Cool Pool Party

Confession: I found out about these guys on Yo Gabba Gabba. It would be a fun addition to your ipod for the kids this summer! And you might catch yourself singing it once or twice.

Aquabats - Cool Pool Party on Yo Gabba Gabba

Kate Takes 5 - Listography

I thought I'd take part in Kate Takes 5 listography this week. Topic is Inventions.

A Force Field from Pain and Cooties - Wouldn't it be nice to get rid of those icky period cramps and sleep deprivation headaches forever!? I would put this force field around my whole family so that T would never feel the pain from immunizations or teething.

Free Nanny - Ok, so a nanny already exists but a nanny that doesn't charge a salary does NOT exist. So I'm inventing her. She knows when I need a break. She never leaves a dirty dish in the sink. She changes T's poopy diapers. And she pushes the stroller when we go to the park.

Post Pregnancy Lose-Forty-Pounds-in-a-Minute button - I lost 15 pounds in a matter of moments when T was born, why can't I lose another 25 a few moments later???

A Landscaping Machine - My garden is full of weeds, my backyard hasn't been mowed in weeks, and I'd really love that same front porch that my neighbours have. I certainly don't have time to do all of that!

A Shut-the-Hell-Up Button - I've become increasingly less tolerant for rude people. Especially people who use their cell phone like it's a megaphone. The other day, I heard a young lady, maybe 16, telling her cell phone that she had a UTI. Ew!

A Weather Controlling Gadget - I love it when the days are warm enough for a cute sun dress but the nights require a sweater. No humidity and no snow!

T's First Mode of Transportation

T has figure out how to rollover. I'm so amazed at how brave he is. He has not yet perfected tummy time yet but he's confident enough to roll from his back to his belly. He usually needs help being propped up when he gets to his belly but he seems upset that he couldn't do it by himself. Then as soon as he was secure in the tummy/head up position, he decided to try the army crawl. Such an independent young fella!

As I was watching T use his little muscles to swing to the side, I realized that rolling over is T's first mode of transportation. This means trouble. Because if I know anything about T, he's curious and persistent. He will roll all the way around the house if I let him.

One of T's favourite places is laying on his play mat. He can kick and flail and play. I've created a little bumper system around him so that I can leave him there while I sanitize his bottles and wash a few dishes. But those days are over. I'll have to be watching his every move.

I figured that one day I would be chasing a rambunctious little cutie around the house but I didn't know it would be this soon. I can guarantee that one of these days T will be laughing he head off as I chase him around the house, and the park, and the backyard...

The Breastfeeding Blues

I expected breastfeeding to be the easy part. I didn't research the subject or pay attention in prenatal class because I figured I would just give T my breast and he would take it.

I first tried nursing T about 20 minutes after he was born. As I expected, he had a built in radar and knew exactly where to go and what to do.

At about 2 a.m. that first night in the hospital, the baby blues hit. T was hungry every ten minutes. I couldn't put him down because he would just wake up again crying for food. I hadn't slept in 39 hours and I was terrified that my son was starving. The nurse came in to the room, saw my tears and offered me formula to give to T. I must have looked at her like she was an octopus because she said "Formula is not poison, you know? It will fill his belly enough for you to get some sleep." And since sleep was what I was after, I accepted the offer.

I have to admit that I regret this decision. I started to rely on formula because I could measure how much T was eating. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if I'd waited another twelve hours for my milk to come in. The convenience of formula was interfering with my milk production.

According to the April 2011 issue of Today's Parent, ninety percent of Canadian mothers start out breastfeeding but only half are still nursing at six months. One in three have stopped by three months. Pediatricians recommend that mothers breastfeed through baby's first year.

I hate when other mothers ask me if I breastfeed and I tell them I supplement with formula. They give me a look of pity. I'm sure their intentions are good but it hurts. I've had such insecurities about this issue. At one point, I took a prescription drug to increase my milk production. It worked really well but when I started to gain weight while on the drug, I figured it wasn't worth it. I healthy mommy is more important than nursing. But why do I feel like I'm less of a mother because I can't exclusively breastfeed?

T is four and a half months now. I nurse for soothing and 'snacking' purposes only. He won't go to sleep unless nursed to sleep. I keep meaning to start the weaning process but I actually enjoy the experience. And if I'm being honest, I want T to soak up all those nutrients he can . And I don't want to deprive him of this soothing method so early in the game.

If I could do it all over again, I would have waited the extra twelve hours to see if my milk would have been enough for him. He's a healthy, happy boy. The doctor has no concerns. My insecurities will likely pass and T will never judge me for feeding him formula.

Not-So-Extreme Couponing

Yes. I admit it. I watch that 'Extreme Couponing' show. From the first show, the wheels starting turning in my head. 'What if I could do this for my family?' So I looked it up.

I found out that Canadian couponing is not the same as American. In the U.S., grocery stores have so much competition so it's not uncommon for the store to offer twice the value of the coupon you bring in. They also allow coupon stacking which means that you can use two different coupons for one product.

Luckily, getting great deals with coupons in Canada is easy. I combine sales with my coupons. So if I have a coupon for cheese that is $3 off and the cheese normally costs $6, I'll wait for that cheese to go on sale for $4. Cheese for $1 is a great deal. It's also helpful to know that sales happen in cycles of twelve weeks. So if you have several coupons for the same thing, it's a good idea to stock up until the next time.

So today, I took my $2 off coupon for M's favourite body spray, Axe, to Shopper's Drug Mart. They were offering Axe for $3.99 down from $5.99. I was so excited about this great deal that I didn't even notice that the cashier didn't give me my change from $10. So instead of spending $1.99 on the body spray, I spent $10. A bit of a bummer for my first couponing experience.

If you'd like to know more about couponing, visit this blog and watch her videos on how to coupon. On top of her great tips, I'd recommend looking up the websites of your favourite products. Some of them have free magazines or e-zines and you can often find coupons among the articles. For example, Kraft Canada has a magazine called 'What's Cooking' that comes out 4 times a year. Almost every issue has coupons.

Most of the coupons I have come from SmartSource and RedPlum. You can look up their schedules. I confess that after those coupon catalogues come out I go for a 'recycle bin walk' and dig for coupons. You can also ask friends and neighbours to keep them for you. Everyone has their secrets.