Win a $100.00 Pampers Prize pack and Pamper with love #babyshower

When James was first born we used Pampers swaddlers. I loved the fit of them, and how soft and cute they were. I was also gifted a HUGE Pampers diaper cake. That was a great gift.

The next giveaway from Kidsumers is the chance to win a $100.00 prize pack from Pampers! How great is that?!

This would be an awesome prize pack to win for any new Mum or Dad! If you'd like a chance to win enter in the Rafflecopter form below.

Please note this giveaway is open to Canada only!

Thank you to Kidsumers  for organizing this giveaway.

Win an Avent Sterilizer (valued at $100) #babyshower

I am participating in an Online #babyshower event! My first multi-blog giveaway. I'm very excited to be a part of it!

So what we have up for grabs is an Avent 3 in 1 Sterilizer (a $100.00 Value!)

Sorry to all my US readers this giveaway is open to Canada only! But make sure you check out all of Kidsumers giveaways. There's lots more in store!

http://www.avent.com/

A little about Philips Avent:

"In 1984 the AVENT brand was born with the introduction of a baby feeding bottle that set the standard for feeding bottles worldwide.

It was the owner of the company Edward Atkin, who first noted how standard feeding bottles were simply not up to the task. The bottle nipples were hard, long, and narrow and the bottles awkward, unstable and difficult to fill.

Edward set about designing a feeding bottle that would become the next best thing to breastfeeding. What he produced was the best designed, best engineered baby feeding bottle in the world. The Philips AVENT bottle has a wide neck and base for easier cleaning and filling.

Its nipple was the first to be made entirely of odorless, tasteless silicone; soft and broad in shape it was as close to nature as he could make it and has a unique venting system to help reduce colic in the newborn. So it's no surprise that more mothers choose Philips AVENT than any other feeding bottle. From this point the Philips AVENT brand went on to rethink the design of many baby feeding products.

In September 2006, Philips, a global leader in lifestyle, healthcare and technology was united with AVENT. These two companies, both with histories of innovation, are a perfect fit. Philips, in its commitment to promote well-being, develops lifestyle products that make good health easier to achieve. This commitment works in tandem with the AVENT goal to create the highest quality baby care and feeding products in the world. Working together, Philips AVENT can offer simpler lifestyle choices that make caring for your baby even easier.

No matter what choices you make concerning the care of your baby, we strive to remain the best source for products that support those choices. So we invite you to re-visit the website often, to see what's new at Philips AVENT. We hope you are as excited as we are about the changes ahead."


Enter below for your chance to win an AVENT 3 in 1 Bottle Sterilizer.

Thank you Kidsumers for organizing this giveaway.

Wordless Wednesday - Fun in the backyard

Playing with his new BIG ball

His 'pint' cool dude shades

Those are my feet peeking at the bottom. 27 weeks! 

Jimbo's snail buddy

He takes his 'dolfing' very seriously

Happy Wednesday

Much love
xoxo

Rump Arounds Cloth Diaper Review

A while back I was selected to review a Rump Arounds diaper. I had no idea what was being sent, but I was very excited to receive some fluffy mail to review.

First off - Who is Rump Arounds?:

"Rump Arounds is a small Canadian home based business. Rump Arounds was created on a venture to provide flexible work schedules for us busy mom's, at the same time as making a commitment to bettering our environment."

To read their entire story - check them out here!

On to the review:

Like I said before, I didn't know what I would be getting but was pleasantly surprised when I ripped open my package and saw this CUTE diaper! 

Dog named Spot Minky RAA

How stinking cute is that? James was even more excited than I was! "WOOOF WOOF! diaper!" he kept saying. I went to Rump Arounds web site to see what it was exactly I received as there was no info about it. I found out it's one of their Rump ALL Arounds diaper.

 

"Our "Rump-All-Arounds" are an amazing One Sized Pocket Diaper! Check out one of our Original, one of its kind modules created strictly by and for Rump Arounds! With a 4 rise snap setting, adjusts from XS, Small, Medium, large permitting the diaper to be used from true birth weight 6.5lb up to 40lbs dependent on body frame. Are washable, adjustable, ecofriendly, wallet friendly & easy to use!"

I have to say that this is a very VERY soft diaper. It's not stiff like some of my other diapers. I was a little concerned that it wouldn't be able to hold up to James, being as soft as it was. But poop and pee after poop and pee it held up.. really well! This diaper boasts a bunch of great qualities. First off, it has double snaps - something that I look for. I feel that it give the diaper that extra strength - James cannot get it off. 

Cross over snaps! I can't wait to put this diaper on a newborn! I love when diapers have cross over snaps - I get more function from then that way. The Rump All Arounds diaper also have a 4 rise snap setting - meaning it can fit from itty bitty to large (reminder - James is 2.5 and is 35 lbs!) and this fits him great!

I have no issues stuffing this diaper so I asked Chris to try stuffing with his 'man hands' to see if it passes his stuff test. He had no issues stuffing the diaper and really liked the soft, wide opening. Speaking of soft - the leg elastic is soft and has not left marks on James. The whole inside of the diaper is squishy and feels nice to the touch. The liner is a soft fleece which is great for a stay dry feel.

Another one of my favorite features of this diaper is the double gussets! I am a sucker for gussets. James can have nasty poops so gussets are great for containment - Rump ALL Arounds cloth diaper (RAA) contained his mess and then some. The gussets did what they were supposed to do and kept the poo where it belonged. I LOVE gussets! 

Soft inner gussets keep messes where they belong!

Each RAA comes with a 100% Bamboo insert. This insert is so soft and squishy - not to mention THIRSTY!

James has travelled 4 hours in the diaper and we didn't have a single leak. The insert was saturated but we had no leaks. BONUS! Plus I love that it's bamboo.

The Rump All Arounds diaper has held up beautifully through numerous washes, and wear. The ONLY issue I have had with this diaper were the snaps. At first it was really REALLY hard to get them done up - even Chris had a problem with them - but after some time and wear they have become more easy to snap. I'm guessing because it was a new diaper, they were stiff. But like I said, they are easy to snap on and off now.

Rump ALL Arounds Pocket diapers cost about $14.00 each - which I have to say is a great price for what you are receiving. Rump Arounds has a WIDE and I mean WIDE selection of diapers and prints that you can choose from. They even have combo packs that you can purchase. I love the option of picking individual diapers or getting a combo. It's a no brainer at that point.

I also really love that they are a Canadian company. Being Canadian myself I love to support other Canadian Mums and Dads.

I highly suggest looking into Rump Arounds diapers if you are considering cloth diapering - their selection is great and the prices are competitive. Plus their customer service is top notch.

For more information check out: http://www.rumparounds.ca/

There has to be something there for you!

Much love
xoxo


Please note - I was sent the above mentioned product free of charge to facilitate this review. No monetary compensation was exchanged. All opinions are strictly my own and may differ from others. Please, if you have any comments, questions or concerns - send me and email or comment on this post.

Winners!

I had two giveaways end this month - We had the $25.00 Gift certificate to SweetPea Maternity and the Aqueduck faucet extender from Peachy LLC. I was surprised to see such low entries.

I just wanted to mention that when you are entering, please make sure you are actually doing the mandatory entries. I usually have two that must be done before any other entries count, and I have had a lot of people just do one entry. Then there are the entries who say they did one thing but never actually did it. I hate disqualifying people, but I will do it if needed.

Anyways - I have announced the winners via the Rafflecopter form but I like to do a post so you don't have to go looking through posts (unless you want to hehe)

The winner of the $25.00 SweetPea Maternity giveaway was: Brook Thomas!

The winner of the Aqueduck giveaway was: Sacha Hammerer!

Congratulations to you both. Both prizes have been claimed!


It's going to be quiet on the blog for a week or so as we are in the middle of moving and I don't know when we are going to disconnect our Internet and plus - we move on Saturday and we are not totally packed yet. Yikes!

So once we are all settled I will get back to blogging!

Happy Sunday
Much love
xoxo

25 years, 26 weeks and a 2.5 year old

Today was a BIG day for us. Well for me anyways. Chris went to work like he always does, I on the other hand took the day off - for good reason. It's my birthday!

A birthday rose from Chris xo

Today I turn 25 - TWENTY FIVE! Ahh - It came quick.

So I started my birthday day by waking up at 6:45am to get ready as I had to go get some blood work done. Well, I had a nasty 2 hour glucose test to do. I originally turned down the test but after talking to my mom - I decided it was a good idea just to make sure that I didn't have GD. So I am hoping that my midwives will have my results on Monday when I go in.

With James I did the one hour test and it wasn't that bad - but this time around I had to fast for 12 hours (which never goes well for me - I always end up feeling super sick if I cannot eat) Anyways I got to the lab at 8:15 ish and by 8:25 they had taken the first vial of blood and I downed a clear, SUPER SWEET drink that just about made me puke. I went and sat back down. I was feeling fine, but about 40 minutes later - I got hot, queasy and I felt like I was going to barf. Thankfully I didn't and I got through the rest of the test. I bruised a little where the needles were placed and my arms are slightly sore, but I'm just glad that it;s all over and done with. I went shopping after that to see if I could find a nice dress to wear for dinner and I did find a cute little black dress. James also got a new big kick ball and some new Elmo soap (The kid is obsessed with soap) After that we came home, each had a piece of Zucchini bread and took a nap.

My little cuddle bug

Today also marked 26 weeks pregnant with baby Graham! I'm feeling a lot better - not as tired. I started making smoothies for James and I - and I think that has something to do with it. Nothing is really new - Graham is still very active - there are times I can feel his little bum or head at my side, but other than that everything is going great. I cannot believe there is only 14 weeks to go!

26 weeks!

After Chris got home - we got ready as we were going out for a nice dinner just the two of us to celebrate. I've never really been one to do big celebrations, so we decided to go out for dinner sans James. My MIL agreed to watch him as we were only going to be gone max 2 hours. We went to the Keg and stuffed our faces with super yummy food. We shared appies - Scallops and Bacon and also Mushroom Neptune. For our main entree Chris had the Peppercorn New York steak and I had what I always have - the Blue Cheese Fillet. Again - so flipping good! We shared a piece of Billy Miner pie and that was that. We finished up and went home.

My dinner

Dessert

I just wanted to mention that today Jimmy is 2.5 years old - time is flying by and my little baby is growing so fast. I feel like everything is moving at hyper speed and I need life to slow down.

So that's that! I got some fluffy mail and a new JuJuBe major (used) mail today which was great! I LOVE fluffy mail. I have some more arriving soon - so keep an eye out!

Happy Wednesday

Much love

xoxo
 

No Veggies.. I think not

Chris and I have been having a hard time with James and his food! Before my child would eat anything and I mean ANYTHING put in front of him... now... he wants nothing. It's becoming a pain in my butt!

We didn't do baby led weaning with James when he was little - I made my own homemade pureed baby food and once he got a little older, made it more chunky till one day I just started giving him our food. He ate SO well. I would make veggies and he would gobble them up. He was a food monster. Now I put a plate of dinner in front of him and he refuses to eat it. I flatly refuse to make him a special dinner just cause he doesn't like what we are having.

I always make up a good breakfast - sometimes is just cereal and fruit. Others it's eggs, bacon, toast and beans. I switch it up all the time. Yogurt and fruit, you know typical breaky food. He usually eats all his breakfast which is good.

Then lunch time comes and this is where I get bad - I don't know what to heck to feed him for lunch. He does ok with egg salad sammies, or grilled cheese. He has a bit more fruit but will not touch any sort of raw veggie (which I like to eat) Again I try my hardest to make sure it;s a healthy meal but sometimes I don't. And I ALWAYS feel bad.

Dinners we usually have a protein, a starch/carb and veg. James LOVES pasta - well tortellini and penne, But doesn;t care for others. I can't add veggies to it cause he just won't eat anything even if it's favorite pasta. He's not keen on his food touching other food, so I try to keep everything separate.

I started making smoothies for us in the morning and have recently started putting in kale and spinach - I was thinking he wouldn't touch it but i was SO SO SO wrong. He gulped it down and asked for more. So today we went out and got more stuff to make smoothies and more green veggies.

I think I will start making them with extra veg (ie carrots etc) and see how that goes. I also have a couple of cook books (Deceptively Delicious) that I will start using to see if I can hide some veg from him too. I will still put ACTUAL veggies on his plate but if he doesn't eat it at least I know he's getting some!

How do you get you're children to eat foods they are not fond of?? Leave me a comment - I'd LOVE to know!

James after his smoothie

Much love
xoxo
 

Color

I just thought I would share this picture I took yesterday on my PHONE! We had some rain yesterday which I was very thankful for.

Happy Monday
Much love
xoxo

What I have coming up

I have some exciting reviews coming up in the near future and even a diaper giveaway!

I have a Rump Arounds Diaper review to post - I just need one shot of Jimbo wearing it... the child is so darn active I can't get a good shot!

I was also contacted by a WAHM (Mommy Soup) to do a review on one of her covers. I am very excited to try this one out. I love supporting and helping out WAHM's! There will also be a giveaway to this review. How nice is that?!

Another upcoming review will be on the AirBus Weekender from Lug! This one I am over the moon excited about. Like I squealed when I opened my email to see a response from them. I was contacted a while back - but never heard anything for a few months so I decided to contact them again. Here we are a couple months later... I am very antsy to get some awesome Lug mail!

Lastly, I will be starting my Baby Buys posts. I'm going to start out with Graham's newborn diaper stash. Then we will go from there. We don't need a lot so there won't be many of them but I do have some new stuff just for him.

So that's about it - hope you enjoy the reading material I am hoping to get up soon!

Much love
xoxo

Week 25...

Yesterday marked my 25th week. That means there is approximately 15 more weeks to go... just over 100 days.... a little over 3 months... HOLY POOP!

Summer has finally arrived in B.C. - thankfully - but I am finding the heat a little too much to handle. I try to get James outside as much as possible but by the time 45 mins to an hour hits, I'm ready for some shade.

Water is my best friend right now. I'm downing it like it's going out of style. It needs to be very cold - with lots of ice!

Packing for our move is slow going - I just can't find the time to start when it's just me and James at home during the week - I need that extra set of eyes from Chris in order to get started. But it will get done as we only have 2 more weeks to go.

At 25 weeks I'm still tired as hell. It takes everything I have to get my butt up in the morning - and when James goes for his nap - I'm right there beside him. The only times I don't nap are the days I work - for some reason I cannot shut my brain off and if I  do try I get all panicky and anxiety sets in. Thankfully I only have like 7 shifts left before Maternity leave. So I do have something to look forward to.

Graham is super active - I get kicks on each side of my belly and every now and then I chase his little feet along side my right side. It's kind of funny actually. James loves feeling for him - he always says "Baby Dam! HI" So stinkin cute - and he still loves hearing his heartbeat on the doppler. My belly growth has slowed down I think. Not so much of a noticeable change since last week - but the weight is starting to make it;s appearance which I am ok with - I just want to maintain a healthy weight...

Other than that there hasn't been much else. No crazy cravings - still want oranges and lots of water...maybe salty foods but I watch the intake on that.

So until next week - here is my 25 week belly shot - next week I hit 26 weeks and I also hit another milestone - I turn 25!!

Much love
xoxo

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Wednesday
Much love
xoxo

Aqueduck Faucet Extender Review & {Giveaway}

Peachy LLC had a giveaway going on their Facebook page one day and I blindly entered and like I have been doing recently, COMPLETELY forgot that I entered and didn't check back to see who won. So a few days later it popped into my head and I went racing back to the computer to check. To my surprise I had WON!!

I was so beyond excited as I have been wanting to try this product out since I found out about it. Well I was wanting James to try it hehe.

When I contacted Susanna - I let her know that I was going to do a review on the blog. When she replied she let me know that I could also give one away!! YAY!

Ok so on to the review:

About PeachyLLC:


“I feel that if my creations help make life easier for other parents and families, I’ve done my job.”
Susanna Lee, Peachy™ Founder

We families face real challenges every single day, whether it be having too much to do with too little time, making choices that reflect our family values or becoming very creative in situations where it is clear that the world is not always designed with our particular needs in mind.

Peachy™ is a company for families, by families. As such, we understand the problems you face because they are the same problems we face. Our goal is to help make the lives of you and your loved ones a little less difficult and a little more… well, peachy!

Let’s face it, you’re already ready to apply for superhero status with all you do in a day. Can you really be out saving the world AND inventing solutions to all of life’s little obstacles at the same time? At Peachy™, our job is to shoulder a little bit of your family’s load through thoughtful, easy-to-use solutions. We create the products that you need in your life today so you don’t have to. The bottom line here is… we invent and you can devote more of your time to those you love most!

Ok so what is the Aqueduck? - Well it's very simple. It extends your faucet's water for your little ones to wash their hands with ease. Simple, yet effective.

Isn't it neat?!

When I received my package, I couldn't help but rush to the bathroom to test it out. At first I was a little nervous that it wouldn't fit but nope - it fit! It was simple to put on and it has a good tight fit so it's not going to slip all over the place. The Teal section is made up of a silicone base I believe, which makes for a good fit.

James loves to wash his hands. During meal times he always asks for his "hands" which really means "Mum I need a face cloth to wipe my hands down. NOW!" It was getting difficult to pick him up every time to actually wash his hands under the water and his stool doesn't get him high or close enough for him to wash them by himself.

With the Aqueduck all I have to do is turn the water on for him and he is all set. He can wash his little hands all by himself and he loves it! I mean - really really loves it. It's also great for when he needs to brush his teeth. He can get his own toothbrush wet and fill his own cup of water. I think it gives him some independence which I think is great.

The Aqueduck comes in 3 different colors, Aqua (Shown), Pink and Grey.

- not only did I receive the Aqueduck (In Aqua) but I also received the Peachy Hand towel.  This was a bonus as James needs to dry his hands after - just like Mummy and Daddy.

The Hand Towel is made from 100% Microfiber and is super soft and snuggly. It was designed to fit on a towel bar or ring and made so it won't fall off.

I hang J's towel on one of the bathroom cabinet knobs. He always say "my towel!" Even after multiple washes, the hand towel is still super soft and thirsty! The neutral color works great in any bathroom.

Overall - I think the Aqueduck is a great addition to any home with toddlers. It's functional, cute and simple to use. Plus like I said before, it's portable so you can bring it with you when you travel.

If you would like to purchase your very own Aqueduck check out their website: http://www.peachyco.com/home.html . I was also informed that there are 28 retailers in CANADA that now sell the Aqueduck - so make sure to check them out if you are in Canada and would like one!

Or try and win one!

Weeks 23 & the start of 24

Woohoo. Viability!

I am very happy that I have hit 24 weeks. Sorry for my lack of a 23 week post. We were on holidays again and I just didn't have the time nor the energy to sit and type. Week 23 wasn't any different then the last few weeks. I can feel Graham moving around a lot more - he seems to be active in the morning and then at night - It may just be that I am not aware of his movement throughout the day cause I'm chasing after Jimmy. I don't think week 24 will be much different either. I am having trouble sleeping (insomnia) as well as terrible heartburn. I feel like I am dying at times it's so bad. Rolling over in bed feels like a challenge in itself and leg cramps have started. Woo. I feel bad for Chris cause sometimes I keep him up and my poor hubby has to get up at 4:15am every morning. I'll be sure to make him a nice big breakfast this weekend.

I'm on a fruit binge right now which is very odd for me. I really do not like fruit except in a smoothie of some sort - or pie hehe. I still want oranges and orange juice all the time but am limiting myself. I made a huge fruit salad yesterday and devoured it. It was SO good!

I decided to do the Glucose testing - I couldn't get it our of my head the what if question... SO I will be doing that sometime next week I believe.

Mama got a new pair of pants! Oh the exciting things I look forward too... All my yoga pants are getting snug around my belly so I actually went to a store and bought a pair of maternity ones. I will be going back to get another pair and the most exciting part is I get new bras! My nursing bras from James are getting tight and uncomfortable. I hate them anyways but I do need something!

This post is all over the place. Wow... scatter brain Leash!

Baby Belly with Graham at 24 weeks! I have gained another pound putting me at 162lbs to date. I think that's about 7lbs total. Which I am happy with. 

Much love
xoxo

A Picture is worth a thousand words... Wordless Wednesday

I have a serious addiction!

Enough said!

Much love
xoxo

23 week Belly Picture

I haven't done an update so I will get one done this week for week 23 & 24. Here it is! 23 weeks 3 days here. We've been away on holidays! Lots to write about and chit chat about.

I hope all my Canadian readers enjoyed their Canada Day! We did!

Much love
xoxo