Starting fresh

The first thing you see when you wake up every morning is your bedroom. It sets the tone for the rest of your day. If you open your eyes to clutter, you will start your day feeling overwhelmed.  (The last thing you need before the kids are even up!) But, if you open your eyes to organization just think of the motivation you will feel an how that can carry through the rest of your day. 

I took this to heart today and got a garbage bag, a Big Brothers bag and started going through my old clothes. I tend to keep all these clothes I know I will never wear. Of course you say to yourself "I might wear this someday." I think the rule of thumb should be this- If you have not worn an item of clothing in a year-Donate it! This is also a great way to get started on your new fabulous wardrobe! 

Create piles for similar clothing items such as shirts, jeans, jogging pants, underwear and socks... Then put them back according to your piles. You can also organize by style and color.

Use Drawer Organizers to help organize and protect your delicates from damage. 

I managed to get rid of a full bag of clothes. I also made room for my next shopping trip  :) 

Feels good to check one more thing off the list! 

Chiropractor for babies

Is Chirpractic care safe for my baby?
The first things most moms might think is " Can chiropractic treatments be safe for my baby?"
Most infants who receive chiropractic care show no ill effects. Chiropractors insist on not only the safety of infant chiropractic care but also its efficacy. The chiropractic adjustment that most people think of with the twisting, cracking and popping is not the same adjustment that is used in newborns and infants. There are extra precautions and care used. The amount of pressure used is comparable to the amount of pressure you could press on your closed eyelid without any discomfort.

Why take my baby to a chiropractor?
As your child is being born, the neck and back vertebrae can go out of alignment due to the stretching and compressing of the body as it emerges into the world. If your delivery included a prolonged pushing stage, forceps or vacuum extraction, or other form of assisted delivery, the chances of a misalignment are great. The adjustmets that a chiropractor will do on your baby is basically applying gentle pressure with their fingers to areas on the neck and back. This will help correct any misalignments.
Chiropractic treatments can be good if your baby is unsettled, has colic, reflux, constipation, general grumpiness, sleep problems or eating problems.

Choosing a chiropractor

If you live in Canada you can check out http://www.bcchiro.com/bcca/index.html. This website will help you find a doctor of chiropractor in your area. Ask your healthcare provider to recommend someone in your area.

Teething Baby

Two teeth! Finally some relief for poor Ryder. He looks so cute constantly feeling his new teeth with his tongue. He is probably thinking "so this is what has caused me all this pain!"

Most babies will get their first tooth between 4-7 months. The symptoms most likely to bother a teether are:

• Drooling (which can lead to a facial rash)
• Gum swelling and sensitivity
• Irritability or fussiness
• Biting behavior
• Refusing food
• Sleep problems
• Coughing
• Diarrhea
• Low fever
• Cold like symptoms (Runny nose..)

It is recommended that if your baby experiences any of these symptoms you should check with your pediatrician to rule out other possible causes for the symptoms.

I felt so bad for Ryder when he was going through this. He was just not himself. He had the runny nose, fussiness, drooling and trying to bite everything in sight. His sleeping was affected as well. For comfort I gave him homeopathic teething tablets. They seemed to take the edge off for him. Once or twice when he was in more pain than usual I would give him infant Tylenol. (Please check with your doctor before giving your baby any pain medication.) I bought him the Sassy Teething Feeder. I would put some frozen berries or ice in it and he loved to suck on it. I also bought him The First Years Massaging Action Teether. He loves that toy. When he chews on the edges it massages his gums.

There are many methods to help relief your babies discomfort. You can offer your baby a bottle with cold water, Teething rings and toys, if your baby is old enough to eat solids you can even try cold foods such as chilled applesauce or yogurt. 

Check with your pediatrician/doctor which methods of pain relief are best for your baby.

Ryder has two teeth down and 18 more to go!

Breakfast on the go

Breakfast seems to be the most neglected or skipped meal. Eating breakfast not only aids in weight management but it also fuels the body to help provide energy, better concentration and problem-solving ability throughout the day. Parents need all of these things to keep up with their kids.

How does it help with weight loss? Eating breakfast will curb your hunger and prevent binge eating later in the day. When you skip breakfast, your metabolic rate slows down and your blood sugar drops. As a result, you become hungry and have less energy. So what do we usually grab for at this point? Often it ends up being carbs to help fill us up quickly, or high-fat sweets, or an extra serving or bigger portion at lunch. On the other hand, when you eat breakfast, your body feels nourished and satisfied, making you less likely to overeat the rest of the day.

I found a great idea for a great breakfast that makes the prep a snap in the morning. Just grab one and reheat it for a morning meal that contains lots of protein and one healthy serving of vegetables. 

Veggie Egg cups

8 eggs beaten

1 package frozen spinach or 1 handful of fresh spinach

1 bell pepper diced

1 onion diced

1/2 - 1 cups shredded cheese (low fat preferably)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp oil

Hot sauce optional 

Muffin tin cups

• Beat the eggs, add spinach, pepper, onion, cheese, salt and pepper and mix. 
• Oil the muffin pan, or if using muffin cups, spray oil. 
• Pour mixture into the cups.
• Bake at 350F for 20 min. You will know they are done when a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Delicious!!

So worth the money!

So just over a month ago is when I decided I was sick of having nothing to wear. I was sick of feeling fat and out of shape. I was sick of feeling tired. It was time to lose this weight. I have a gym membership and it needed to be used! So I took advantage of the free classes my gym offered. Step classes, cardio kickball, ball classes. They were all great classes, but I found I needed something more. The times I went to the gym and didn't do the classes, I had no idea what to do and therefore no motivation to do it.
I decided I needed a major kick start to get me going. I also needed to know what I should be doing and how to properly do it. So I decided to try a personal trainer. I called my gym and I was astonished at the prices. I could not afford $60 an hour. I started looking at craigslist to see if anyone was advertising their services. I found him. He charged $30 an hour, he was certified and best yet, he came to me! I was nervous about not knowing who this guy was. I was a little worried this big meat head would show up at my door. I was also concerned that he could be some creepy guy who falsely advertised. After meeting him and having heard his strategy to help me succeed with my goals, my husband and I felt very comfortable with him and we were happy with the price.
I have had 6 or 7 classes with him now. Getting a trainer was the best money I have ever spent. From our first training session I knew he was going to be a huge help. I also knew I was going to be in serious pain! I worked muscles I never knew I had. He showed me how to properly hold the weights.  He taught me about being aware of using and strengthening my core. He showed me some great exercises, like running sideways on the treadmill. (So sore the next day!) Having a personal trainer, changing my diet and working out on my own has helped me lose 8 pounds so far.
 It feels fantastic to finally see results!

So many car seats!

It was time for me to get Ryder the next size car seat. I thought this would be fairly simple. Go to Babies R us, ask a lady which one we should choose, purchase and leave the store. How wrong was I! I was there for nearly two hours. I didn't know there would be so many options with so many features. Yes, features! Do you want a cup holder? Do you want the air side inpact feature? (Air bags!!!??) Do you want to spend $99 or $300? Do you want a combo car seat? (sits reverse or frontward) ....and the list goes on. 

I checked out ICBC website for some car seat info. Check out this site Car Seat Brochure There is some important safety information.

One thing I had to keep in mind is that Ryder was to stay in the reverse position in his car seat until he is at least one. So since that is only just over four months away a combo seat made the most sense to me. So I had it down to 2 options. Good, process of elimination. Now did I want the air impact protection? The new Safety 1st Air Protect offered mostly everything I was looking for. It is in the higher price range at $299.00  and after reading some online reviews it seemed like not a good choice because of its size. My husband drives a small car and it won't fit backwards in it. Another thing I didn't like was the seats cover was difficult to remove for cleaning. This car seat wouldn't suit our needs.
The 2nd car seat we were considering and ended up buying was the new Graco My ride 65. We chose this one because it allows a child to sit read-facing up to 40 lbs, longer then most car seats. It has an energy absorbing foam and side impact testing. It is easy to remove the cover and is machine washable. It is fairly light weight which is a bonus. It also has duel cup holders.  This seat cost $219.00 


Do your research and read reviews when choosing a car seat. Ask the store if you can try hooking it up in your car to make sure it fits. Find out the safety regulations in your area.  The ICBC website states that a correctly used child safety seat reduces the risk of fatality by 71 percent and the risk of serious injury by 67 percent.  


So ensure your childs safety and find the right car seat for you.


* You may have seen recently on the news the car seats that have been recalled. Check out this site Car seat recall to see if your car seat is on that list. 

Faking the summer tan

Winter is here and that means snow, hot chocolate, soups, fireplaces and urghhh - white skin! Who of us doesn't wish for the summer time glow all year long. Of course a nice holiday near the beach will give us just that. For the rest of the winter we only have two options. One option of course is to fake and bake at a local tanning salon. This can be a difficult choice for moms. Whether it be lack of time, money or maybe even a babysitter. There are many health concerns regarding the use of tanning beds and many opt for another option. One of the safest and most cost effective ways to tan is to use a self tanner.  Self tanner works by dying the top layer of your skin. Here are a few tips to get the best results.
To use self tanner on your face:

• Pull your hair back.
• Cleanse and exfoliate your skin.
• If you don't have a separate self tanner for your face, then you can blend a few drops of self tanner with equal amounts of moisturizer. Apply on your face and neck.
• Wash hands thoroughly.

To use self tanner on your body:

• Cleanse and exfoliate your entire body with a body scrub or loofah. Pay close attention to your knees and elbows (dry skin will absorb more of the tanner) 
• Make sure your skin is dry. 
• Moisturize and allow to absorb. (I find putting extra moisturizer on knees and elbows help with streaking)
• Apply tanner all over body. Make sure to spread evenly over your skin.
• Use moisturizer wherever you did not apply the tanner, like your hands and feet, then rub it into the self-tanned areas.
• Wait at least 10 min. before getting dressed.  Read labels for drying time. 
• Wash hands thoroughly.

If you follow these tips you should come out with a streak free tan. If you still end up with a dreaded streak try my homemade recipe to remove. Salt, vinegar, lemon juice and warm/hot water. Dip a face cloth and gently scrub the area to remove the tanner.

Happy self tanning!