Canada 123 (written by Kim Bellefontaine and illustrated by Per-Henrik Gürth) is clearly one of my son’s favourites. This is a colourful counting board book for little ones with a very patriotic feel! [...]
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As a stay-at-home-mother of two, I don’t have as much opportunity to pamper myself as I would like. Since my time is limited, I rarely spend a lot of time doing my nails or having long bubble baths, so I like to splurge where I can on the few bath and beauty products I do have time to use. I recently treated myself to some of the Principessa Beauty hair care line. [...] One of the first gifts during my pregnancy was a nursing pillow from Canadian company Nneka. Though it may have been premature to think of nursing, I came to love this pillow before my baby even arrived! The Nneka pillow is shaped like a log, and is filled with 100% buckwheat hull (so it’s like a big beanbag). The advantage of having a straight pillow (unlike most nursing pillows, which are curved) is that it can be used to support a pregnant belly during those awkward and somewhat painful pre-natal nights. Another plus of this pillow is that you can remove some of the filling – perfect for customizing the amount of support you would like when you are using it as a support pillow. I removed about a mason-jar-sized amount during the pre-natal phase. Once the baby was born, I refilled the pillow, and found it extremely supportive during breastfeeding. Because the pillow is flexible, you can adjust the pillow’s position to accommodate the baby. Another use for the Nneka during the newborn phase is to use it to prevent the baby from rolling around on a bed or sofa (of course you would follow all other necessary safety precautions in these scenarios!). [...] For those of us (and our children) who have sensitive skin, it can be a challenge to find creams, lotions, balms, and generally any beauty product that is not irritating. At about six weeks old, when my son started to exhibit signs of eczema, I went in search of a remedy that would not involve smearing cortisone on his newborn skin. At a breastfeeding group, another mother recommended a product called Baume Conception by Quebec-based company Les Soins Corporels l’Herbier. The description on the jar reads “Body and Massage Balm”, and it’s especially made for pregnant women and for babies. Its ingredients are organic, and consist of a mixture of sunflower, palm and sweet almond oils, mixed with “cera alba” (white wax) and vitamin E – no preservatives, artificial perfumes, or other irritants in sight. The consistency is unique and required some getting used to, since it is a malleable solid which turns into oil as you rub it in. Given that Baume Conception is a mixture of oils and not a moisturizer, it is best applied after a bath. [...] I should explain that my husband is a fantastic gift buyer – he always has been! I know I’m very lucky and appreciate it immensely; however, he really outdid himself when he bought me my ESPE (pronounced S P) purse this past Christmas. His gift was so perfect that I’m recommending it to those of you out there still in search of the perfect Mother’s Day present! [...] Among the many joys of motherhood is breastfeeding, but a necessary side effect is the need to prevent accidental (and embarrassing) leaks. I have tried several different kinds of nursing pads and have finally found my favourites – Omaiki Ultimate Pads. Compared to disposable pads, you can feel better about using reusable ones, and they hardly take up any space in a wash that you undoubtedly do every few days anyway for the baby clothes. I also found that disposable pads tended to stick to the nipples – not a pleasant sensation! Having tried other reusable pads, these ones stand out for several reasons… [...] The day I found out that I was pregnant I made a conscious effort to try and reduce my carbon footprint, and so I decided I would use cloth or biodegradable diapers for my new little guy. Fast forward almost eight months later, and we are still happily using a cloth diaper service; however, we have started to travel more and needed a disposable diaper that we could take with us on trips. I went in search of a green and local company and found Broody Chick, which is based in Victoria, British Columbia. [...] I can’t tell you how excited I am about about Nursery Naturals Baby Wipes! I hate it when Little Miss puts her hands in her mouth right after I’ve wiped them clean, wondering what sort of chemicals have been transferred, and for a long time I’ve been looking for an Eco-friendly alternative to traditional baby wipes. Nursery Naturals wipes are free of alcohol, chlorine, and chemicals. They are also biodegradable, disposable, reusable, compostable, made of plant fiber, unbleached, and they smell AMAZING! [...] Crystal Allen, the Canadian creator of Lilikoi Lane, approached us about trying one of her gorgeous handmade shirts. Once I knew that I was selected as the lucky Spilt Milk Mom to try out the shirt, I realized that I had my work cut out for me – Lilkoi Lane has so many unique and adorable applique patterns and so many gorgeous and funky fabrics to chose from. After chatting with Crystal, we opted for me to try out one of her newer designs: Alphabet Shirts! [...] The other day we were having some friends over for dinner and I was trying to reconcile my desire for a yummy dessert AND my craving for coconut (no, I’m not pregnant!). I decided to make these amazingly delicious cocoa brownies (substituting 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut for the nuts), but I couldn’t find any coconut ice cream to go with them. In desperation, I grabbed the tub of Liberté Mediterranee Coconut yoghurt I had in the fridge. [...] |
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