We know all you want is for your baby to be healthy…but what you’re dying to know is whether your baby will be a boy or a girl. And like with many questions, the Chinese have answers. Enter the Chinese Gender Prediction Chart. What your baby’s name will be, how you decorate the nursery and what styles of clothes you buy for the wee one is all dependent on its gender. It’s the big burning question and this ancient Chinese chart can predict your child’s gender…with (technically) about 50% accuracy. But it’s fun. And some say, a very accurate measure.
If you can only afford to purchase a few key items, stick with the essentials. You are going to be wearing these pieces for the next few months, so go for quality over quantity. (e.g. a great pair of jeans will be worn more times than you can count).
- Choose pants that have either an expandable cotton/lycra front panel, or an adjustable waistline. These will provide you with comfort as your belly grows, and maintain a good fit.
- Dress up your basic black pants with a trendy top, a dressy blazer or shrug.
- Accessorize your wardrobe. Be creative, and have some fun. You can change your look by simply adding a stack of chunky bracelets, dangly earrings, or a long beaded necklace to update your look.
- Most of you will “live” in your maternity clothes, and we encourage you to buy clothing that reflects your personal style and taste so you can feel like yourself and enjoy your changing body.
I’m a lot of things, but I’ve never considered myself a model. It could be the height. Or the hips. Or just a fear of a huge camera in my face and never being able to imagine ‘making love’ to it. Then people quietly told me about this goddess of a photographer. I saw some of her shots, and convinced myself she must work only with models. The women were stunning. The lighting was breathtaking. I decided to take the plunge and go to a ‘Glamour Session’. Maybe one would turn out….one of my back! (Ha Ha…. Incidentally I just got some stats from the Dove Movement for Self-Esteem: “60% of our girls abstain from everyday activities because of self-doubt and only 4% of women all around the world consider themselves beautiful.” I think it’s time to change that. And if anyone can make someone feel beautiful, it’s Kyrani Kanavaros.
On the actual day of my shoot, I woke with glassy eyes. I felt sick as a dog. I trundled to East Vancouver, ascending the stairs of Studio B at Sugar Studios – nervous, dragging my feet with ringing ears and trepidation. Not even one would turn out. I could feel it. I looked like the bottom of a shoe. (And that was one of my more positive bit of self-talk). I began the ‘process’ and there was complete calm. Was it the champagne? Croissants? No. I think it had to do with the sunshine, the professionals in the room who had mastered their crafts, and the pure artistic fun that was created. Kyrani walked into the studio and I knew that I was in good hands. We hugged and chatted about kids. She found out my goals for the photos and learned about me.
First, to the makeup. Wow. Kendra Lovick from Beautymark made my skin glow! How – I don’t quite know but intend to find out. As we went along, she offered tips and tricks that I wish I’d made notes on. When you do this – record it. You’ll never need to run panicked to a department store makeup counter 5 minutes before date night again. (Not that I’ve ever done that). Kendra applied cutting-edge products as the other pros buzzed around, joking and taking coffee orders. It had the warm and fuzziness of a supportive knitting bee with an edge of NYC Greenwich Village-Vogue-style session thrown on top.
Next was styling with Helen Baker of Stylefinder. She had purchased several suits, dresses and high-fashion pieces that she mixed with shoes and funky jewellery. I loved the Jacqueline Conoir suit and dress. Total Mad Men. Not once did she smirk that a piece may be too tight. She studied me with eyes of a pro and the creativity of, well, a top stylist. Her hands flew over the racks and I was set with outfits. And she let me try things out of my comfort zone – see the green dress below. First up? A red dress with black stilettos. I’d never used a stylist for a shoot before and would never do another without. No shot was wasted because prior to Kyrani effortlessly clicking away, Helen was ‘on’ me fluffing, hiding straps and fixing my hair. How could I have functioned without this woman in my life for so many years? PS. Can you be my date-night shadow?
Kyrani is one of those photographers with a gift. Is it her 6th sense? Ability to make you feel beautiful? Mastery of the camera? Energy she feeds her subject? Effortless way of shooting in order to capture the essence of YOU? I have absolutely no idea. I can’t even figure out how not to keep photographing my thumb – let alone make magic out of an everyday woman. I just know that I’m going to book another session. And so is my husband. And I would give anything to enable those 96% of women everywhere who do not consider themselves beautiful to be touched by the Klik Photographic team.
What a year it’s been for parenting to be in the spotlight. With What to Expect When You’re Expecting about to debut, the ‘Mommy Wars‘ surrounding Hilary Rosen’s comments about Ann Romney being a SAHM, and now Time Magazine’s provocative cover. For me, it’s not the image but the headline. The article inside is pretty tame – facts and ideas about attachment parenting that surfaced 20 years ago and have always caused judgement and quibbles in the nicest of mommy groups.
“Are you mom enough?” Seriously? Time Magazine should be ashamed. There are gimmicks to get people in grocery store lines to snag a magazine but this headline is in seriously poor taste. As if Moms aren’t hard enough on themselves. The reason I run UrbanMommies and UrbanDaddies is that when I had young kids I felt isolated, judged and condescended. I was so immersed in the ‘shoulds’ of attachment parenting that I neglected the needs of myself as a woman and human being. I am thrilled that more parents are nursing and wearing their babies. But mothers and fathers are also losing sight of their own needs. Dr. Sears is a brilliant physician with great ideas, but like with all ‘religions’, if taken to the extreme or used out of context, chaos ensues.
Both of my kids had colic for 18 months. (I’m hoping the brain-synapse theory of colic is true and it just means they are smart). They were high needs babies. I wore them both in a sling or carrier hours every day. The massage bills added up. And I didn’t shower much. The boys wouldn’t go in a stroller without screaming so I just sacrificed my body and hoped that the skeleton would hold out. They slept in my bed for a few weeks and they snacked on breast milk whenever they were inclined. I was exhausted, drained, burnt out and my milk supply dwindled due to lack of self-care.
So I read all of the books about ‘gentle’ ways to train them to sleep. (This is where you hear people start growling as we get into the Pantley vs. Ferber debate.) In a nutshell, I tried all of the gentle stuff. For weeks. I was still exhausted. They wouldn’t settle. The guilt was overwhelming and everyone weighed in. Nurses, paediatricians, friends, helplines, and my elders. So now I was exhausted and demoralized, questioning my parenting and values. As soon as I shut out the ‘advisors’, I had an epiphany. I decided I needed to care for myself, my marriage, my health. Follow my instincts. I knew my baby and my family. The others didn’t carry a kid in their belly and have a head emerge from their ‘Lady Garden’ (quoting the Bloggess on CNN – brilliant). I was no good to my kids if I was an exhausted and irritated mess.
So I let them cry a bit. Yes, a ‘modified’ Ferber approach. I put them in a crib. I took off whatever stinky t-shirt I was wearing and tucked it into their hands, hoping my smell would calm them and vindicate me. I went back often, leaving them a bit longer each time. They were stubborn but after a time, they both learned to sleep. Some mom friends stopped talking to me. I was the devil. But my milk supply returned. The colour came back to my cheeks. I still carried them in a sling all the time. I nursed until they were 18 months (and I was at my thinnest – why the hell did I stop?!) and I still carry and cuddle them. They are very attached and loving.
So I used my instincts as a parent to do what was best for my family and kids. I stopped listening to the know-it-all Moms who were trying to justify their own decisions by criticizing mine. And I developed enough confidence and belief in my intuition to pour my heart and soul into a company that would hopefully help other moms to trust their own decisions and take time to care for themselves. So yes, Time Magazine. I am Mom enough, and I would argue that all Moms, whatever their decisions on breast/bottle, sleep training, baby wearing or whether they stay at home or work outside are all Mom enough. We are all doing the best we can. As we shared yesterday through Facebook, “There is no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one”.
Q. With the warm weather coming, do you have any suggestions on fun maternity fashion?
It’s ironic that women spend so much time and money on avoiding pregnancy–and then, once we want a baby, we want it right now! Unless you or your partner have fertility problems, conception will happen, eventually, but sometimes it seems to take much longer than we’d like. There are all kinds of ways to speed things along that don’t include fertility drugs. Here are some tips on how to get pregnant, faster.
If you’re trying to get pregnant, or think you might be pregnant, taking a home pregnancy test is essential. Did you know there are wrong and right ways to do so? Here’s how to take a home pregnancy test.
Tina Stewart is a registered dietitian for the President’s Choice® product development team. As a busy Toronto mom of two, Tina has a number of tips to offer for choosing healthier foods and filling your grocery cart with them. (Keep reading for a bang-on dinner recipe, snack tips and solutions making sure you leave the grocery store with healthful products – even with the kids in tow.)
Q. What are your top 5 snacks to give kids?
I always look to balance nutrition and fun with snacks for my kids. Here are my five favourite go-to options:
1. Ants on a log! This classic snack is quick and easy to make: celery sticks with peanut butter (or any other kind of nut butter) in the groove topped with a few raisins as ants. My son has a peanut allergy, so I use soy butter. This snack provides carbohydrate and protein, and is a fun way to get your picky-eater to eat.
2. Veggies and Dip- An assortment of colourful vegetables such as mini carrots, celery and sliced peppers with a yogurt based dip is a great way to get vitamin, minerals and protein. I use PC 0% Plain Greek yogurt and mix with PCBM Ranch or Caesar dressing as a dip for vegetables. Another alternative is to try hummus as a dip for vegetables. These are both favourite after school snacks.
3. Crackers and Cheese. Choosing whole grain crackers that are source of fibre, improves the nutrient value of this snack, and cheese is an excellent source of calcium.
4. Creating a tasting plate. A selection of apple pieces, carrot sticks, crackers, cheese and/or nuts. You can add a new item every week, such as dried fruit, to help your child discover new foods they haven’t tried before.
5. Every once in a while, a frozen treat can be a great snack, but it’s about making the healthy selection for your kids. I give my kids the PC® Blue MenuTM Greek Yogurt Smoothie Bars in mango to devour. They’re incredibly creamy, so kids believe they are ice cream, but I know they are getting probiotic cultures, and they’re low in fat.
Q. When you’re at the grocery store with kids in tow, how do you make sure that healthy options get into your cart?
When you’re at the grocery store, reading nutrition labels is important to make the healthy choice, but that can be difficult with kids wanting to run up and down the aisles. Try to turn shopping into a game for your kids. At Real Canadian Superstore, they have added easy to view symbols on their PC® Blue MenuTM products which indicate increased fibre, or reduced fat and sodium, as examples. I enlist my own kids to help me find the foods with the arrows when we’re looking at a specific shelf. Not only does it keep the kids entertained and busy, but it has also helped me teach them about nutrition with the easy to view symbols.
Q. Favourite place to travel:
Although I have not been there for a while, I would say my favourite place to travel is Europe. I have a particular affinity for Italy and France. I love learning about history and the rich cultures of each of these countries. And of course, who could forget about the wonderful food!
Q. Cannot-live-without gadget
I cannot live without my blender. I use it to make smoothies for a quick addition to breakfast or as a snack. It also comes in very handy for pureeing my favourite vegetable soups.
Q. Go-to ‘Mom’ attire
My favourite go-to Mom attire is definitely yoga pants and t-shirt. When you are a busy mom on the-go, these can be paired with a comfy pair of runners and away you go.
Q. Favourite kid-friendly dinner to make.
We like to do theme nights at our house, and this gives the kids something to look forward to. The other day I made a twist on lasagna that they loved for Mexican night: a Burrito Casserole. Instead of traditional layers of pasta, I used the PC® Blue MenuTM 100% Whole Grain Whole Wheat Tortillas for a nutritious portion of fibre. For the filling I used vegetarian crumble as an alternative to meat, and then added vegetables to make the meal healthy, without sacrificing flavour. The recipe is found on PC.ca, but I want to share it with you. The kids, and my husband, loved it!
Burrito Casserole
Ingredients
| 2 tbsp (25 mL) | PC® 100% Pure Canola Oil |
| 1 | onion, diced |
| 2 | cloves garlic, minced |
| ¾ tsp (4 mL) | ground cumin |
| 1 pkg (454 g) | PC® Blue MenuTM Vegetarian Ground Crumble |
| 1 pouch (283 g) | PC® Cooked Whole Grain Brown Rice Sides |
| 1 can (19 oz/540 mL) | PC® Blue MenuTM Black Beans PC Blue Menu Black Beans |
| 1 jar (430 mL) | PC® Salsa – Mild |
| 1 pkg (390 g) | PC® Blue MenuTM 100% Whole Grain Whole Wheat Tortillas |
| 2 cups (500 mL) | PC® Blue MenuTM Tex-Mex Light Shredded Cheese |
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Spray 13 x 9 inch (3 L) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- In large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion for about 4 minutes, stirring, or until softened. Stir in garlic and cumin; cook for 1 minute. Stir in frozen meatless ground beef, frozen rice, beans, 1-1/4 cups (300 mL) of the salsa, and ½ cup (125 mL) water. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until heated through. Set aside.
- Cover bottom of prepared baking dish with two tortillas. Spread with half of burrito mixture and sprinkle with ½ cup (125 mL) of the cheese. Repeat layers. Cover with remaining 2 tortillas. Spread with remaining salsa and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil.
- Bake in centre of oven for 30 minutes. Uncover; broil for 3 minutes or until top is golden.
Chef’s Tips
Serve sprinkled with 1/3 cup (75 mL) chopped green onions, with light sour cream and sliced avocado on the side, if desired
Q. I’m currently reading this book..
Pride and Prejudice, a classic novel by Jane Austen. I think that this is the fourth time that I have read this book, but I just love it. I recently purchased an e-reader and it came pre-loaded with all the classics, so I am getting myself reacquainted with all my favorite novels.
Q. My child’s birthday party this year will involve…some kind of physical activity such as swimming, karate or an indoor play area. I have two very active boys that have energy to burn so I find that parties that include physical activity are a great way to provide some healthy fun!
Q. Is there 1 food that children should try to eat every week?
There isn’t just one food, in fact what is most important is that children—and adults too— eat a variety of foods from the different food groups each week, and each day. Fresh produce, protein, whole grain, and dairy product such as milk and cheese will help ensure your child consumes the necessary nutrients and vitamins they need to have energy for the day, while growing up healthy and strong. Planning your meals the week before can help you double check that you’ve included nutritious items each and every day, and save you from the “what should I make for dinner?” moment.
Q. What about ‘hiding’ nutritious food inside sauces and baking. Good idea or bad?
I think that “hiding” nutritious foods inside other items can be used to improve the nutrition of certain items such as extra vegetables in sauce or added fruit in muffins. I don’t think that this strategy should be used to trick our kids into eating fruits and vegetables. Children may need to try a food several times before they will accept it and just like adults there may be some foods that they will never accept. I think the focus should be on offering a variety of foods, including fruits and vegetables and allowing children to develop a taste for these foods and eating habits that will last a lifetime.
We were introduced to our first Ronald McDonald House in London, Ontario on our final All-Access Trip. With 12 Ronald McDonald Houses across Canada, 309 around the globe and plans for 2 more in Canada located in Red Deer and St John’s, the scope of this charity is huge.
I was embarrassed that I only knew a few things to begin – like 10 cents from every Happy Meal goes to the charity, and that families stay there when their child is ill and hospitalized. The amount I didn’t know, and had trouble imagining, was what changed my perspective on life more than anything else in the McDonald’s All-Access Moms Program. Meeting real people in crisis is a powerful thing. People with real stories, pain, and incredible strength. I hope that my involvement with the charity is limited to volunteering, and I pray that I will never be one of the 10,000 Canadian families per year who become residents in one of the houses.
Just imagine being a parent of a child with leukemia when your spouse has to stay at home working. Imagine being a 4-year-old sibling of a sick child who doesn’t understand why Christmas isn’t happening this year like normal. Imagine being a Mother who spends every waking moment at a hospital with no time to cook or do laundry. The doctor’s visits when there is bad news, or when there is good news and hope. Imagine just for a second and then push it out of your mind. Ronald McDonald House exists in order to give families the gift of time. As Margaret, the executive director at the Ronald McDonald House in London uttered: “We can’t buy the children time, but we can give it away.” The gift of preparing hot meals, dealing with Christmas shopping, laundry and expenses can allow families to spend precious time together as a unit.
Here’s what I didn’t know:
1. The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia in 1974.
2. New initiatives for the charity include Ronald McDonald Family Rooms in hospitals and Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles which may be used to travel to inner cities or remote areas where there are limited resources. The 40 x 8 feet mobile vehicles are specially designed to deliver pediatric health care services, where children need it most.
3. McDonalds underwrites the salaries and all expenses of Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada employees so that 100 percent of dollars raised go back to the Houses. This is very rare.
4. The (Canadian) federal and (Ontario) provincial governments have supported the Houses through capital funding as well. Recently, the Infrastructure Stimulus Funding program parceled out over 22 million to renovate and increase the number of rooms in the Toronto, Hamilton and London facilities.
5. The family dinner program is a crucial component of daily life for families using the Houses. Individuals from the community are able to sign up to donate food, time and cooking skills to make a dinner for the House. The value to families is immense. After a long day at the hospital, parents and siblings get a home cooked meal that they don’t have to prepare or fund. And volunteers can see the immediate impact of their efforts as they dine with the grateful families.
6. Although it’s not completely free to stay, thanks to the support of their sponsors, Ronald McDonald House families pay on average only $11 per day though no family is ever turned away due to an inability to pay.
7. Despite the increase in beds and space for families with children in hospitals, the Ronald McDonald House in London in particular has an occupancy rate of 86 per cent. Wow!
8. $37 million has been raised since 2004 from Happy Meals alone. That’s ten cents at a time. You can do the math. I’m kind of inept with decimals…
9. Spaces in the London House include: 5 computers with internet access, a toddler playroom, children’s library, play space for 6-12 year-olds, teenage room, fitness centre and a home theatre room. The different areas and nooks within the house allow families privacy and encourage them to live their lives as normally as possible. The respect for the individuals is immense. Families have their own locked cupboards in the kitchen in case the kids will only eat nutella or mac and cheese. Tupperware and bags are readily on-hand if families would prefer to eat later or take their dinner back to the hospital. My favourite place was the treasure chest. This room is very special and has a magical effect on the children that stay at the House. But I can’t say anymore…I’ve been sworn to secrecy by the pirates.
10. There is a section in many Houses, just as welcoming as the other rooms, where families whose children are immune-compromised can stay, in order to further prevent the spread of germs to these children.
I used to volunteer for many organizations and since having had kids I have struggled to incorporate charity into my life. I have now found a place I can put down roots and show the kids what it means both for us and families in need to help. Whether we cook a meal, take unwrapped toys to help siblings adjust to their temporary surroundings, donate some Tupperware containers or teach a tap dance class in the House to help release some stress. I want to incorporate this charity into my life with my kids. I keep thinking more creatively about how I can use my unique talents to help – donating time and talents are just as valuable as contributing money. I took my boys to our local Ronald McDonald House yesterday to deliver toys. They met many children and played, hugged and laughed. For many, I think the friendship was a more powerful gift than the toys.
You can find the other All-Access Mom blogs on the Cityline Microsite.
Every woman is beautiful in her own way, and age is nothing but a number. However, it’s also true that there are things we can do to make ourselves look younger, more polished, and more put-together—and those things don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. It’s pretty simple to look fantastic, whatever your age, by taking heed of these ten simple tricks for looking great no matter what your age.