Toddler biking (review)

The best part of my day today was watching my son ride his bike outside for the very first time at 25 months old. He was incredibly conscientious of his surroundings making sure not to run over anyone who was lying around in the grass. Such a little sweetheart!  

Here's my review of the Strider bike- AMAZING! He's been small since the very first day he was born. I researched the best, and smallest version of a balance bike I could find and at a price of $110 I was sold. Its light, easy for him to move around, and more than light enough for me to carry if he wants to take a break and rest on my hip while we walk. Worth the buy if your looking.

He'll be able to grow into this bike as well as the whole bike adjusts as he grows. The one thing that I might comment on is the seat for his little bum, it doesn't seem that comfortable, but he doesn't seem to mind it :)

Ease of use:

5/5

Comfortablility:

3.5/5

Longevity of the product:

5/5

Lightness & Durability:

5/5

Coolness factor:

5/5

Anytime we take his bike out for a ride he's always turning heads. People come up to him and ask me how it works. He just loves his little bike! I also ran into a cute youtube video of a 3 year old doing dirt biking trails with his dad (I'm going to assume it wasn't a hardcore trail- as he was only 3, but how cool is that?). Needless to say, Toli's dad is now urging me to take him out to practice everyday so the two of them can go off into the sunset and bike into the forest together :) If your in the Vancouver area, and want to check out the store I got my sons bike at its called Bike Doctor. Hope your enjoying your week!

Introducing: The Self Care Series

This image is courtesy of artur84/ freedigitalphotos.net

I've been wanting to post about this for quite some time. It just took some 'urgency' to do so.

After this weekend I realized how much more effort I want to put into myself. I don't know if you read my Monday post this week, but I had a moment with my fiancee (check it out here), and in that not so obvious moment of realization I knew it was time to put my foot down- with myself. I say, enough with the mommy look!

Here and there I make time for myself, but its not a routine. I don't make an effort everyday, and its something I'd like to do because I always feel good when I take care of myself. I feel refreshed, and recharged! 

This Self Care series will be split up into a few different posts, and with my new schedule I just posted for blogging yesterday (check it out here) you can come back next Wednesday for another addition. 

This week (after all my rambling), I'd like to start off by introducing you to the topics I have on my mind. I'd also like to ask for input as to what I could write about for self care- ideas are always welcome!!

• Week 1: Meditation
• Week 2: Exercise
• Week 3: Skin Care 
• Week 4: Hair (oh god- THE HAIR! Did I mention I used to be a stylist?)
• Week 5: New make up regime? (mine is about 2 minutes..)
• Week 6: ...help me out here ;)

Please, if there's anything you'd like to see me write about, I'd more than happy to do it! Is there something you've been wanting to do for yourself? Let me be your cheerleader, I can be a good one! I may have fluffy hair at times, but I'm working on it. I think I scared myself when I looked in the mirror this weekend, but that scare was for me to start making leaps and bounds for the woman I want to become. 

Becoming a mother has changed me. Not only is raising a toddler a sometimes hectic experience, but the last few years of life has changed me. In that transitional period I think I lost face- sometimes those moments in life are difficult, and you just forget about yourself, so I'll call this my 'polishing period'. Have you had one of those? This is my terminology, so don't go looking it up ok?

I might even Youtube this.... no promises though, but I'm considering it right now. If I don't Youtube this now, I'll do it at a later date after I write the posts.

Let the brainstorming begin! (please leave comments below this post after you have signed into your google account, or just sign in with "open ID" which is another option. Thank you!

A day out with my toddler

Bah! Another one of those days. I was so bored I felt like I was going bonkers! Usually my son and I are set up daily with classes, or dates with friends, but because our summer schedule consists of a lot of family time we are sort of at wits end when left to our own devices. I should say I'm at my wits end. I felt isolated, and bored yesterday. But that's all about to change. I saw boredom as a great opportunity to change things up, so here we go on another adventure!

To shake things up, today we left the lacklustre routine of ours to take a ferry across the water to Granville Island and take a stroll through the Kids Market. I've been looking into activities to do in Vancouver, and my son loves boats so I thought he would just be thrilled! 

Even though we both felt the pinch of boredom yesterday, he still managed to make me smile.

Here he is in his Dada's stylish sunglasses :)

It was about time this duo got their groove back! 

Even though it was a rainy day, we still made the best of it.

If your looking for some activities to do in the Vancouver area check these out!

• Toddler orientated activiities
• All ages events

Now I'm ready to tackle the rest of the summer with my son- even if we hit another slump in activities.

What did you do over the weekend?

This past weekend was full of relaxation, excitement, new creative cold drinks for the lake, followed by more relaxation.

My grandparents house was packed full of family in an air conditioned home as the heat reached 42 degrees this weekend- yes it was a HOT one!

We started our extended weekend off by driving to Lytton, BC on Thursday night with our toddler. Let me just say, travelling with a 2 year old is much more challenging than it has been- he no longer sleeps the 3 hour trip there but wants to be entertained the whole time. Luckily, this mama is an avid Pinterest follower so I'm always finding new ways to keep him occupied (or he's just dancing to the music), and if all else fails we have a couple of toddler apps on my phone that I keep handy.

Friday was lake day for this mini fam jam. We have a 5 person raft, which has suited our needs perfectly, with an electric motor and speakers for music. It has been a BLAST!

Saturday was a Mama & Dada adventure day where we finally made it back to my current favourite river run The Nahatlatch with Fraser River Raft Expeditions which I talk about in River Rafting in BC. 

To finish off the weekend we chilled in the backyard with Toli where he watered plants for his Great Gramma aka: "Gramma", and played around his mini park. I also made my own wine spritzer which I sipped on while watching my son play which only consisted of half red wine, half club soda and a few ice cubes to keep chilled in the blistering heat.

How was your weekend?

Coffee Is A Mommy's Best Friend

It's to be expected as a mother to have tired days. Newborn to toddlerhood so far I experience almost daily some sense of tiredness. Some of you may blame the co-sleeping for it, and lack of sleep training, but I don't believe in that. As I say

To each their own 

-Originally quoted "to each his own" by Cicero 

Our son has had THE worst teething pain I've ever seen him in the last few days, and it broke my mommy heart to see him so inconsolable. We had a lot of cuddling and rocking on the living room couch in the middle of the night until his medication kicked in.

He still woke up around his usual time 7 am, so you can sort of see why I'd be so darn tired!

I buy my coffee from Choices Market here in Yaletown, and my favourite coffee is the Level Ground based out of Vancouver Island which does fair trade with Bolivia in South America. Its a nice medium roast and tastes just awesome! I use organic raw sugar, and almond milk in my coffee- perfect way to wake up after a long night.

On a side note, we won't have internet at our new home until next Thursday, and I'm leaving on Wednesday to drop my son off in Prince George- a lovely 9 hour drive before we leave for Mexico. Toli's grandparents are super excited to have him for his birthday on June 11th (We leave for Mexico June 9th), and I'm excited to have the best birthday party for him when we get back.

I'm going to do my best to post at least a couple times a week in the next couple of weeks, but if you don't hear from me- you'll know where I'll be- I'll be tanning on the beach in Playa del Carmen or swimming through some caves on an adventure :)

Have you been to Playa del Carmen? If you have what are some fun spots you liked there? We have a few extra free days there with no planned excursions yet.

Moving Time

This photo is courtesy of Stuart Miles/ freedigitalphotos.net

It seems my son has been in a little bit of a mood the past few days. He's been waking up in tears the past few days, and we just came back from the park after a short and grumpy visit. I decided it was time to come home when he clearly wasn't having a good time.

I think he's feeling the change that is coming up- when we move to our new apartment at the end of the month, because there is no other explanation to the fussiness. Toli is usually in very good spirits, and this behaviour is completely out of the ordinary. 

Children are very intuitive little beings, and I know he is picking up on the energy around the house. His grandfather will be moving into his own place for the first time. Dada is missing our current apartment already, and I think with all of the sentimental feelings in the air about our near future, its getting to Toli. I'm not one to stay home on a sunny day, but I think the next little while before the move we will have some play outside, but a lot of snuggling at home as well.

I remember when we moved into this apartment last year how difficult it was for the unexplained change for an almost 1 year old- I can only imagine how it will be this time around. Until then I'll be giving as much love, and attention to my son as I possibly can.

Sleep, Eat, Repeat.

Today is one of those days where I just had to let go.

I read an article called "3 Tips to Help you Be Present" by Hayley Hobson the other day which really resonated with me as her daughter helps to keep her present, and 'in the moment' just like my son does.

This morning I woke up in sort of a daze, and lucky for me, my son wanted to hang out with me (so no sleeping in this morning). On a usual morning he wakes up and hangs out with his grandfather and watches some russian cartoons, but not this morning. He insisted that Mama wake up, and watch "The Hive"- which is a cute little bee cartoon that he's really into right now with some cut up fruit I prepared to watch the show with. I warmed some matcha with almond milk, and a little bit of raw sugar (I usually use honey like this recipe here, but I'm currently out).

I'm not gonna lie, we watched quite a bit of "The Hive" this morning, but my body just needed to relax. Once we finished our apples and mangos I began making my homemade, gluten free, dairy free, egg free pancakes with organic maple syrup. Completely delicious! 

Monday's are usually "Monday Toli Day", so I tried to keep with the pace as Toli pointed outside at the park so I asked him if he wanted to go, but he didn't seem to want to go anywhere either (thank you!). So we just cuddled and talked about what was outside while the morning left us. We ended up in the bedroom cuddling where he fell asleep on my back.

Today, we both needed rest it seems, and I'm glad we were on the same page. I can be hard on myself when the routine is broken, but on days like today I'm sure glad that I gave myself permission to just 'be' with my son, and listen to my body.

I usually hear people say how they feel a cold coming on, like an itchy throat, or a runny nose. A submission to the germs. There was one teacher in my Wellness College who said she never got sick, naturally I was intrigued so I found out as much as I could about it and the gist of the story is

Listen to your body.

If your feeling tired, take a nap! If you feel an itchy throat or a runny nose coming- drink water, take it easy, and eat for your health. I know most people work, so if you do, and you can't take a mid- day nap- go to bed early! Our bodies have the capacity to stay healthy if we let them guide us. 

So yes, the motion of my day was 

Sleep, Eat, Repeat.

And now I'm sitting here feeling quite well after my nap. The house is clean, peaceful, my son is still sleeping, and I am blogging with a nice cup of organic liquorice tea by Traditional Medicinals that is a wonderful immunity booster for my body.

Enjoying the Simple Things in Life

Let me tell you how happy I was to have the entire day with my son! What a blessing it is to just watch him be himself. 

We started our day at our favourite coffee shop Blenz for a little snack, and drink before we made our way to the post office to pick up a couple of parcels. As we walked, Toli was dancing to the beat of life. I smiled the entire way there as I watched his head sway, his arms and legs swinging around in and outside of his stroller.

Afterward we walked to the waterfront where I let the little monster loose for some play time on the grass where we played cars, and bears (this is where we growl like bears, I chase him, and tickle him).

Once he started getting tired we made our way home for nap time- cue Mama's time to clean, and blog. 

After such a long time away from our son, and home, Dada and I were so glad to have a quite night in to catch up on Game of Thrones and just chill on the couch with Toli. Dada played piano while Toli danced, which was just the sweetest thing ever (I could not get a clear photo for the blog.. only problem of my evening), and then we made our way to a little restaurant downstairs for some easy food. 

I decided it should be Toli's first 'puddle jumping' experience so instead of taking the stroller I

dressed him for the rain with his little rain boots. Let me say how long it took for us to make it half a block with puddles all around! It was fantastic! 

I find myself realizing how blessed we are to live where we do. We have family all around us to help raise our son, and the ability every once in a while to just have some 'Mama & Dada' time, which I think is so important for the family household. I find myself daydreaming about moving to another country to experience another culture, but its times like these where I'm glad we live here in Vancouver. It really is a city full of activities for Toli and I while Dada is at work, as well as family that we see pretty often. Come check out this short blog on gratitude! As I stated in my Vegas Baby! post how much gratitude I felt for the men in my life's success's, it really is a celebration of life! But it doesn't even have to be big celebrations, in Beyond The Gratitude Message the writer Jan talks about being grateful for the sun rising, or even a nice commute to work, she asks us to challenge and expand the awareness of what we receive each and every day.

You can find gratitude in every little nook and cranny of life, its there!

Hope you all have an awesome weekend with family and friends!

"Worlds toughest job"

Yep, I thought this video that I've been seeing circulate the 'net the past few days would be fitting for today. Have you seen this video yet?

Technically, I don't work. I have the most amazing fiance who fully supports any decision that my heart takes me in, and for that I am forever grateful- and know I what a lucky girl I am.

Our son is getting the last of his molars in (teething pain!). Once these 4 have cut through I'll feel like I've just completed the worlds longest marathon race! Yikes! Sometimes I wish he wasn't one of those poor children who have to go through this pain (apparently I didn't have too much teething pain as a child, so I'm sort of envious of myself if that makes any sense).

This morning I woke up early to go finish shopping for his "Easter egg hunt". I started shopping last week- and I'm really good at starting projects, but once I start I tend to think I have all the time in the world to finish. So hence, this was part of my stress.

But he also threw a tantrum while shopping today, and was not a happy camper when we were home. I made homemade, gluten free playdoe and chickpea snacks- like I was talking about earlier this week- and also had to tend to my poor, cranky baby. 

Now that he's gone I do feel like today was part of that marathon race, and I'm glad to have some adult time with my honey, and some new friends for the evening. 

.. Hopefully I'm not the first to fall asleep tonight like I usually am. But we'll see. 

Happy Easter!

#worldstoughtestjob
cardstore.com

Sunset at Whitecliff Park

Last night we decided to take my fiance's dad to watch the sunset. It's a very rare occasion when his father is home, and not working. I decided I wanted to share one of my family moments, as these moments are what is closest to my heart. 

This is Toli with his grandfather 'Gido' (arabic for grandpa).

We will be moving a touch farther away from 'Gido' (only a few blocks hopefully, but it'll still be a change), and as the month passes I feel like it's time to really get together and spend time with one another. I have to say that Toli is probably one of the luckiest kids around- he has loving parents, a mass amount of grandparents and great grandparents who all love him so dearly, along with my closest who refers herself as 'Aunty Mum'.

Family life is probably one of the most important aspects for a healthy life in my opinion, because when life at home is not in good shape, then other areas in our life won't look so good either. 

In this article "4 easier ways to be a happier mom" Leah Rocketto talks to the ever so awesome happiness guru Gretchen Rubin who wrote "The Happiness Project" (a book I'm reading currently). I personally loved this article, and I try to incorporate what I can out of the steps already. Dada doesn't leave for work until we've all had our hugs and kisses, and my son and I have a 'Monday Toli Day' -which I will share with you in the near future- where we focus on him for the day which is full of adventure. Please have a look at Leah Rocketto's article! I think if we all incorporated just a few of these steps into our days we could simply live a happier life.

Hope your enjoying the spring weather! Toli and I will be going for a nice walk in the sunshine with one of his favorite Aunty's in the world this afternoon.

Take a time out- For yourself!

This image is courtesy of usamedeniz/ free digital photos

Yesterday I meant to blog, but our son has been teething both nights since Tuesday when he got home. If you're a parent, then you know my pain, especially if you've gone through the last of the molars (I wrote about his teething pain in "Worlds toughest job" as well). Needless to say, my day looked a lot like- bringing lunch to his Dada at work, coming home, and sitting. There was a lot of sitting and gazing off into wonderland, and daydreaming about a full nights rest.

Toli fell asleep on the car ride home from viewing an apartment, which was about 5:45pm, and he slept right through the night. Poor kid has been running on fumes since Tuesday, as he has not been napping well either. So aside from me having to run to a drugstore to buy ibuprofen for my little munchkin (since he was inconsolable from about 2-5 am I decided to reach out to a mummy group on Facebook and ask for some help around his teething pain at 1:30 am- most answers led to ibuprofen over tylenol for teething pain), I decided it was time for some laid back "Lyssa time". I ran a bath with geranium oil, epsom salt, and baking soda with a new exfoliator, and face mask by my side.

Who knew how refreshed I would feel? I mean, yes the active ingredients in my organic facial products do leave a refreshing feeling (I love the Giovanni skin care line!), but the whole experience of just laying in a wonderfully warm, and inviting bath with skin softeners (baking soda), and natural relaxers (epsom salts- also amazing for the skin) and essential oils... I can't even begin to explain how awesome this was for me after a long 48 hours with my family and this whole teething thing!

The thing is, I used to do this all the time for myself- before I was a mama! And, as parents we tend to forget about ourselves along the way. So from one tired parent to another- take a time out for yourself! At least once a week! We can come up with excuses like "I never have time"/ "I'm too busy", but we aren't! We just aren't! If so, the dishes can wait a day, the laundry can be folded tomorrow- and if needed, take your time out while the kids are sleeping during naptime, or bedtime, or hire someone for an hour or two. It can be done! 

What was one thing that just soothed your soul 'back in the day' before you were a parent? Was it a walk in the woods? Meditating? Dancing? Reading an amazing book? I'd love to hear what you used to do, and I want to hear that you'll do it again sometime VERY soon! Let's stay refreshed as parents so we can give the best of ourselves not only to our children, but the world too!

Toddler hunting season

Is your toddler gluten/ dairy/ whatever else free? Or, maybe you're just looking for healthier options aside from the usual chocolate Easter egg hunt (p.s.- I LOVED that as a child! But my teeth sure didn't!).

My Easter egg hunt- which is happening at my Gramma and Papa's will be inspired by hunts I had at my grans place when I was a kid. 

The hunt will start from the bedroom where he find his Easter basket, and a trail of plastic easter eggs with healthy goodies inside, and the trail will lead the living room with some books, and other small fun toys. Below is a brainstorm:

Easter hunt ideas: (inspired by Adventures with the Little Man)

• Easter basket
• Easter inspired books
• Magnets- alphabet/ other
• Bubbles
• Bath toys
• Bunny ears (something I already have laying around the house)

For plastic eggs

• Freeze dried fruits (apple, pear, pineapple)
• Chick pea snacks (I'll be baking them with cinnamon and raw sugar)
• Homemade gluten free playdoe 

This week I'm off to collect what I need at 

• Michaels
• Walmart
• Dollarama

Nice and cheap for the most part. I've been seeing people talk about buying Ipad's, bikes and whatnot on Facebook. That's not really what I remember from Easter egg hunts as a child. I look at Easter as a time of creative fun! I may come up with some crafty projects if I feel so inclined to.

Happy shopping, and creating for the Easter hunt!