Twas the Night Before Christmas and I was Scrambling

This year was our turn to have my step daughters (11 and 14) for Christmas Eve.  We have barely seen them this year (long back-story I won’t get into) and we were really happy to have some time with them.  

We didn’t decorate our house since we are moving in a couple of weeks and the thought of having to undecorated AND pack was just too much.  We wrapped up a gift for each of the girls and a gift for Lil B and placed them on the floor near one of our house plants.  It didn’t look like much, but given the situation we felt it was completely appropriate.  

At around 6pm on the 24^th DSD 11 asked me if Santa would still come, since we didn’t have a tree?  My mouth dropped, I responded with a hesitant “yes” and immediately pulled Brandon aside to discuss what we were going to do as we hadn’t planned on needing to have that element of surprise this year.  

So what is a person to do so late in the game?  You don’t want to disappoint a child, but you don’t have many options on Christmas Eve.  I decided to make a card from Santa and Mrs. Claus telling them that Santa valued family time and wanted to send the three kids and us to Great Wolf Lodge for a weekend so we could spend more time together!  I thought the idea was brilliant. 

In the middle of the night Brandon placed a strand of lights on our lovely house plant, placed out their stockings and we realized we didn’t have a stocking for Lil B...so being the innovative dad he is, he grabbed a can of formula and some jars of baby food from the pantry and placed them around the plant.  

When I came down in the morning I couldn’t stop laughing. I only wish I had a picture of the formula on top of the boxes!  

Crisis averted and Christmas saved...definitely one to remember.

Paperwork and a lunch date at #Artisano Bakery with #Equal Sweetener and #Cbias

A couple of months ago we sold our house and after a long search we finally found one! I was getting worried there for a bit...baby + no house+ our belongings in storage = chaos! 

Chaos thankfully was avoided and we get possession of the new place on January 6th! 

Last week, we met with our mortgage broker to sign our life away sign the final paperwork. We decided to meet at Artisano Bakery and after all the business was done, Brandon and I decided to stay and have lunch with Lil B. 

Artisano has 5 locations across the GTA and is a licensed cafe. They also offer a large catering menu and are able to deliver it to the location of your choice.

We both ordered a Panini and I requested a hot tea. My tea came on its own tray and came in a silver tea pot. Tea drinkers know that when it is in a pot it always tastes so much better. 

I asked if they had #Equal Sweetener and the cashier indicated they didn’t carry that variety. I was going to ask to speak to the manager, but they were extremely busy and the line-up now stretched to the front door. I asked if I could fill out a comment card and was told I could leave my comments on their website. 

After your order you are given your beverage and a buzzer that will indicate when your food is ready to be picked up. I grabbed our drinks and went over to check out the selection of sugar and sugar alternatives available. I was surprised that for such a large cafe they only offered one type of sweetener and one type of sugar – yet 4 different types of milk and cream! 

The food took a bit of time to be ready, but this has never been the case in the past. I think every Christmas shopper in the area had popped in for a hot meal. We ate fairly quickly – Lil B didn’t want to be contained in the highchair anymore. 

Paper work signed – complete, lunch ate – complete, finding Equal Sweetener at Artisano cafe – mission not completed.

(Find more information on #EqualCanada via @EqualCanada, Equal Canada on Facebook or via their website at Equal.com)

Traveling with a baby

So we just returned from our first family vacation to the sunny state of Florida!

I must admit I was a bit nervous about traveling with Lil B, would he catch a cold on the plane since it is full of germs? Would he be able to sleep somewhere other than his bed? How would he be at the beach and in the sun?...well let me tell you he was AWESOME!

He was such a trooper and based on this pic, I think he enjoyed himself.

Make a list and check it multiple times
I am a planner so taking the time to make a list of everything we could and would need to travel helped bring my stress level down.

I kept a notepad beside the bed the weeks leading up to the trip so that I could jot down things as I thought of them (they often pop into my head in the middle of the night). I used the list to pull the things we had to pack and then made another list of things I needed to buy. Seeing as we were going somewhere that shopping wasn’t an issue, I knew if we forgot or ran out of something we would be able to pick it up fairly easily.

Food
Lil B is eating homemade baby food. Before we left I thought it was important to introduce him to some prepackaged food as I wouldn’t be able to make it while away. I introduced a few different brands that I know I could pick up once at our destination.

At the airport
Check with your airline to see their policies regarding traveling with an infant. Some airlines will allow you to check playpens or car seats at no extra charge.

When traveling with a baby you are allowed to bring bottles and baby food on board. Pack a separate bag containing your bottles and baby food. This way you can easily hand it over during the security check and you won’t have to search through your diaper bag for all things liquid. I also snuck some @PTPA hand sanitizer in there.

If you think your little one is going to need a bottle towards the beginning of your flight, you may want to warm it just before your board. I was able to get someone to warm one for me on the flight down, but on the way back they said they didn't want to had no way of doing so.

Some other helpful things we packed

A travel stroller – this is a must! We were lucky enough to be able to borrow a great Guzzie and Guss umbrella stroller for our trip. This stroller folds up small, has a large sunshade and basket underneath to hold toys – all things I didn’t think umbrella strollers were equipped with....here is my G+G 103 Pender Review.

Baby monitor – I’m so glad we brought this! We were able to sit out on the lanai while Lil B had his naps and we didn’t need to worry about not hearing him.

Portable high chair – this was a last minute purchase before we left and a great one at that. I wasn’t sure how we were going to feed Lil B at the condo we were staying at. This Little Seat attaches to any chair and basically straps your child to the chair. He loved being at the table with us and it made feeding him so much easier.

Playpen – a must have for baby to sleep in or keep them contained by the pool. There are a number of places you can rent baby gear from. If you don’t want to bring yours, check to see about a baby equipment rental company at your final destination.

The holidays are still really tough on us, so it was nice to get away and just enjoy spending uninterrupted family time together.

My Family Christmas Card

I don’t sent Christmas cards and never have.  I’m just not a card person.  I do love making online animated cards for holiday occasions. 

JibJab offers you an opportunity to make a free video card that you can send to your friends and family.  I love these cards - they can put a smile on anyone's face.  

So, here is my family’s holiday card to you. 

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a happy healthy New Year !

Getting prepared for Vacation

As we prepare for our first family vacation to sunny Florida (#FamilyVacaFL) today i’ve been spinning my wheels wondering where do I start with the prep?   BB (before baby) we travelled quite a bit and I had our packing down to a fine science.  Now things have changed, there is another person you have to think about – another person that requires A LOT of stuff!  

Tonight I decided to sit down and compile a good old fashioned to do list.  I use to be a big list maker and planner, now I just find I dont have the time and rely on my gut.  Well exhaustion and just having too much on my plate right now is telling me to make a list. 

So here’s what Ive come up with

• Bring everything that Lil B owns
• Pack a couple of things for me
• Don’t forget passports and plane tickets
• Write down the location of the nearest Walmart to pickup whatever I have forgotten

:)

Family breakfast at McDonalds while searching for #EqualCanada, #CBIAS

What’s better than a hot family breakfast on a cold day – I think, not having to make it yourself! 

Collective Bias #Cbias sent me on a mission to investigate the use of available sweeteners, specifically Equal brand sweetener at McDonalds.

This past weekend Brandon, Lil B and I had planned on taking a family walk to McDonalds to get ourselves a nice hot breakfast, but when we woke up it was raining so our plans to walk were spoiled; but the golden arches were calling our name. 

I’m not a coffee drinker, never have been and probably never will be.  But I love myself a good cuppa tea, especially on a cold day. I tend not to have sugar or sweeteners in my tea, unless I am out – sort of a little treat for myself.

Brandon watched Lil B as I went up to the counter to place our order.  A cup of tea and order of hotcakes for me and OJ and a sausage McMuffin for Brandon.  When I placed my tea order I was asked what I wanted in it.  I indicated I would like milk and Equal Sweetener .  I was told the sweeteners and sugar were with the other condiments around the corner and she wasn’t sure which brand there was there to choose from.  

I went over and checked out the selection only to find no Equal!  I was actually surprised at the lack of selection of sweeteners available to people.  I know people are very loyal to brands and have strong preferences so I was surprised that there was no selection!

No #EqualCanada

I went back and told them I preferred Equal and was told that what was out there was all that was being carried.  I was going to speak to the manager about this, however a large group of boys (looked like a local hockey team) had just arrived and the manager was busy serving customers.   

I brought our food over to the table and then went to look for a comment card, but there was none to be found, so I decided that I would fill one out online once I got home. 

It didn’t take long for me to wolf down my hot cakes. 

It has been awhile since I had pancakes and I’ve been craving them for weeks now, they were delicious and my tea was sooo good. Lil B was getting tired – maybe being up until midnight had something to do with it?

Don't you just love the bedhead?

Once I got home I went online to fill out the customer satisfaction survey. I was surprised in the survey that there wasn’t more space available for customer’s answers. I had to use the space allotted for comments on the team that served me, to express my opinion about Equal not being available. 

It was a great morning out with my little family and I can’t wait until we do it again. 

(If you would like additional information on #EqualCanada or #McD_Canada you can find them on Twitter at @EqualCanada @McD_Canada and on Facebook Equal Canada.)

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias all opinions are my own.