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Little Kids

Mom On The Move: Simplifying and Learning One Kid at a Time!

August 21, 2013

by Amanda DeGrace

I have a confession. I like purses, bags and all things pretty. Well… and functional. Diaper bags are one thing we are not short on in our household, but over the past three years I think I have gotten it down to a pretty short list of our faves and can pack a diaper bag quickly with a babe attached to the breast and a toddler driving cars around and through my legs. Some of our diaper bags have gone to live with other mamas as they weren’t getting love anymore at our house, but we have kept our trusty Petunia Pickle Bottom, Baby Mel, a MEC backpack and my favourite Lululemon bag.

I remember when I was pregnant with my first I packed up the diaper bag with everything I thought I would need before my son was even born. I was excited to use all the new products and gadgets we had purchased. My diaper bag was stuffed full to the brim and sometimes there was not even room for my wallet. I was the mom who brought a hundred diapers, unlimited wipes, hand sanitizer, Tylenol, bandaids, three extra changes of clothes, a million toys and the kitchen sink for a two-hour playgroup. I felt prepared and confident, so I continued with this routine.

Then I had my second baby. People say things change when you have a second baby and I didn’t understand until I had my sweet daughter. I needed things to be streamlined, easy to prepare and to be hands-free at all times to now chase after a 20-month-old while holding a squishy newborn. The diaper bag quickly changed to a place where only the essentials were placed. I wanted to be able to grab everything I needed in a few minutes and be out the door. Over the past 18 months these essentials have stayed the same. Packing my diaper bag is now about ease and I am able to do it quickly so I can do what is really important- playing and snuggling with my children who are growing too quickly.

Here are the staples that we grab each time we leave the house, whether it is for two hours or a full day:

1. Wipes.

I always, always, ALWAYS, fill the travel container back up before packing it. I should really buy stock in these things. Not only do I use them for diaper changes but also for my potty training toddler, to wipe hands and faces after sticky ice cream goodness, to clean the dust and coffee stains out of my car and to get all the sand out of little toes before getting back into my new van.

2. Change of clothes.

Accidents happen, spills happen, pee and poop happen and you never know when it will all occur. I just pray that they don’t all happen at once! I used to bring multiple clothing changes, but I have learned that if my kids dirty their extra set of clothes that there is no shame in letting them parade around in just a diaper, whether it is under a snow suit or in the sun and sand.

3. Diapers.

Thankfully we are out of the newborn, poop every two minutes and possibly have a “full on blow out and up the back” stage. With just one toddler in diapers now I am usually safe to bring two diapers for a small outing and 4-5 for a full day. Huggies Snug and Dry diapers are what you can find most in our bag these days. We also cloth diaper and I have toyed with other disposable brands. Other disposable brands always bring us huge leaks (more clothing changes needed!) or diaper rash issues.

4. Water Bottles.

The kids are always thirsty and wanting to drink from mine so I pack each of theirs and know that they always have a drink at hand. Bonus that mine no longer has my lovely children’s goldfish cracker backwash.

So what do you carry in your diaper bag? Do you empty it after each outing or just keep adding to it as needed? Do you bring along just the essentials or like to bring a few extras “just in case” too?

The ultimate test for Huggies® diapers & wipes is in real life – from messy first birthday parties to playground playdates. Put the new and improved products, including Huggies® Snug & Dry Diapers with NEW SureFit Design and Huggies Natural Care® Wipes with Triple Clean Layers, to the test in and out of the nursery. Become an Official Huggies® Tester at Huggies.com/Tester.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Huggies® via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Huggies®.

Amanda DeGrace is a mom of two, avid yogi, entrepreneur, lover of life and always on the go! Amanda founded her company DeGrace Energetics almost 15 years ago and Little Lotus Yoga in 2004. Follow Amanda on Twitter and Facebook.

lifestyle

Auto 101 with Shell

August 19, 2013

As a suburban family, it’s only fitting that we drive a minivan right? Well, yes my Pontiac Montana works for us and our lifestyle. From hockey tournaments to road trips, comfort, space and safety are what we need. Fuel economy is right up there, too.

I’ve always wondered what type of gas we should be using, whether we need to put in a premium gas for our vehicle or if it would make my Montana run better. So when I was invited to chat with Jim Macias, Technology Manager for NA Retail Fuels for Shell, I was curious.

This is what I learned.

Cars today last longer

Macias said that vehicle life spans are longer than they used to be – 11 years in 2011 in North America compared to 8 years in 1995. The new vehicle fleet is changing; we are seeing smaller vehicles, smaller engines and auto manufacturers will be able to get more power out of those engines and we will continue to see a lot of this going forward.

One fifth of all North American-produced engines will be turbocharged or supercharged in the next two years (IHS Automotive) and the number of direct injection engines produced in North America will triple in the next four years (J.D. Power and Associates).

There are different types of gas

What does this mean for gas and my car? He explained how gas actually makes it to the gas station. All the gasoline starts off the same; but when gas companies take the gas and add to it, that’s where the chemistry is different.

Shell has a unique chemistry with its additive technology that can differentiate it from other fuel makers. The finished gasoline can be quite different.

What are gasoline additives? Every drop of gas in Canada and the US contains cleaning agents. Federal agencies require a minimum amount of these cleaning agents; while some gas companies only meet minimal federal standards, Shell regular contains twice the cleaning agents as required by federal standards.

Because of high prices, I use regular gas. I’ve heard it’s good to put in premium gas once in a while because it’s good for the engine. I asked Mr. Macias if this was true; he said that Shell V-Power premium gasoline begins to remove the gunk immediately – about half of the deposits – and the process continues in subsequent tanks. He said that I should use the octane grade recommended in my owner’s manual . All Shell’s gasolines can remove deposits left behind by lower quality gasolines, but Shell V-Power premium gasoline removes these deposits faster due to having the highest concentration of Shell’s patented cleaning agents. Keep your car well-maintained

Deposits can build up in your engine’s intake valves and fuel injectors and can interfere with the delivery of the fuel. So if these critical engine parts are protected, your vehicle will run more smoothly.

After just 7,500 km, deposits can already start to build up in your car’s engine, but like clogged arteries, you can’t see it happening. Stay on top of it by keeping your car maintained with scheduled maintenance and repairs.

The Owner’s Manual is your friend

Macias says the owner’s manual is your friend – if it says your vehicle should use premium gasoline, you should do so. Most vehicles recommend a minimum octane grade.

Shell V-Power® is a premium gasoline

Shell V-Power® Premium Gasoline is Shell’s most advanced fuel. With five times more cleaning agents than required by federal standards, Shell VPower® Premium Gasoline cleans up gunk faster than Shell Regular grade gasoline. No other premium gasoline keeps your engine cleaner and protects fuel injectors and intake valves better than Shell VPower.

All three grades of Shell gasoline are TOP TIER certified by the top automakers.

Disclosure and Disclaimer – This blog post was facilitated by Shell Canada Limited via Glam Media Canada. While each blog author received some information from Shell’s Technology Manager of North America Retail Fuels, the opinions expressed by each author are those of the author alone and may not be shared by Shell Canada Limited or its affiliates.

FEEL THE POWER OF THE V. Shell V-Power is our best, most advanced gasoline designed to deliver optimum performance for the perfect drive. No other premium gasoline keeps your engine† cleaner. Visit shell.ca/vpower.

Health

5 Tips to Keep Healthy and Fit in the Summer

August 15, 2013

by Samantha Montpetit-Huynh

It’s funny how we tend to work so hard “for” summer, just to let it fall by the way side once it gets here. And why is that? Because just like 99% of the population, the summer is the time to enjoy, be outside and (literally) bask in all there is to be offered!

The summer is so short and we don’t want to miss a thing – but unfortunately, like anything, else, there are consequences for all that enjoyment and it usually presents as the scale creeping up and not feeling so comfortable in that bathing suit anymore.

So how about if someone told you how you could keep on course and avoid this endless yo-yo year after year? Well of course I have some tips to not gain weight in summer.

Here are 5 tips to keep healthy and fit in the summer:

1. Think ahead.

Most times, things don’t just sneak up as much as we would like to pretend they do. The reality is it’s much easier to blame “events” for our lack of discipline. If we look ahead and plan our meals around it, we would be in a much better position in the end.

2. A calorie is a calorie is a calorie.

However, some calories are MUCH better than others so choose them wisely. If you are someone who is watching their calorie intake, be sure to choose ones that are higher in fibre and protein so your appetite is suppressed and you can starve off blood sugar crashes.

3. Liquids count too

For those of you who think that liquid calories don’t count; WRONG! Liquid calories are empty and (mostly) void of any nutritional value. Unless you are making your own juices or shakes, juice and alcohol can rob you of your caloric needs and leave you feeling hungry in the end. Remember this the next time you are sitting on a patio and deciding whether or not to have that second beer.

4. You need to earn it!

I actually stole this idea from a colleague and it’s brilliant. If you have a party coming up, you need to go into in a deficit. In other words, make sure to burn “x” number of calories so you can go to that party and enjoy it. Who wants to be at an event an only eat veggies and drink water? So kick up your workout before so you can go to that party free of guilt.

5. Increase your activity.

Notice that I said activity and not “exercise”. For most, when you add warm weather, people want to be outside and naturally tend to be more active. But if it doesn’t come naturally to you, just make an added effort to move more so you can maintain what you have worked so hard for. For example; if you are going out for the evening, see if there is an option to walk back home.

Luckily, when the weather is above 10 degrees, it’s not too hard to get people motivated to stay on the go. However, when you have people constantly dangling barbeques, pool parties and cottage weekends in your face, that’s where the creativity comes in to play.

As we speak, I am sitting on my porch at my cottage, enjoying the fresh air after I finished my 15 minute ab routine. And tonight I will enjoy a glass of wine (or two) but head to bed early so I can meet my friend for an early morning run.

So you see, it is possible to enjoy the summer and not regret it, it just takes a little ingenuity and you’re set.

Samantha Montpetit-Huynh is the mother of two beautiful girls and the founder of Core Expectations, Toronto’s only full services wellness team that delivers personal training, abdominal rehabilitation and other support services to the homes and offices of pregnant women and new moms across the GTA.

activities

Mini Expo Events for New Families Coming This Fall

August 14, 2013

I’m happy to announce that I am partnering with Life with a Baby and Head Start for Baby in launching Bellies, Bumps and Babies Mini Expo events in several locations across Ontario.

The interactive events will provide parents with all the information they need to give their baby and family a head start. Parents will have the opportunity to connect with local community resources, expert guest speakers as well as other expectant parents.

I’ve been working with LWAB for years – they have made a huge difference in the lives of many new mothers and helped reduce the feelings of isolation and post-partum mood disorders.

The family events announced will be held on the following dates:

Scarborough: Sep 28, 2013

Thornhill: Oct 12, 2013

Burlington: Oct 19, 2013

Niagara: Oct 26, 2013

Events in Toronto, London, Haliburton and more locations to be announced soon.

Applications are being accepted for vendor tables and sponsors with marketing opportunities including email, newsletter and social media blasts, promotional materials and gift bags. Contact me for details!

Life with a Baby is a project of Healthy Start, Healthy Future, a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to provide ongoing practical and emotional peer-based support for new and expecting parents, and parents of children up to the age of six. With a membership of 4,600, Life With A Baby is growing in size daily. Parents of children aged 0-6 can sign up by registering on www.lifewithababy.com for free.

Head Start for Baby is a non-profit national organization dedicated to providing resources for families related to education, budgeting and financial planning through free private sessions and seminars.

Of course you know who we are!

Desserts

Peach Cake with Yogurt and Walnuts

August 14, 2013

On our recent visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake, we stopped off to buy some peaches picked by local growers that morning. It was my mom’s birthday and I know how much she loves peach cake – her recipe with peaches on top of a basic vanilla cake. But I wanted to try making a coffee-style cake using yoghurt, with peaches inside and on top and walnuts for that satisfying crunch. Here is my recipe for peach cake with yogurt and walnuts.

Peach Cake with Yogurt and Walnuts

Ingredients

5 large, ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup grapeseed oil

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup yogurt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

½ cup sugar

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

Beat the butter, oil and sugar on medium speed of an electric mixer until light. Add the eggs one at a time, on the low speed. Add the yogurt and vanilla and mix.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped walnuts.

Spread half of the batter evenly into a greased and floured 9-inch square baking pan. Arrange a layer of peach slices, then sprinkle with half of the sugar mixture. Spread the remaining batter on top, arrange the remaining peaches on top and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture.

Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes at a preheated 350-degree oven until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or with coffee!

Enjoy!

Contest

Back to School Lunch Box Love Notes (Giveaway)

August 12, 2013

Back to school is just around the corner! Can you believe it’s mid-August?

I’m a member of the Lunchbox Love Mom Panel, a group of 10 influential women to spread the word about a new and innovative product, Lunchbox Love – The Original Lunch Box Notes – follow the hashtag #LBLmoms!

Lunchbox Love has the cutest notes for kids that you can easily slip into their lunch boxes. Each Lunchbox Love note has a happy, positive message on one side, and a joke or a fact on the other side, perfect for tucking into a lunchbox, binder or backpack.

I often am not caffeinated enough to think of something witty to write in a note to put into my boys’ lunchboxes, so I rarely do. But these Lunchbox Love notes are ready to slip into your kids’ school stuff.

I can imagine the kids sharing the fun trivia with their friends at the lunch table. The flip side with warming messages like, “I love the person you’ve become” and “Do something nice for someone today” which will surely put a smile on their face.

Each 12 pack of cards come in a cute hard case too so you can also carry some in your bag. Lunchbox Love also has a line for teens and tweens too.

Be sure to like Lunchbox Love on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!

Enter to win!

To celebrate back-to-school season, I’m giving away a 4-pack of Lunchbox Love Notes! Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

As a member of the Lunchbox Love Moms Panel, I have received compensation for this post, as well as sets of Lunchbox Love notes to help facilitate the review. All opinions expressed are my own.

House & Home

Kitchen Organization Ideas and Tips

August 12, 2013

Since getting my new Frigidaire French Door Bottom Mount refrigerator, I’ve been trying to reorganize the rest of my kitchen. After all, with such a beautiful fridge, it’d be a shame not to have the rest of my kitchen up to par!

The fridge makes it easy to store food because of the store-savvy spaces. For example, condiments, sauces and jams are stored in the refrigerator door shelves. When everything has its place, cooking and putting groceries away is a breeze not to mention storage is aplenty and entertaining becomes less stressful.

So I’m trying to take the organization in my Frigidaire fridge and carry it throughout the rest of the kitchen and entire house! Rather than be overwhelmed by a ton of projects, I’m starting off with the kitchen and working my way around the rest of the house, room by room. It will be an ongoing process and take time; it took me about a week to organize the basement:

Although we don’t have a pantry in the kitchen, we have a cantina – cold room – where we store everything from our own preserves like tomato sauce and giardiniera to pasta, onions and potatoes.

With limited cupboard space in the kitchen, the few cupboards I do have for storing food have to be well organized. One shelf is dedicated to baking supplies, the other for spices, one for coffee and tea and the rest is a hodge podge of items.

Although I haven’t found the time to finish everything I want to accomplish, I’ve been inspired to add some ideas to my Pinterest board, Get My Stuff Together.

On my Kitchen Organization to-do list:

Replace cupboard liners.
Organize the rest of my spices with matching jars and chalkboard labels, like these ones.

3. Buy and organize gluten free flours into glass canisters, as seen on http://adoreyourplace.com/2013/06/05/organization-made-easy/

4. Buy some cutting board organizing racks – I’ll likely buy another rack for all the lids for my storage food containers – because that is the absolute most messy storage problem in my kitchen – and one for pizza pans!

5. Buy new cutlery drawers and a few for all of the other utencils I have. I’d rather the cooking/baking utencils to be hidden away in a drawer than left out in a cannister on the counter.

6. Buy an under-the-sink shelving unit/rack to organize kitchen cleaning products, dish soap, dishwasher pods, scrubbing pads, etc.

Here is the progress I’ve made so far:

What is your biggest challenge when organizing your kitchen?

Disclosure: I am part of the Frigidaire Canada 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.

Desserts

Homemade “Frozen” Yogurt

August 9, 2013

Want a thick smoothie but thick enough that you can eat it with a spoon? Then I have the recipe for you!

I like smoothies but sometimes I want to enjoy a cold treat without all the calories. Plus I’ve found a yogurt that is almost lactose free and I can buy for just $3.99 and doesn’t bother my tummy.

Here’s my recipe for homemade “frozen” yogurt – because you actually don’t freeze it!

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana

1 cup mix of frozen strawberries, mango and peaches

1 ½ cups yogurt (I use a lactose-free or almost lactose-free yogurt; organic too would be best)

Directions:

In a food processor or heavy-duty blender (I use the NutriBullet), add ingredients together. Blend until smooth. The frozen banana and fruit will make the yogurt texture like a soft-serve frozen yogurt. Serve immediately!

Entertainment

Disney’s Planes: The Underdog Wins the Race

August 9, 2013

Disney’s Planes is like Cars but with a Rocky undertone. The big theme is the underdog winning the race and the nice guy does not finish last.

Planes follows Dusty, a crop duster with big dreams, to enter the Wings Around the Globe air race and compete with the big wigs.

The problem is, the little plane that could spends his days spraying fertilizer on farm fields and is – wait for it – afraid of heights.

Carrying on from the success of Cars and Cars 2, Disney has created Planes characters that follow a similar breakdown – there’s the main character, the goofy friend, the romantic interest, the wise one and the villain.

In Planes, Dusty (Dane Cook) has a lot to prove; Skipper (Stacy Keach) is the veteran warplane hero who coaches Dusty to improve his game; Chug, the fuel truck (Brad Garrett), and Dottie, the forklift (Teri Hatcher) give Dusty friendship and support; and Ripslinger (Roger Craig Smith) is the airplane to beat in the race and who will play dirty to win.

There is mucho romance in Planes revolving around a Mexican plane named El Chupacabra (Carlos Alazraqui) who is trying to win the heart of a Canadian plane named Rochelle (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Dusty also has his eye on Indian plane, Ishani (Priyanka Chopra).

There were a few laughs but some of the humour would likely go over youngsters heads.

In Planes, it’s really the animation and 3D effects that make the movie. The visuals are amazing.

Although Disney’s formula is pretty predictable, younger kids will enjoy the film. Kids will walk away with some important lessons in courage and conquering your fears, what friendship means and following your dreams.

Planes opens in theatres today, Friday, August 9, 2013.

Travel

Why Niagara-on-the-Lake would be a great place to live

August 8, 2013

Every summer or so, we take the kids on a short road trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake for the day. This time, we turned it into a weekend and stayed in the quaint town of Virgil just a few minutes away.

We like to have a lunch picnic by the Niagara River along the Wine Route (Niagara Parkway). We pack our mini-barbecue and spark it up with some burgers and sausage. The boys like to play soccer while I get to attempt to relax for a few minutes.

Then we’ll make our way to the downtown area, stopping by to see the boats and the Navy Hall.

The original Navy Hall served as the home of Upper Canada’s Parliament from 1972-1796.

The history here is incredible. The Fort George National Historic Site was the scene of several battles during the War of 1812.

go into the downtown area. We love to walk around – the houses are beautiful, dating back to the 1800s.

This spot is my favourite for photo opps – The Prince of Wales Hotel established in 1864. You can enjoy a 15-minute horse drawn carriage ride for $55 but I must admit though, I do feel bad for the horses having to work so much.

After the kids frolicked in the outdoor fountain in the park, we ate dinner at the Olde Angel Inn. The Inn was established in 1789 and rebuilt in 1815 after the War of 1812.

The Olde Angel Inn is reportedly haunted (and shows up in accounts dating to the 1820’s) of an Captain Colin Swayze who was killed at the Inn during the American invasion of May, 1813. The story is quite incredible – read it here. And the Angel beer? Delicious!

Gelato at Carlotta’s is a must – the hazelnut gelato was by far the best Italian ice cream I’ve ever tasted (and I haven’t been to Italy). My husband has and says it’s the real deal.

The shops are great but really for me, it’s more about window shopping and browsing – some of the shops are a little overpriced.

Just Christmas is always a stop though; I love shopping Christmas ornaments in July!

I haven’t even touched upon the wineries! There are so many amazing wineries in the area, you really do have to have a romantic weekend away with your honey and do wine tours.

The last stop before heading home? A fruit stand to buy fresh picked peaches.

I could see myself living in this beautiful town… although it’s not so quaint because of all the tourists! That would be the only issue but I’m sure I would love the more quiet season of winter there. Hmmmm open up a bed and breakfast? Tempting!