Internet access and valid email account required. Nominations open May 10, 2012 to July 8, 2012 for legal residents of Canada over the age of majority.  Entrants cannot nominate themselves. One (1) grand prize available to be won consisting of $10,000 cash, a $100,000 donation by Wal-mart Canada Corp. to charity/cause and a trip to Toronto (ARV $22,000). Seven (7) runner-up prizes available to be won consisting of $10,000 cash, a $10,000 donation to charity/cause and a trip to Toronto (ARV $22,000).  Charity/cause subject to verification and final approval by Wal-mart Canada Corp., at its sole discretion. Odds of winning depend on how the judging panel evaluates each entry according to the criteria. For Official Contest Rules and to nominate an entrant, visit [www.momoftheyear.ca].

Mom4Life

I just wanted to share with you an online store for mum and baby products. Mom 4 Life is US-based (and offers free shipping with no minimum order in the US - if only that was for Canada, too!), and carries loads of products that take you from maternity through labour and delivery, to parenthood.

I love the name, it really resonates with me. Especially with Mother's Day just past, I really feel the honour, joy, and responsibility that comes with being a mum. Definitely a mum for life!

A couple of products they carry that I can personally recommend are the Ingrid and Isabella BellaBand (fabulous for pregnancy, it's a firm yet stretchy fabric that keeps your belly comfortable and covered - and there are some in the clearance section! Deals, mamas!) and the popular BabyLegs - super cute legwarmers that make diaper changes so easy! Mia has several pairs and they're great. Mia also has a Wubbanub that she loves. She never took to soothers (fine with me) but adores her cute Wubbanub puppy. It's a plush toy with a soother attached, which I find helps keep track of the soother and makes it harder to lose! They carry cloth diapers as well!

It's  a store to check out if you are doing some online shopping for babies, mums, or mums to be!

Disclosure: Mom4Life sent me products in return for an article on their store. My opinions of the products I've mentioned are honest and my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Better Dishwashing with Finish Quantum

As part of the Finish Revolution campaign, I had the privilege to watch a webinar on getting the most out of my dishwasher. You think it's easy, right? Throw the dishes in the dishwasher, add some detergent, turn it on, voila! Clean dishes.

HA! There is much more to it to achieve the gleaming dishes we all want to see come out of our dishwashers.

I had no idea about the science behind detergents, or the best techniques of loading and caring for our dishwasher. So let me share some of the things I've learned, and hopefully we will all have better, cleaner results from our favourite kitchen machines (okay, my favourite kitchen machine, at least... I hate washing dishes by hand!).

Did you know that there are two types of cleaners that can be in detergents?  Enzymes take care of proteins and starches, and bleach gets the rest. Enzymes work at a lower temperature than bleach, and start the cleaning process - as the water temperature rises, bleach kicks in. The bleach kills the enzymes. For this reason, a gel detergent can only contain one or the other. So a separated detergent tablet like Finish Quantum seems the ideal way to go. The wall inside the tab keeps the bleach from killing off the enzymes - hence, more cleaning power!

Then there's that ball of rinse agent in the Finish Quantum tabs. This helps prevent soft water etching (damage on glasses, for instance) or hard water film and calcium buildup on your dishes and in your dishwasher.

Another thing I learned (which should be common sense, but for some reason this was an eye-opener for me) - under the kitchen sink is one of the dampest places in the house. So keeping your dishwasher detergent in there is not the wisest plan! Have you ever had a box of powder detergent go hard? That's the moisture activating the cleaner. Once it's hardened, it will not have the same cleaning power anymore.

And my technique of loading every last thing I can jam into my dishwasher before running it probably isn't doing me any favours.  I often have put small bowls under big ones, thinking the water will wash up and over the little ones. Not so. Nesting like that can trap particles and prevent water from reaching the upper dish. So for the best results I should be taking care that each dish has its own space. It may mean more frequent loads as a result (our current Bosch dishwasher has a small load capacity), but better results. Huh!

So I'm trying this new approach on loading the dishwasher and I have to admit, I am running it a bit more often, but doing a lot less post-dishwasher hand-washing. And why have a dishwasher if you have to hand-wash what comes out of it?!

Here are my top takeaways from the webinar. I hope you find this helpful!

My Top 5 Tips for Great Dishwasher Results:

1. Use hot water. If your kitchen is far from your hot water heater, or your heater is set too low (it should be at 120 degrees, and no hotter than 125 to prevent scalding), you may not be getting the ideal temperature for your dishwasher's peak performance. 
2. Load with care. Make sure cutlery and dishes are not nesting or pressed up against each other. Give the water and detergent room to do their job! 
3. Use detergent that contains everything you need. You want enzymes, bleach, and a rinse agent to get the cleanest dishes (Finish Quantum contains all three - and does not contain phosphates).
4. Check and clean your dishwasher once in a while. Check the holes in the spray arms for build-up, and check the water outflow drains for food or buildup as well. Water should be able to enter and exit the dishwasher freely. Running a cleaning agent like Finish Dishwasher Cleaner once in a while will keep your dishwasher running smoothly and odour-free!
5. Keep your detergent away from moisture! In my experience the powder in boxes always goes hard before I finish the box. That's wasted money and useless detergent. And despite the smaller boxes, tabs are more concentrated and keep longer as they are sealed - and generally do the same number of loads as a big box of powder detergent!

Happy dishwashing!

Disclosure: I am part of the Finish Blogger Program by Mom Central. I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

One new winner for DreamBelly Butter

Think you didn't win? Maybe you did! One of my winners did not respond, so I have chosen a new one. Announced on the original review of DreamBelly Stretch Mark Butter, and emailed!

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..

Goodbye, Goodlife

We've been Goodlife Fitness members for years. I mean, I joined in 2001 - back when the bi-weekly rate was $16 (it's now $23, or $21 if you sign up during a sale). I was always a big advocate of the club, too. I loved their Les Mills classes. BodyFlow was my favourite - a mix of tai chi, pilates, and yoga. I brought several new members into the club myself with my glowing praise and enthusiasm for it.

Over the years I was thrilled to keep my locked-in member rate as prices increased. In 2007, I moved to a location that was fairly far from a club, and terminated my membership. What a mistake that was. I ended up missing it enough to make the 20 minute drive and re-signed soon after at a higher bi-weekly rate. It was not ideal to pay more than I had been, but I recognized that I'd cancelled my membership and was considered a new member.

Then my husband's company started a corporate partnership account with Goodlife. We got a great rate by going with the corporate plan. Knowing their tendency to increase rates, we asked the club before we switched to the corporate plan if we could return to our current rates should we leave the corporate plan. "Sure," they said, "No problem." And with that sorted - or so we thought - we went ahead with it.

And guess what? A year later, my husband has changed jobs and provinces, and we are no longer eligible for the corporate plan. Fair enough. But when we tried to switch back to our old rates, we were told that was not possible, despite what we'd been assured of before.

We went to the local club to talk about it. The staff member disappeared several times into an office to "call the district manager" and every time came back saying there was nothing they could do. If we wanted to stay at the club, we could pay the sale price (ending the next day - no pressure!) of $21 bi-weekly each.

One staff member enthused about the Jump Fitness child care at the gym, as she saw that we had Mia with us - I found that ironic considering my recent, first and LAST experience with that - read my review of Goodlife's Jump Fitness Child Care to see why!

We were happy and loyal members and felt like we had just been treated like dirt. Broken promises, what a disappointment.

So goodbye, Goodlife.

We're going to spend the summer (if it ever gets to Calgary - it snowed today!) outside exercising and making the most of the beautiful parks, lakes and mountains around us. And in the fall, we'll look for a new fitness club. Hopefully one that honours its promises and has some interest in keeping loyal members.

If there are any co-ed fitness clubs in the south of Calgary that are interested in a review, well, my husband and I would be happy to test out your facilities :)

Game of Thrones!

Are you watching it? My husband and I enjoyed the first season of this HBO program so much that we have begun reading the book series by George R. R. Martin as well. The books are great - and make me realize how true the show is to the story. My husband says he's finding that reading the thoughts each character has adds a lot, as that is something that's harder to portray on television.

I love the sets on the show - so detailed, so large - and the costuming and casting is fabulous.

If you have a chance, start at the beginning with Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season and A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1). We are just over half way through the first book, and a few episodes into the second season of the show. It's super addictive! Highly recommended.

I'd love to hear your favourite character. It's hard to commit to one, because you never know who's going to die next! But I really like Daenarys - her transformation in the first series was remarkable. And I am rooting for Arya as well! Who do you like?

Boxes

We have officially moved into our new house. It is a big home in a great location - in a fabulous neighbourhood, right on the edge of a provincial park - a view of the mountains to the west and a view of the city skyline to the north, even with a lake that we have access to - but it needs some serious TLC. We're planning a full kitchen renovation (gutting and redoing), renovating the master bathroom, and the laundry room (walls coming down), ASAP!

I can't describe all the things that we have discovered that are wrong with this house. It's clear that the previous owners did little to no maintenance on the house at all. I spent ages scrubbing the kitchen sink as it was nasty-dirty. (Who leaves a house like that?) Lots of things are broken (plumbing in several locations, the fireplace, even cracked windows) and lots of things need repair - the biggest one being the roof, which needs a complete re-do - it's untreated pine shakes, which was a terrible idea. It's falling apart! Oh, my. It's going to cost a small fortune just to get everything up and running.

The gardens are also a disaster - poorly planned beds with falling-apart brick walls around them, overgrown evergreens and ugly shrubs. I am looking forward to getting that fixed, but the interior comes first. Maybe next summer.

Meanwhile, we are living on the top floor and the basement, using the kitchen on the main floor, but knowing we'll have to move all our stuff out of there when we start renovations. The ceiling on the main floor will have to come down (walls and lights are moving), and the floor will be all redone, so there's no point moving anything in on the main floor at all. Mia is loving running from empty room to empty room. She's handling all this transition so remarkably well!

So, it's another several months of living out of boxes and in a fugue state. We are happy to be out of the grotty rental house, but oh, it will be nice to actually settle in.

Anyway, that might explain the lack of posting lately. It's been extremely busy lately around here and we have a lot to do yet.

Fairhaven Health DreamBelly Butter - Review and Giveaway!

I have worked several times in the past with Fairhaven Health and jumped at the chance to test out and review the new DreamBelly Stretch Mark Butter.

You may recall that while I was pregnant, I used DreamBelly Stretch Mark Cream daily on my ginormous belly. I managed to pack on about 50 lbs while I was pregnant - yowza! Yet I made it through without a single stretch mark from pregnancy. You can read my previous review of DreamBelly Stretch Mark Cream if you want the full story.

Just for fun, here's my enormo belly on one of the last days of pregnancy, while I was in labour. You will have to excuse the nasty pyjama pants, I was scraping the bottom of the dresser for anything I could get on at that point:

Not one stretch mark! Hooray! I'm not posting a belly shot now - oh, how I miss the days of flat pre-preg belly that was not squishy in the least - but I assure you, it's still stretch mark free.

So, I can personally attest to the awesomeness of that product, and although I am not pregnant (no, this review is not an announcement!) DreamBelly Butter was something I needed to try. With our recent move to Calgary from Ontario, I have realized just how much the humidity (or lack thereof) affects my skin. Calgary is dry as a desert bone and I'm headed that way, too. I was in desperate need of moisture.

DreamBelly Butter has natural ingredients, safe for pregnancy - and honestly, why would you want to use anything that is not safe for pregnancy, even when you're not pregnant? DreamBelly Butter:

Combines the healing power of rosehip oil, aloe vera, honeysuckle and grapefruit, to protect and regenerate skin, and provide soothing relief from itchiness

Provides deep moisturizing from natural butters and oils with no greasy, slippery feeling

Has the mild, pleasant fragrance of milk and honey

Contains no petroleum products, parabens, artificial colors or artificial preservatives

I love the very light scent - to me it smells sweet like candy, but not in a sticky, fake way, like so many lotions.  It's just really nice. Feminine without being girly, flowery or powdery.

The best thing about it is the feel. It is thick and absorbs well without leaving a greasy feeling on your skin. You can really feel it moisturizing, but you don't feel slippery or oily at all. I can't stand applying lotion and then feeling like it's going to get all over my sheets or clothing. DreamBelly Butter goes on and soaks right in. Lovely. I just checked out the reviews on their site, and it looks like other women love it just as much as I do - all 5 star reviews.

One of the things I respect about Fairhaven Health - and this goes for all their products - is that they provide a complete ingredient list on their website for each product. Everything I have tried from them has been fantastic quality. Although I write a lot of reviews, I don't always gush - but this company has me gushing. It's good stuff. 

And now I have some excellent news: Fairhaven Health has generously offered to send out DreamBelly Stretch Mark Butter to FIVE of my lucky readers! Get in on this one, you will love this product!

Click "read more" if you don't see the Rafflecopter form to enter!

Quick click to make me feel loved

Anyone feel like voting for a picture? I have no hope of winning (one blogger has her pic as an entry into contests on her blog, so she's in top spot) but I would feel better with a few votes :) http://bit.ly/HXLAti

Thanks! :)

A Supreme Green Mess #FinishRevolution

This week I have been trying out a few new recipes from my stash of cookbooks. One of the ones I tried was Supreme Green Spaghetti, from my Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook. Usually I love the recipes from Vegetarian Times - they can generally be relied upon to transform simple ingredients into delicious dishes. I was eager to test out the Supreme Green Spaghetti, because it looked so healthy and simple.

Well, it was simple and fairly healthy alright, but seriously devoid of flavour and had a disappointingly grainy texture! I usually happily modify recipes after the first by-the-book test - but this one is just not worth it. So I won't bother sharing it (it's not even on the VT site). Suffice to say, it involved blending cooked broccoli and spinach with milk, butter, salt and garlic to create a sauce for whole grain spaghetti. And even though I love all those ingredients, it was a mess. Not particularly tasty, the raw garlic had too much bite (although I'm a garlic lover), the texture was icky.

The only one of us who enjoyed it was my 14 month old. Bland pureed vegetables are okay with her.  My husband barely ate five bites - he said he wasn't that hungry, but I know he was sparing my feelings. And I managed half a bowl before giving up. The next day I added some organic tomato sauce to the dish and tried again, it was still not worth eating.

It's not too often that I create an absolute unsalvageable failure in the kitchen, but it does happen!

At any rate, the mess of a dinner came with a mess of a blender as well.  The blended bits of broccoli and spinach are exactly the kind of thing that tend to dry on and stick like glue to dishes. The dishwasher in our grotty rental house (we're moving by the end of the month to the new house, hooray!) is an old beast and does not do a great job by any means. So this was a big test for the Finish Quantum dishwasher tabs that I've been trying out. Here's the blender as it went in to the dishwasher:

 ...and that is how it sat in the dishwasher for four days. We're a small family of three and weekdays, as my husband only eats one meal a day at home, we take a while to fill up the dishwasher. So there it sat until we finally had a full load.

Oh, the suspense. Would I be washing that blender by hand afterwards? I HATE hand washing dishes, so I really was hoping for the best.

Well, you can stop biting your nails with anticipation - here's the result, fresh out of the dishwasher. Sparkling clean!

I am positive the tabs I was using before (store brand green tabs) would have left not only dried-on bits of green goo but also detergent residue on the glass. So I am quite happy with this result. If only we'd gotten a tasty dinner out of it!

Disclosure: I am part of the Finish Blogger Program by Mom Central. I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Free Finish Quantum dishwasher detergent (CDN)!

Here's a little heads up about a very nice freebie! Finish Canada is offering a mail-in rebate for up to $8.49 on any Finish Quantum product. Just "like" Finish Canada on Facebook, head for the "Special Offers" tab and you will find the printable rebate form. You can make your purchase between now and May 4th; just hang on to your receipt so you can send it in.

Great chance to try out Finish if you haven't yet. We have been using it as part of the Finish Revolution. More on that later, but so far, so good! 

Hello, Free Shoes!

Let me guess - I had you at hello, right?

I discovered a store policy yesterday that I think you need to know about! At PayLess Shoes, if they don't have your size in stock, you can request a printout that shows locations nearby that have the shoe in your size. And, for the hassle of traveling to another store, you receive a $6 discount on those shoes (take the printout with you to the second store, that's your coupon). And, when the shoes in question are on sale for $6... well, that means FREE SHOES! For an eight minute drive (en route to where I happened to be headed anyway), I didn't even pay tax on these sweet ballet style shoes (regular price $19.99) for Mia.

A girl can't have too many pairs of shoes. And the price was right!

Please note, this was my experience with two PayLess shoe stores in Calgary. I haven't researched their national (or international, for that matter) policy. YMMV!

On being a painter.

I was at a doctor's office the other day for a meet-and-greet appointment - a new family doctor here in Calgary. He seemed a very nice man, patient, apologetic for running late, yet not rushing us through our appointment to catch up. He asks the requisite questions: family history, medical concerns, etcetera - and then we come to profession.

"I'm an artist," I say, "A painter."

"Ah," he says. "Ah. What sort of paints do you use?"

"Oil paints," I reply.

"Yes, but what sort?"

I think fast. What sort of paints? Is he concerned about workplace safety, or chemicals in my system, toxic leads and heavy metals in my breast milk for my nursing toddler? Is he asking me if I work with industrial grade or artist grade paints? Is he leading to questions about my awareness of the hazards of using oils and spirits, or wondering if I've done WHMIS training?

Then I get it. Oh.

"What brands, you mean?" I ask.

He nods and leans in.

"Well," I say, and rattle off a couple of paint brands.

Pregnant pause.

He looks at me, eyebrows slightly raised, expectant. Waiting.

Here we go, I think. I give in. I sigh. I ask what he is waiting for me to ask - "Are you a painter, too, then? These are painterly questions." Drily. Resignedly. In a voice that perhaps should indicate my lack of enthusiasm. He can't possibly know, but I have asked this question and had this conversation many, many times before.

"Yes!" he exclaims, and pulls out his phone to show me a picture of a brightly coloured painting of boats. A copy of a Monet. "It's big!" he says, proudly.

"Lovely," I reply - what else can I say? - waiting to move on, back to the reason we are there in his office.

"You'll have to bring in a picture of your paintings next time you're in," he declares.

I briefly consider handing him a business card, or providing my website address. Dismiss it, realizing he's not really that interested. "Yes," I say, in my most non-committal voice.

I think about the years I spent studying at university to earn my Fine Arts degree, and the day that I ditched the office job, shortly after graduation, to make a go of a full-time art career. I think about the 14 years I have spent working as a successful professional artist, developing relationships with national and international galleries, teaching classes on painting and drawing. I think about how the average income of a Canadian professional artist is $15,000 - well below the poverty line - and how I have been able to surpass that substantially and make a decent living at my work.

I am a painter. I feel I've earned the right to call myself that. I've worked hard for it. It's my profession. I've put in the hard hours, I've relied on that skill alone to keep me afloat.

I wonder what the response would have been if I had said to him, "Oh, I'm a doctor too! Here, look, I've got a picture of the sliver I pulled out last week!"

Sibu Beauty Promotion

You may recall my review of Sibu Beauty products - oh, it seems like ages ago (I was pregnant at the time!). I have just heard from Sibu that they have a promotion on now:

Take advantage of our "March Blowout"-20% off all products and get free shipping (excluding Raw) through Saturday, March 31st. Use coupon code: SIBUDEAL20 at checkout.

 One to get in on quickly, as it ends soon!

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!

Cloth diapers - my stash review!

I have been using cloth for over a year now and thought it was high time to do a little comparison and review of the diapers in my stash. I found it overwhelming when I started out, with the number of different brands (and prices from $5 to $30 per diaper). How do they stack up?

Here are the diapers I have tried and what I thought of them. Most are OS pocket diapers.

Applecheeks. These are Canadian-made, high quality pockets (and pricey at around $30). The microfleece liner is soft and good quality - it does pill but not to the extent that some of the cheaper diapers do. The envelope design allows the insert to come out in the wash (most of the time). I like the bright, intense colours and the prints are cute as well. The bamboo inserts are absorbent, but I don't like how crunchy they get if line-dried, and when they are wet they seem to get hard, which must add to the discomfort of a wet diaper. The microfiber inserts are wonderful, very thick and absorbent and even indicate which side to put away from baby's skin to keep the moisture away. The downside - again, the diapers are tight on my baby's thighs. They come in two sizes, I have gone through size 1 and 2's and even at the largest setting they do leave welts on my chunky daughter's thighs. She is not at the weight max by far; she just has fat little thighs. And she is walking and showing no sign of slimming down (I can only hope that by the time she's in her teens her thighs are more in line with the rest of her!).

Bamboo Baby. Canadian-made. These are the only AIO diapers I have. I have mixed feelings about them. They are extremely absorbent, don't leak, and are very soft if dried in the dryer - stiff and crunchy if line-dried. The velcro laundry tabs work most of the time.  My daughter has figured out how to undo velcro, and it's only a matter of time before that translates to taking these off herself, but so far, so good. (They are also available in snaps). I don't like how they really keep the moisture close to her skin, though. About $20 each.

Best Bottom. I was apprehensive about these ones at first. They are a PUL cover (unlined) that you snap inserts into. You can reuse the cover by wiping it and snapping in new inserts to change wet diapers, and replacing dirty ones entirely. My apprehension is twofold - the PUL right against baby's skin, and the inserts seeming to keep moisture against baby's skin as well. I have grown more fond of these in recent months. I like how easy it is to change the wet inserts out. It is less bulky than many other diapers, and if you are out and about it's less to carry around in the diaper bag - just bring a few inserts and a cover along instead of 3-4 full out diapers. I like the double leg gussets. Poop is kinda gross in them (but when isn't it gross...). About $18

BumGenius. I don't have a lot of "big name" diapers because I started out with cheapies and then could not justify the price of the brand name versions. However, a friend gave me a BG 4.0 Artist Series and you really can tell the difference in quality of the fabrics. The PUL is soft and thick. The microfleece is fine, soft, and resists pilling. Nice thick microfiber inserts. Is it worth the price, though - around $30 each? I am not entirely convinced.

Charlie Banana. This is a really nice diaper, good quality.  They come with two microfiber inserts (a longer and a shorter). Double up for extra absorbency, or just use the small for a smaller baby and the large when she grows. I have found the inserts get a little stiffer than most of my other inserts. Not sure why.  I have a plain one in "butter", but looking at their website they have some really adorable prints and a "Fashion Collection" that I love. Mid-range at about $21 per.

ComfyRumps. This is a Canadian company, but Chinese-made diapers. One of the first diapers I tried (read my original review of ComfyRumps diapers), and these are still in daily use at our house. They're cheap (around $7 a diaper) and plain (though now they have a few prints and minky diapers). I had two of my dozen delaminate and that seems to be a common complaint if you read their Facebook page. They will replace faulty diapers, but it can be tricky getting a response from the company. The microfleece has pilled fairly heavily but is still functional. However for the price I am quite happy with my ComfyRumps. The microfiber inserts have thinned out and stiffened over the year, but I could always pick up new inserts (which I probably would not buy from CR) if I wanted to. They have fit from newborn (around 8 lbs) to now at 23 lbs, and still have room to grow in the snap settings. I think they have modified their design a bit from when I bought, but still I would recommend these.

Giggle Life.  Again, I only have one of these that a friend gave me. The microfleece liner has pilled quite a lot - the most of all my diapers. I have found that there is "seepage" along the seams - not enough to call a leak, but poop has stained the outside of the diaper where it has wicked out along the stitching at  the inner thigh. The outer is TPU (not PUL) so is softer and less plasticky, but breaks down more quickly if you wash in hot water or use the dryer. Good fit but another I would not invest in if I were to buy. They are about $18 each or cheaper if you buy by the dozen. I will say that my daughter (a heavy wetter who needs to be changed every 2 hours at minimum) once went 4 hours in this diaper with no leaks.

Go Green  I only have one of these, a "fuzzy", and they're pretty good for Chinese-made cheapies (approximately $7). The elasticized hole to stuff prevents the insert from coming out in the wash, which is a pain. The Go Green does have wing snaps. Overall, functional diapers (and cheap, and lots of cute prints available) but would not be my first choice to buy. That said, I have not tried the Go Green Champ and have heard good things about it. Would love to try that one out. *Go Green and Lovely are IMO pretty much the same diaper

Happy Heinys These have cute prints and fabulous inserts (fluffy and soft even when air-dried, and quite absorbent. They have lots of snap settings and don't tend to droop. Good fit on my chubby-legged daughter and rarely leak (remember, she's a heavy wetter). 


Knickernappies. American made. My husband hates that these are side-snapping, I don't mind it.The hemp Loopy-Do insert is quite absorbent, but is wide and bulky. Two inserts come with every diaper. A fine everyday kinda diaper. They have loads of room to grow and fit chunky thighs beautifully. About $22 for the diaper with microfiber inserts, $27 if you choose the hemp inserts.

Lovely Diapers. I only have one of these, a "fuzzy", and they're pretty good Chinese-made cheapies (approximately $7). The elasticized hole to stuff prevents the insert from coming out in the wash, which is a pain.  My Lovely diaper has had a snap fall off (they offered to replace the diaper if I sent it back - not worth the shipping IMO). It does have a vast rise, and is the only diaper in my stash in which we are not on the largest rise setting. Lots of great prints available. *Go Green and Lovely are IMO pretty much the same diaper

Monkey Doodlez. I haven't used their diapers, per se - but I love their swim diapers. Mia's on her second size and I'm ready to buy the next size up (if anyone hears of a Monkey Doodlez sale, let me know please!). At $20 a pop they are pricey, but we love taking Mia swimming and they are super cute. I only wish they lasted longer in terms of size. Note: We have never experienced an "aquadump" (as my husband so charmingly puts it), so I can't entirely vouch for the containment properties!

OsoCozy Diapers. I have just one of their all-in-one diapers. The first time I used it, it leaked out the legs, but I think I hadn't tightened the Aplix enough. The second time I used it, Mia had it on under a dress and at naptime I went in to find her standing in her crib with a wet diaper in her hands, having removed it herself! The down side of Aplix! However, under clothing it is fine and no leaks since I tighten it a bit more. I find the cotton takes ages and ages to dry. At least two days hung on a drying rack indoors. I love the deep purple colour of the one we have. I do find the cloth/elastic at the legs is a bit less soft than I would like (it's almost like a hard edge because the fabric is stiff), but overall this is one I use often.

Rumparooz. I have tried their fitted and one-size. I love the double gussets in the fleece. I don't love the inserts - they are pretty standard micro-fleece, quite thin. They have snaps on the inserts for size settings/doubling up in front or back, as well as the "super-R" soakers which are smaller, hourglass shaped inserts for doubling. I don't find the inserts that absorbent (they're thin!). I also find that these have too many snaps. Four snaps at each side. It does prevent droop, but it's a pain and I can't always get a good combination of thigh to waist settings because the snaps are close together. With a tiny waist and chubby thighs, these are not the best for my daughter.

Sunbaby. These come in fabulous prints that change all the time and are dead cheap. I think I got 12 for $60, shipping included from China to Canada. It's a Chinese brand, supposedly with good labour practices if you believe the website. They worked well (no leaks, narrow microfiber inserts that were just fine in terms of absorbency) but sadly my daughter has enormously chunky thighs, and by the time she was 7 or 8 months old they would leave red welts even on the largest setting. I ended up selling the entire bunch on to a friend with a skinnier baby. I miss the cuteness. I understand that Sunbaby has recently created a new size that is larger and I am tempted to give them a shot - except I really do have enough diapers.

Wudda H. A Malaysian diaper that did not fit well when Mia was smaller, but now is one of my favourites. Great fit on Mia. It's not much to look at (plain white) but is a great diaper. The liner is some kind of terry (bamboo blend, perhaps?) that is soft after many washes and wicks moisture away. The soft, absorbent insert snaps into the pocket and has the same fabric on the upper layer. I have no idea what these cost in Canadian dollars (I think I must have won the one I have) but I like it a lot. I find their online store is a bit confusing.
** Note: delaminated after about 6 months' frequent use. That's disappointing! The nice bamboo terry/microfiber insert is still in rotation, though.

Zippy Doo. I still adore the fabrics (read the full Zippy Doo diaper review) and quality of these American WAHM-made fitteds. I still resist using a cover - another layer adds bulk - so these have ended up on low rotation for now. I think I'll use these more in the summer when I don't need to put a cover and pants on Mia. They are quite absorbent and so, super, lovely-soft. They take quite a while to dry, but I feel fine with putting them in the dryer as there is no PUL to delaminate or destroy, of course. The fit is great. Around $22.

more to add later...

Disclosure: this is a totally unsponsored, unbiased, non-affiliated, spur of the moment post. 

Sleep....

My baby doesn't sleep. Still. She's 13 months and a week old. Still up five times a night, usually (more often now than she was night waking at 16 weeks) - nursing every time, because it's easier and kinder to all of us for me to bust a boob out and be back in bed 15 minutes later than to lie there for an hour not sleeping, listening to her cry until she cries so hard she throws up and then spend the next half hour scrubbing puke out of the carpet. That's my effort at letting her self-soothe and it does not work for this baby (and I feel like such a JERK for lying there while she is upset, too). I have tried more than once but it just doesn't sit right with me to ignore her cries. CIO is simply not for us. It doesn't work and it makes us all miserable.

I have ended up using overnight disposables at night (cloth during the day) because I was changing her three times a night with cloth. Yes, doubled-up with hemp inserts. I tried all kinds of things. She's a super heavy wetter and with so much night nursing, cloth just doesn't work for now. I still change her disposable at 5am because if I don't, she's soaked through her sleeper and the crib sheet by 7.

Bedtime is often a battle, involving crying. We have a bedtime routine - a sleep sheep, a bottle of water in the crib, a favourite bunny, bath time, stories and cuddles. Some nights she is so tired she crashes fast. But it's still a battle. She wakes after about an hour and a half every night, crying. I could set a clock by it. And then at 11, 12:30, 2:30, 5, and sometimes she will wake just 15 minutes after I get her back to sleep, crying. Bad dreams? Maybe not all the burps came out, although I do burp her after every nurse? I don't know.

And she doesn't nap without a good hard fight, either. Some days she does not nap at all and those are long, long days. Some days she will have two naps (rare) and those are great days.

Meanwhile, I'm exhausted... so tired all the time. I haven't gotten a solid night's sleep in over a year and a half (I couldn't sleep through the night myself when I was pregnant). I can't even imagine waking up feeling well-rested.

When did your little one sleep through the night? I want to hear from the long-haulers, the mamas who stuck with attending their babies when they cried, the night nursers and attachment parents. Tell me this will not go on forever.

True story... as I was writing this, she woke up, 40 minutes after she went down at bedtime... sigh.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

A bowl full of luck o' the Irish for ya!

Tints of Nature hair colour - Giveaway!

I dyed my hair for many, many years - from black to bright (primary) red and pretty much everything in between, including stripes! I did it for fun as I was young and had the time on my hands.

Shall we see some photos? Hmm... Well, here's one I found from when I dyed my hair straight up black. Back when I was just 18. Oh, those crazy university days. Haven't changed much, have I? (shh, just agree!)

These days I'm much more concerned and aware about what chemicals and products I use - both for my own health and for their effect in an environmental sense. So if I were to pick back up on dying my hair (and, honestly, now it would be more for hiding those grey hairs I see coming in than for fun), I would definitely choose one that is low-impact, both on me and on the earth.

Sadly for me I do not just now have the time or energy to dye my hair - I am a low-maintenance kind of girl, especially with a busy (very, very busy, and also still sleepless) toddler. Maybe one day.

However! I am pleased to share with my readers the brand Tints of Nature, which I have learned is ammonia-free, has no parabens, no resorcinol, no propylene glycol, and low levels of paraphenylenediamines (pigment) and highest quality, mildest peroxide. It also contains natural and up to 60% organic (either Soil Certification Organic Standard or certified by ECOCERT) ingredients such as orange, aloe, comfrey, chamomile, grapefruit as well as Vitamins C and E.

Tints of Nature is free from animal products and is not tested on animals (thank you).

There are 24 colours to choose from, including five new shades (Very Light Golden Blonde, Ash Blonde, Medium Ash Brown, Fiery Red and Dark Copper Blonde). Hmm, the names alone make me consider getting back into a little colour!

Inside the (recycled) packaging, you will also find a clarifying shampoo for use before colouring as well as pH balanced shampoo and conditioner for after colour care.

You can pick this up at selected stores such as Loblaws, Superstores, Fortinos and Whole Foods, as well as at organic and health stores.

AND - great news - I am hosting a giveaway for Tints of Nature as well! One of my Canadian readers will win their choice of colour (ARV $18.99)!

This is a Rafflecopter giveaway - wait for the form to load, and if you don't see it click "Read More"! 

My baby

My baby with her fluffy butt, contemplating the colander.

Goodlife Fitness - Jump! Child Care Review

This is something I don't do very often - write a negative review. I had a really disturbing experience lately, though, and did provide the company ample opportunity to respond, which they did not. So I'd like to share here what happened in the spirit of a reminder to be alert and be thorough when you are choosing child care providers.

On February 27th, my friend and I visited the Canyon Meadows Goodlife Fitness Club (on Macleod Trail) in Calgary. She has two young daughters, a three year old (G.) and a one year old (H.), and I, of course, have a one year old daughter (Mia). She has taken G. to the Jump! center before and everything has been fine before, so we thought we'd try taking the babies for a half-hour test run. I'd never left Mia with a care facility before, so it was a little high-anxiety to begin with for me.

We arrived at the club at around 9:40 am. We checked in, settled the girls. G. went off to play, and H. was playing as well. I sat Mia in front of the bookshelf and she set to playing with the books. I said on my way out that Mia is "used to constant supervision" (my words exactly) - perhaps I was not clear enough and should have said that at her age, she NEEDS constant and attentive supervision as she has an avid curiosity about the world and no sense of danger. I guess I expected that child care providers would know that about one year olds. Mistake.

The child care center at the time of my check in had 9 children (the girl on the desk mentioned this as she had just done a count); at least one of these was an infant in a car seat, I would guess 5 children under 18 months and around 3 children under 6. There was one Goodlife staff member at the desk (in a Goodlife staff shirt), who remained at the desk for all the times I looked in with the exception I will mention later. There were two other adults that I saw in the Jump! center and on speaking with one of them she said she was the mother of one of the children and was "volunteering" (her word) there. Neither of these women were wearing Goodlife staff shirts so I believe they were not staff members per se.

My friend and I went to the change room for a couple minutes to stow our stuff in lockers, and then went to check through the window of the child care center. G. was playing happily, H. was playing at a child set of table and chairs, Mia was still looking at books.

My friend and I went to the elliptical trainers to warm up. The plan was 10 minutes of warm-up, check on the girls again, followed by the circuit and then to pick up the girls. We managed to get 9 minutes in on the elliptical trainers before the girl in the Goodlife shirt from the Jump! desk came out to us. She asked, "Are you H's mum?" to my friend, "She's had a boo-boo".

My friend and I rushed to follow her to the Jump center. H. was in one of the women's arms, screaming, with blood on her face. There were bloody baby wipes and tissues on the floor. On a closer look, H. had a gash in her forehead that was about 3/4" long and gaping open right down to the bone. They said H. had fallen against a wooden fence installed around the child play area. All three of the adults were gathered around her.

My friend took H., one of the volunteers (I will call her that, I am not certain of her status) told her to apply pressure and that they'd already tried an ice pack. The volunteer then applied two bandaids to H's forehead - catching her hair and her eyebrow in the adhesive (which later proved even more painful when they were removed to treat the wound). The volunteer told my friend to take her to the urgent care clinic and asked if she knew where it was. Another parent luckily was able to give her directions. I ran to get my friend's coat from her locker and she rushed off with H., leaving G. with me.

I remained in the Jump! center for the next hour or so while I waited for G.'s dad to come pick her up. I absolutely did not feel comfortable leaving the children in the care of the staff after what had happened and on seeing that my daughter was playing with inappropriate toys at that time (more on that later).

As a result of this injury, H. will have a permanent scar on her forehead. The wound was open long enough that it could not be stitched and had to be glued. Any mother knows that accidents happen, and you can't prevent every fall. However, I don't believe this situation was unavoidable.

Here are my concerns about this situation and what I saw afterwards:

• If there is a procedure in place for injuries, it was clearly not followed. Here is why I say this:
  

• using baby wipes on a would cannot possibly be standard procedure. They contain chemicals, alcohol and fragrances and are not designed for wound care. Completely inappropriate.
• The staff applied an ice pack *before* contacting the mother of this child, as there was no ice pack in sight when we got into the center yet they mentioned it had been used. How long after H. arrived at the center did the injury happen, and how long before they went to get her mother? 
• on that note, there were no first aid supplies visible either in the immediate situation or even in a first aid kit on a wall that I saw.
• One of the supervisors should have been dealing with the injured child, and the remaining adults should have continued to supervise the other children (!).

• The most basic first aid training for cuts indicates Rest, Elevation, Direct Pressure (RED). H.'s head was elevated, and they were attempting to apply direct pressure to stop the bleeding. This much was done. First aid training beyond the most basic would indicate checking responses and eyes for signs of concussion with a head wound. I did not witness anyone doing this nor did anyone mention it. I'm not sure how much beyond the basic first aid training is required for child care but a blow to the head hard enough to cut to the bone does raise concerns of concussion.
  
• The gash on H.'s forehead was such that it would have taken quite a blow against a sharp edge to create. My friend suspects that H. (a curious and active 13 month old) may have been standing on a chair to fall that hard against the rail.
  
• While the three adult supervisors were all gathered around H., nobody was supervising the other children at all. Additional children had arrived and I would guess there were 12-15 children there, all under 5.
• All the adults in the Jump! center made every effort to downplay the injury. Calling it a "boo-boo" was only the beginning. Even after my friend left with H., the women were telling me, "Oh, it didn't bleed that much", "Kids heal fast", and "It will probably only need one stitch" (as though a baby needing even "only" one stitch was okay!!)

Besides the horrifying injury to H., -

• My daughter Mia (just 12 months) was playing unsupervised with crayons and pencil crayons when I came into the room. At her age, crayons are a choking hazard. Children this age put everything in their mouths, and have teeth to bite off chunks of crayon. Another little boy about the same age was playing with crayons as well. Pencil crayons are equally inappropriate for unsupervised play: sharp, pointy sticks, easy to fall on for wobbly early walkers who like to stumble around gripping things and/or chewing on things.
  
• The older children were not separated at all from the younger children (infants were in car seats or in exersaucers in the front area, but any child who was walking was in the larger play area). The older children were playing roughly and running around the unsteady toddlers. The volunteers were reprimanding them but it was largely ineffective.
  
• The older children were also giving the younger ones age-inappropriate toys (again a lack of supervision). One of the children (about 4) gave my daughter a piece of construction paper while I was there with her, watching over her and the little boy playing with the crayons. After about 10 minutes of the two of them playing with the paper and beginning to rip it to pieces, one of the volunteers came over and said, "Oh, she has paper! Are you okay with that?". I had been sitting right there and watching the two children so they would not eat the paper, and I recognize that my presence probably made the supervisors less diligent, but all the same it took her that long to notice that these young children had something they shouldn't. This is another indication to me that there were simply not enough adults present.
  

My recommendations for this club are as follows (and I can't believe these things are not in place already):

• a maximum ratio of children to adults. There were only two floating "volunteers" and one girl sitting at a desk for 12-15 children under 5. To me this is not nearly enough adults to manage that many young children. 
• soft flooring (they had several of the workout mats laid out over linoleum, which covered maybe 30% of the flooring). Put in carpet, or if that's too hard to keep clean, put in those foam interlocking mats or another type of soft floor covering. 
• sharp corners should be cushioned if not removed. Crib bumpers or low mats could be put against the lower half of the rails where children might hurt themselves.
• maps to the nearest emergency rooms/urgent care clinics should be available in case of emergency to provide to parents.
• First aid supplies should be readily accessible and available in the Jump! center
• Older children should be separated from younger ones (eg 3-5 in one area, 1 & 2 in another, infants in another) and each should have independent and adequate supervision.
• The staff on duty at the Jump! center at the time we were there (Monday, February 26th between approximately 9:40 - 11:20) need further training in first aid and on procedure.

I had been anticipating a morning that would be stressful for me in leaving my daughter with strangers for the first time, but hoped and believed it would all work out fine and I would be able to use the Jump! child care for daytime workouts, which would be extremely convenient. I am disappointed and frankly distressed by our experience there yesterday.

I can say with certainty that after what I saw there that day neither I nor my friend will be leaving our children at the Jump! center and certainly will be telling our friends about our experience. This was extremely stressful and scary. A child care center must maintain consistent, diligent supervision and provide a safe environment for children and I feel that neither of these conditions were met on this occasion.

I sent the above information in its entirety to Goodlife, both to that specific club and to their social media contact. (I'd tweeted about our horrible experience and received a quick tweet back to email them about what happened.) I have had no response - not even to indicate receipt of my email.

I just want to be clear, I don't want anything from them personally. I'm not looking for some kind of kickback. What I would like to see is an admission that there are evidently problems with their child care - and some immediate measures to prevent future injuries (or worse).

My friend also spoke with the manager at that club on the phone and via email. (They didn't call her to follow up and make sure H. was okay - she called them.) The response she got was that they "take it seriously" and that they were allowing her to get out of her membership contract without paying buyout fees (she was so upset by the whole thing that she cancelled her membership at the club). Again no apology, no admission that there were any problems and nothing about what they were going to do to make sure that more diligent care was taken with both environment and staff.


I make no claims about any other Goodlife location's child care, and can only say that from my experience at this one, I will NEVER be leaving my daughter with them again.

Moral dilemmas for housewives

1. You find change in the bottom of the washer.

• Finders keepers! For all the laundry you do, a few coins is a paltry payout. Maybe one day you'll have enough to buy one of those fancy coffees.
• Into the family vacation fund. Hey, the jar now contains $3.68! You now have enough for an amazing family bus ride (within city limits, one way, if you sneak the baby in under your coat)!
• Return to sender. You know who never empties their pockets. The change is probably from that lunch out he had one work day last week. Nevermind that someone else makes you lunch pretty much... NEVER.

Okay, you can probably guess which option I choose! :)

2.  You have a couple hours while hubby takes the baby swimming and shopping for a new snowboard (not for the baby). You:

• make brownies (*see below)
• do 3 loads of laundry (sorting, washing, drying, hanging, folding, sorting again, putting away)
• take out the garbage and the recycling
• shovel the snow off the walk
• vacuum. The powerhead doesn't work on the crappy central vac at the crappy rental house so you spend ages going over the worst bits of the floor with the hose, inch by inch.
• tidy the kitchen (wash up, put dishes away)
• scrub the carpet some more where the baby barfed because she was crying so hard about taking a nap
• make the bed
• all of the above

WHY did I choose the last option?! I could have been having a glorious, baby-free nap this whole time.

3. Back to those brownies. The butter and chocolate chips have melted in the pot. You've added the sugars and cocoa and two of the "add one at a time" eggs. You crack the last expensive free-range egg into the pan of hot brownie batter and... it's bloody. Not just a speck, it's got a bloody yolk, bloody white and is seriously, nauseatingly gory. That last egg is sitting on top of the batter. You:

• scrap the batch. Um, gross! The very thought of bloody egg makes you gag. Eggs are hard enough for the thoughtful vegetarian to eat as is.
• rush to the sink, pour off the gruesome egg down the drain, grab another egg from the fridge (cracking it into a bowl first, just in case, wishing you'd done that before), and continue to cook brownies. That was gross, but it's over (try desperately to forget). No-one need know.

Well????

Tiny yummy things

Last night I made these no-bake "energy bites", fairly quick and easy and certainly yummy.

Of course, I never can follow a recipe, and instead of honey I added a mashed banana and 1/4 cup applesauce, and instead of ground flaxseed I added graham cracker crumbs.

Not bad and a very flexible recipe!