Wednesday, November 30, 2011
It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas!
Well not really, but I wish it would start!! Yesterday we got nearly 50mm of rain!! C'mon Mother Nature!! That's not the Christmas Spirit! Despite the lack of snow and decorations at our house, we are starting to get in the mood. The dogs and I are going for our pre Christmas haircuts on Saturday morning and our neighbours are having a Christmas Party on Saturday night. I'm also working on some Christmas wreaths I found on Pinterest. Tomorrow is finally December 1st and I've never been so excited to start my Advent Calendar. I've already opened Day 1 (I know - but I couldn't help it!!) and I can't wait to taste it!! The whole calendar smells amazing! My mom and Grandma are visiting us the weekend of December 8 and I feel like we will be doing some serious shopping! After that, we only have a week left before we head off to Timmins! Charlotte has a photo session booked at Magenta (I got a gift certificate for a free 8x10 and session when I went to see Steven and Chris) and my Mommie Fitness teacher is having a party on the 23rd. We are also hosting our annual Christmas potluck on December 17th! It will a busy December, but I love it! I try to keep our holidays as close to my childhood holidays as possible, and this year will be perfect since Charlotte's first Christmas will be in Timmins with my family! Not that she will really remember anything and she will probably want to open her own gifts just to eat the wrapping paper, but I will remember it and that's all that matters!! We will be going to my Grandma's Christmas Eve and having Turkey Dinner at my parents house on Christmas Day! What are your favorite holiday traditions? Oh and I almost forgot! It's time to dig out my old church choir Christmas CD!!! Happy Almost December!! Enjoy the snow if you have some where you are!!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Why Mommies Make Great Friends
The one thing I heard from new mommies over and over again was to join mommy groups and join them early
I have to admit I wasn't sold on the idea. Then I discovered Mommie and Baby Fitness (http://www.mommyandbabyfitness.com/) with Laura Berry. Char and I signed up for the stroller fit classes at a park nearby. Not even a week later, we were off to our first class! I felt like it was the first day of school, I had to get my 8 week old baby organized, tranferred from one car seat to the other, set up her jogging stroller and meet all kinds of new people! I was a little nervous!! As usual, I was one of the first ones there. Laura arrived shortly after with her 2 kids and about 10 other mothers slowly trickled in with their babes in tow. Some people had been doing the class for a while, and a few others were newbies like me. Everyone was beyond friendly and it was a great atmosphere. Noone judged me when little Charlotte cried the first few classes! It didn't take long before I added an extra class weekly and Charlotte got used to the routine and stopped crying. Not only did I get an amazing workout, trust me, it's harder then you would expect it to be! You try lunging up a hill pushing your baby and stroller!! But I got some excellent advice from mothers living in my neighborhood. At the end of the class, babies come out of the stroller, we all sit down on a giant parachute and sing songs and play games! I was hooked!! Sadly as summer came to an end, so did stroller fit.We went on until the beginning of October when it was just too cold for the little ones. I exchanged phone numbers and email addresses with a few of the moms I had really connected with.
Today, I had plans to meet up with my friend Jenn. Her daughter is about 17 months old. We decided to meet at Yonge and Eglinton which is about a 30minute walk for both of us. I got Char to nap this morning, then dressed, fed and bundled her up to make the treck. I packed snacks, toys and water, more toys and more snacks. Surprisingly, (well not really, as Jenn and I were always the first to arrive at class) we both made it there on time. We got our coffees and sat down. Then began the fussing. I joked that we are those moms you judged before having kids - the one with the whining baby in public! Char was happily munching her cookie when I took her out of the stroller - then Sarah got fussy - she wanted to walk around, and wasn't happy just sitting on her mom's lap. Just over half an hour later, we had to end our date. Ofcourse Sarah calmed down as soon as she got in her stroller, and Char got mad as soon as I tried to stuff her back into her jacket, vest, mitts, hat and stroller. I would call it a very successful coffee date!
The good thing about hanging out with other moms is there is never any pressure if you have to change a diaper or nurse your baby. You never have to feel bad if the baby is screaming, or spits up everywhere because chances are they've been there!
I'm so happy I stepped out of my comfort zone and signed up for the stroller fit classes all those months ago. I met some great women and loved sharing advice and watching their babies grow throughout the summer. There was lots of talk about poop, and sleep, but we managed to get our workouts in and gossip about the latest Jersey Shore episode too!
Here is a picture of Char bundled up for our walk!!
I have to admit I wasn't sold on the idea. Then I discovered Mommie and Baby Fitness (http://www.mommyandbabyfitness.com/) with Laura Berry. Char and I signed up for the stroller fit classes at a park nearby. Not even a week later, we were off to our first class! I felt like it was the first day of school, I had to get my 8 week old baby organized, tranferred from one car seat to the other, set up her jogging stroller and meet all kinds of new people! I was a little nervous!! As usual, I was one of the first ones there. Laura arrived shortly after with her 2 kids and about 10 other mothers slowly trickled in with their babes in tow. Some people had been doing the class for a while, and a few others were newbies like me. Everyone was beyond friendly and it was a great atmosphere. Noone judged me when little Charlotte cried the first few classes! It didn't take long before I added an extra class weekly and Charlotte got used to the routine and stopped crying. Not only did I get an amazing workout, trust me, it's harder then you would expect it to be! You try lunging up a hill pushing your baby and stroller!! But I got some excellent advice from mothers living in my neighborhood. At the end of the class, babies come out of the stroller, we all sit down on a giant parachute and sing songs and play games! I was hooked!! Sadly as summer came to an end, so did stroller fit.We went on until the beginning of October when it was just too cold for the little ones. I exchanged phone numbers and email addresses with a few of the moms I had really connected with.
Today, I had plans to meet up with my friend Jenn. Her daughter is about 17 months old. We decided to meet at Yonge and Eglinton which is about a 30minute walk for both of us. I got Char to nap this morning, then dressed, fed and bundled her up to make the treck. I packed snacks, toys and water, more toys and more snacks. Surprisingly, (well not really, as Jenn and I were always the first to arrive at class) we both made it there on time. We got our coffees and sat down. Then began the fussing. I joked that we are those moms you judged before having kids - the one with the whining baby in public! Char was happily munching her cookie when I took her out of the stroller - then Sarah got fussy - she wanted to walk around, and wasn't happy just sitting on her mom's lap. Just over half an hour later, we had to end our date. Ofcourse Sarah calmed down as soon as she got in her stroller, and Char got mad as soon as I tried to stuff her back into her jacket, vest, mitts, hat and stroller. I would call it a very successful coffee date!
The good thing about hanging out with other moms is there is never any pressure if you have to change a diaper or nurse your baby. You never have to feel bad if the baby is screaming, or spits up everywhere because chances are they've been there!
I'm so happy I stepped out of my comfort zone and signed up for the stroller fit classes all those months ago. I met some great women and loved sharing advice and watching their babies grow throughout the summer. There was lots of talk about poop, and sleep, but we managed to get our workouts in and gossip about the latest Jersey Shore episode too!
Here is a picture of Char bundled up for our walk!!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tea's the Season!!
Some of you may know that my latest obsession is David's Tea! My friend Val recommended it to me a few months ago, and since then I've become enamoured! Every time I go, I leave with a new favourite. I got my mom hooked on it too, she runs in after work to pick up a cup instead of Tim Hortons!
My new favorite (and I've only had 1 cup) is Forever Nuts. I've been going nuts trying to find it! I went 3 times to 2 different locations and they were sold out! I finally found some at Yonge and Eglinton yesterday and man is it ever good!
Their new Christmas product is a tea Advent Calendar. 24 days of tea! It's the adult spin on a chocolate-a-day. My friend Val's friend Jenn started a Facebook Event, we will be drinking the tea each day and reviewing it on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/events/183327538421658/) I bought the calendar yesterday, and it's going to be a real challenge to not open it until December 1! Melvin has agreed to try the teas with me, but he's definitely not as excited about it as I am!
Every David's tea location I've been to has the friendliest staff! They will talk to you about anything and everything! It's really fun and a different experience than going to Tim Horton's or Starbucks!
I walked down to Yonge and Eglinton last weekend with Char and stopped in to get some Oh Chistrmas Treat as recommended by my mom. I left with 30grams of that, 30grams of Snow Bunny and a Santa's Secret latte!! It was soooo delicious!! The only not so fun part is the giant step leading up to the store. Not easy with a stroller! Thankfully someone was nice enough to open the door for me!
Here are a few pics of the Advent Calendar. Oh and keeping with the Christmas Spirit, we were at Yorkdale yesterday and Santa had no line up, so we got Charlotte's first picture taken!!
My new favorite (and I've only had 1 cup) is Forever Nuts. I've been going nuts trying to find it! I went 3 times to 2 different locations and they were sold out! I finally found some at Yonge and Eglinton yesterday and man is it ever good!
Their new Christmas product is a tea Advent Calendar. 24 days of tea! It's the adult spin on a chocolate-a-day. My friend Val's friend Jenn started a Facebook Event, we will be drinking the tea each day and reviewing it on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/events/183327538421658/) I bought the calendar yesterday, and it's going to be a real challenge to not open it until December 1! Melvin has agreed to try the teas with me, but he's definitely not as excited about it as I am!
Every David's tea location I've been to has the friendliest staff! They will talk to you about anything and everything! It's really fun and a different experience than going to Tim Horton's or Starbucks!
I walked down to Yonge and Eglinton last weekend with Char and stopped in to get some Oh Chistrmas Treat as recommended by my mom. I left with 30grams of that, 30grams of Snow Bunny and a Santa's Secret latte!! It was soooo delicious!! The only not so fun part is the giant step leading up to the store. Not easy with a stroller! Thankfully someone was nice enough to open the door for me!
Here are a few pics of the Advent Calendar. Oh and keeping with the Christmas Spirit, we were at Yorkdale yesterday and Santa had no line up, so we got Charlotte's first picture taken!!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Tis The Season!!
We got our first snow fall yesterday!! Well, it snowed for about 3 minutes and it didn't stay on the ground. It was just enough for me to get excited, toss the dogs outside and brought Char to the window to check it out. Needless to say, none of them were as impressed and excited as I was!
We are having Melvin's family over for supper tonight as a mini Christmas since we will be in Timmins and they will be back in Singapore for the holidays. I made stuffed noodles (my mom's recipe) and mini cheesecakes from The Happy Baker (http://thehappybakerchick.com/home.html). I've made them before and they are delicious with melted chocolate and fresh berries on top!
During all this cooking, I ofcourse had my holiday tunes on! We aren't decorating this year since we will be away, so we gotta keep the spirit alive somehow!
Melvin has the day off today, so after he finishes making Charlotte's green beans, we will be heading out for a family walk! It's nice and sunny, and just a little cool! The perfect fall day!
We are having Melvin's family over for supper tonight as a mini Christmas since we will be in Timmins and they will be back in Singapore for the holidays. I made stuffed noodles (my mom's recipe) and mini cheesecakes from The Happy Baker (http://thehappybakerchick.com/home.html). I've made them before and they are delicious with melted chocolate and fresh berries on top!
During all this cooking, I ofcourse had my holiday tunes on! We aren't decorating this year since we will be away, so we gotta keep the spirit alive somehow!
Melvin has the day off today, so after he finishes making Charlotte's green beans, we will be heading out for a family walk! It's nice and sunny, and just a little cool! The perfect fall day!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Time Flies When You're Having Fun!
I can't believe it's been 8 months already!!
It feels like just yesterday we were nervously driving home from Mount Sinai with our precious cargo snuggled in her car seat for the first time!!
We had no idea how much our lives would change! The sleepless nights and endless diapers became a part of our every day lives.
In the past 8 months, we've gotten Charlotte sleeping in her crib, mostly through the night. While I'm still breastfeeding, we've successfully introduced many solid foods, and she loves them all!! We are slowly starting with the finger foods. She loves to feed herself banana, peas and cheese.
I've been enjoying every minute of my maternity leave with Char. She has travelled to Timmins, Sudbury, North Bay, Peterborough, Bowmanville...the list goes on. She even went on the plane!
She has 4 teeth and wants to crawl, although she hasn't quite figured out how yet. I'm ok with that!
She keeps very busy by grabbing and trying to eat everything in sight, including Rambo and Oreo's poor tails.
It's so much fun to see this little person grow in front of our eyes.Every day she does something new.
Melvin has become an amazing father, not that I had any doubts, but he's always there to help me out. Even in the middle of the night. She loves her cuddles with her dad and he has that special touch when she just won't go back to sleep. I love watching their bond grow, it just makes my heart smile. She is daddy's little girl and already has him wrapped around her little finger.
Charlotte will be starting day care in April when I go back to work. I'm looking forward to her personality growing and changing even more when she starts making new friends.
Here is Charlotte in the very early days, and 8 months later!
It feels like just yesterday we were nervously driving home from Mount Sinai with our precious cargo snuggled in her car seat for the first time!!
We had no idea how much our lives would change! The sleepless nights and endless diapers became a part of our every day lives.
In the past 8 months, we've gotten Charlotte sleeping in her crib, mostly through the night. While I'm still breastfeeding, we've successfully introduced many solid foods, and she loves them all!! We are slowly starting with the finger foods. She loves to feed herself banana, peas and cheese.
I've been enjoying every minute of my maternity leave with Char. She has travelled to Timmins, Sudbury, North Bay, Peterborough, Bowmanville...the list goes on. She even went on the plane!
She has 4 teeth and wants to crawl, although she hasn't quite figured out how yet. I'm ok with that!
She keeps very busy by grabbing and trying to eat everything in sight, including Rambo and Oreo's poor tails.
It's so much fun to see this little person grow in front of our eyes.Every day she does something new.
Melvin has become an amazing father, not that I had any doubts, but he's always there to help me out. Even in the middle of the night. She loves her cuddles with her dad and he has that special touch when she just won't go back to sleep. I love watching their bond grow, it just makes my heart smile. She is daddy's little girl and already has him wrapped around her little finger.
Charlotte will be starting day care in April when I go back to work. I'm looking forward to her personality growing and changing even more when she starts making new friends.
Here is Charlotte in the very early days, and 8 months later!
Monday, November 14, 2011
My First Blog Post!
Well here we are! I've been thinking about starting a blog for months now, well probably for about as long as I've been on maternity leave. I wasn't sure I would have anything to blog about, but the more blogs I read, the more I think "hey I can do this, and people might actually be interested in what I have to say!!". I'm a new mom, so I'm learning new things every day. I'm mostly learning how to find a balance between myself, my marriage and my daugther! Throw 2 dogs and cat in there and you have my life!! Since I've been off, I've branched out to Twitter and most recently Pinterest! I don't know how I'm going to keep all this up when I have to go back to work in April! But for now, I'm trying to forget that I have to go back there at some point!! I hope you enjoy reading my random thoughts and views and please comment!! Please also be patient as I try to figure out this whole blog world!!
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