tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25611402453176454302023-11-15T10:43:45.139-05:00Mommy Mix UpIt seems there was a mix up. I went to bed as just me and woke up as "Mommy".
Follow me as I share my stories, learning experiences, tips, money savers and tricks to gaining some control of this crazy lifeSamantha Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06271857155246897286noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2561140245317645430.post-42642458058456677092012-01-22T14:21:00.002-05:002012-01-22T14:23:54.739-05:00How do you keep your kids busy indoors?So its Canada and its winter. That means cold, cold, cold. Sometimes we just can't get the little ones out to play. How do you avoid suffering cabin fever on days like this?<br />
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Lately we seem to be building a lot of forts, having sock tosses to decide who gets to pick today's snack or story and also plenty of crafts.<br />
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<b>Share your tricks to keep little ones entertained on indoor days!</b>Samantha Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06271857155246897286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2561140245317645430.post-9970062310192197782012-01-18T08:24:00.001-05:002012-01-18T08:28:03.219-05:00Pudding PaintHere's a fun, easy and edible recipe for paint. Your little ones will love this because its tasty and you will love that its non-toxic.<br />
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- Vanilla Pudding<br />
- Food coloring<br />
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Mix a few drops of coloring to the pudding until you get your desired look and....wait for it....you're done!<br />
Let your kids finger paint or use brushes....they will have a blast.<br />
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You can also use chocolate pudding...just omit food coloring.<br />
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This is a great recipe for the summer to do outside, don't be surprised if they paint themselves!<br />
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I saw a version of this a few years ago on a hit series about a mom with multiples and thought it was a great idea. I searched the web for some ideas and after all that research found out it was easier then I thought!<br />
<br />Samantha Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06271857155246897286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2561140245317645430.post-66189003796890721762012-01-17T15:36:00.003-05:002012-01-17T19:39:16.393-05:00DIY Natural Baby WipesSave yourself loads of money and worry knowing that only safe products are being used on your baby's gentle skin. Check out this easy at home recipe.<br />
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- 1 tsp baking soda<br />
- 1 cup of water<br />
- 1 tbsp olive oil - organic is best (optional)<br />
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*You can also add a few drops of tea tree oil, it has antibacterial and healing qualities*<br />
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Simply fill a spray bottle with the ingredients listed and give it a shake. Buy yourself a stack of reusable baby wash cloths (dollar store brand works fine) and you're good to go! Come change time, grab a cloth and give a few sprays. <span style="font-size: x-small;">You can also try running your wash cloth under warm water first then spraying it for babies who are particularly fussy about "cold" wipes.</span><br />
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Want to go even further with the "natural route"? You can use this incredibly simple recipe most hospitals use:<br />
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-Warm water. Yup, that's it! Just plain old water works fine too!<br />
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Don't like the idea of reusing wash cloths? Grab some quality paper towels and a reusable container. Cut a roll of paper towels in half, width wise, (keep half to use later) and place in your reusable container. Pour the solution over the wipers and voila!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Be sure to check and change the solution often for both methods as there are no preservations/chemicals so they will only stay fresh for so long. If they start to smell or look mildewy/mouldy, etc...throw them out! *(I would suggest changing the spray solution every week and if you are using the paper towel method every other day or you may find they smell musty...)* If you don't think you will use all the wipes and/or solution before its time to through it out, try cutting the recipe in half.</span><br />
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It would also be beneficial to mention that I have sorted through what seems like hundreds of natural baby wipe recipes and there are many other great ones out there! Some include natural baby soap, aloe or other essential oils. Some are more complicated and smell "fancier" too. This just gives you an idea of what you can do at home!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Have your own baby wipes recipe? Share it with us!</b></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2561140245317645430.post-56155196211906005542012-01-17T14:59:00.000-05:002012-01-22T14:32:40.479-05:00Peanut Butter Play-Dough<br />
Okay, so I have searched high and low for the easiest, tastiest, edible play-dough recipe I can find and finally this is what I came up with.... (various sources)<br />
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-2 cups peanut butter<br />
-1 cup of honey<br />
- 4 cups of confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)<br />
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Find a large bowl and wooden spoon. Add all the ingredients and mix, mix, mix!<br />
Little ones will love to help you with this part. (Remember honey isn't suitable for children under 12 months...)<br />
You can also cut this recipe in half if you find it to be too much, although honestly I don't think any will go to waste.<br />
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You can also experiment with different textures by adding in things like, coconut shavings, mini chocolate chips, mini m&ms, etc.<br />
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Pictures will be posted soon of my adventure making this yummy recipe with my lil one!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2561140245317645430.post-2759288745007243992012-01-17T14:57:00.002-05:002012-01-17T14:57:53.836-05:00AboutMommy Mix Up was created in January of 2012 by Canadian mommy, Samantha B. While juggling full time work, a hubby, 2 kids and an array of hobbies Samantha decided to try her hand a yet another venture. At times feeling alone at this whole mommyhood game, she decided it was time to reach out and connect with other mommies. Realizing the potential of having one place to share thoughts, info, reviews, recipes, and tips or tricks that are getting her through this wild ride of having little feet pitter patter around the house she created Mommy Mix Up.<br />
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Here you will find daily blogs of day-to-day events happening in her life. You can check out the Recipe page for yummy family friendly foods and don't forget to stop in at the DIY section to learn how to make your own baby wipes, play-dough, gifts and more all at home!<br />
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Follow as she learns and grows....more to come!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2561140245317645430.post-81372958107580021942012-01-17T12:57:00.000-05:002012-01-22T14:31:33.676-05:00Going GreenYesterday evening as we finished up our bath, pjs, story and bedtime routine I felt relief and pride knowing I had just tucked our two squeaky clean gems in for the night. We made it through another day of spills, tantrums, giggles, lessons, ups and downs without any major incidents. Everyone was sent off to dreamland in one piece again tonight. As I curled up on the couch with my mobile tablet in hand prepared for an evening's worth of reviews, research and writing I came across an article that will forever change my family's life:<br />
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<a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/242263/20111102/johnson-baby-shampoo-cancer-carcinogens-campaign-safe.htm" target="_blank">"Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo Still Contains Cancer-Causing Chemicals: Report"</a><br />
<i>(Read the full article here)</i><br />
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Visions of my little ones playing in a tub full of bubbles and suds just moments earlier made my heart jump. These sweet images now made me nauseaus thinking they may have been soaking in toxins and poison. Okay, okay...I consider myself a pretty rational person so I brushed away these scary thoughts and decided it best that I get all the facts before jumping to conclusions.<br />
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In a nutshell, J&J isn't purposely pouring poison into the bottles of their well known yellow baby wash. The poisons aren't actual ingredients but rather an offset or byproduct from the manufacturing stage. You can find a list here of ingredients to look for on your labels at home: <a href="http://cancer.about.com/od/cancerfactsandstatistics/a/baby_products.htm" target="_blank">http://cancer.about.com/od/cancerfactsandstatistics/a/baby_products.htm</a><br />
It also discusses the frequency of using these products in relation to the probability of them having long term negative effects on your child. Keep in mind these shampoos, washes, etc are still approved by the FDA and they don't seem to have plans of pulling them from shelves any time soon. J&J notes they are gradually reducing known possible carcinogens in their products and they do have natural options available but it will take time to overhaul the rest of their line. Johnson's isn't the only company to list these concerning ingredients on their labels. A few others were Aveeno, L'Oreal, Huggies and so on....<br />
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Needless to say this was enough to put a little scare into me. I fully admit I ran upstairs to check the myriad of J&J products lining our bathroom counter and tub. I found several that listed these "no-no" add ins. Right to the garbage... Of course what you choose to expose your child to and how great a risk you are willing to take based on the evidence of several studies is completely and totally every parent's personal and private decision and right. I can only tell you that in our home we have decided maybe its time for a change.<br />
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Which leads me to greener living...<br />
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We've decided to make small changes as a whole to begin our new path to a healthier, safer and greener future. For starters we have decided on, what we consider, safer alternatives to more popular baby products for our family. I have found two really nice options among the various others you can find (some more affordable than others...) <a href="http://live-clean.com/products/all">Live Clean</a> is a Canadian based company with amazing and affordable products for the whole family. Best of all you can find it at most major retailers. I also found a Swedish based company, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/(http://www.arbonne.ca/)" target="_blank">Arbonne</a>. Another option which is sold through independent consultants or online. I found loads of other companies that looked to have wonderful products too but I have yet to try them.<br />
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Next we've decided to try our hand at homemade baby wipes. Cheaper and more natural these wipes can save us oodles of money and I feel confident knowing what I am putting on baby's skin is safe because I made them! (<i>check the My DIY section for recipe!)</i><br />
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Finally, we plan to reduce our waste and negative environmental impact by using organic or homemade cleaning products, reducing energy consumption, cutting down on fuel driven transportation and re-evaluate our "need" for all the lastest and greatest flashy extras.<br />
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Green? I think its a color that looks good on our family!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2561140245317645430.post-52717087071323679802012-01-16T11:48:00.002-05:002012-01-22T14:31:48.330-05:00Wake Up Call!!!!!5:45am and our son proudly marches into our room stating, with much authority, "its wake up time!!!!" Before the sun has even considered rolling out of bed to start the day, this little monster is all giggles as he bounces his way into my double mattress which never seems big enough when he decides he's jumping in too! With elbows to my ribs and nudges in my back he announces "Mommy, I wanna go downstairs. Is not dark soon, ore watch cawtoons wit me?"<br />
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His cute, mis-pronounced string of words is enough to wake his baby sister. Her wails are just the alarm Daddy needs to rise from his deep slumber. He glances at our side table clock and groans "Not again, do these kids know how to sleep?"<br />
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Nope, not my kids. For nearly the last 3 years I have been woken up most days before rays of light even have a chance to break the early dawn. Its funny being awake before most the rest of the world. When my son was an infant, he got into the routine of waking every morning at 3am for a feeding and, of course, some play time. This ritual usually consisted of a bottle followed by 2 hours of my failed attempts to rock, pat, sing and even beg him back to sleep. My only company in those early days was the too perky voice of late night sales women on the shopping channel. Thank goodness I didn't have a credit card or I probably would have made one too many impulse buys just to have someone to talk to.<br />
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Thankfully, those days are long gone.....they have, however, been replaced by a potty trained toddler who wakes us 3-4 times a night with "Mommy! Daddy! I aft ta peeeeee!!!!" (Some false alarms, some not). Then there's my favorite 1am wake up; "More millllllkkkk, no milk? Storwee? No? Wahhhhh, but I not tired!" This is usually followed by another 20 minute list of demands and our reasons to why he really should go back to bed. Just when I think we can settle back down for the night there's a plump, rosy cheeked little bundle from the crib next to us demanding her night's ration of food. Needless to say she is not the most patient member of our family and her urgent wails to be fed wake up the whirlwind in the room next door. Another half hour of negotiations....<br />
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5:45am.....its still dark.....have we slept at all? It doesn't feel like it but as I look at our little boy and baby girl ready to go with bright eyes and big smiles I realize, who needs the sun? They bring all the light to my life that I could ever need.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2561140245317645430.post-63296616733196589922012-01-15T22:27:00.002-05:002012-01-22T14:32:00.699-05:00The day I realized I was a Mommy...Strange as it sounds, it didn't hit me until the birth of my second child that I was a "Mommy".<br />
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Let me explain.....with the birth of baby #1 I was a young, struggling, single parent just trying to survive along side this new sidekick life had issued to me. Nearly a year later my now husband came into our lives. Although I realized my little duo was now turning into a family trio I was still figuring out my place as this new addition's partner and how he would fit into my son's life. Of course I was well aware of the fact that I was a mother but I was still getting used to the idea of being completely and totally responsible for another human being. I was a good mom, my son was always well taken care of but I still felt like our lives were a roller coaster and I was just along for the ride. Slowly things began to fall into place.<br />
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Now, 9 months after the birth of my second child, I am a married women, have recently settled into a real family home, work full time, own a car and am the proud mommy of a beautiful baby girl and energetic little boy. That's right, "Mommy". Suddenly I find myself planning our budget, making shopping lists, searching for the right day care that will stimulate our children but not over structure them. I even find myself censoring my language (who knew, potty mouth that I once was!). I am making homemade playdough and saving for their college funds.<br />
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Who is this organized, mature, looking-to-the-future lady I have become? A glass of red wine and a hot bath seems like one heck of a treat and is much more appealing then that old case of beer and way too late nights! Hey, and maybe if the kids go to bed early, I can even sneak in a movie in bed with the hubby...however unlikely.....lol<br />
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OMG......I'm a MOMMY..........and I LOVE it!!!!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0