Building a fort

Sometimes I'm just exhausted, and today's one of those days. Between a kicking toddler who was determined to "sleep" in my bed last night (and wakes without fail at 6am), the kicking baby in my belly, having to pee every two hours and getting those nasty pregnancy middle-of-the-night leg cramps, I got about two hours of sleep.

Mia, despite her roly-poly sleep (including falling out of bed once), is full of BEANS today!

I am trying to keep her entertained with (I confess) a bare minimum of effort from me. Watercolours worked for a while, and now we are building forts with the cushions from our patio set. The velcro tabs that are meant to keep them on the chairs make great attachment points to make a little house!

Sears The Baby's Room - a tour for you (and a SALE soon!) #SearsBabysRoom

With one month to go before Baby #2 arrives, I'm really tuned in to baby stuff! That's why I am so thrilled to be part of the Sears The Baby's Room Ambassador program.

I've always shopped at Sears but over the past year have seen a remarkable transformation occur in their baby department. With the introduction of wider aisles, new clothing lines and new products, as well as attention to detail like budget-conscious nursery furniture as well as some fabulous higher-end products, Sears has impressed me lately.

The new and improved Baby's Room at Sears has five departments to meet your baby needs:

The Nursery section has beds and furniture, and decor items such as lamps and mobiles.

What I like about this section:

• The nursery furniture is set up with bedding, decals, lamps and gliders - so you can get a feel for a complete room. The Sears I visited at SouthCentre Mall in Calgary has 10 little room setups (most Sears locations have 5), so lots of chances to see the furniture in place and try it out. 
• The gliders come with ottomans - no surprise added cost! 
• There are LOADS of different furniture options to choose from! And, most come in a variety of colours, so if you like a design but not in white - just ask, it's probably available in a different finish.
• Most of the cribs are transformable - either into day beds or full beds. Nice to have a crib that grows with your little one!
• There are lots of glider options, with different designs and movement.
• The cute bedding often comes complete with wall decals - what a nice touch! And, there are "boy", "girl", and cute gender neutral options. 
• There's a sign in each little room which breaks down the cost of each furniture item AND provides a room total - so you can see exactly how much it's going to cost you for that setup. 
• They also have a great nursery monitor selection - lots to choose from!

The Travel section has play pens, car seats, carriers, strollers, and accessories.

 What I like about this section:

• Again, items are set up so you can examine them. Play pens, strollers, car seats and carriers are all out of boxes and assembled.
• There are many different options for price point and features in everything!
• They are now carrying Diono and Brica accessories
• I was happy to see lots of carrier options. I would have loved to see some more unstructured carriers (think Baby K'tan, Boba, or sling carriers), but it is nice to see babywearing featured at a national retailer!

The Feeding section has everything you can think of for feeding babies - think bibs, high chairs, bottles, utensils, as well as tools for making your own baby food.

What I liked here:

• Seeing fun and cute Boon products!
• The cute bibs - check out the cowpoke ones in the top row, so cute for Stampede! And the little 'tuxes' - perfect for wedding receptions! Aw! 
• I was interested to see they carry baby blenders and even yogourt makers! It looks like these products might be discontinued, so watch for some sale prices coming soon!!

 The Bath section has what you need for bathing baby.

What I liked:

• "Naked" tubs are collapsible, soft-sided, and even come with a hook to hang from the shower. Smart design.
• Boon frog and whale pods attach to the shower wall and scoop up and store bath toys. Practical and cute! 
• Lots of cute, fun bath toys as well. 

The Gift section has a good range of gifts for new babies.

 What I liked:

• Pretty picture frames
• Lots of stuffies and soft blankets
• Cloud B products (a favourite of mine), though I didn't see the larger Sleep Sheep and Twilight Turtle there (both on my must-have list for a nursery, we have loved those for our daughter - so much so I bought a second Sleep Sheep for the baby on the way).
• They also have sleep sacks, another must for babies! The Halo ones are very popular AND what is great about Sears is that they go on sale periodically - for around 25% off!
• I also loved that they carry reuseable snack bags and wet bags (for those of us who use cloth diapers, a good wet bag is a necessity!). 

They also have needed items like baby gates and bouncy chairs (the new Fisher Price Snuggabye swing and chair are super cute!).

I also can't forget my favourite section: the amazing clothing department. With the recent introduction of Carters and Osh Kosh clothing lines, the cute and well-priced clothing section at Sears just got better. I also love that they have widened the aisles without reducing the selection - there's just less of each item out on the floor. So, you can still see everything, but now you can get your stroller through easily! The bright, fun colours are so appealing and the prices are great.

What I like most about The Baby's Room at Sears is that there is lots of selection, and that the prices are good. Not only that, but Sears has regular sales on that make us budget-conscious parents even happier!

My crushes this time around were on some super sweet little Carters outfits. I can't wait to outfit our little guy in teeny, tiny shorts and shirts :)

What I'd love to see Sears carry next - and they are getting LOADS of new products soon (not that I know what's coming!) - cloth diapers, baby-friendly detergents and cleaning products, and tummy time play mats. I didn't see these things on my tour (though I forgot to ask - next time I will!). 

Now I know you are all excited for details of the SALE coming up! To celebrate the one-year anniversary of The Baby's Room, Sears is having a big sale from May 24th to June 5th! What to keep an eye out for: big discounts on product lines they are discontinuing to make room for new stuff, including bedding, feeding equipment and bright and colourful Sassy baby toys! Mark your calendars (I have) to visit while the deals are great!

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.

Always Infinity put to the test (video review)

As a BzzAgent, I occasionally get to try out new things from companies. This time I was selected for a campaign for Always Infinity - a super thin maxi pad with new Infinicel technology, which can hold up to ten times its weight in liquid! I received free product samples and coupons to try out the Always Infinity pads and thought I'd share with you how I put them to the test in comparison with a regular Always Maxi pad.

Always is one of those tried and true brands for feminine products. This is "my brand" when I'm shopping for pads. And with a baby coming, I'm going to need to stock up. Thank you so much, Mother Nature, for lochia (if there are any guys reading... well, what are you doing reading this far anyway? Weirdo!). I can look forward to a few weeks of constant pad use. So I'm happy to test out a new kind from Always, especially one that is so crazy thin that I won't feel like I'm the one wearing a diaper!

The Infinity samples I received were for heavy flow, and the Always Maxi pad samples were for regular flow - I'm just amazed at how THIN the Infinity pads are in comparison. Check it out - the green wrapped pad is an Infinity pad, the yellow is a regular Maxi pad:

Here's my video review (I don't do videos too often, aside from taping my daughter's antics, so you'll have to excuse sloppy camera work, awkward pauses, and my narration technique!!).

Beautiful days

We've had a recent run of beautiful, sunny and warm days here in Calgary. Unfortunately, my husband has had pneumonia, and I'm uncomfortably pregnant enough that getting out for bike rides or hikes has been impossible.

Our yard is a mess - we're having the ugly stone edging taken out from all the gardens (about 2000 stones that the previous owner put in), and plan to have the whole yard regraded so that water doesn't pool on the lawn and around the foundation.

Luckily, we have a deck off the main floor which we can hang out on. And the best thing about this deck is that it's all walled in, so that I can have the door open from the kitchen, Mia can be out there playing and I know she's safe. 

So the new favourite thing to do is to head out to the deck with bubble solution and bubble wands, or plastic containers of various sizes filled with water (love mess-free activities!). The dog loves it, Mia loves it, and I love it too! Hooray for nice days and going outside! :)

The Potty Monster

I've done it. I've inadvertently created a potty monster.

Mia's been doing so well with toilet training. She rarely has accidents (once in a while, a pee when she's doing something too exciting to leave, or on waking from a nap). We even had a great success the other day when she told me she had to go the moment we got on the highway - and it was about 10 minutes to the next exit with a store with a bathroom we could rush into - and she made it! I was so proud of her.

She's done great with going in strange places too, like the mall, grocery store, restaurants, and friends' houses. I don't even need to bring her travel potty seat as she has no qualms about sitting on random toilets.

So we praise her, and tell her how proud we are of her. Treats worked as an initial incentive, but she's pretty much forgotten to ask most of the time now, as going on the toilet becomes just another routine.

However - there is a down side that I was not expecting.

I knew finding bathrooms on the fly could be tough. I'm starting to develop a mental map of likely places. I knew I might need to keep a stock of M&M's in my purse for incentive emergencies (and hey, if I sneak one now and then who will know? :) ).

What I didn't know is that all that emphasis on how proud we were of her for peeing when we're out would create a monster. Now, if we are out she needs to go - regardless of how recently she's been.

For instance, today, we did a bathroom trip before we left the house. A five-minute drive later, we were at the restaurant. We were waiting in line for ten minutes (it was busy!) when I hear her little voice pipe up, "I need to use the toilet!" You can't ignore a toddler who needs to pee. They don't have awesome bladder control, and while I keep a spare set of clothes with me, I'm not crazy about carrying around pee-soaked pants.

We abandoned our spot in line and went to find the restroom. "Thank you for telling me," I said to her on the way. Once enthroned, she sat for a moment, faked a "try" and said, "I do nothing. I'm all done!"

Oh, boy.

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....

Our Fisher Price Favourites (and a discount code!) #FPFavourites

 I bet every family you know with kids has something - or many somethings - by Fisher Price. Their classic, fun toys and practical gear are on must-have lists for parents and kids. We certainly have used our share of Fisher Price toys and baby equipment in our family - and will be acquiring more as we head into baby #2, I'm sure!

Our gear favourite - and I mean, I could NOT have gotten along without it, especially as an overwhelmed first-time mum last time - was the Fisher Price Baby Papasan seat.

I'm not even sure this is still available, but it was a LIFESAVER. It allowed me to take a shower (with the seat within view). Go pee. Sit for a few minutes without a baby on me, knowing Mia was safe, secure and comfortable. She napped in it, sat in it, played in it and joined us at the dinner table in it so that we could eat with two hands free. Best. Thing. Ever. Would I have survived the first six months without it? Debatable! I am not sure it's possible to thank my sister in law enough for this one, as it was a gift. I am seriously kicking myself for passing it on to another new mum after Mia outgrew it. Sure, it wouldn't have fit in the car on our jam-packed drive back to Ontario... but it was so awesome... argh!

The current crush in baby seats (and we're going to need one very soon) is the My Little Snugabunny Cradle N Swing.

Music and motion (side to side or head to toe), a moving mobile, and a cute bunny plush... oh, it looks awesome. I like that it's gender neutral as well. And, not hideous - you won't be cringing at the way it clashes with your decor. Some baby seats are just garish, aren't they? Not this one.

One thing I loved about the papasan seat was that it was quite portable - this one, not so much - but it has way more features.

As far as toys go, we are enthusiastic over here about the Little People Animal Sounds Farm. Mia got it for Christmas and it's gotten daily use ever since. Cute little animals and movable parts make for fun farm adventures.

In fact, I decided to leave the batteries out until just a couple of days ago. When I put them in, the new sounds it makes
absolutely delighted her - it's like a new toy!

Seriously, she plays with this every single day.

These are just a couple of the products on the 12 top must-have list for mums that Fisher Price has put together. Here's that list (if you're creating a registry or gift shopping for a tot, take note!):

1. Ocean Wonders Aquarium
2. My Little Snugabunny Cradle N Swing 
3. Infant to Toddler Rocker 
4. SpaceSaver High Chair 
5. Discover’n Grow Jumperoo 
6. Brilliant Basics Rock a Stack 
7. Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy 
8. Laugh & Learn Say Please Tea Set 
9. Laugh & Learn Click ‘n Learn Remote 
10. Brilliant Basics Stroll-Along Walker
11.  Little People Wheelies Stand ‘ n Play Rampway 
12. Little People Animal Sounds Farm

Generations of little ones and their parents have loved these products world-wide, and they have passed the test of time (and the test of children... a tough one!).You can read more about the Fisher Price Favourites at this special site they have set up.

Fisher Price and Mom Central are offering an exclusive discount code at Toys R Us for all of the Fisher Price Favourites - to give you 20% off!!! Awesome! Use the code FISHERPRICE20 at Toys R Us until April 30th to receive the discount!

Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Blogger Campaign 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.

Wean Green review

Let me say right off the bat that this is not a paid review. I wasn't asked to write it at all. I just wanted to share an excellent experience with a company - so rare these days!

Wean Green is a Canadian company that makes air-tight glass containers. They are perfectly sized for snacks, lunches, or even tiny servings of homemade baby food. The lids come in bright, fun colours like raspberry, carrot, pea and blueberry. Cute, right?

I got some of Wean Green's Wean Cubes about 2 years ago. I got them to use for Mia's baby food when she was starting solids. Eight little Wean Cubes have been in heavy rotation in our kitchen ever since - now that she's well past baby food, we use them for salad dressing, snacks for the purse, cut up carrot sticks, and so on. They've been great.

Then, within the last month or so, two things happened. First, one of the clips on one of the lids snapped off. The lid still seals okay; it's just short one clip.

Then, one day I opened the dishwasher to find that one of the Wean Cubes had absolutely shattered in the dishwasher - just on a normal wash, not high heat or anything. Bear in mind, I have been using the dishwasher to clean these all along. I guess this container just finally gave up the ghost. There was glass all through the bottom of the dishwasher. You know, it didn't occur to me that there might be glass slivers on our dishes or cutlery - I didn't even check. Luckily, there seem to have been no ill effects, so I guess we're okay on that front.

Surprised, I contacted the company on their Facebook page just to make sure that they were dishwasher safe (the packaging had been long ago recycled).

Within hours, Wean Green had responded and asked me to send an email to them directly. Their immediate response to my problem was to describe how they have changed their manufacturing (down to moving to a different country for factory production) and improved their products since my Wean Cubes were made. And beyond that, they offered to replace the products I had.

Wait. Let me repeat that one. They offered to replace products that were two years old and well-used, just to ensure a happy customer. They provided a gift code for me to shop on their site - and when I had some technical difficulties, spent time on the phone with me sorting it out and making sure that my order was placed and on its way.

Within a week I had new sets of Wean Green products, which we are happily using already. And I'm also left with a really positive impression of the nice people and a company that stands by their products. I'm so impressed with their level of customer service. I'm thrilled that they have improved on the original products, and wholeheartedly recommend Wean Green to anyone!

15 minute Homemade "Skor" Bars!

First, a great recipe :) I got this one from my mum. I have no idea where she got it. I made these today, seriously, in 15 minutes including clean-up. They take a while to set in the fridge but are so yummy for so little effort.

Homemade Skor Bars

24 saltine crackers (salted)
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 13x9" baking pan with parchment paper or foil, and lay the crackers out in a single layer, touching. I find 6 rows of 4 is about perfect.

Melt the butter with the brown sugar in a sauce pan, stirring until smooth. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Then pour it over the crackers and even it out. Bake for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top and pop it back in the oven for 2-3 minutes, just long enough to melt the chips. Use a spatula to spread out the chocolate evenly.

Stick it in the fridge or freezer to chill until set. Cut into 1" pieces  (or bigger, but they are really quite sweet and not exactly good for you, so a tiny indulgence is just about perfect).

These store in the fridge, and freeze exceptionally. They're great little treats, and also good for including in Christmas tins or other gifty occasions.
 _____

I've been so exhausted with our emotional, challenging, charming and affectionate two-year-old, this pregnancy, and coming down with every cold that crosses my path at various play groups. Mia's still not sleeping through the night... we are back to usually two wakings a night. We're working on potty training as well. Is there a stronger word than exhausted?

I've written about a hundred posts in the last month or so, all in my head in the middle of the night. So here are the topics I've been thinking on. Let me know if you want me to expand on any of these and I'll see what I can do.

• divorce, and the difference between a perception of a relationship and the reality of one. I sometimes think about my previous marriage and realized that I am a little bitter about the way people viewed the end of that. I have never really shared my perspective on it, and while I hate holding a grudge, it does bother me that people seem to make assumptions about what happened without knowing the whole story. Anyway. That's been on my mind. And maybe is way too personal to write about in such a public place.
• the second pregnancy and how it differs from the first. Boy, is it different. For lots of reasons. And I think that's kind of interesting, and unexpected (to me). 
• circumcision. A whole world of debate. Everyone has an opinion on it!
• potty training. But then, everyone writes about that, don't they?
• renovations. yes, they continue, in a different way - we've just had to replace the roof. That's kind of an interesting story, but perhaps not one I can get into entirely, as we're in litigation over it. But I also never did post after photos of the kitchen and bathroom renovations, which are (thankfully) complete - and that's a whole other story!
• the world of secondhand shopping and how the internet keeps changing it. Things are so different from when I used to shop 'vintage' as a teenager. Okay, that was (ahem) 20 years ago, but I keep coming across new ways to find what I need for cheap, and that's cool. 
• and, some recipes for quick and yummy dinners

Well, I can't remember the rest. Seems like every night after Mia wakes up at 3am it takes me a while to get back to sleep and I'm writing essays in my head. And I guess I've forgotten a lot of them.

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. 

Surprise!

I've been a little quiet lately, keeping some BIG news to myself. We were waiting and waiting and waiting until our trip home over the holidays to let our family know that....

Mia's going to be a big sister!

I'm 16 weeks pregnant today! Baby's due in June.

The first trimester was really difficult this time. I was much more nauseous than with Mia, and so, so tired - no full night sleeps and first trimester exhaustion really wear on a mama. I'm a little less sleepy now, but I still need an afternoon nap when Mia naps to keep from becoming a cranky monster. 

I'll admit, I've had more than a few "what were we thinking?!" moments, as Mia at 23 months is still (yes, still!)  not sleeping through the night. She did SO well on our trip, with three nights in a row of 8 hours of sleep straight - which makes six nights in her entire life where she has slept 6+ hours in a row.

But, she is back to her old habits now that we are home. Last night she was up four times, at midnight, 3, 3:40 and 5:45am... I will say that I am used to it, but that doesn't really make it any easier.

And she's such a busy toddler, I have no idea how I'm going to manage the constant needs of a newborn with the constant needs of Mia! But I tell myself women have been doing this for thousands of years... I'm sure I'll get by. The hardest part is that I have no support system out here in Calgary. All our family is back in Ontario, and while I have friends here, they are busy with their own kids and won't exactly be able to drop everything to help me out when the baby's born.

Mia's also still breastfeeding about 2-4 times a day, which is actually way down from three months ago, when she was still nursing between 10-15 times a day(!). I don't mind nursing her at all, but I know that she won't be thrilled about sharing Mummy's "milks" with a baby.

Anyway, we'll be finding out what the gender is in early February. Any guesses? I can post a nub shot if anyone's into that, but I warn you, it's the most ambiguous nub shot I've ever seen :) Tricky little one!

Mashed Potato Pancakes (recipe)

Ever wonder what to do with piles of mashed potatoes left over after a big meal? This makes a great snack or lunch!
 
Mashed Potato Pancakes

1 egg
2 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp water

1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup grated cheese (optional)
1 Tbsp chopped chives or parsley (optional)

Whisk the first four ingredients together until combined. Add in flour and baking powder and mix well. Stir in cheese and herbs.

Heat a griddle or pan to medium-hot and brush with butter. Pour 4" circles of batter onto the pan and cook until the edges begin to dry (the middle won't bubble and dry the way crepes or pancakes do). Flip and cook until the cake puffs, check for golden brown goodness on each side and they're done!

Serve with sour cream (or ketchup, if your toddler insists)! Makes about 20 pancakes.

Sorry for the crappy picture! I was too lazy to pull out the proper camera and just used my laptop.

Milk Unleashed! (Giveaway)

Hello! It's been a while! Our whole family was pretty much out of commission with that nasty cold. Thank goodness we are almost all better.

Today I want to share Milk Unleashed with you! If you have a little one, you're probably like me and have a stash of snacks ready for even the shortest excursion. Of course, little ones get thirsty, too! I'm not a huge fan of giving straight juice (Mia does get half water, half juice from time to time) like in juice boxes, but it's not always ideal to take a sippy cup with water. Leaky sippies and no nutritional value.

That's where Milk Unleashed comes in! Single serving packs that don't need to be refrigerated combine the nutrition of milk with convenience. They are great for lunch boxes, diaper bags, or, if you're like me, the big giant catch-all purse that stands in for a diaper bag.

Milk Unleashed has a cute little app with fun activities, tips and a fun quiz too!

Take the quiz, it's cute - apparently we are a "Free-Wheelin' Family", ha ha!

So all this fun goodness leads me to a giveaway! Milk Unleashed has a prize pack for one of my lucky readers! The prize pack includes:

• One liter of Shelf Safe Milk (Grand Pre or Baboo)
• Three single serving shelf safe milks (white and chocolate) from: Chokeo Chocolate Milk, Grand Pre or Baboo 
• A calendar and brochure with information about Shelf Safe Milk
• Cool stickers and Tattoos
• Plus, one bonus prize! 

Wow! Enter in the Rafflecopter form below (click "Read More" if you don't see it!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received products to try for this blog post, but was not paid to write it. My opinions are my own.

For what ails you... (recipe)

Mia and I got our flu shots on Wednesday, and I'm not saying there's a causal effect, exactly, but we're both sick now. Granted, Mia had a cold before she got the shot. But she's been downright miserable since - waking on Wednesday night every two hours, and last night every hour.

I caught her cold, I guess, and I've been nauseous, with a killer headache, sore throat, stuffy nose, and so, so darn tired. If only I could catch a decent night's sleep! And if she would only sleep more than an hour during the day... Oh, Mia.

Anyway, I'm not into medicating, so here's my alternative cold treatment. Good enough for any time, but especially good when you're feeling off.

What Ails You Tea

3 slices lemon
1-2 slices fresh ginger root (or 1/8 tsp ground ginger if you don't have fresh, but fresh is best)
2 tsp honey (or maple syrup, or brown sugar to sweeten, but honey has antibacterial properties)
a pinch cayenne pepper

Steep in 2 cups of boiling water for 3-5 minutes.

This can be served hot and steamy, or chilled.

Toddlers (past 1 year of age, if you're using honey) can drink it, too. Don't add too much (or any, if you worry) cayenne for children under 2 years old. I feel that the tiny pinch within 2 cups is okay for my 21 month old, but use your judgment.

Why does it work?

Lemons help with throat infections (it is an antibacterial), respiratory ailments, and reducing the body temperature. They are full of Vitamin C, B, and flavonoids (antioxidants).

Ginger is helpful for nausea. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is a natural painkiller.

Honey is a natural antibacterial, antioxidant and antiseptic.

Cayenne - the capsaicin in cayenne helps relieve pain and may help with heartburn and blood circulation.

Quick and Easy Quinoa Salad

This is so super easy and delicious, I think I'll be making it a lot more often.

Quick and Easy Quinoa

1 cup quinoa (about 2 cups cooked)
1 can black beans, drained
1 large tomato, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1 can corn, drained (or use frozen, or leave out)
1/2 cup cubed cheddar cheese
1/2 cup salsa (as mild or hot, chunky or smooth as you like it)
1/2 cup sour cream (go on, use the 14% stuff... it tastes so much better!)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika (if you feel like it)

Cook the quinoa as directed on the package (I use my rice cooker, one of my favourite kitchen tools! 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water).

Mix the remaining ingredients in a big bowl. Add the quinoa when it's cooked. Serve warm.

That's it!

Variations:

• Great as a meal on its own (a big bowl), or 
• as a hearty dip for corn chips, or 
• add some broth and a can of diced tomatoes and heat it up in a pot for soup (leave out the sour cream for that - and add it as a dollop garnish to each bowl)! 
• Serve it in iceberg lettuce "bowls" for a nice presentation.

Additions:

• Chopped cilantro (if you like it), or parsley
• chipotle sauce or chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for some heat
• lime juice
• different beans (I like those red mexican beans!)

It is packed with protein, fiber and iron, and suitable for vegetarians, vegans (use soy cheese and leave out the sour cream or substitute whipped silken tofu),

Hallowe'en!

Mia has been running around shouting, "Hallowe'en!" and "Ticky-Teet!" for the last week. I don't think she really gets the concept of it, but the words are fun to say.

As I mentioned before, I decided to make her costume: an owl. This is her first Hallowe'en (last year she was just 8 months old). I seem to remember my mum always making, or helping me with, my costumes (one of the more memorable ones was the amazing ladybug costume she made for me when I was about 2). I like the idea of homemade costumes rather than the ubiquitous polyester costumes. I definitely need more practice, though!

 Here's the costume from the front. I made the tunic out of linen (an old curtain), the mask of felt and cloth, and the wings are linen on the inside, with feathers cut from a feathery shirt I found at Value Village.

 Here's the back - lots of feathers on the wings! They took a while to cut out. The wings button on, so if they get too annoying for her I can take them off.

 Here she is spreading her wings - this is a rare moment between the loud, "All done!" when I try to put it on her, and the crying and screaming "All DONE!" about the wings being attached to her wrists. Sigh.

She did tolerate it for several hours at a Hallowe'en party last week, so I'm hoping she can manage to stand it for today as well, for the Big Night. Tomorrow is Hallowe'en again at the community centre play group we go to. Fingers crossed for no costume meltdowns!

This is what happens when I try to get her to wear the mask... She cries, runs away and shouts "ALL DONE!!". She really doesn't like the mask. At all. Which is a surprise, as we already have a felt mask that she does like to wear - I expected her to like this one, too. There's no point even trying it, though - it's just not worth the misery. I might pin it to her hat tonight, if she'll let me.

So overall, the costume is not the biggest hit.

And I should have made it bigger, to fit over a sweater or jacket. There's about 4" of snow on the ground here, and it's snowing more today. She'll have to wear a jacket tonight as I take her around.

I think we'll just do the 7 or 8 houses on our little street and that's it, more to say hi to the neighbours than anything. She's pretty shy, and she certainly doesn't need the candy. 

Do you have a toddler going out for Hallowe'en? Did you make, or buy the costume? And what are they going as?

Earning money online

I'm no expert at this, but I do make a few bucks here and there by doing things online. Here are some of the ways I do it (all of these are Canadian-friendly!)

Get paid for your opinion - do surveys for money

Survey Savvy*. Paid surveys, usually a couple bucks for 10-15 minutes of your time. It's not even minimum wage, but if you're a good multi-tasker, you can watch a tv program and make a few dollars at the same time. Surveys are emailed to you, and payment is by cheque request.

Pinecone Research. This one is pretty exclusive - they only open it up to new members once in a while, so if you see an invitation (usually a banner ad: "The web sites that our banner ads may appear on are constantly changing during the course of the campaign.'), jump on it! I love Pinecone Research. It's $5 per survey (paid into your PayPal account or via cheque), and occasionally send out products as additional survey material (as in, you do an initial $5 survey, they may send you a product to try, and then you get another $5 for a follow up survey). I've received random things to test out and that's always pretty fun. I've been a member for over 10 years.

Survey Lion. Very similar to Survey Savvy, only a bit more frequent survey invitationss emailed to you. Amounts between $1 and $10 (rare) per survey. Payment is by cheque. They do have a referral program that is currently disabled - aw! But I can still recommend the site.

Product Promotion

BzzAgent. Honestly, I haven't been invited to a BzzCampaign in ages - but a few years ago I was in campaigns regularly and it was fabulous. I'm not sure if they got too big or I got too lax in keeping up with their surveys and such.  If you want to leave me your email address, I can send you an email to join - or just head to the site and sign up. They send out products and you are meant to "bzz" about them - sharing your experience via pretty much any method you can. I have received some really great products such as a high-end electric toothbrush, an epilator, teeth whitening kits and so on. There's no payment per se, other than the products you may be invited to try and promote.

Sponsored Tweets*. If you have a Twitter account and you don't mind posting the occasional ad, you can earn a few bucks with this one. You can set the amount you can charge per tweet (they will recommend an amount, but you can set it to whatever you like). You will receive opportunities and you can pick and choose what you would like to promote, or not. You also write the tweets (based on recommended information they provide). I find it a slow earner (over about two years I earned $56), but that will vary for everyone. Payment is via PayPal.

Swagbucks*. This one's relatively new (compared to the others I've mentioned - it's a few years old), and I know I've mentioned it here on my blog before. They used to be more fabulous, but it is still easy to earn and redeem. The reason I say "used to be" is that I could previously redeem for Starbucks cards which they would mail to me. Now they will only apply money to an existing, American Starbucks card. Last time I was in the States, I couldn't find a Starbucks that sold gift cards (?!) so I don't have an American one. I'm just hanging on to my Swagbucks until I finally get one. Anyway, that was my favourite redemption, but there are loads of other things you can redeem for including online coupons, PayPal cash and gift certificates as well as products they'll ship to you.  The good thing is that Swagbucks are easy to earn and seem to add up fast. I think the easiest way is using their search engine for random rewards, but you can also find codes, do surveys, polls, and more.

Do you have favourite sites for earning money online? Have you tried any of these ones? Or is it something you have never, or wouldn't consider?

* indicates a referral link. I'd be honoured (and grateful too!) if you decide to sign up using my link.

Vegas, renovation and an unhappy owl.

I've been super busy the last little bit - no blog posts! Here's what I've been up to.

I spent a weekend in Las Vegas with some of my girlfriends. What a great place to go to get away!

It was my first time away from Mia, and I was pretty apprehensive about leaving her. She still nurses many times a day, so the first thing that happened to me was - a day of traveling and only hand-expressing in washrooms when I could catch a few minutes (I took my pump but couldn't use it the first day) - combined with wearing an actual bra rather than a nursing bra - and I came down with a FIERCE case of mastitis 12 hours into the trip. Wow, does that ever hurt.

So I headed to a clinic to get that sorted and lost a day of vacation and $200 in doctor's fees (how on earth do Americans afford health care???). One needle, a bottle of antibiotics, a long nap and lots of Tylenol later, I was about 80% better by the second night there.

I ended up having a great time, catching two (!) Cirque du Soleil shows (Ka and Zumanity) and losing ALL the money I gambled - all two dollars of it!

And I missed Mia like crazy, but it was so liberating to be off on my own.

The renovations are going as renovations go - one step forward, one step back. They are supposed to be done by November 1st, but that will never happen. They sanded down the hardwood floor, stained and varnished it - and did such a crap job that they are going to come back and redo the entire thing. That was two weeks of work right there, wasted. The varnish has such bad fumes that we had to go to a hotel once already. The only nearby hotel that accepts dogs is about $185 a night...

The tile that went into the bathroom was done with the wrong colour grout... that will need to come out and be redone as well. ARGH! It's so frustrating. The contractors are complete jerks about all this, too. They're never on site to supervise the trades, and when we tell them something has been done wrong (which has happened every single step of the way), they get mad at us.

The one guy has actually gotten into shouting matches with my husband and refused to speak with him for a few months. On Saturday he told me that "dealing with people is the worst part of his job". As far as I can see, as a construction site manager, that IS his job - dealing with the trades and being the liaison between the construction and the homeowners! And he doesn't even do it...! I can't tell you how frustrating the whole situation has been.

And, I decided, like a crazy woman, to make Mia's Hallowe'en costume. I did a tunic with feathers, and wings, and a mask - she's going to be an owl. It turned out really well! Only, she hates it. "All done! All done!" and crying. She won't even wear the mask and she usually loves masks. I must have spent 30+ hours on it and seriously was nearly in tears when she started throwing a fit about trying it on.

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.

Hey, Anonymous -

- go bug someone else.

I've been getting about 30 comments a day from anonymous spammers lately, so have disabled anonymous comments on the blog. I'm pretty sure my real readers won't mind. Just letting you know.

Need business cards or playdate cards?

one of my playdate cards

Last year, I ordered some fabulous playdate cards from moo.com. They were half-size business cards ("Minicards"), and had a picture of my daughter on the front, with our names on the back with "contact my mum to set up a playdate", my number and email address. Super cute!

Of course, then we moved shortly after and my number changed... now they are fun toys for my daughter.

I should really order some more. They're a fun way for mums to connect. Sometimes you run into someone you kind of click with (or your child clicks with theirs) at a park, play group or at a friend's house, and it would be nice to meet up again.

Just now, I ordered some business cards to promote my Facebook page for my business - again from moo.com. I was really happy with the quality of the playdate cards, so I was comfortable applying that to my business as well.

Another great thing is how easy the interface is to design cards. They really do make it simple. It took me less than 5 minutes from start to finish to design and place my order. 

Both offers I received were free, just pay shipping - but I can see myself ordering from them in the future as well, now that I have seen samples of their work. If you are interested in ordering cards, I can recommend moo.com. Order through this link, and you'll receive 10% off your first purchase!

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, but the link is an affiliate link. If you're thinking of ordering, I honestly think you'll be happy with the results, which is why I'm recommending the site. And if you do place an order through my link, thank you for supporting my blog in a small but meaningful way. 

Rumplesauce

 It's apple season. Our new house has a little apple tree. It hasn't been taken care of (we'll do a heavy prune once it goes dormant), but it still produced 35 little apples this year. I have no idea what variety they are. They were only about 3" diameter, but were sweet, ripe and edible, so we harvested them. Mia helped.

What to do with 35 tiny apples? Applesauce, of course. It took a while to chop them up, but we love homemade applesauce, so it's worth it! (It's much easier with regular size apples :) )

Applesauce is so easy, everyone should do it. Here's how I make it:

Rumplesauce

• 2.5 quarts of chopped apples. I leave the skins on - that's where all the nutrients are, and I hate peeling. Bonus: if the skins are red, they will turn your applesauce a lovely pink colour!
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (or to taste). Dark brown is yummiest, but you can use golden or regular granulated white, or honey, or agave... or none, if you don't like it sweet.
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla. Use real vanilla, not simulated flavour. I love Mexican vanilla and am dreading the day when the big bottle we got last time we were down there runs out. I guess that'll mean we're due for another Mexican holiday :)
• 1 Tablespoon rum (optional. But it's just "applesauce" without it). Use the good stuff. We like Appleton Estates.

Chop the apples finely - about 1/2", especially if you're leaving the skins on. I suppose you could do this in a food processor, or with a grater. I did it the old-fashioned way with a knife.

Add the apples to a 5qt (medium size) pot and add water to about halfway up the apples. Stir in the cinnamon. Pop that on the stove, cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for a while until the apples get mushy. Check every 10 minutes or so, give it a stir, and add a little more water if you feel like it. These ones took about 30 minutes.

Smash them with a potato masher, if you like lumpy applesauce. I usually do, but these apples were a little grainy - in that case, use a stick hand blender to puree. Add water if the consistency is too thick.

Add in the vanilla, brown sugar and rum, stir.

**If you want to make Rumple Butter, leave the pot on low, uncovered, until the mixture reduces to a spreadable consistency.

Ladle into jars. Freeze what won't be eaten in the next week (leave about 1/2" head space for freezing).

Makes about 8 cups of Rumplesauce. This recipe is easily adjusted for different amounts of apples. Add or use other fruit, if you like! Pears make great sauce or butter (reduce the water as needed, or add berries or even sweet potato (add more water as needed) for a different flavour, whatevs! If you're adding sweet potato, try using orange juice for a bit of the liquid! So yummy.

Firmoo: Fabulous Glasses!

I was delighted to try out a pair of sunglasses from the international company Firmoo.

Firmoo provides prescription and non-prescription glasses to the discerning customer. I wore glasses for many years, until finally getting LASIK surgery. So I know how hard it can be to find a nice pair - and how expensive they can be!

At Firmoo, your first pair of glasses as a new customer is free (just pay shipping)! And, they ship all over the place: read the list of countries they ship to here!

With over 300 pairs to choose from (and at extremely reasonable prices), I'm sure you will find something you like. I sure did: I chose these awesome sunglasses:

I love the turquoise colour and the fun silver detail. The lenses are not too dark, and graded so that they're lighter on the bottom. They are very lightweight and comfortable - I like that I can wear them for a long time without any pinching or pressure points.

The glasses came with a soft pouch as well as a hard case and a soft polishing cloth. I appreciate the extra details! I always seem to have fingerprints on my glasses, from myself or my sticky-fingered toddler, so a cloth is great to have handy. The cases will keep them from getting scratched, as I tend to leave sunglasses in the drink holder of the car or in my purse.

Shipping was fast and by registered mail.

Another nice feature of the Firmoo site is the Virtual Try-On System. Upload your photo and you can virtually test-drive glasses - and even share it on Facebook to get your friends' opinions on your choice(s)!

I don't know how many of you are thinking about Christmas shopping yet, but this would be a fantastic gift for anyone - and so inexpensive, especially if you're a new customer! Just pay the shipping for a lovely pair of new glasses or sunglasses for someone you love.