What's In My Locket?

My Mother’s Day gift came early this year! 

Lockets. I love them. I am almost always wearing one. I have one I inherited from my Gramma with a photo of each of them when they began dating. I also have a few aromatherapy lockets that I rotate through.

I think what I love about photo lockets is how they are so uniquely personal and sentimental, but also a bit mysterious. Not many people will ask to see what you feel is so important you want to carry it close to your heart. It’s a way of keeping those treasured people or things with you throughout the day. Each time you see it (or if you are like me, play with the clasp), you think of what is inside that locket. It’s a way for me to have a little moment of mindfulness in a typically hectic day.  

When I was contacted about the Monica Rich Kosann collection, I just about fainted. They are STUNNING. Exactly the piece of jewelry I would cross my fingers for when opening up a gift. The pieces are unique and gorgeous, and I love that they come with a long chain, as I love to wear my necklaces long. This locket is a piece of jewelry I know will be handed down just as my Gramma’s locket was.

What I think really stands out in this collection is that Monica began as a photographer. Her eye for design and aesthetics is obvious, but it comes from a place of function. She has designed the pieces to hold my favourite photos, not just a pretty necklace. The most unique thing about this locket is that you can go to the website and upload your photo into the template which is specific to your locket, and print it out immediately. You don’t have to fumble through resizing and cropping, or order an expensive custom print. This also means it’s easy to change up the photo when you get a new favourite. 

This is my ideal Mother’s Day gift, because I will let you in on the little secret of what’s in my locket: my boys and my darling husband. But I bet you never would have guessed that. They did just edge out a giant cup of coffee though. It was a close call. Basically if you ask me what I want for Mother’s Day (because that is totally something you would ask, right? RIGHT?) I would tell you the following: something nice that I would never buy for myself (check!), a giant cup of coffee and an hour to browse in Chapters alone without having to visit the train table. 

I have great news for my fellow Canucks, who so often get let down once we go to our online cart and see the shipping is more than the product: Monica Rich Kosann offers free priority shipping on all orders to Canada. Not only that, but if you are local to Calgary, they also sell her collection at Rubayait on 17th Ave if you want to see them in person first! 

**Disclaimer: I received this necklace in exchange for a review, but all thoughts and opinions are my own (as always!) and I genuinely am in love with this product. I mean, who wouldn’t be?? 

My Favourite Nursing Must-Haves

I thought I would share with you my favourite nursing products. If you are a nursing mama, you know you spend quite a bit of time in the act of nursing your little(s). And there are a few products out there that make that job a little easier for me. 
By the way, this isn't a sponsored post, it's all products I purchase myself, I just thought I would share the awesomeness!

one. two. three. four. 

1. Bamboobies Nursing Pads
 Luckily, I haven't been as leaky this time around, but it's so unpredictable that I always wear them. Because the one time I don't wear them, I leak all over and have to pop into a store in the mall to purchase a scarf which I creatively drape to hide the giant wet spot on my shirt. Not that that has happened or anything. Please note: this actually happened. 

So my favourite pads are Bamboobies. They are amazing. They are supersoft, which is a plus (I hate the scratchy disposable ones!), as well as incredibly thin. The thinness is the absolute best feature, along with their unique heart shape. Those 2 things combined mean you don't get that super-obvious nursing pad ridge that shouts "HEY! I'M WEARING NURSING PADS!!". Very attractive...ugh. And they have never leaked on me, despite how thin they are. They have a milk-proof backing on them. Love them!
Ummm...you don't get a pic of me wearing them. Sorry. I am sure you are super upset...ahem. But you can trust they are being well-used in each of these photos. 
2. Undercover Mama
 I wish I would have got this nursing tank the first time around. Instead I purchased a bunch of cheap shirts that I could easily nurse in, but didn't necessarily look that great. This time I grabbed one of these Undercover Mamas, and my life was changed. It's basically just a strapless tank top that you can attach to any of your nursing bras. So, you throw this puppy on underneath any shirt and it's instantly a nursing shirt; you can pull up your top shirt without exposing your tummy. And that is my biggest uncomfortableness about nursing...I don't really care if I flash a little boob by accident, but tummy? Horrors! The other thing I love about it is it's just tight enough to add a little bit of slimming action. So I can wear all my regular shirts without having to worry about easy nursing access. Life-changer. I wish I could grab them in every colour. 
3. InfinityMOM

I prefer to cover when I'm nursing in public for my own comfort level. Last time I used a nursing cover, but I have to say it's kind of annoying fighting with it all the time. So when I heard about this next product, I rushed out to the store to buy it. InfinityMOM is an infinity scarf, but nice and wide so you can use it as a nursing cover when you need it. I bought one in teal chevron. Sooo cute! I love it. It's awesome because it's a great accessory, but also functional. And there is a lot less fabric so you don't have to fight with it. Plus it's made out of cotton (feels like a t-shirt) so it's breathable and I don't end up with a super sweaty babe and heat stroke from being under it. Ugh. 

4. Ergo Baby Carrier
This one isn't technically a nursing product, but man does it make my life a million times easier when nursing! The Ergo baby carrier is our go-to for outings. It's super comfy and easily adjustable so Hubby and I can swap no problem. It's also really easy to get the baby in and out, which is a must when you have a toddler as well. But by far the most convenient aspect of the Ergo for me is that I can nurse in it. I just strap Q in and he's happy and when it's time to nurse I just loosen the strap a little and latch him on. The Ergo has a wind hood you can clip on, so I do that for some privacy and voila! No one can even tell that I'm nursing, and I am free to keep doing whatever I'm doing! It is super handy when we are out and about with Peanut, as I don't have to stop whatever we are doing to nurse. It's also awesome when we are somewhere where there are no convenient spots to nurse. I remember the first time I did this was at a hockey game with Peanut. There is nowhere in the arena to nurse, and I wasn't going to go sit in the bathroom (ick). So it was perfect! Plus, it's always a bit of a super-mom moment when you are doing all the things while nursing your kiddo. Woot! 

So, those are my faves. What are your favourite nursing products? Any awesome ones you can recommend? 

Maternity Fashion: Staying Warm

I have been trying to write this post for foreverrrrrr...but I don't have the skill of taking self-portraits on our DSLR (just can't ever seem to get them in crisp focus...I suck). And that means I need to wait for Hubby to help. But since we live in the Great White North and it's winter, that means it is dark before he gets home from work. That leaves only the weekends for photo shoots. So basically, they never get done. 
Well, imagine my excitement when my parents offered to take Peanut for the weekend and give us a night, child-free (well, outside-child free...we still had the inside-child ;) ) in the mountains. WOOHOO! This also meant we could get these amazing shots out in the mountains for this post. It would be awesome and gorgeous, and gee am I so glad we never found the time to do them before! 
Best laid plans.  The weekend was a picture-perfect winter getaway. The town of Banff is so cute and quaint and it just so happened to be their Christmas parade of lights that evening, so we got to see the town all lit up and festive. We drank candy cane hot chocolates (with marshmallows!) and wandered down the street looking at all the shops hand in hand. Really, it was perfect. Even the weather was festive: snowy but slightly warm. We had just finished a cold spell, so it was a nice change. 

Peanut ready for his sleepover at Grandma and Grandpas, delicious hot chocolate, and the beautiful (hidden) mountains of Banff. 

BUT, that also meant the weather was just about the worst weather for photo-taking ever. It was cloudy and foggy due to the weather change, and the snow was coming down pretty heavy, but not in nice fluffy flakes that look gorgeous in photos. If this had been our first visit to the mountains I would have been sorely disappointed as we basically didn't see any mountains at all through the gloom. Lucky for us we only live an hour and a half away, so it was great for us...but horrible for photos. 
So, please imagine the following photos in much better light, and imagine those blurry snow patches to be big, fluffy flakes of awesomeness. Thanks a ton. ;)
Anywho...I will tell you now of a pregnant woman's dilemma. It is this: I want to be warm, without feeling like a whale, and without spending $400. This should be something easily accomplished, but oh my friends, it is NOT. I truly would love to own a fabulous maternity coat, but it's just not in the budget. What is in the budget are those chain maternity store offerings: wool coats or puffy jackets. Neither of these will do in the chilly weeks when we have freezing temperatures. There is a reason those puffy jackets are so affordable: they skimp out on the insulation. Enter a genius product from Boob, and a bit of creative thinking! 

Boob Ready-Flex Fleece Nursing Hoodie: c/o Posh Mommy
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Hat: HauteTots from Posh Mommy

This pregnancy I am trying not to spend too much money on maternity clothing. If I do spend the money, I want a quality product that will last me as long as possible, which means most of the clothing I have been buying doubles as nursing wear as well. My solution for keeping the chillys out is to layer. This Boob fleece hoodie is perfect! It's a nursing hoodie, so there is a flap that sits under the bust and you can lift that up for easy nursing access. It also has little zipped flaps on either side of the torso to accommodate this growing belly of mine...which means I can wear it throughout my entire pregnancy and well after without having to change sizes. Perfect. Basically I just toss the fleece on when it's nice and temperate (like our Banff weekend) and when it gets insanely cold, I layer it under one of the not-so-warm maternity coats and voila! Snug as a bug in a rug (and comfy). Plus, since this babe is coming by the end of February it will be perfect for nursing on the go. I absolutely hated getting all undressed to nurse. What a pain. This way I don't have to struggle with taking off sweaters. Woot! 

I love how long the back is, so it covers my (growing!) bum when I sit down. Plus, it keeps it warm and toasty. ;)

Here you can see the nursing flap. Discreet and practical. It also has those little hand warmer thingys. I love those.

Boob is (an ingenious) Swedish company, which means for those of us in North America the shipping and the duty usually makes it difficult to order from them. But, there is a local (in Calgary) shop that carries their line, offers free shipping within Canada, and has a ton of other gorgeous, stylish and practical maternity and nursing wear and accessories: Posh Mommy. If you are interested in the Boob fleece, check it out here: Boob Fleece . It also comes in a gorgeous red. Warning to pregnant and nursing women: if you click through to this shop, you will have a very difficult time restraining yourself from purchasing pretty much everything they carry. You have been warned! ;) 
Please Note: I was given the product featured in this post so that I could write an informed review. In this case it was provided by Posh Mommy. But, all opinions (as always!) are my own! 

Ingenuity Washable Playard: Review and GIVEAWAY!

A play yard has been an essential item in our household for Peanut. When he was born, he slept in a play yard in our room in the bassinet for the first 3 or 4 months. Since then, we use it as a travel crib when we stay overnight with friends or family, or when we go camping. And we use it as a baby containment unit (i.e. a playpen) when we need Peanut to have a safe place to play. Our previous play yard was alright. Nothing to really rave about.  The change table on it was so flimsy we couldn't use it from the very beginning when Peanut was only 10 lbs, as he would roll off the end if we didn't hold him up (and really, how practical is that? Changing a baby with 1 hand? No thanks!). The other thing that really bothered me about it was that I could only surface wipe it to clean up the inevitable baby poops, pees and pukes that ended up all over it. That always sort of grossed me out, really. Sure, you can buy the sheets for them, but really we all know that a mere cotton sheet cannot contain the mess of a leaky diaper, let alone a pooplosion. 
So, when I heard about the InGenuity Washable Playard, I had to admit, I was incredibly intrigued. Could it really be washable? Because if it was, it would be a HUGE improvement on the brand we have been using for the past year.

Mine is from the Sumner Collection. I love how gender-neutral it is!

I took it out of the box, and I didn't even have to look at the instructions to set it up. It is very simple and takes about 30 seconds. Score! The change table is so incredibly sturdy and snaps on all easy-peasy like. I can even change my squirmy 1 year old on it and it holds up wonderfully. This was enough to sell me on it! It also has a handy storage tray for diapers and wipes, etc. 

The tray folds over the bar so you don't have to remove it to use the play yard! 

But the thing that really flabbergasts me, and has me floating in clean-mommy heaven is that it IS totally washable. And it's completely easy. Everything just unzips and unvelcros (is that a word?!) from the frame and you toss it in the washer. 

See?! You can wash the whole thing!

You can learn from my mistakes and heed this tip: when you are putting the fabric back on the frame, make sure you line up the zipper in the correct corner! Duh! Of course I didn't realize until I had proudly reassembled the velcro on all the corners...sigh. 
For the mattress, you just have to slip out the 4 boards and toss the padding in there too. I have made a little video to show you how easy it is to use this play yard. I hate watching myself on video, so please be forgiving! I definitely say definitely too much...and you can see Kitty and Peanut making guest appearances. Peanut is obsessed with the play yard, so he's giving you a running commentary while investigating it. 
 I haven't been able to really test out the bassinet because Peanut is much too heavy for it, but it came already assembled with the bassinet in it, so it is easy to see how it sets up, and it looks a bit sturdier than my other one, actually, as it has straps supporting the bottom of the bassinet to the play yard. AND, you can fold it up without taking out the bassinet, which is also awesome. That was always a huge pain with our other play yard. 

Here's the bassinet all set up

And this is the magic that allows you to fold up the play yard WITHOUT removing the bassinet. Sooooo handy, trust me!

 The only thing missing from this model is a newborn napper-type device. We used that attachment extensively with Peanut in the first month or so, so if we have another little kiddo that would be a feature I would love to see on the InGenuity Playard! 

The folks at InGenuity are generously giving Up Mommy Creek readers a chance to win their very own Washable Playard!!! How awesome is that?! A play yard is a must-have for the little ones, in my opinion, and here's your chance to get one for free! Please note that this giveaway is only open to my fellow Canadians, as this snazzy line has not yet launched in the US. Just enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. And GOOD LUCK! :) 
Reminder: Giveaway open to Canada only! Sorry my international readers!a Rafflecopter giveaway
**Disclosure: I received a playard so that I could write an accurate review of using this product. All opinions are entirely my own, as always! I truly did love this product.

Essential Baby Items: Mommy Jewellery!

The one thing you learn pretty fast as a mom is that once your baby reaches that grabby stage, nothing is safe! The first thing that gets pulled is your hair. The next is your necklaces. Peanut is obsessed with necklaces. He loves paying attention to really small things right now, and so it makes the chains very attractive. And of course once he grabs it, he yanks it as hard as possible. And then he shoves it in his mouth. So, I learned pretty quickly that if a piece of jewellery is precious to me, that I shouldn't wear it. Because it's only a matter of time before it gets broken. Not only that, but while Peanut is nursing he grabs and flails and scratches me. He loves to play with my hair, but that always ends in me being held hostage by an infant, begging and pleading with him to please let my hair go. Of course, this is the most hilarious thing in the world to him, so he pulls harder, and giggles. There is nothing like being overpowered by a 19 lb baby to make you feel like a strong woman...sigh. Anyway, when I saw that there are necklaces out there for moms, I was instantly interested. I ordered myself a Mommy Necklace and waited for it to arrive. 

The Mommy Necklace in action

I like the Mommy Necklace because it's pretty stylish. It's not really my style to wear big beaded jewellery, but it at least looks like I am wearing something for me, and not for my baby. It's got a breakaway clasp, which is awesome, because it's pretty much guaranteed that Peanut is going to yank that thing so hard it will break. So the clasp prevents that from happening. It definitely does it's job of keeping him occupied while he's nursing, and he does get very enthralled with it when we are just hanging out as well. The only drawback is that it's inevitable that Peanut is going to shove it in his mouth the second he gets the opportunity, and the necklace is not really safe for that. 
Which brings me to the next necklace I have: Teethease. This is my necklace of choice now. I have the pendant, which is a simpler style than the Mommy Necklace. It's basically a medical-grade silicone pendant on a ribbon with a breakaway clasp. Which means that it's totally safe for Peanut to mow away on to his heart's content. And man, he goes to town! At first I was a little surprised to find that the pendant was strung on a ribbon; I thought that it would be something a little "nicer" (for lack of a better term). But after wearing it the first time, I am happy that it's ribbon. Peanut loooooves pulling the ribbon through his teeth, and twisting it with his fingers and trying to tangle and untangle it while he's sitting...basically it's the best toy ever. I should have known that this would be the case...you can spend money on all these expensive toys, but he will prefer to play with the empty Gatorade bottle instead. The pendant is awesome, because it's pretty much indestructible (which if you have children you know is a valuable feature). He can chew and chew and chew and it looks brand new. It's basically like having a teething ring always on hand (on neck?!), without looking like you do.  

Stylishly modelling the Teethease. No one can see my PJ pants...mwahaha

There are other mommy jewellery brands out there, I am sure, but these are the 2 I have used personally. They are pretty ingenious...they are the type of thing you wish you would have thought of yourself. Which is another reason why I like these products too: they are made by moms, and in the case of Teethease, a Canadian mom! 
I definitely think that having some Mommy jewellery is an essential item in my Mommy repertoire. Not only for keeping Peanut occupied, but also for those times when I feel like changing out of my PJs and going to Starbucks. I can put on a necklace and feel pretty put-together. Which fools people into thinking that I actually know what I'm doing, and that I am not frazzled and that I don't spend my days in pyjamas pinning things on Pinterest and writing blog posts...score! 

Peanut going to town

Disclosure: while I was given a sample Teethease product for a feature on a TV spot I did, I was not compensated in any way by Teethease or Mommy Necklaces for this review post. All opinions are my own. 

Essential Baby Items: The Exercise Ball

So, this edition of Essential Baby Items features an item that most people hate (or maybe just me?), since it is associated with exercise. However, this item is probably the most revered thing in our household at the moment; the exercise ball. 

The ball of magic (ours is 55cm)

I originally purchased this ball as a tool for labour. However, things didn't exactly go as planned. Rephrase; things went totally opposite of what we planned. In any case, I didn't really labour at home, so it never really got used. It came with an exercise DVD, so I suppose I could use it for that... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Anyway, we quickly discovered that this giant red thing that looks so tacky in our basement is actually a baby tamer. That's right folks; it soothes the screaming babe. Bounce on the ball while holding Peanut and he instantly goes quiet. Bounce long enough, and he might just fall asleep. Most often we just bounce him to the point where he sits and gremlins. 
(That's right. I used gremlin as a verb. 
To gremlin: the act of scowling grumpily while making grunting sounds while you breathe, often peppered with frequent dramatic sighs of displeasure)
I had heard all these wonder stories about swings and bouncy chairs. Sure, he likes them well enough, but if he's in a mood, there is no way he will tolerate those things. Putting him in one when he is upset just makes him scream more. The exercise ball has magic powers. It's like a forcefield of calmness surrounds it. 
In the beginning, only Hubby could use the magic ball, due to my c-section recovery. Now we both can, but Hubby is the pro. He even forgets sometimes and instead of sitting on the couch after the baby has gone for a nap he sits on the ball and bounces. And then I laugh. Poor Hubby. 
The ball is so powerful, that it is only matched by one other strategy, which is the walk/bounce/sway combo accompanied by Mommy or Daddy singing Bob Marley's "3 Little Birds" in an endless loop. That one works every time. 
This Essential Baby Item is a cheap one, and a sanity-saver. I think I paid about $12 for it. If you are still pregnant, then it's a great investment for coping with labour AND for baby-bouncing afterwards. And who knows, maybe one day I will also put in that pesky DVD it comes with and use it for it's intended purpose to shed some baby weight...pfffffft. Right. 

Essential Baby Items: The Stretchy Wrap

It's pretty overwhelming all of the gear and products and "must-haves" for your baby. If you recall in my previous post, I was pretty overwhelmed with all the selection while I was pregnant. Well, after having my little Peanut and getting a couple of months of this mom thing down, I can safely tell you what I think are the "must-haves" for us. I thought I would highlight a different item that we love every now and again. 


This first one is by far the front-runner. I don't know what we would do without our stretchy wrap. It's honestly saved our sanity about a billion times over in the last couple of months. 

When I was pregnant, I really wanted to get a wrap. I had visions of me carrying my little babe around all day and getting a million things done around the house while still giving my child the attention he needs. Hubby was not so convinced, and neither was my mom. I think they both thought it was a rather "hippy"-type notion. But I insisted, and we were very lucky in that we received one for the baby shower. During our prenatal class, we had a little section about carriers, and we got to try a couple of them out. That is when Hubby really jumped on board. He practiced putting the wrap on about 5 times during the class. I think he just needed a visual to understand what the heck a long piece of fabric could really do, you know? 


Anyway, after Peanut's arrival my vision of wearing him all the time sort of went down the toilet due to my c-section. Thus, it fell to Hubby to try it out. After the first night of crying baby, he tried the wrap and lo and behold! Peanut fell instantly to sleep. Since then, the wrap is Hubby's go-to for calming the babe. It honestly is a miracle-worker! I can wear him now that I am all healed, and it has never failed to calm him down, and usually it puts him right to sleep. It also makes going out and about really easy, since it can be sort of cumbersome to use a stroller at times. We have another carrier too (the Ergo), but the wrap is our go-to for this age. 


We have a MamanKangourou wrap (a Canadian brand, I believe), but I know that the Moby wrap is a very popular brand as well. I was rather surprised at the price for wraps, since they are essentially just a long piece of fabric. However I do believe in this instance it is worth it's weight in gold. Okay, wait, that's a crappy turn of phrase for this situation, since they barely weigh anything...basically I am trying to say that they are worth the price. And I am really cheap. So you know it must be good. 

Instant pass-out