Imagine yourself in a house full of 3, 4, and 5 year olds (and their moms), sprawled out on the floor with their sleeping bags and pillows!  Popcorn, every single flavour of Goldfish crackers available to mankind, fruit and veggie platters decorated like fish, a coral reef and starfish and  multi-coloured gummy frogs and turtles swimming in a sea of blue Jello?!  What mom would willingly open up her house to a dozen junior kindergarten kids for a fun movie matinee? Me! That's who!

The Plot

What the moms thought

What the kids thought

Disclosure: I am participating in A Turtle’s Tale 2 – Sammy Escapes From Paradise Blogger Campaign by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

When Little One was a baby, I noticed that Lansinoh seemed to be one of the brands all my breast-feeding mom friends talked about.  Lansinoh has everything from breast pumps to breast pads, breast milk storage and bottles and drinking sets.

In fact, one of the best gifts a friend ever gave me was a basket she put together filled with baby necessities from Lansinoh.  The Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads came in really handy, as did the Lansinoh HPA Lanolin.

I was excited to see that Lansinoh also has items for feeding babies as they continue through different stages of their development.  When I first saw the mOmma Spill-Proof Cup with dual handles and Straw Cup, I was intrigued by their unique design.

Because of the round ergonomic shape and soft handles that are designed for baby's hands to grip, and the fact that pliable silicone spout is for of baby's developing teeth and gums, this makes for a great cup. With babies that like to toss things or drop things frequently, it really helps that the spout is spill-proof.

Gadget Girl, one of my mom testers was given the opportunity to try out both the mOmma Spill-Proof Cup with dual handles and the Straw Cup.

Gadget Girl's Thoughts

My 10-month-old daughter is still mainly using bottles, but we have started to introduce sippy cups. She will try to get them to her mouth (a feat she can’t do with a bottle unless she is lying down) and has tried a few types so far. I love the shape of the mOmma, however, when you turn the cap to close the cup, the sipper also turns and can become uneven with the handles. 

Perhaps if the sippy cup had the handles on the top but separate from the cap/sipper feature, it would make it easier to make the sipper and handles line up, thereby allowing the baby to get the sipper to its mouth. The handles are very helpful in helping her get the sippy cup close to her mouth. 

Over all a good sippy and has not leaked yet even though my daughter throws it around.

Can’t wait to try the mOmma straw cup when she is ready for a straw. She's still not quite ready, but she is eager to try sipping out of the straw!



Did you know that the mOmma Spill-Proof Cup has been awarded the PTPA Seal of Approval? Parents Tested and Parents Approved.

Editor's Note:  When using the Lansinoh mOmma cups, it is important to note that one needs to push the spout down all the way inside the collar of the cup before closing to avoid unevenness.  Pushing the spout down all the way inside the collar of the cup will help ensure proper use and an optimal drinking experience for child. 

Disclosure - Our Mom Tester received products to facilitate this honest review.

I have a confession.  I'm a guilt-ridden mom.  I know this insanity has to stop, but I can't help it.  I'm conflicted.  Little One started camp today and I don't know how I feel about it.

I'm excited for her.  In fact, I'm super excited.  She gets to spend a few weeks this Summer hanging out with her cohorts, learning new things, and having fun.

The other part of me feels guilty about not letting her have an easy, restful Summer vacation.  After all, Summer vacation, as we all know is fleeting.  It goes by far too quickly and kids are only little for a short time.  Part of me contemplated letting Little One stay home this Summer and not having structured activities.  She could play outside, play on the trampoline, and we could go to the beach after I finish work.

Yes, I work from a home office, but I put in regular working hours.  The only difference is that I don't leave my house to go to my office.  I know it's a new concept for many and most people who don't work from home cannot comprehend that just because your office is in your home, you can't just take off or do what you want whenever you want.  To be honest, I find it's more of a juggling act to accommodate scheduling and activities. For this reason, it is so difficult for me to work when Little One is home during the day.  Summer camp has been a huge blessing.

The community's Summer Recreation Program is fantastic, and so reasonably priced!  $15 a week! $20 with field trip. You can't beat that!

This week, the kids have Outdoor Expedition Week. They'll be making terrariums, going on a fossil hunt on the beach, making homemade bird feeders, and even going on a field trip to Manitoulin Streams where they will be exploring habitats and creatures in the water.  Manitoulin Streams will be taking the kids on a "Stream Detective" workshop where the children will be netting aquatic bugs, building a bass spawning nest, and more.

Little One is very excited about the upcoming Hands-On Science week.  They'll be doing hands-on experiments, including making their own lava lamps out of an empty plastic bottle!

Despite the fact that I know Little One will have a great time, I only wish I could spend more of the Summer with her. She's only four years old.  When I was four, we didn't do any organized activities during the Summer. For us, Summer meant getting to sleep late, sleep in, hang out with our friends and  play all day. Summer meant freedom.  It was a break from school and just a time to relax and be kids.  I put Little One in Junior Kindergarten at three years of age and now Summer camp activities at four years old.  I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing.


Do your kids go to camp or Summer activities?  What's your take on this? Should kids just be kids and take it easy for the Summer or do you think they need organized activities?

Link up your Wordless Wednesday posts! Granted, mine wasn't so "wordless" today!
We'd love to check your WW posts out!

Who knew that there were so  many different kinds of bottles, nipples, soothers and feeding products out there?  With so much selection to choose from, it can get a little dizzying at times.

When I was a new mom, I went to family, friends and other moms for tips and recommendations when it came to all things baby.  I'm a research person when it comes to all things concerning my family.  I like reading ratings and reviews of products and I like finding out why parents prefer one product over another.

Though I nursed Little One, we also bottle fed her.  Hubby was able to give her a bottle of expressed breast milk so that Mommy could get a bit of sleep too.

Since Little One is now four years old, I have enlisted the help of my product testers for items geared towards infants and toddlers. Here's what my parent testers, New Mommy and New Daddy have to say about Dr. Brown's products.

Zombie Mom No More: Dr. Brown's Helps Parents With All Their Babies' Feeding Needs

I am a Zombie Mom.  I never realized what the hashtag #zombiemom really meant until we had our baby a few months ago.  Since circumstances did not permit me to breastfeed our child, we had to resort to bottle feeding her.  Before you cast any judgment, we do know "breast is best", but medical conditions have not permitted me to give my child that important gift of "liquid gold".

Coupled with me not being able to breastfeed, another challenge we faced was colic.  Yes, our sweet little babe is a very colicky babe.

When you have a colicky baby, you do research.  Lots of research  on how to soothe that baby's discomfort.  We've tried pretty much everything, but to no avail.  When Christine at Life on Manitoulin asked us if we wanted to try some Dr. Brown's items, we were really excited! What I like about Dr. Brown's Patented Internal Vent System is that it reduces colic, spit-up, burping and gas.  This is a big thing for us, as our child suffers from colic.

Bottles are not just bottles

I remember the first time I sent my husband out to the store to buy a few bottles for our baby. I just found out I couldn't breastfeed (after numerous attempts) and sent the husband out blindly into the world of baby stuff and more. The poor guy came back defeated...and armed with (I kid you not) over a dozen different bottles.  Plastic bottles, glass bottles, ones that were bent in odd shapes, straight ones, tall ones, fat ones. Oh goodness.

It also turned out our baby happened to be a fussy one too. Not happy with anything.  Some preferences were made apparent, but then came the colic.

With Dr. Brown's it's great to have the option of having different sizes to choose from depending on your baby's needs.

No technical, science wiz here, won't try to explain how things work. Let me just say that I was impressed with the patented internal vent system, but even more so when I read that in a university study that measured nutrient levels in baby bottle milk showed that Dr. Brown's fully-vented bottles helped maintain important nutrients (like vitamins C, A. and E, as well as lipids) that are key nutrients to baby's health.


Can I tell  you that  Dr. Brown's Microwave Steam Sterilizer is a parent's best friend?  I won't mask my excitement when I say the custom tray is molded for Dr. Brown's bottles and parts.  No more boiling huge pots of water and sterilizing your bottles and parts! It's really easy to use too!  Trust me. As one who has made it a habit of boiling all of Baby's feeding items, I've ruined a bunch of them all in the name of sterilization.  No one told me that if you boil some products, they don't work as well or don't end up fitting properly or end up making a leaking mess all over your baby's face.

Yes, the Dr. Brown's Microwave Steam Sterilizer is in fact a godsend.

For the love of soothers!

We have a fussy little baby when it comes to soothers.  We have about two dozen soothers (not kidding) and have been trying to find the perfect one. Soother nipples: Too small. Too big. Too hard. Too flat. Too round.  There doesn't seem to be any pleasing our child.  You won't believe me when I say this, but these soothers actually did the trick.  Now, that is a hard feat!

"My Momma always said, 'Soothers will give ya buckteeth!'"

These soothers were designed by a pediatric dentist and were developed to prevent dental issues. I remember many years ago, people used to say not to give your child a soother because it would give them buck teeth.  1. These were designed to present dental issues and 2. They really do help sooth our little peanut.

Whether you're an experienced parent or a pair of clueless first time zombie parents like us, we hope you maneuver through your parenting journey with relative ease. Remember to enjoy and savour the blissful moments and learn to laugh at everything else...like going to the store about buying a dozen different types of bottles in a sleep-deprived state or doing the dance of joy when your baby decides she loves a particular soother or bottle. For the love of baby bottles, soothers, and all that is good in the world, these moments are fleeting. Enjoy :)

 We're happy to report that you can purchase Dr. Brown's products at http://www.babiesrus.ca.

Thanks to Christine and Life on Manitoulin for giving us the opportunity to test these products.  Thank  you to Dr. Brown's for quality products we can trust on our fussy little peanut. ~ New Mommy and New Daddy


This post was generously sponsored by Dr. Brown’s, but the opinions and images are my own. For more information, visit www.drbrownsbaby.com.

Every parent can relate when it comes to bringing baby home for the first time.  There's the first time putting baby in the car seat, first car ride, sitting in the back seat with them, going home for the first time, and first sleep at home!

I think it's pretty universal that as first time parents, many of us have the same feelings of excitement as well as apprehension bringing baby home for the first time!

For myself, there was a little more drama with Little One being born at 28 weeks gestation.  There was the whole air ambulance trip, hospital bed rest, "spontaneous birth" (Yes! That's what was written in her chart after she canon-balled her way into the world!), 72 days in the NICU and a huge roller coaster ride of emotions.


After our life in the NICU, we got to take Little One home.  Then it sank in...Wow! We're bringing baby home!

I  have to say that I was really impressed to discover that Pampers makes diapers for even the tiniest babies.  The hospital we were at used Pampers Preemie/Size P for the preemies in the NICU.  Though the hospital provides preemie diapers for the preemies in the NICU, something I just learned and think parents should know is that parents need to bring diapers to the hospital with them.

Pampers Size P (for preemies) were the diapers we used when we brought Little One home.  I was so thankful to have diapers that fit my tiny baby!  Little One was 980 grams at birth and when we brought her home from the hospital, she was 5 lbs! Finding a diaper that fit such a small baby would be a challenge had we not had Pampers.  Even Hubby thought Pampers Size P fit Little One really well.  He really liked the fact that the yellow line turns blue when baby has wet the diaper. The indicator line was one of Hubby's favourite Pampers features.

It's no surprise that Pampers Swaddlers is the #1 Choice of Canadian parents and hospitals for newborn babies.


I remember when my brother and his wife had their twins and they used Pampers on their girls. It's a brand they trusted and preferred for fit and leakage protection.

Speaking of leakage protection, I was chatting with a friend recently and she said she loves that Pampers' 12 hour leakage protection helps her baby sleep through the night without waking up with a leaky diaper.  Yes, Pampers has Mom's back from birth to potty training with Cruisers and Easy Ups for baby at each stage.

Have you heard of Pampers Village (pampers.ca)?  It's a loyalty program that enables consumers to redeem rewards for every package of Pampers purchased, exclusive coupon offer, newsletters with parenting tips, and exclusive promotions.  Discover all the benefits you can get by joining over 500,000 Canadian parents!  I'm a member!  Despite the fact that Little One is now in Junior Kindergarten, I still enjoy  reading what's on pampers.ca. It's a great resource for new and experienced moms as baby moves through the stages. Plus, who knows if Little One will have a sibling in the future?

For new moms, getting a tailored newsletter for baby based on their stage is a great thing! I also like letting friends know about the exclusive rewards and coupons they can get from Pampers Rewards. Let's face it, moms (first time or veteran) can always use the support of a community and being able to share experiences with other moms.  This is what it's like on the Pampers Canada Facebook page! Chat about everything from bringing baby home for the first time, baby sleeping through the night, and more!

I was just talking about Pampers with my best friend yesterday and smiled when she said, "Pampers is like wrapping your baby's bottom in a cloud".  I love that!
Ready for some exciting news?  Summer is the season of new bumps and babies, and with the Royal baby on the way, Pampers Canada wants to share memories and tips from experienced moms with those preparing for their first big day!

As  an experienced a mom who has been there before, I'll be tweeting with @Pampers, @Gingermommy, @momvstheboys, and @myweeview on June 26th, giving some mom to mom support by sharing what new moms need to know about bringing their first baby home.

It's going to be a lot of fun! Who doesn't love talking about baby experiences?! Plus, the prizes are phenomenal!  Definitely things any new mom would love!

$1,500 in prizing with a Grand Prize worth almost $700! 

Whether new or experienced, mom always deserves to be pampered!
* Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal Moisture Mask
* Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal Moisture Mist
* Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal Shampoo & Conditioner
* Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal Silky Moisture Whip
* Venus & Olay razor and Satin Care with a Touch of Olay Shave Gel
* CoverGirl Blast Flipstick
* COVERGIRL LipPerfection
* Secret Outlast deodorant
* Vidal Sassoon Hair Colour coupon
* Olay Ultra Moisture Lotion
* Olay Total Effects Daily Anti-Aging UV Moisturizer Plus Touch of Foundation Cream
* Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging Eye Cream Line and Dark Circle Minimizing Brush
* Olay Total Effects Refreshing Citrus Scrub
* Olay Total Effects Tone Correcting Night Moisturizer
* Olay Total Effects Tone Correcting Eye Treatment
* COVERGIRL Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss (two shades)
* Febreze Candle

Pampers Swaddlers & Memories ($200) THREE WINNERS!
* Two boxes of Pampers diapers
* Pampers Wipes
* Kodak Play Sport video camera
* Ivory Snow Liquid Detergent
* Canada onesie (0-3 months)

Pampers Swaddlers ($80)  THREE WINNERS!
* Two small packs of Pampers diapers
* Pampers Wipes
* Ivory Snow Liquid Detergent
* Canada onesie (0-3 months)



Please join us on Wednesday, June 26th from 8pm-9pm EST.

Follow Host: @chancesmommy
Co-Hosts: @Gingermommy, @momvstheboys, @myweeview
Sponsor: @Pampers
Hashtag: #ILoveSwaddlers

All Canadian participants, excluding residents of Quebec are eligible to win.  
Please RSVP with your Twitter handle (Ex: @yourtwitterhandle) using the linky below:




 Disclosure - I am a P&Gmom. As part of my affiliation with this group I am hosting the #iloveswaddlers Twitter party and have been compensated for my services. The opinions on this blog and during the Twitter party are my own.

Little One is a veritable girlie girl.  She loves all things blingy, sparkly and pink.  She goes to the barn to feed the bull in her puffy tutu and rubber boots.

If you recall, I boycotted pink when Little One was born because I didn't want her to be under the whole notion that girls are all about princess, frilly things, and pink.

Despite my protests and not introducing her to all that is girlie, she somehow embraced all of those things anyway.  She loves Disney princesses, fairies, ballerinas, and PINK!

She also loves digging in the dirt and playing with snails and whatever other bugs she finds in the garden.


Little girls and little boys can do anything and everything they want to do when it comes to establishing their preferences in toys, activities or sports.  I think it's great for boys to play house and play with dolls, just like I think it's fabulous for girls to play with dirt or play with toy tools.  I think it's wonderful for boys to do ballet and girls to play hockey.


What do you think?

Link up your Wordless Wednesday posts here.  Sorry mine is a little "wordy"! We'd love to check your posts out!

There is no doubt that we have a little girly girl on our hands.  As much as I banned pink, frilly, girly, froufrou, blingy, sparkly items from the very beginning, we somehow ended up with a child who is all about the pink girly bling.

I am not kidding.  The girl wears frilly tutus and rubber boots to the barn!

She does have her ears pierced, though I have never (until recently) changed her earrings.  Of course I had taken them out, cleaned them, etc.  I just didn't give her more than the one pair she had.  She's only 4 years old.  She doesn't need to have a zillion pairs of earrings...yet.

Then one day, I received an email from KanDi Jewelry filled with the most adorable jewelry for little girls.  It was a veritable feast for the eyes...only with zero calories and zero cavities!


The Gummy Bear earrings, bracelets, and necklaces looked EDIBLE! They were the cutest things I had ever seen!  If I weren't 37. I'd like to have some for myself!

My daughter sat with me at the computer and oooh-ed and ahhhhh-ed, trying to decide which earrings she'd like.  I totally thought she'd want the pink, but chose the purple.

When the earrings arrived, Little One was over the moon!
Little One and I fell in love with the Gummy Bear earrings.  She has since asked me to get her the necklace and bracelet too.

Candy heart and jawbreaker jewelry are also available and are super cute.  I still love the Gummy Bears best.

I cautioned Little One that as irresistible as they may look, the earrings are NOT edible.  She looked at me and laughed.  "Awwww! Mommy! You're silly! Of course not! They're not REAL Gummy Bears, silly Mommy!"

Okay, then!

A Little Bit About KanDi Jewelry

 If you have a little girl who would absolutely love a pair of Gummy Bear earrings, you're in luck! KanDi Jewelry is giving one lucky Life on Manitoulin reader a pair of Gummy Bear earrings in the colour of the winner's choice.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure - I received product to facilitate this review.  All opinions and thoughts on this blog are honest and my own.

Growing up, my parents taught us that travel and exposure to the world around us and different cultures were very important.  They encouraged exploration and whetted our curiosity by taking us on trips to my Dad's homeland of Trinidad and Tobago and to other points of interest.  Long road trips from Montreal to Florida or camping trips in New Brunswick or Gatineau were things we were no strangers to.

Travel has always been a large part of my life and before I settled down and got married, I made sure to travel a lot.  Barbados, the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, Bali, and over thirteen U.S. states and (only) four Canadian provinces were among the places I marked off on my map.

It is my hope and dream that Little One gets the same opportunities to travel as I did.  She embarked on her first international trip last year when we went to the Philippines.

The experience for my then three year old was amazing.  It opened her eyes to a new lifestyle, language, culture, and a new life in general!

When PTPA introduced me to Little Passports, I thought it was a brilliant idea and a great way to foster the importance of travel and culture in children.

Little Passports is a great way to teach children about other countries and cultures through the adventures and world travels of Sam and Sofia.

With Little Passports, parents can inspire a love and understanding of the world as your child learns about geography, history, culture, and more through monthly packages delivered to your door (starting at $10.95/month).

Simply sign up, select your monthly subscription, and get set to learn about the world with Sam and Sofia! My daughter, though only four years old, absolutely LOVES Little Passports!  She was so excited to see the postcards, stickers, letters, souvenirs, etc.  Best of all, it was mail for her!  What kid doesn't love receiving mail?!

Little One can't read on her own yet (she's in Junior Kindergarten), so I helped her with reading the postcards and letters from Sam and Sofia.  I was surprised at how "into" the whole experience she was!  It was almost magical seeing her go on the adventure with them (so to speak).  She really seemed to feel like she was part of their adventures!

I thought it was neat that when Little One opened up the envelope from Japan, she found origami paper.  We had a layover in Tokyo on our way to the Philippines last year and Little One totally made the connection between the origami paper and what I had told her about Japan.  Incidentally, she loved Narita Airport!  I lived and worked in Japan from 1998 to 2000 and absolutely fell in love with the culture.  Little One somehow remembered hearing that and took a keen interest in what she was learning from Sam and Sofia's trip to Japan.

Did you know that Little Passports is a PTPA Award Winner?

I really love learning activities like Little Passports.  They teach kids valuable lessons in an interactive and creative way.

Thanks to PTPA and Little Passports, we are giving one lucky reader a 3 month Little Passports subscription!

Never in a million years would I have ever imagined what it would feel like to be on the receiving end of the kind of  love and support we received over a week ago.  When I think about the tremendous outpour of concern and well wishes, I get so overwhelmed and end up crying.

Giving Thanks

A Huge Thank You to CHEO

Thank You to the Blogging Community

Giving Thanks to Some Very Special People

Giving thanks to all the special people in our lives

Over a week ago, my four year old was airlifted to Ottawa and sent to CHEO (Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario).  Other than her early delivery (when I was sent by air ambulance to Mount Sinai, where Little One canon-balled her way into existence), this experience was probably one of the scariest times in my life.

After Little One's surgery, one of the first things she uttered was, "Now you really have to take me to Disney!"

I had heard of Official Princess Parties through my friend, Canadian Dad's blog posts this past year and knew my four year old would love to meet her favourite princess.

As soon as Little One was discharged from the hospital and had rested for a few days, I wanted to have a thank you BBQ for my friends @flywithbaby (and her husband and family), as well as for @CanadianDadBlog and his family.  Both families were such a great support while Little One was in the hospital. Having a young child in the hospital is scary and emotionally challenging, but coupled with being away from Hubby and being 9 hours away from home, it is even more challenging.

Canadian Dad made the big BBQ party even more special by organizing a meeting with Little One's favourite princess! Little One was so excited to see Belle!
Check out the smile on Little One's face!  Now, that is one very happy kid!

I was really impressed with the entire princess experience.  We were staying at my friend's house and Belle popped in for a visit. She wowed all the children with sing-along tunes, dancing, story time, and cheek glitter and tattoo application!

Little One running to greet Belle.  For a kid who was in a lot of pain from having surgery, she sure ran very quickly to see her favourite princess!




Thank you to Official Princess Parties, Belle, and Canadian Dad for making one sick little girlie very happy!

Connect with Official Princess Parties on Facebook too.