Category Archives: children

What to bring when traveling with baby to the cottage

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Amy is a good friend of mine, a previous room-mate, and now, a fellow mom.  Before we became parents, our summer weekends were filled with “wild” cottage parties.  Now, we go to the cottage to RELAX!  Or at least we try…  In order to help us relax, we need to ensure our kids our comfortable, safe and entertained.  That is why Amy put together a list of what she believes are must-have items to bring when traveling with baby to the cottage.  Whether you’re a new or seasoned cottager, hopefully you will find this list useful.

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COTTAGE BABY ESSENTIALS ‘SURVIVAL KIT’

Dock, beer, suntan, swim, campfire, sleep and repeat...This is how I love to spend my time at the cottage. Cottage life IS the life as far as I’m concerned. And then our babe arrived. AND IT ALL CHANGED. Bugs, sunburns and naptimes have all but consumed our otherwise peaceful cottage existence. I trust Dr. Google for almost anything, but when I searched for ‘cottage baby essentials’, I was left empty and sad.

I’ve taken some time to source out some ‘must have’ cottage essentials that will restore your serene cottage life with infant in tow.

Video Monitor $199

NAP TIME! Enjoy the dock while watching your babe sleep peacefully in the cottage.  This beauty allows you view up to 400 feet away and is equipped with a two-way voice function as well as zooming capabilities.  *Note: while the unit is reliable, nap times are not.Summer-Infant-Video-Monitor
Bug Netting $9.97

Let your little one play in the fresh air without the irritation of the bugs biting their flawless baby skin. This cheap multifunctional netting fits over your pack n’ play as well as a bassinet, stroller and more.Graco-Bug_Netting

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Father’s Day Toronto Style

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For the past three years, we celebrated father’s day up in cottage country.  This year, we stayed in the city.  So to make the day extra-special, we took-in the city and I had a few special gifts planned for my husband.

Living in the city, it’s hard to enjoy the wildlife without taking a trip to the country.  But what most Torontonian’s don’t know is that there’s a piece of wildlife right in our own backyard.

The Leslie Street Spit, is a man-made land extension from Lakeshore (and Leslie street) that almost meets the Toronto Islands.  When Toronto expanded in the 60′s and 70′s, the split was used as a dumping ground for excess supply of rubble and earth that was dug up for the creation of buildings and the subway system.leslie st spit map

However, if you take a leisurely walk on the peninsula now, you would never imagine that it’s used as a ‘concrete dump’; The area is sprawling with wildlife.  It’s amazing to think that plants and trees can even grow in a place that’s literally built on rocks, bricks and rebar.

Living nearby, my husband would frequently run and bike along the 5km strip.  However, this past father’s day, we decided to make it a (urban) family event.  After a quick pit-stop at Starbucks, we ventured out to take in this awesome oasis with the kids in tow.leslie st spit water Continue reading →

How much sleep does my baby ACTUALLY need??

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What’s the favourite topic de jour amongst new moms?  SLEEP or rather, lack of it.  We all want to know how long each other’s babies slept for and if there are any “tricks” that we can apply.  What we wouldn’t do to get one night of uninterrupted sleep!!  Whether it’s your first, second or fifth child, we can all use help in the sleep department.  Tracy Braunstein is a kid sleep expert and here she shares with us some information on the sleep needs of children and provides tips as well. Here’s to nights full of Zzzzzzzzzs.image001

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Sleep. It’s a thing you used to get a lot of before you had kids ;) Now it’s seems to be a distant memory.. but here’s the good news, it doesn’t have to be that way!

Babies and children require sleep. Lots of it. It is not a luxury, it is a biological need. When a child is well rested and getting the sleep they need, it allows them to be at their optimal. The best little people they can be. Sleep is to the brain as food is to the body. It causes memory consolidation, enhances organizational skills, planning, multi-tasking and executive functioning. When a child is not getting sufficient rest, they are more irritable, frustrated and tend to get easily angered or upset.iStock_000015093634Small Continue reading →

Personalized Wall Art makes a perfect gift! MavisBLUE designs {Giveaway US & CDA}

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I’ve already written about my love for personalized gifts, but I’ve recently discovered even something else that you can get personalized.  ART!  That’s right, ART!

Nattalie Will, a print and digital art enthusiast, has recently launched her Etsy shop MavisBLUE.  After a few years of providing her beautiful work of arts as gifts and being repeatedly asked to make more, she decided to make her work accessible to all.

What’s great about MavisBLUE’s products is that there’s something for everyone on your list.  If you want to purchase a beautiful newborn gift, her baby birth announcement art are a sure hit.  I got some made for both of my sons and I was so impressed with the end result.  All you have to do is provide the name, date of birth, pounds, inches, location and select an animal to showcase and Nattalie takes care of the rest.  You have an option of receiving your purchase immediately as a PDF for $20 or as a print for $30.  I love the option of being able to receive it via PDF.  Not only because you can save money, but also because it allows you to print it at home (or at your local photo store) and give it to a new mom when you visit her and the newborn the first time.  Personally, I think that would put a huge smile on any mother’s face.  Here are my son’s beautiful work of arts!DSC_0855DSC_0863 Continue reading →

Five tips for brushing your kids’ teeth

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It seems that along with sleep issues, the other problem that a lot parents of infants and toddlers struggle with is teeth brushing.  Typically, kids hate brushing their teeth.  My son doesn’t mind it, but only because he thinks the fluoride-free toothpaste tastes like candy.  So really, he’s mostly eating (toothpaste), not brushing.  We can obviously use some help in this department!

Dr. Lori Goldenberg is a pediatric dentist practicing in Toronto.   She graduated from University of Toronto and trained at the Hospital for Sick Children.  Here she shares her top 5 pointers for brushing your children’s teeth.

1) Start early: get your kids used to having their teeth brushed as early as possible. It’s going to seem weird at first and you may not feel like you’re doing anything, but keep at it. You are. I started making a point of brushing my teeth in front of my daughter when she was really young and telling her about it so that she might be interested in it when the time came to brushing her teeth. There is also a really fantastic Elmo Song called Brushy Brush Brush (see link below) that I have been playing for her since she was tiny and she is in LOVE with it. The more exposure to things kids get when they are younger, the more interested and accepting of those things they will hopefully be when they are older.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxMrtK-kYnE Continue reading →

DIY Mr. Men “Big” & “Little” sibling shirts

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My friend made my sons awesome matching T-shirts featuring Mr. Big and Mr. Little from the Mr. Men book series (one of our personal favourites).  They are so cute and such a hit that I had to share it with you all.sibling shirts

Here’s the instructions on how do it yourself:

Materials/Tools:
1. T-shirt transfers (light or dark transfers depending on the colour of your shirt)
2. Printer
3. Computer with publishing software
4. Shirts Continue reading →

Paying it forward; one family at a time

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The other day, as I was getting the nursery room ready for my newborn son, I came across some unopened gifts that we received from our loving and generous family and friends.  Since he’s our second child and of the same gender, we didn’t need it all.  It took me only a second to know what I had to do with the stuff.  Instead of re-gifting or exchanging, I decided that I wanted to give it away to a deserving family.  To be honest, this idea was inspired by a fellow blogger who recently blogged about the “ding dong diaper ditch“. But also, lately, I realized how lucky and fortunate my husband and I are.  It was time to pay it forward, and I finally figured out a good way to do it!PayItForward Continue reading →