mom & me monthly favourites (March)

This month we actually have some favourites that we had for awhile, but she recently became more interested in them as she got older. And our all-time favourites are still going strong on the top of me and baby's list if you wanted to check that out too.

My top suggestion for most useful would be the Nuby Nibblers. Avairy has gotten two teeth coming in now so she's been trying to bite on anything she can get her tiny hands on. This product was really good for soothing her gums and keeping her busy.

You either put fruits or vegetables into the mesh netting and they can chew/suck on it without choking on tiny pieces. What I did for Avairy was cut and peel some apples and put them in the freezer in ziplock bags. Then once it was snack time (or if her teeth were bugging her) , I would grab some up and she would sit happily for a good 30+ minutes.

As for my #1 favourite this month, it would definitely have to be the star leggings from Target. Oh my god. Let me tell you...they are so adorable! They fit her perfectly with plenty of room to grow and the material is nice and sturdy. I even dressed her in them 3 days in a row. If she was older she would not be having that!

Ok, so now for Avairy's top favourite! Her stroller! Like I said, she's had this for a long time now, but recently she gets a lot more excited when she's getting put in it. Maybe it's because she's sitting big-girl-style as Jordan and I like to say haha. I personally think it's a bit bulky now when I compare it to the more sleek, modern ones, but I still like it. It's one of those strollers where they get tossed and bumped around and still last you forever. That's what really matters here!

Also, I wanted to explain why there were nighttime diapers in our favourites again this month. I loved the Huggies one, even though every morning she smelled like pee. I just figured this was because the diapers were -- well full of pee. haha. Until one day I accidentally grabbed some Pampers instead of Huggies. I thought 'Ugh great. I hate Pampers. They feel so thin and cheap.', but they are fab-u-lous! She hasn't had a leak nor does wake up smelling like pee! However, I still love my regular everyday Huggies. :)

Feel free to share some products that you guys love. I wanna try them out and maybe one month they could be our new favourites!

Last minute Easter gift idea

I featured this idea on my last Pinterest Tuesday (here) and I had to do it for myself! (It was just too cute to pass up.) There are so many different ways you can go with this idea. You could do it for a children's activity on Easter Day or as a last minute gift.

1. Blow out the yolk in your eggs or hard boil them.

2. To dye them use a mixture of 1 teaspoon of vinegar, 1 cup of hot water and 20 drops of food colouring.

3. Let them dry on a rack with paper towel lining underneath.

4. Write or print out your message and slip it inside your egg using the hole from removing the yolk. To make the paper fit, use a pin and carefully chip away a bigger opening. 

5. Package and gift away!

I don't think I ever dyed eggs before...maybe I tried to when I was younger, but this was so much more easier than I remember. The ways to decorate them are endless. I even used paper reinforcements to make the circle pattern on one of the eggs and rubber bands in the pink tie-dyed one.

As for the packaging, I found these jars for dirt cheap at the dollar store! They're so adorable. I'm thinking of buying some more to store bobby pins or make up brushes in too. 

I also picked up some things for Avairy's first Easter basket. I kept saying to Jordan over the week if I should just give them to her before Sunday because I couldn't wait to read her new book!

Have a happy Easter weekend everybody! Ps. it's finally warm and sunny here :)

Pinterest Tuesday: Easter Crafts

Since Easter is coming up this weekend, it would only be obvious to share some ideas for Easter crafts and decorations. I cannot wait until Avairy gets older (or at least walking) so I can do egg hunts and egg decorating with her. 

Here are 6 Easter crafts you can do for the home and with the kiddies.

easter print - egg message - bunny garland - bunny gift jars - easter/spring wreath - robin egg cupcakes

The message in the egg is such a cute idea that I'm gonna have to try it out for myself this weekend!

And of course I had to add some ideas that included Mini Eggs (or some like to call them Robin Eggs). I have my eye on this ginormous bag of Mini Eggs and it will only be bad news if I ever get my hands on them. Personally, you can give me some from the bottom of your purse and I would still happily eat them. Waste not, want not. haha.

Spring outfits for baby boys

Yesterday was officially the first day of Spring! I would be a lot more excited if it wasn't for the fact that it just feels like another day of Winter. Last year we were lucky and barely had a Winter and then had a Summer for Spring. (That doesn't sound confusing at all haha)

Well, since I brought you Spring outfits for girls, it would only be fair to do one for boys as well. Everything happened to be chosen from the Gap because for some reason I've developed an obsession with their kids clothes. I could be on their website for hours! I also noticed with boys clothing I tend to be more drawn to the bold patterns and colours. Which is a great balance because all I pick out for Avairy are pinks.

The Gap also had this really adorably geeky Hawaiian T-shirt that I so badly want to buy. If I ever were to have a boy he would probably be dressed as a little old man. That's the only way to do it in my opinion. Don't think that would fly with Jordan though. 

Well, happy Spring! I'll be here...still waiting for warmer days...

6 months & pinterest tuesdays!

Happy 6 months today to my little pumpkin! I can't believe it's been 6 months since the day I gave birth to her and in just a blink of an eye she'll be turning 1 years old.

With each month she gets older, the more fun she gets. I can see her personality coming out more and more everyday. She definitely has her dad's looks, but you can't deny that she has my loud personality! She'll be sitting in her high chair and all of a sudden you'll hear her scream the loudest scream followed by the most exaggerated laugh. For no reason at all!

It'll be great to look back at this, 6 months from now and see how much she's grown and what new things she'll be into.

Also, I wanted to introduce a new blog series for Tuesdays where I'll share with you some cool ideas I've found on Pinterest. For those of you who haven't heard of Pinterest, it's just a website that has a huge collection of ideas people have shared. It can be about things like cars, babies, weddings etc. Definitely check it out, but be warned, it's highly addicting!

So, since today is Tuesday and happens to be Avairy's 6 month birthday, I'm going to share 6 creative inspirations for a DIY children's birthday.

paper lanterns | confetti pancakes | paper candle cupcakes | ice cream stand | bunting banner | tissue numbers

I'm loving the felt bunting tutorial for high chairs! I'll definitely have to do that when Avairy turns one. As well as the confetti pancakes for when she gets a little bit older. They're all really simple and easy ideas that you can make for any occasion.

Let me know if there are any other topics you want me to gather up some ideas for in the upcoming series!

mama made baby leggings! (DIY)

Do you guys remember when I told you I was trying to make my own leggings? Well I was inspired by a couple of tutorials I found on Pinterest, but this one was my favourite.

So, how did it go you ask? Two words: not good. Let's just say I was a little rusty with the sewing machine in the beginning.

The first pair I did went SO horribly wrong! The thread kept coming loose and getting tangled and I made the biggest mistake ever! I didn't put the foot down when I was sewing...yeah, I know. For all you pro-sewers out there, I'm sure you're either laughing or shaking your head. It's the mommy brain I tell ya!

Once I got that all figured out I tried again on a second pair and I did it perfect. Only thing was, one side of the fabric was inside out. *slaps forehead* Mommy brain again. Third times a charm, right? And it was. It turned out pretty good! Check out how I made the polka dot leggings:

* I forgot to mention it, but make sure you sew the shorter ends of the cuffs together and then pull them over the bottom part of the pants and then sew. Also, if you want to make it a bit easier you can skip making the cuffs and just sew the bottom seams.

Once you get the hang of it, they are super easy to make. Look how cute they look paired with adorable, tiny toes! 

If you decide to make some of your own, send some pictures this way because I would love to get some new design ideas for our next pair.

mom & me monthly favourites (February)

Here's a look at some of our favourite things for February! Hopefully you can find it helpful if you're looking for some new and handy things for the little one.

Grippy Dots | Baby Bullet | Wholesome Baby Food Book | Bedtime Minnie | Puppy Pjs | Nighttime Diapers

The most useful favourite I would recommend is her night time diapers! Since Avairy isn't feeding at night anymore (thankfully) and sleeps until 7am, she needed something more heavy duty to last through the night. These diapers were made for a reason and I had to learn that the hard way. One morning I picked her up out of her crib to find she did a double whammy all over herself and her crib! Of course, she was smiling and laughing which made it so hard not to think this whole situation was cute. Only a child's own mother would find any of this endearing. Poop and all.

Check out some of our all-time favourite things as well. These have been with us at the top of our favourites list from when she was a newborn up until now. So, if you're looking for some products to add to your baby registry or as a gift, these are some great ideas!

Diaper Genie | Welcome Little One Book | Nuby Bottle Steamer | Baby Toothbrush | Butterfly Toy | Graco Swinging Chair | Aveeno Baby Lotion

If I had to pick which ones would be Avairy's top favourites it would definitely have to be her blankie coming in at #1. She sleeps with this everyday and loves to snuggle her face into it before she dozes off. It washes really well and doesn't lose it's softness either! Unfortunately, they don't have an online site where you can order so you'll have to check out your local Canadian superstore.

 But her other two favourites, which I think are the most unexpected, are her toothbrush and Aveeno lotion. After a bath I always have these two on the table ready to use and once she knows it's coming, she starts smiling and kicking with excitement. I've never seen anything like it!

If you wanna share some of your favourites feel free to let me know because I'm always looking for new and useful products to try out.

Hope you guys are all getting a taste of the warmer weather!

clueless about post-partum

Pregnancy definitely tops any other life experiences I've had in my entire life. Which is a bit obvious because you don't go through anything close to this throughout your life. I use to say almost everyday of my pregnancy that I couldn't believe that a human being was being made inside ME, inside MY belly! Actually to this day I still say it occasionally as I'm feeding Avairy and her growing legs and arms are spilling over my lap.

But there are a couple of things I wish they warned you about in those pregnancy books. So for those first time mothers out there I want to give you some heads up! Here are my top 6 surprise experiences.

1. Those beautiful, luscious, thick, long locks you got from pregnancy...GONE. You will shed so much hair after giving birth that people will think you re-carpeted your floors. The worst part about it that you won't expect it until one day you're showering and you notice you have a pony tail in your hand. 

2. Your period will come back with a vengeance. It'll be so angry you've abandoned it for over 9 months that it's going to make you cry blood...down there. I know this may be gross for some of you, but its reality. When my period came back I went through some sort of 24-hour fever. Chills, sweats, fatigue, the works. Thankfully Avairy has amazing grandparents that watched her for the day because I couldn't even make it back up the stairs to her after grabbing a bottle. 

3. All those pregnancy books that say first time breast feeding will give you some 'soreness'...yeah, it's a typo. They meant to put pain! Your boobs will get so big, so fast that brushing your teeth is going to feel like you're holding basketballs with your elbows at the same time. Some women will be more lucky than others to not have problems, but I had no clue how hard and painful breastfeeding is. Sign up for some classes about breastfeeding and don't ever wish you had bigger boobs again.

4. You'll be surprised with how much you all of sudden hate your spouse. Don't be irrational and toss him into the yard just yet. Those would be the hormones. You'll have a moment where you think everything you're doing isn't good enough or that your spouse is the most useless person on the planet. Find some emotional support and breathe. It'll pass, but not without a lot of tears and maybe a bottle of wine.

5. People will give you advice and judge whether you like it or not. But keep in mind that even though you're a new, first time mom, you know best. You're gut and instinct will tell you so. Don't let someone's opinion veer you towards a direction you don't feel comfortable with. My mom gets really bad with this. It's like, I know mother, you've raised 4 kids, but organic is a real thing these days.

6. You will never know pain until you've experienced a contraction. On the other hand, you will never know bliss until you have one and get an epidural. The contractions were the worst part for me. It's almost like being electrocuted and all you can do is just take it. But once that epidural hits you'll be bouncing off the walls with relief. 

Regardless of the hardships you might endure during your pregnancy, you'll be crazy enough to do it again. That's because the amount of happiness and love your life is filled with now will completely outweigh it all.