Mama in the City

I would like to take a moment to show my appreciation for our PVR and all the greatness that it really is. If you are wondering who or what our PVR is than you need to click here. The PVR is perfect when you are a shift worker. I sometimes work nights and sometimes work weekends and everything in between so following some shows proves annoying. The PVR has been awesome and keeps me updated on my favorite TV shows at my own leisure. The whole recording system proved to be wonderful once I had a little family member in the house and spent less and less time watching live television. I now hurriedly press the fast forward button on commercials or long drawn out boring parts. Oh the control; I love it.

As the month of September approaches I start feeling excited about the fall TV line up and catching up on story lines from last spring and checking out new shows too. I am looking forward to catching some Grey's Anatomy and feel guilty about admitting to the Private Practice too. A little bit of fresh fall fun to get excited about. As the days become shorter and darker and we spend more time inside than walking the seawall in the sun the PVR will be well used.


It seems that there is also a mass of nurse shows coming aboard and I was curious why the shift from major doctor dramas to shows about us nurses? There is Nurse Jackie, Mercy and HawthoRNe. The TV Guide says that it is because of the economy and the recession. Click here to see what they had to say.
What television shows are you looking forward to getting back into? Check out the TV guide here.

Oh the fun times you can have at a fair in the city. Bring on the farm animals, the dog shows and all the fair food you can eat. Deep fried anything seemed to on the top of the menu at most joints. We didn't indulge in any deep fried Oreos but we did introduce our boy to those delicious mini donuts that only the fair can make just right.



Outings like these are definitly a lot different when you go with a nearly one year old and we didn't end up staying too long or seeing too much. We took Ben to the Super Dogs show to watch all the tricks but Ben preferred to giggle and smile at a girl sitting to the right of me. She had long dark hair and Ben was quite intrigued by her and let her know as he tried to jump into her arms. No lies, totally true.



We went and looked at an exhausted pig and her 8 piglets who looked like they were responsible for the mama pig's fatigue. Those little piglets are crazy nursers and so vicious too! We saw fancy chickens and sheep and calves and had a good old day out at the fair in the city.

It turns out that I am a mother who feels embarrassed by the noises her child makes in public. You know the ones, the screeches of glee and hollers of protest all at a really high octave. Yep, my boy is a loud one and does not share the same social shame as I do while we walk the city and get stared down by anonymous walkers. It started when he was tiny with his persistent loud baby cry that would get my heart beating and my sweat pouring as I did everything to silent him all for the other people (cause I'm nice like that). Now, he has stopped that constant crying but has moved on to celebrating life loudly every moment he can (especially while strapped into his stroller).

My husband doesn't feel the same social shame that I do and seems quite relaxed with the baby screeches while out in public. At least Ben has one relaxed parent right? Yesterday a passerby gave 'the look' towards our loud boy while we strolled the streets. 'The look' is enough to make me feel incompetent and nervous but not my husband! He thought it was sort of funny and carried on. He also was the one to tell me this quote by Plato; "What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?"

It turns out that all that noise making can make a baby tired, especially if being carried up on Dad's shoulders. We had to pull out the iPhone to capture Ben falling asleep because it was his first time falling asleep in a funny position.

Today around the corner from our place a tragic accident took the life of a 2 year old girl who was out in her stroller with her mum and being pushed across a crosswalk when a truck hit the stroller. You can read the article here. I have decided to postpone my usual 'Product Placement Wednesdays' and re post something that I wrote a few months ago about my feelings about being a stroller mama walking around Vancouver city. In relation to this current local news story some parts of my post are trivial but the bottom line is that inside these wheeled carriages are our babies.

Watch out! Here I come! My journey with 'Stroller Rage'

As I walk around the city, pushing Ben in his stroller, I sometimes find myself getting full of annoyance and anger. Why are people cutting me off? Walking out in front of me? Not moving off the sidewalk ramp? Argh! As I go about my day and push my precious cargo I often find myself taking on the same shoulder checks that I would do when I drive. Did I check my blind spot? Anticipate that car up ahead? Do I have enough time to make the light? I'm sure you get the idea; defensive stroller pushing.

It is surprising how many people don't seem to realize that you are pushing a BABY and not just an object on wheels. Of course I feel protective of my little cub and will yell any obscenity to show you just how much I do if you were to cut me off. I haven't really done any yelling but I do have a good list of rude words in my head just in case the moment comes. Most of the time I just become over assertive with the 'excuse me'.

The other day I was pushing Ben downtown along the sidewalk. We were waiting for the light to change so that we could cross the road. Green light and time for us to go. However, all of a sudden other people started stopping around us to get ready to cross for the other side. The sidewalk ramp was getting clogged up with people and my stroller seemed to be getting pushed to the back. I wanted to make this light but I had no path to move! I might be assuming but I am pretty sure that the sidewalk ramp is for people in wheel chairs, strollers and other wheeled things. This is when my stroller rage surges and I feel fiery with passion. Usually I do my best loud 'excuse me' and push through the crowd. I am pretty sure my husband would be embarrassed if he was with me.

I also have a beef with The Baby Gap on Robson St. and feel some stroller rage just thinking about it. Why does a baby/child's clothing store have an absolutely horrible set up of display racks in their shop? It is so badly set up that you can not physically push your stroller through the maze of racks to look at the clothing you might want to purchase. This does not make any sense to me. A children's store will usually bring parents and their children. I know this is not just my problem because I see other parents sighing or parking their child in a corner while they look at baby jeans and onesies. The result of my stroller rage is that I have been known to move the display racks to fit through the aisles and maybe making a few exasperated sighs too.

So, if you see me strolling down the street your best bet is to just move out of the way. Kidding! Kidding!

This afternoon Ben and I had the most delightful date with my good friend Su. She is a lover of babies and also very generous and thoughtful too! Su asked me about buying a baby gift for one of her expectant girlfriends and of course I had a few things to say on that topic. Oh presents! I have to be honest and say that I do love presents and shopping and both of those combined. I love to buy gifts for other peoples babies and I also loved the sweet thoughtful gifts that Ben received.

I was constantly amazed and surprised by gifts that showed up in the mail or at the doorstep when Ben was first born. Our own friends and friends of my parents sent little cards or handmade gifts and they were all so appreciated. One of my favorite baby items is a blue handmade knit sweater with a little hood that Ben wore throughout his babyhood. It was given by one of my mum's friends and it was such a treat.

The first thing to think about when choosing a gift is to know the parents style and try to go with that. There are parents who are in love with all things Disney and than parents who are all about modern hip baby wears. Put their taste into your gift selection. Are you buying a gift for first time parents or for parents who have had a few babes and might have already have all of the basic items? One last thing is to consider if the parents have lots of space to put big baby items or if space and storage is limited and gifts need to be more streamlined. Now, don't fret too much on all of these points because a gift is a gift and it is always so nice to receive and to give.

If you want to splurge on a baby gift I do have some specific ideas for you! Gift a beautiful sling to carry the new baby in from Gorgeousbaby. I didn't really know about baby slings before I had Ben and sort of thought the only option was the Bjorn baby carrier. I still use my sling and in fact I used it today while we were out with Su. There is a sizing guide on the website to help you figure out how to buy the right sized sling for your baby gift. There are so many really beautiful fabrics to choose from and don't forget it is totally cool to give the father a sling too!

Another shop that I frequently look at on line is Purl Mama & Baby. I have used this shop to buy many baby shower gifts for special girlfriends because I like the selection of interesting products to pick from. You can find great things like gifts of fancy nipple butter and cute martian fronted sleepers with a snap open bum! This shop always ships super fast and their shipping fee is quite doable.


We were given a few toys that we stocked away for later and we have been bringing them out as Ben grows. A really cool place to check out for infant and toddler toys is Dandelion Kids in Vancouver. There actual shop is kind of tiny but they have an excellent selection on line. They have so many toys to choose from it can be hard to pick.

There are lots of things that new parents love and admire but would never splurge on it themselves. This fun set of soft fabric blocks by Dwell Studios is fun and fancy to give to a new parent.

Sophie the Giraffe is a great little gift to give to that potential teether and you can get it at Chapters in their gift section.

I also really like to put a bit of a theme into a baby gift. Not all the time but it does work well for mixing small fabulous items together into one thoughtful gift. I would pair up some Burt Bees Baby wash with some soft washcloths and a cozy baby sleeper. You can go to whatever level works for your budget and still be thoughtful and give a present that will be well received.

I was lucky. As a first-time father-to-be I had the benefit of a wife who had already assisted with hundreds of deliveries. I knew I wanted to take pictures of our son's birth but I had to clear with my wife just how many, where, and of what kind. I'm sure many women wouldn't want their husbands to be distracted with a camera, but I knew my wife would want the photos afterwards and I assured her everything I'd take would be tasteful.

("Stay up by my face!" was the stern warning I received.)



I am a photography nut, having studied photojournalism in high school and university, so I was certainly more over-the-top than most dads, but Andrea has assured me I wasn't the most extreme. When I asked about possibly setting up one flash with an umbrella in the corner for some additional light (which I thought would be out of the question) she told me it wouldn't be a problem if it stayed out of the way. Evidently some guys shooting videos have lit up the rooms more than that. Having Andrea deliver on the ward where she worked had a few perks, including her choosing the right room for me with a ton of windows... what a good wife! I didn't end up wanting any additional light.

So what do you need to think about if you're not this photography obsessed? There are some general pointers that are applicable no matter what your skill or camera.

• Respect your wife's wishes; be there for her and for the big event. (Of course I have to put this one first!) I got in to more trouble by eating a cinnamon bun one of our nurse friends brought to me near the end of the labour than I did for my photography, so I think I pulled it off. I'm sure your wife will make it perfectly clear just where you can and cannot shoot from and when she wants your full attention.

• Find your best light; ask (nicely) for a room with windows if possible. Nothing is better than natural light so open up the curtains and use it if it is available. And turn off your flash if you have enough light in the room -- when you flip through your flash settings, turning it off will normally look like a lightning bolt with the "not" symbol over it.

• Clear it with the nurses and doctors; most delivery room medical staff are used to being in a lot of photos, but be sure to ask each one's permission if you're going to include them in your frame.

• Try black and white; it softens the mood and focuses more on the feeling than the details. I shot both traditional black-and-white film and digital files, later converted to black-and-white during processing.

• Focus on the downtime; in-between contractions and quiet sleeping moments the next morning offer good opportunities for photos without getting in the way of anything important.

Whether you just want a few good shots or you want full documentary-style coverage like I did, go over your photography game plan well ahead of time so you don't have to think about it during the more important moments. Hopefully you'll come away with some of the best pictures of your life. (And if you're lucky enough to deliver at St. Paul's in Vancouver, check out the black-and-white book we made of Andrea's labour that sits in the waiting room!)



If you have any questions about delivery room photography in general or of a more technical nature, I'm happy to answer them in the comments.

Life is good when you get to go to parent friendly cafes and enjoy a morning coffee as the tots play. This past week we went to Crumsby's Cupcake Cafe in Oak Bay (near Victoria). The cafe is in a cute little walking part of Estevan Village with old houses that have beautiful gardens and a few unique shops that line the street. We picked the perfect time of day to check out this cafe, an hour later the place filled up with fellow mamas and many many toddlers. I did spy one father and of course Ben's grandpa was there too!


Crumsby's is a fairly new cafe that serves up beautiful miniature cupcakes in a selection of decadent flavors. A small panini menu is available for lunch along with one option for a child's lunch. From what I saw most people dined on mini cupcakes and muffins while the children played. At out table we had 3 different muffins and 3 different cupcakes along with coffee and tea. I enjoy a good muffin and this place met that need! A lavender lemon muffin that had the perfect muffin top! My Mum had a raspberry oatmeal muffin with a streusel topping and it also went over quite well. The baked goods were well done and the coffee was wonderful. This place knows how to make a good cup of joe!


The children's play area is off to the side but there are enough tables around that you can mind your children. The toys were new and in good condition and allowed for creative play among toddlers to older kids. They had a mini kitchen with a well stocked wooden toy fridge and a second lower table with more unique toys. The play area was a big hit with the 2 and 5 year old that we took. My baby enjoyed furniture surfing in it too!

The only real downside to this shop is the major lack of highchairs and the small children's menu (one option). Also, as a mum I like the safety and the security of highchairs with proper lap belts and there were none available in this cafe. Instead they provided Bumbo baby sitters for you to perch on a chair. The problem with Bumbo's is most babies won't sit still in a Bumbo and there is no tray for them to eat off of. Invest in a few quality highchairs with trays and expand the children's lunch menu and this place is a perfect treat!


Crumsby's Cupcake Cafe is located at 2509 Estevan Avenue in Oak Bay, BC.

When I write each post I assume that people I've never met read each word and look at my pictures and maybe imagine those pictures coming to life. The world of blogging is really quite vast with blog topics on absolutely everything. People from all over come to my space, most being from Canada and the USA and a few are from China, Belgium, Norway, France and more! Of course some of you are my personal friends, and even my family, and then there are a lot of you that I don't really know...or know yet? The world wide web is scary and impersonal right? Not really so in this era. It is the place to be and the way to be at the same time.

Today the world of blogging happily collided with my own personal world. Seriously this world is a small one! I have mentioned the blog Koo and Poppet before because I won a bear for Ben and also enjoy her Etsy shop. My first introduction to Koo and Poppet was through another blog of someone else that I didn't know personally. That's just the way the world of blogging works.

Getting to the point now. Today my sister Sarah was hanging out in a Starbucks that she doesn't normally go to and was recognized by Sarah from Koo and Poppet. Funny right? It's like Kevin Bacon's six degrees of separation really and I dig it. The accidental run in got even better because Sarah, from Koo and Poppet, was on her way to mail ME a package of one of her creatures that I had ordered for a present. So, she just gave this package to my sister during their small world run in. All together now, 'It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all'.

In other news our little island vacation is coming along nicely and is almost at its end. I have done lots of backyard sitting and Ben has been having a splash in the baby pool a few times a day. We have done lots of visiting and playing and eating one too many treats. I am also experiencing the joy of my boy getting teeth # 7 and 8 and his usual crankiness and sleeplessness that comes along with that said joy. Soon he will have quite a set of pearly whites to flash at his upcoming first birthday.

There are a few luxurious that I enjoy thinking about from time to time and I allow my mind to wander and dream about these things. I don't know why but thinking about them can make me a smidge happier. Here are a few of the latest things that I allow my mind to wander to and enjoy.

Mad Men! Roar! Seriously excited about watching Mad Men with my husband and discussing Peggy and all the boys. I love the costumes and all the hubba hubba that seems to flow so juicily from this show. Love it! Love it! I can't get enough of all the obscene love affairs and feeling torn between characters. Plus those sweater sets!



I have been eyeing this lovely handbag over at Coach. Just admiring from a distance really because I haven't allowed myself to touch this luscious purse or wear it on my shoulder and live in make believe land while I stand in the shop. My husband will tell you that I have a large enough purse collection but a girl can dream right?



I have had my eye on this sweet handmade pillow from Sarah over at Koo and Poppet. I love the big B and how it is paired along with this specific bear. I have visions of it being in Ben's room and him leaning his sweet head on it. I like the fact that it is made from someone versus a big old machine in a factory. Plus I like that it is local to my geography and shopping local is always good for everyone.



While I am on a roll of things that I am loving I will also include this very nice french press from Bodum. I have glanced at this many times on line. I love a french press and I love purple and here is the wonderful union of both! Of course my kitchen is already stocked with two other presses from Bodum but this one is PURPLE. Purple!!

Today I spent some one on one time with someone elses baby boy. My own boy was at his grandparents house having some good old auntie time and so I went out with my nephew Gavin. He is almost exactly one year older than my own boy and, truth be told, I haven't really spent much special time with him. Of course when he was a baby I smothered him in his kisses and pretended to devour his huge fat rolls but then I got huge pregnant and preferred to rest instead of keeping up with a busy baby. Then I had my own high needs baby to jiggle and I didn't have the free arms or time to adequately love upon this boy.

Today we snatched him away from his parents for an afternoon of special auntie time. We ate peanut butter M+M cookies at Pure Vanilla Cafe in Victoria and then stroller walked in Oak Bay and looked in some fun shops. Just me and this boy. We kissed and cuddled and I pretended to scare him and he would giggle loudly. It was lovely and I am so happy to have been able to spend this time getting to know this boy. He is wonderful and I love being an auntie!

I left my dear husband to fend for himself for one week and took our boy to visit his grandparents and cousins for a full week. I am sure my husband will enjoy some solitude and restful nights and we will enjoy some fun cousin play time and I will have some good sisterly visits. We are taking lots of pictures and strolling around parks with the sea breeze fluffing up my hair. I am pretty sure I over packed but you never know what might happen over one week away from home. I am trying my very best to cram everything into the last few weeks of my maternity leave. I am pretty sure the full time shift work will hit me hard and these adventures will be a lot more sparse.

Here is Ben helping me 'get organized' for our little holiday. Actually, his talent of pulling everything out of the packed suitcase might be more unhelpful than helpful but I won't be too bothered about that! Instead I distracted him by allowing him to play with my husbands camera equipment.

One of Apartment Baby's readers sent us a note saying she had the perfect product for our Wednesday product post. It is always nice to hear from readers and so we have chosen to showcase her suggestion and her photos too. Sarah Mauza from Prince George, BC wrote in with her favorite go to baby product: Hylands Teething Tablets.


This is a homeopathic teething relief that melts easily on your tots tongue. It is all natural and Hylands has been around since the early 1900's. Click here to check out their website and read more about the product. Their claim to fame for this product is, "the temporary relief of symptoms of simple restlessness and wakeful irritability due to cutting teeth". Sounds wonderful! Ben really gets annoyed when his teeth are coming in and is restless and up more at night because of it. So, this product sounds like it would help with those issues over Tylenol which is just an analgesic.


This is what Sarah Mauza had to say: I didn't like the idea of always dosing Eric up with Tylenol for his teething pain. So, I found this product and they seemed to stop the pain and the whining and on top of that helped him sleep. Just the other day Eric was just so uncomfortable and nothing would please him. I finally gave him the tablets and within 10 min he seemed to calm down. Typically I am lucky and he sleeps through the night when he is not teething, but when he is bothered by the piercing gum pain I find he just doesn't wake up as much with this product.


Thanks for your product placement Sarah. We love the cute photo of Eric sleeping! If you want to submit a product for upcoming Product Placement Wednesdays send us a story and it might be featured here.

Today we made the short trek to Little Nest cafe: 3 mamas, 1 stroller, 1 toddler and 2 babies. I couldn't help but compare it to North Vancouver's Munch Family Restaurant because of the similar concept. That restaurant was reviewed by me here. In my dream world the two places would combine and mesh all the good stuff together and toss out all the things that don't work. Creating the very best parent friendly dining spot that Vancouver could offer.

First impression was that of a very busy lunch spot! Breastfeeding mamas all around, hipster dads dining with their kids, tattooed rocker mom's having a coffee date with their babies and friends. A 'new mothers' group was meeting in the back with their newborn babes in various slings and infant carriers. It was a true urban mesh of people. There were even a few single people dining alone with no tots in sight. We were pretty tight on finding a table as the place was seriously packed. No room to move your stroller and no 'stroller parking', which would have been a smart addition to this parent friendly space.

Right away I knew the food was going to be tasty because you could see the meals being made in the open style kitchen and the delicious baked goods that sat right next to the cash register taunting my insulin supply. This place is definitely more of a cafe than a restaurant and I say that because there is no ordering or service at the table. You order your food at the till and pay right away; good strategy in case you have to make a mad dash in the middle of your meal with a finicky diner.

The food was delicious with wonderful fresh organic ingredients and it definitely surpassed Munch restaurant in taste, flavor, portion size and variety. A variety of hearty salads and organic filled baguettes were to choose from for lunch and there is also a full breakfast menu. Someone has done a great job in putting together tasty ingredients and flavors and I really enjoyed what I ordered. The only thing missing from the Little Nests kids menu was some baby food items to choose from.


They have high chairs from the 70's and your baby will look super cool sitting up in one but be warned tey don't have seat belts in the high chairs. Definitely something that could be easily fixed with a handy person. Overall, it was a chaotic and tasty lunch excursion that didn't leave me feeling relaxed but did leave me feeling satisfied. I would be interested in trying Little Nest for brunch one day and see what they had cooking.

The kids play area was small and over crowded with older children through to babies trying to get a spot to play. I found that these age groups don't go well together in a small play area. The toy selection was mostly retro and mainly consisted of a little kitchen. The toys were in short supply and questionably clean. The children's play area was off at the back and you either had to score a table right nearby (we didn't) or finish your meal and head on over. Munch restaurant rocks the play area much more. I would like to see the play area larger, cleaner with more toys for different age groups. Garage sale finds are great but there really needs to be more than a few items for this busy cafe.



Photo credits

Oh tomorrow! You are going to be great! I can just feel it (exclamation mark, exclamation mark)! Tomorrow we have a baby lunch date with friends and we will be checking out another parent friendly dining spot. Seriously, can you tell how stoked I am? I love lunch dates and I love the idea of these parent friendly ones. Ben has been on a run of good day time behavior so I won't be expecting any loud baby singing but at least he has the welcomed opportunity if the mood strikes him. Of course now that I wrote that and have published this he will probably sing up a storm!

We are going to Little Nest in Vancouver, and while their website sucks, I have heard rave reviews from mum friends. This is the spot to check out.

There are so many things that I am thankful for this past year and one of them is the support of family and friends since Ben arrived. How amazing are you? Let me tell you! I am seriously and deeply thankful for all the people who stepped up to get involved in our new family and our day to day lives. We only have 1 direct family member that lives anywhere near us; my youngest sister who is newly married and lives about an hour away. Ben sees the most of her because of geography and she doesn't yet have her own babies. She absolutely loves Ben and sings an auntie arrival song about him on her weekly visits.



In a few weeks my husband and I are going on a long date and we are relying on my family to take care of Ben. So, this long date is spanning 10 days out of the country. I have been away from Ben for a total of 2 nights since I had him 11 months ago. He is going to be 1 when this date happens and I am feeling anxious about leaving my boy already. Of course I am totally excited too and the thoughts of sand and sun filled with sleeping and relaxing and just rejuvenating. It's a special treat for my 30th birthday and a little celebration for surviving our first year as parents.



I seem to be going back and forth between feeling worried about being away and feeling happy knowing Ben will get to spend some special time with my other family members. They live a bit further away from the city and see him every 1-2 months. They live like 3.5 hours away versus my youngest sis's 1 hour journey. Knowing that Ben will be with my oldest sis and my parents making me feel very content. My Mum did raise me right? I mean she survived 3 daughters so I am thinking she will snap right back into 'mothering' action. My Dad has already checked in to see if he will be able to feed his grandson Smarties while he has his visit. There are fun filled days planned with my Ben's 2 cousins and I am sure the time will just quickly move by.



Do you have any tips or thoughts on leaving your babies? Against vacations that are private from the children? Let me know what you think.

This morning while my boy napped I decided to have a bubbly bath and read my latest delivery of a Canadian magazine called Today's Parent. I like to try and take these moments to myself on the weekends when my husband is off. I have been a bath tub magazine reader for many many years and follow in the foot steps of my own Mum. So, perfect. Seriously.

Today I came across an article about 'The Period of P.U.R.P.L.E Crying' called 'A Good Cry' by Teresa Pitman. You might remember my old posts about this very topic and how my husband and I call ourselves survivors of this period. Right now I have two girlfriends who are hopefully just about done with their own experience into P.U.R.P.L.E crying. They are handling the challenge beautifully and realistically and once it is behind them they will also have survived something big.


A really interesting thing in this article was how they did MRIs on mothers while they were listening to their crying babies. The interesting thing is that they found brain activity during the crying was similar to that of obsessive compulsive disorder. There is an INTENSE urge to soothe that baby!! So true I can't say it enough and I am still talking about it. PTSD maybe?!

I can relate to that intense urge and know how horrible that strong feeling really is. Especially since my boy could wail up a storm for hours upon hours. How many times did I think to myself, 'please! just stop crying!.' It is sort of like a panicked feeling and you aren't sure when it is going to end.

Has anyone else survived this tough parenting challenge?

Sometimes I have trouble getting things done around the house because of this cute boy. Oh yeah! My Ben.I love to smooch him all day long.

Ahhh something I love to talk about. It's the middle of the week which must mean it is Product Placement Wednesdays! I am going to brag about a new product that I am all over! You see this past weekend was my birthday and a lovely generous friend gave me a gift card to Sephora. Yes, I know! Wonderful! I sort of interpreted this as someone wanting me to go and spend time and money in a shop full of products!

This week product placements is Organics To Go Juice Beauty set. A whole little box of fun filled things to treat my face. I have fallen head over heels in love with the face wash! It is milky and leaves my skin so soft and the gentle scent is wonderful. Am I gushing yet? The fact that this kit has multiple things to test and try made my bathing routine heavenly. I love products related to getting clean and I always enjoy trying out something new.


The real winner in this set is the cleansing milk. The cool part is that this product is made without any of the gross stuff. Such as, parabens, sulfates, synthetic Fragrances, synthetic Dyes, petro-chemicals or phthalates. Always a good thing really!


Oh Sephora! I :heart: you!

Work has been on my mind lately and it's a strange thing to admit but I am actually looking forward to going back. I think it is the combination of how I love my profession now that I have had my own baby. Of course if I had things my way I would just pop into work when the mood struck me. Help a few ladies cope through their contractions, hang around for a couple of births and when I started to feel a bit tired I would pack up and come on home. No 12+ hour shifts for me! No long unending night shifts with no breaks in sight! I would just come and go and life would be grand. I know this is not really anyones reality but a girl can dream can't she?

When Ben was under 4 months old and we were living through the P.U.R.P.L.E crying phase, I actually dreamed about heading to work. It seemed to me that even a hard day at work was easier than mothering a constantly crying high needs baby. I still believe this to be true because work eventually ends no matter how horrible it was. Plus a coffee break sounded like a nice addition to the day! Work is really truly lingering around the corner for me and I am not as eager as I was back than but I still feeling somewhat excited.

The other day the gal who waxes my eyebrows at Aveda said something about how returning to work reminds you of the person you were before you had a child and that person still exists but hasn't been around during the last while. I guess I can agree with her comment some what. I am curious how I will be in action and in the throws of helping someone through labor. Will I be different? Maybe better or stronger at decision making or maybe totally exhausted from balancing it all? I also met another mother who said, 'I don't mean to judge but I just could not go back to work.' Yeah. Life is tough and full of decisions. Some people HAVE to go back to work. I smiled and nodded! Like I said at the beginning, if only I could have it my way things would be bliss.

I have decided to not over think going back to work and not over plan how things will work out. I am just going to figure out how the old me will make my old job work with the new me. Did that make sense? I know that being a parent you really learn to s-t-r-e-t-c-h yourself in so many ways already.

What do you think about mom's returning to work?

Product Placement Wednesdays coming up next..... off to go and have a coffee and sea wall walk with my family! Got to love these sunshine filled summer days. I am making the best of them too!

If you have been following this blog you will know that I am all thumbs up when it comes to breastfeeding babies! This week it is World Breastfeeding Week and I am here to give a Woot Woot in celebration of this week! Here is a true story about my not so graceful introduction into breastfeeding. It turns out that breastfeeding can be difficult and challenging but it usually gets easier and better. My personal and professional opinion is that ANY breastfeeding is good. If you did it for a week or a year or you just did it the first two days after birth: any is better than none! So, way to go!


When we brought Benjamin home from the hospital engorgement was already my middle name. It was so bad that my sister saw me trying to latch my newborn on and she thought my boob was the baby's head. The engorgement was the worst I had ever seen and it made things really difficult. However, it turns out that my husband is really awesome in supporting me when I was figuring everything out about nursing. We took the approach that breastfeeding was the best option for our family and that we would just go with it and try our best. Conquering hurdles along the way!

A few days into being at home things are still not going smoothly. There are milk drops all over the hardwood floor and my chest literally looks like there are rocks shoved under my skin. One particular evening I am perching on a chair in the living room and trying to latch Ben on. This baby wanted nothing to do with my slow precise movements and was getting frantic. I was exhausted and hormonal and was also starting to feel frantic. Bring on the tears!

The engorgement really was tremendous and lasted a long time. It really it felt like this whole business sucked ass and I wondered if I would ever learn how to do this. My computer savvy husband goes on line and finds out how to latch a baby on when you are engorged and how to basically stop being engorged. So, we are sitting in the living room of our apartment and my husband starts explaining, in a step by step fashion, how to decompress my breast so that I can create more soft tissue for the baby to latch on to by decongesting some of the venous fluid and also express a bit of the fore milk. I can vividly recall him telling me to, 'use your fingers like a flower petal around your areola and press inwards to your chest wall.' The dude knew his stuff and he helped me out in a crazy way! He saw a problem and figured out how to fix it.



Even though I have taken courses on this topic and I teach breastfeeding it was different when it was my tired experience with my frantic newborn. That is just the way and I was not afraid to get help from coworkers/friends. I am so grateful that my husband was able to support me and help me figure things out. They were my boobs but really they were his son's too and he wanted to help us both out. So, here we go with World Breastfeeding Week! Woot!

I have never been that girl who enters a contest and wins. I know that there are those people who just need to stand near a contest and they win. People like my own Mum who have won some pretty cool prizes over the years. Well, recently I wandered upon a lovely blog from a crafty mama from Vancouver Island who had a give away on her blog. She makes adorable soft handmade animals and I won one!



Soon we will be having a gorgeous little bear join our family just in time to be Ben's birthday bear! We can't wait for the delivery. Check out her blog by clicking here Go and admire her delightful creations! Thanks for hosting a fabulous giveaway Koo and Poppet!