The Perfect Travel Buddy!

Summer plans are sure different this year than what we had expected, but that doesn’t mean that we still can’t create memories and go on adventures!

I needed to tell you guys about the amazing bed boxes by Jetkids! We were lucky enough to have them #gifted to us.

You def do not need to hop on a plane to enjoy these guys! My kiddos drive them around the house constantly, use them as their snack trays as well as their footrests! I love when kids products have more than one use like this one!

A few ways to use them:

1. They are super spacious and the perfect size for the kiddos clothes, toys and snacks, you name it!
2. They can RIDE on them! They straddle their bedbox and can race and pull each other around. The swivel wheels make it super easy for them to maneuver by themselves!
3. They can cozy up on a chair, couch or anywhere really and use their bedbox as a footrest
4. They can simply flip the cover as well and make it into a snack tray!
5.  We all know these can be used on the plane – the perfect carryon for the kids, makes it easier to travel and guys, it turns into a BED for the plane, perfect for those early morning plane/train rides!

Right now they have some amazing new bundles with the bedbox, their blankets as well as their amazing new crew backpack. The perfect daycation or travel pack, you could get for the kiddos! To find out more about these products and see why we love them so much click the link. 

This is now an essential thing for us when we go to the cottage, swimming, a day trip adventure or a trip and we highly recommend it!

If you have one let us know what you think!

SLIMY FUN

Okay so I am soo so beyond late on this one!!

The kiddos were so extremely lucky to have Zimpli Kids send them some of their goodies! We love some sensory fun!

Guys these are soo fun and while they look messy they really aren’t!  I mean of course there can be a little mess but where’s the fun if there isn’t?!?!

This turns your water into fun goo/slime…and what kid wouldn’t love that?!?  Gelli Baff and Slime Baff are amazing products for turing your bathtime into an even more fun time than it already is!  However you can use these in buckets outside or inside with some toys and have an amazing sensory journey!  Both products are 100% safe on skin, stain free, non toxic and guys they are even easy to clean!!   They give you a dissolving powder with it, all you have to do is add it to the bath or bucket and it turns back into liquid…just like that it’s cleaned up!

We haven’t used it in the bath but we have used it on sunny days in the backyard and inside on rainy days – my kiddos had a great time and I highly recommend checking their products out!  We hid stuff in them – and we just felt the different texture and had a great ol’ time!!  We will continue on using them over here that’s for sure!

 

If you have tired them let me know how your kiddos liked them and if you haven’t then get over there and check them out!!

 

Raise Your Hand if you’re a Mom and Eat in Peace

Annd no one raises their hand….I mean I am sure that there are a few extremely lucky mommas out there that get to eat with silence and don’t have to hide in the closets like I do over here.
It’s also a little worse now since we have added a little puppy to our family and if I turn my back that pup is into EVERYTHING!

So I wanted to share two of my new favourite companies that I was lucky to discover through the world of Instagram :).

First off I want to tell you that if I think something I try is shit I will tell you it’s shit and warn you against getting it or I just won’t write anything at all about them 🙂

So both of these companies are ones that make it easy and quick for us mommas to eat whether it’s on the go,  in our closet or while our kiddos are munching down their meals :).

I am now forever in love with smoothie bowls!  I mean don’t get me wrong I always enjoyed my smoothies but this just brings my smoothie game to a whole other level!

So the first company I’ll talk to you about is called Evive Smoothie  !  Guys these are so cool and guess what?!?! for all my Vegan friends they are made for you too!!  They come in frozen cubes – you literally pop the cubes, cover them with your favourite liquid (water, milk, almond milk you name it) , you blend instantly either through a blender or you can take it on the go and devour it once it melts then you shake it and giver’.  They have a whole bunch of different flavours and so far I love all of the ones I’ve tried!  They are 100% natural ingredients – full of fruit and veggies!  They are plant based organic with no added sugar, super quick to prepare taste amazing and hey my kiddos love them too!  So go check them out now and I am sure you will fall in love like I did!  If you guys want to give it a try add the code ERICA 10 to get $10 off your first order!!

For the second company that I have fallen in love with.  The OatBox.  Guys I have never tasted Granola or Oatmeal so good before and I love both!!!  Some info about their product:

They are committed to providing us with the highest quality products. They source simple and natural ingredients, their oat flakes are organic same with their rye flakes and their honey is premium raw organic honey!  Also you have to love a company that gives back  – for every subscription purchase, we donate a complete breakfast to a child in need!!  They have a monthly subscription where you get different flavours every month, they have a few different packages to choose from so go check them out now – I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed !!  If you do decide to try them (and you should because they are delicious, quick and healthy) you can use the code erica20 and it will add $45 worth of products in your cart for only $20 – this will include their amazing breakfast bars, oatmeal, granola an Oatbox glass jar also 6 recipe cards with amazing ideals of how to prepare your breakfast/healthy snacks!

My favourite thing to do is to make smoothie bowls with both products!  You def can’t beat it!!

 

Let me know if you’ve tried these companies and what your thoughts are!

My DIY PowderRoom Reno!!

Hey guys!!

 

Okay so two days in a row of writing…crazy right??

However I just got the finishing touch to my bathroom reno because Schlage is amazing and sent me a stunning door knob that i’m actually a little bit obsessed with!  It’s crazy what a difference just one door knob makes!

So months and months ago my amazingly talented girlfriend Patrica came over and helped me do my powder room, she has taught me a lot this friend of mine and i’m so so appreciative of her!

Our powder room was pretty boring and I had a pretty amazing vision (well at least I think it was amazing lol) of course pintrest boards helped me along the way as well!

So we found a cheaper way of doing shiplap (after I talked to another gf of mine she gave me some ideas)  we got those big sheets of MDF boards and got them ripped into the widths that we wanted (if you are a Durham person Peacock Lumber is amazing) and then we of course had to do the cutting of the lengths as we went along.  Patricia she does the saw, they terrify me I’m not going to lie, I do some measurements but sometimes I mess them up (if I’m being honest of course..not everyones perfect right?).  My neighbour lent me his table saw as well as his nail gun and compressor, we figured out the spacing and we went to town with that nail gun!  After all said and done the shiplap was up and ready to be painted.

I will be honest I didn’t really LOVE painting it and getting in all the cracks and that but hey it’s how it turns out that matters right?  The Floors guys are PEEL AND STICK vinyl tiles and  well I love them and have them at my front door as well! 

Alright so back to my amazing door knobs – guys when I opened the box and saw all the different parts I’m not going to lie I was worried for myself haha..but it turns out it is soo super easy to do and I was done it in about 20-30 mins tops!  Schlage has amazing instructions and on the instruction booklet is a barcode you can scan on your phone and a step by step video comes up, it was amazing and it made it so so easy for me to put up!

Here’s a little snap of a before/after photo of my door knobs (there is no comparison)!! Schlage for the win for sure!!!  I was worried b/c it’s not something that would usually catch my eye but the love i have for these knobs is a bit worrisome  haha.

So here you go guys you get my final bathroom reveal (before photos are at the end b/c well they aren’t as attractive!):

Flexitol’s amazing Happy Little Bodies Products!

Hey guys,

 

This post is long due but I wanted to make sure I test it out for a long enough time so I could report back!

My little guy Hunter has sensitive skin – while he doesn’t have huge eczema break outs he constantly has the bumps on his arms and legs – almost like a rash that never leaves.

I never found anything that helps that go down until I got these amazing products sent to me to try!  Let me tell you they really have done a great job!  Hunters bumps are almost non existent!!

We put this cream on him after his baths with their amazing body wash and shampoo.

These products are made with natural ingredients, no steroids, no parabens, no artificial fragrances or colours!!  

I don’t think anyone would be disappointed with these products, I couldn’t have asked for anything better and if you have a babe with sensitive, dry skin or eczema then these are 100% the products for you.
Here’s a little break down of the ones I got to test out and LOVE!!  Click on the titles and it will bring you to the page for more info on them 🙂 

Eczema Moisturizing Lotion:

This cream is amazing and it is what we put on Hunter after his baths.  It is formulated with natural ingredients.  It helps to provide relief  from skin irritation, itching, flaking and dryness due to eczema flare-ups. It is made up of F Calendula officinalis and Peppermint oil, it also contains 5% colloidal oatmeal, which is known to help relieve itching and scratchy rashes, minor skin irritations, reduce redness and soothes dry patches.

Eczema Body Wash and Shampoo:

Well we def love this and need to order more ASAP!!!  It is hard to find a body wash that will not only make their dryness/eczema worse but will actually protect it and provide some kind of relief!  Now again Hunter does not have bad eczema but his little skin is really sensitive and Felxitol’s Happy Little Bodies Wash and Shampoo temporarily protects and helps relieve minor skin irritations and itching due to rashes, eczema even supposed to help with poison ivy, insect bites among others.  It did not hurt our kids eyes and again it’s NATURAL!!!  Contains 1% colloidal oatmeal that’s meant to smooth the skin and can be used as wash on its own but it will also provide some bubbles as well!!

Eczema Relief Cream

Okay so I have yet to try this one as Hunter hasn’t had any “flair ups” but i suspect it is just as amazing as the other products!  This is again made with Natural ingredients and will provide relief right away.  It is a gentle formula and meant to ease the symptoms!

 

If you have not been able to find relief for your little one or something that will work with their sensitive/eczema skin then please check out this company as there products truly work wonders and I think you would be really pleased with them!

 

Also see that cute little kola???  It folds out into a bag and we just love it!

 

 

Mix and match Organic Toddler socks?!?!?!

Okay guys it’s been awhile however I have a new obsession so I thought I would share it with you!!

I was so lucky to have been able to try Q for Quinn organic socks and I am in love!!  Okay soo I am def one that always blames the dryer for “eating our socks”…like seriously though where do they go???  This is part of the reason why I love Q for Quinn, you don’t have to scramble trying to find a pair that match  perfectly (like who has time for that – we always leave the house with 2 different pairs on over here) they are MIX and MATCH – legit you can have 3 pairs of socks and it gives you 9 possibilities so that when you don’t match you still match, it’s seriously genius esp for us mommas!!

They are amazing quality organic cotton with seamless toes and  unreal fool proof rubber grips (for max anti – slip) so if you have crazy little humans like I do who run all over the place they will be good!!

Also lets talk about the insanely cute book written by the founder of Q for Quinn (Melita).  It’s called Quinn’s socks and we love it!  It’s so fun to read with the kids as it’s a rhyming story about a little boy and his socks and about all the the different styles and patterns!

Okay there’s one more thing about this amazing company – they give back!!!  When you buy 1 pair of socks (bet you cant just buy one), 1 school meal is donated they use Mary’s Meals.  Click on the link to learn more about Mary’s Meals – def sounds amazing to me and I can’t wait to help out!

I can’t wait to see Q for Quinn’s new tights collection; they def have my attention!!

Loving LOVEFRESH!!

Hey guys,

So it’s been awhile since I’ve written…been concentrating on getting this house organized and if any of you know me that is going to take an extremely long time!!!

I’ve been wanting to try the company LOVEFRESH for a long time now.  My children both have sensitive skin..more my 2 year old than my 4 year old.  He has a bit of eczema on his face, always has diaper rash/red bum so I wanted to go with something as natural as possible.

So when I needed more stuff for the kiddos I decided to give LOVEFRESH a go.  Their products are full of essential oils, coconut oil as well as other healthy ingredients..plus I loved that they are made in Toronto.

I bought 3 things from their line for my littles Click the names to learn whats in the products:

Baby Lotion –  I have been using this on my little mans dry, chapping, red face and I have already seen a significant difference within a very short period of time.  His face is not as chapped or red anymore and the main thing it doesn’t look sore.  I also loved this one b/c a lot of lotions have been hurting his face when you put it on, but with this one he does not wince at all.  I also put it on both of their bodies after baths and it makes their skin back to baby soft all over again

Baby Bottom Butter  – This is a very thick zinc based cream (think coco butter thickness but so much better for them).   I have putting this on my little ones bum every time I change him and there is a huge difference in his little butt..he now is not crying when I have to change him and I can tell it’s very soothing for him.  I would show a before and after photo but I just don’t think that would be appropriate and he may not be happy with me when he gets older!

Baby Wash – This is an awesome product!!  Not only is it a body wash for your littles it is also a shampoo and can be used as a bubble bath as well.  I will say that the bubble bath isn’t like the normal ones where it’s full of massive bubbles but it does the trick and it’s better for them!  I used the shampoo on both of them but mainly for my girls extremely long hair (One day she will let me cut it haha).  Her hair was so soft after we blowdried it and it smelt so nice…it’s not scented but it’s oils and the extracts mixed together.

I am extremely happy that I finally took the plunge and tried this company as I truly think it is a good fit for my kiddos and anyone else’s for that matter!

 

Also just so that my readers know;  I am in no way affiliated with the company, I just like to share the amazing things I find along with the shitty things that you shouldn’t waste your money on!  These three products though are worth every penny…can’t wait to try some of their household products out!!

“The World isn’t all Cupcakes and Rainbows”

Oh man but how nice would it be if it was?!?!

We all have those ppl that we follow on social media and we think man their life looks perfect.  But it’s just a bunch of squares that everyone fills with happy moments…yes I myself do it as well but I also share things that aren’t “cupcakes and rainbows”.

But I will say…that person’s life isn’t perfect, no ones life is “perfect” I mean really what is perfect??  I don’t think there is anyone you follow on social media that doesn’t have issues whether they make it known or not may be a different story but I can promise you they are going through something or have gone through something that you as a follower don’t know.

This weekend for some reason was crazy emotional for me, I’m not sure what it was but I know that I am not truly happy with myself, I know that the things in the past couple of months have weighed me down..and while I have the best children, the best husband and i’ve had the mind set of “f it i’m going to do whatever makes me happy”…I still have a lot to work on!

I can’t have anxiety about going out b/c I don’t like the way I feel about myself..I have to work on it. I can’t not talk about things b/c i know that other people have a harder life, I need to talk about things to get it out and I am allowed to feel the way I feel.

The pics that I have here are when I was pregnant with Hayden and then one where I was pregnant with Hunter (my rainbow baby).

To be honest I wasn’t one of those people that loved being pregnant..I actually hated most of it if i’m being honest, I wasn’t one of those “cute” pregnant ppl, I was well…i’ll just say not cute!  I was always sick, my back was always sore but on the other hand I was so excited to meet these two little ones…Annd it’s amazing what your body can do!!  Feeling a little baby move inside you, seeing their hands and feet punch out at you is truly amazing..they sometimes literally play games with you while they are inside you…the woman’s body (even though we curse it ladies) is truly wonderful!  This being said I would love to go back to that pregnant stage even when I really disliked a lot of the moments..the good always out weighs the bad.

Not everyone has the chance to feel this feeling and my heart hurts for them.   I am super lucky I have felt this feeling and because of that I would try my best not to complain and just enjoy it…don’t get me wrong I’m not saying I didn’t complain at all b/c I def did!

We wanted a third and we have tried so hard and I am sure the trying is not over but it’s def on hold for the moment.  I don’t talk about the things that have happened because I feel  bad about being sad and I don’t want to sound like i’m complaining to others because again we are so insanely lucky to have the amazing two kiddos we have!!  But I I’m realizing it’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to talk about it and it’s def okay to be a bit angry and shed a few tears of sadness and frustration.
Even if you are extremely lucky, even if you have an amazing family, an amazing house and an amazing life it doesn’t mean that everything in your life is amazing and it’s okay to be sad about things when you go through them and when things don’t happen the way you vision or the way you want them to.

It’s OKAY!!   Even though you feel guilty for feeling this way it’s okay to and we have to realize that.  We have to realize that some things are okay to cry about, to talk about and to be completely and utterly gutted about.  So take that time to be angry, take that time to be sad and always always take that time you need to heal and work on what will make you feel better!  Remember that no matter how “Perfect” someone’s life looks from the outside, they are probably battling a demon of some sort! Don’t bottle it up and talk to someone!

That being said – we also have to focus on the amazing and imperfect life that we have b/c the good outweighs the bad and you don’t want the bad to completely consume you..that’s not healthy for anyone!

Let’s talk more about the things ppl don’t talk about, lets talk to each other and help each other rise above!

The photos with Hayden in my belly are done by my amazingly talented cousin: You by Mia Photography

The photo of Hayden and I dancing in the field was taken by my other amazingly talented friend Lesley Cowan Photography

Please don’t let this jinx it

Okay guys it’s a miracle!

If you follow me on instagram you probably saw that I got my set of oils from doterra this week.
I was so excited to try them for Hayden, not for the reason of sleeping on her own but for the simple fact that I can’t watch her wake up screaming and crying anymore.  She has been waking up multiple times a night for the past few months in a panic.

If you don’t have experience with night terrors they are horrible, it’s awful to see your little one in a panic crying/screaming when they are just trying to sleep.  This is a little bit about them:  Night terror, also known as sleep terror, is a sleep disorder, causing feelings of terror or dread, and typically occurs during the first hours of stage 3–4 non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Sleepterrors begin in children between the ages of 3 and 12, and usually stop during adolescence.

Last night I bathed the kids with a few drops of lavender oil to help wind them down a bit before bed as they wind eachother up every night before bed.  Hunter went down right away and slept through the night with no issues.

For Hayden I put the diffuser in her room; I put 4 drops of Juniper (a natural calming and grounding fragrance) with a drop of lavender.  I put the light on the diffuser and I set it for the longest period of time which was 4 hours.  She was in awe of the diffuser and loved the smell of it.  The light worked as a night light for her which I think also helps a bit.

But guess what??? Last night was the first night in a long time I got to sneak out of her room early when she fell asleep and she didn’t wake up right away screaming because we weren’t there, it was the first night in a long time that she didn’t wake up at all through the night in a panic.  She did come into our room at one point but we have no idea when she crawled into our bed so she must have been super quiet which means no tears!

I swear if that diffuser was on all night she wouldn’t have got out of bed at all!

I am really hoping in writing this that I am not jinxing it and that it continues on being like this and better as right now I am in awe of the amazing sleep we all got.

In the morning I said Hayden it looks like you got a better sleep last night and she said “It was the oils momma” and then she dragged daddy to go look at the diffuser and “smell her room” .

She made me put oils on down in the kitchen while she was having breakfast and getting ready for school so she could smell and daddy could smell.  I put a few drops of wild orange in the diffuser and our whole downstairs smells soo nice.  I came in from dropping Hayden off for school and it just smelt so fresh.

I think i am officially fully in love with these oils and I wish I tried them sooner when I first wanted to!

Let’s hope this is the end of night terrors for our little girl and that I didn’t just jinx it!!

“Mommy your belly is getting bigger”

Yes yes my daughter said that to me  today.  Thanks kid I’m really just packing on the pounds but I’m so happy you noticed!

Ah so in all of this I don’t know if I have said but Hayden knew we were pregnant and she was going to be a big sister again.  We may have been a bit overly excited that we were going to have a third and Hayden had asked for another baby sister or brother so we told her a bit prematurely which was obviously a big mistake.

How do you tell them? How do you tell them that the baby that was inside your belly for 9 weeks is no longer there? It didn’t make it? We had decided well we’re going to try again so maybe just maybe we don’t have to tell her. But 3 miscarriages later and she’s still talking about being a big sister again I am now obviously beginning to think it wasn’t the best decision.

I know it is not the last time her saying something like that.  She says random things all the time,  she even likes to tell random people from time to time.

Over the holidays I took the kids to the distillery for the Christmas Market  (*Sidenote: we honestly had the best time ever and it will be a new tradition*).  While we were there we decided to go inside and have something to eat and get thawed out so we went to Mill Street.

The table beside us was a mother with her 2 daughters (who were probably just a bit younger then myself).  Hayden took a real liking to them..so much that she introduced herself, her brother annnnd told them there’s a baby in my belly!! Yay everyone that I don’t know is so happy (Honestly the most lovely family ever) they all said congrats, I said thank you so much, put my beer to my mouth and chugged..actually feel like I raised my pint glass to them as to say cheers I’m pregnant and a fackin’ idiot with a beer.  So I had to clear it up to this wonderful family that I am not infact pregnant she just thinks I am.

She will randomly tell people like that because she is so excited, she will randomly tell me that our baby is going to crack out of my belly real soon and I shake my head and say “not anytime soon babe”.

I keep thinking maybe she will forget we told her that, maybe she will realize something isn’t right but that’s alot to think of for a 4 year old and we all know they remember everything!

Maybe we approached it wrong but I have not been able to wrap my head around telling her this.  This part will forever make it hard not to have sadness in me, but we will figure it out and lil Miss H has her bestfriend who she calls brother so I think that is reason to believe everything is great 🙂