New mom vibes AGAIN

I haven’t been updating as much as I use to on here. BUTTTT, I am now my second baby and she is over 14 months. There’s been a lot of life changes some good and some bad. But overall, I’m working on it. I’m just writing this post because I know that there’s someone out there like me right now... a lot of my mom friends are back at work. 

WHY?

Because the 12 months is up. 

Losing friends after having kids: My Thoughts

Here is the truth… Losing friends after having kids can be tough, but it's a common experience.

Sometimes we grow apart. 

Sometimes we’re headed in a different direction. 

Kindergarten Checklist

I can’t Believe I’m writing this. Ava is in Kindergarten. Yeah. I know. Time FLIES! I can’t believe some of you have been around since 2009 when I was still in college. So much Life and time has passed. I’m so grateful for all of you. 

Let me stop being sentimental for a bit!

Three Quick Ways To Make Mom Friends

Friendships can be tricky, especially when you are an introverted mom. Or just quiet in general. Though it's NOT that hard for everyone to new people... hello extroverts! Before becoming a mother- I kept my circle small, but after having Ava it got smaller. It's important that I make friends who have children that Ava can play with.  

Here Are Some Ways You Can TRY to Make New Mom Friends 

Work from Home in Canada

Every year the most searched post on my blog is “Work from home mom” or "Work from home in Canada". This wasn’t my path… I always thought I’d be 9-5 or on set girlie. But as soon as I got a taste of at home life- I literally fell in LOVE. Especially during pregnancy and after having Ava. Being able to pick her up and or/ drop her off at school or daycare is dream. Also being at home with her until she was 3.9 months. So unheard of. 

How to get your toddler to wear a mask on the plane

The pandemic has changed a lot of things for us, hasn't it? From product shortages to Zoom conferences, it seems that everything in our lives have been impacted in some way. One recent things is that the mask ban has been lifted. But when it comes to flying in Canada- Masks are STILL needed for the whole flight.

For us grown ups, it can be hard enough to keep it on, but for the little ones? It seems to be impossible. I mean, it's hard enough to get them to keep their socks on! 

So here are 3 tips for teaching your toddler how to properly wear their mask on an airplane. 

Decluttering 101: Tips for New Moms

As a first time mom, I accumulated a lot of stuff. A lot of gifts - mixed in with a few purchases. Now that Ava Rose is almost two. We decided to get rid of half of the stuff and keep the best ones for baby #2 *Whenever we are ready for that* 

When it comes to decluttering your space, there is honestly no right or wrong way to go about it. Everyone has their own routine that works for them but for someone like me who is extremely sentimental... it takes forever for me to start. Best outlook to have - It all comes down to simplicity and minimizing unnecessary things in your space!

21 Mommy bloggers share their toddler routines and activities

It’s crazy how things change so quickly. I am grateful to stay home and have my family safe... But I’m not gonna lie- I can tell how bored she is. There’s not much I can do to change the boredom especially with me working but I decided to give her her own space in our living room.

Most of the stuff we already had! The only thing that I purchased was a table set from IKEA which was extremely affordable at $30 CAN. My husband purchased the toy box plus she made me that lovely art in the background for Mother’s Day. I thought it would be a perfect addition to her space. I love that she has a place that she can go when she feels like she wants to sit down and eat or quietly play.

Decluttering Tips that you Need to Know if You're a New Mom

A mother’s job is hard enough! We have to stay organized and know where everything is at a moment's notice! Especially if your child is having a meltdown and not able to find what they are looking for. How many times do you go to a store and your child begs you to just buy one more toy, game or craft. In the back of your mind your thinking “oh geez”… MORE clutter to add to the mess. We have to constantly organize and declutter their spaces!

One golden nugget of truth is from when children are young always include them in the clean-up stages to help them be responsible and take pride in their space … bonus they tend to remember where things are too! It’s so hard to stay ahead of the game by cleaning and decluttering areas to help ease our stress but in the long run, keeps kids entertained and they learn as time goes on. I’m happy I came up with this plan- so I would stop doing double the work!

Here are my top tips for decluttering spaces

20 tips to help you save money in 2020

This year, I have added a few costly things to my life- New living arrangements, daycare, new car... need I go on? So I've had to cut back: no more lash extensions, no excessive eating out and no "new" clothing shopping. One thing I'm good at is saving! 

Also these tips might seem random- If one out of 20 helps you (that makes me happy). 

Here are 20 tips to help you save money in 2020.

Three tips for your baby when using baby pouch foods

I recently wrote about my thoughts on baby led wending and it was suggested that I also write about baby food as well. We actually still give them to Ava as a "snack' after her naps. It's quick- it fills her up. Plus she just eats them on her own (very little supervision needed)!

Just like everything out there you need to pay attention and follow safety/handling procedures when giving them to your little
one. This will make sure that your baby does not get sick.

Resort Vacation Must-Haves for Babies or Toddlers under 2

If you follow me on Instagram, you will know that our first family vacation was a bit of a mess. We ended up in Bahamas at the same time as a hurricane. Thankfully, we were in a part of the island that just got a lot of rain and crazy wind... but it honestly could have been so much worse. I don't mean to be overdramatic but I low-key feel traumatized by it. Thankfully, we got home safe and sound.

I am doing to toot my own horn. I did an AMAZING job figuring out what to pack for the baby. That I even OVER packed. I am also so thankful for all the moms I connected with before my trip to figure out what items I should bring for Ava.

Crib safety in Canada

As a new mother, I swear nothing gave me more anxiety than then crib.
It stayed empty for like 3 months!

Convincing my little one to finally fall asleep is hard enough at one (All she wants to do is play), but when I put her down in her crib I want to know that she's going to be safe and secure. I heard too many SIDS stories via online and heard about too many close calls that I had to do a lot of research before putting baby girl in there. There are a lot of articles and blog posts that talk about official Canadian crib safety standards. I’m not going to lie some are over dramatic and if your a new mom like me... We just want to learn some simple tips for making our baby's crib safer. Thankfully my months of research has you covered!

Here are a few things I've learned from reading up about crib safety online and speaking to other moms about keeping your little one safe during sleep time.

There are a few obvious ones that I think we all know, like don't give your newborn baby a blanket to sleep with (even though I know it's tempting on cold nights). The best alternative is a sleep sac! We had a few for baby girl that we purchased and received as a gift.

Quick and Easy Apple Puree Mixes for Your Baby

Making food for your baby at home might seem high maintenance for some. When Ava was 5 months we started to feed her "solids". For the first few days, she was like... what is this!? Then after a while, she was obsessed. For the purposes of this article, I'm going to base my tips on a simple fruit that we all start on as babies: Apples.

You know how that old saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well, in this case, an apple a day might just make their transition to solids so much easier!