Sensory Activity for Toddlers

Hello lovelies,

Keeping a child entertained and engaged can be hard, especially if they're a toddler. My daughter loves books, but gets bored of them so fast, as she is active and always needs something that can spark her attention. I try as much as possible to use books with pictures and have her identify what she sees. She also has a few block puzzles, but all of that can get so repitive. With that said the other day I was looking up activities for toddlers and came across something similar to what I am going to share with you.

Activities for toddlers and children don't have to be something that takes up a lot of time preparing and you don't need to go out and by items, you can easily use what you have at home. For this activity you can find all of the items needed right in your kitchen.

A floor mat (for easy clean up and to create boundaries)
Large bowl or plastic container
A small container or cup
Measuring spoons
Dried pasta
Dried beans
Buttons &
A toddler

I poured the pasta and beans into a plastic container, sat my daughter down with a measuring spoon and a small baby bullet container and let her have at it. I showed her first how to pick up the items and put them in the container and she had so much fun. The first time I had to help her empty her container because it was full she didn't want me to take it 'cause she was having too much fun. In order to give her more stimulation I added some buttons to the cotainer and helped her fish them out.

Both activities kept her well entertained and it was also a chance for her to use her fine motor skills while having fun. Let me know if you try this out with your tots and what other activities you and your little one also enjoy together!

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo
Mel

Defrizz Hair with...what?!?!?

Hello lovelies!!!

Having time to go to a salon for a professional blow out is a pinch enough vs. finding the time to give your self one at home and really...who even has time for that?

I don't have frizzy hair per say, but when the time comes where I am actually able to blow dry my hair vs. the everyday wet ballerina bun or hat day, I still don't have the time that I used to. My hair regime used to consist of at least four hair products and at least one hour of time. I have now trimmed my self down to 10 minutes and two products which I alternate between and both are products that you most likely already have in your fridge or pantry.

Both products are generally used for cooking and are also amazing for your hair, skin and over all health. The amazing  multi purpose products that I am referring to are raw, virgin coconut oil and virgin olive oil. You want to get the most natural and less chemically treated versions of both products as they are most beneficial in their purest state. The use of such products probably isn't news to you, but they are not products that we would think to use on an everyday basis and trust me when I say you need to!!!

During a shower I use coconut oil all over my body after washing to lock in moisture. I also use it to clean my face on a daily basis. Coconut oil will not make your skin oily, even if you have oily skin to begin with. Most people don't realize that oily skin actually means that your skin is dry underneath the surface, so you still need moisture just like other skin types, if not more. Coconut oil is great for removing eye makeup and mascara as well without irritating your eyes.

After I wash and towel dry my hair I rub a small amount of coconut oil into my hands and put it on my ends and continue to let my hair air dry. If I'm in a rush I use I still do the same however I blow dry my hair immediately after applying the oul to my ends. I don't have frizzy hair naturally, however who doesn't have frizzy hair after blow drying? To combat the dreaded frizz of a blow dry rub a dime sized amount of either coconut oil or olive oil into your ends and run your hands through your hair avoiding your roots. You will notice your hair start to smooth out immediately, leraving you gorgeous, shiny, frizz free hair that will last 48 hours!!!

Both products also work amazingly for dry cuticles. Mix both with a tbsp of sugar to create a deliciouslip scrub that you will fight not to lick off of your lips. Use them as an over night hair mask for dry hair. Replace your shaving cream with these all natural items for a smooth lustrous finish every time. You can also both items to relieve that dreaded razor burn you got from the use of other products. Do you suffer from hands or feet? Lather either product and put on gloves or socks or night and wake up to supple baby soft skin.

What are your favourite ways to use coconut and olive oil for your beauty regiment? 

Thanks for reading!!!

Until next time....
xoxo
Mel

Baby Approved Smoothie

Hello lovelies,

I have always loved making and drinking smoothies. You can add whatever you want and it's an easy way to get most of your fruit/veggies for the day in one amazingly packed drink!

Wanting the same benefits for my little girl, I have been making smoothies for her lunch everyday, for the past week. She loves the sweetness it provides in taste and doesn't know that I've snuck in a few other things in there too. That is the main reason why I love smoothies for myself and her, I can add different fruits and veggies and mask the taste.

Here is the recipe.

- 1 handful of spinach/kale leaves

- 1/3 banana

- 1 tbsp plain greek yogurt

- 2 inch cucumber with the skin on; chop into 1/4 inch pieces

- 1/2 chopped celery stock

- 2 tbsp avocado

- 1 handful of frozen berries

- 1-2 tbsp finely ground oats

- 2 splashes of water

Using a blender, blend everything together until you get a smooth consistency (beware of any hidden chunks, that could be hazardous to baby)

My daughter was in love with this smoothie, I fed it to her with a spoon and she just couldn't get enough.

I hope you and your little ones enjoyed this recipe! 

Until next time,

Mel

aka

Jennine's mommy. 

DIY Face & Body Exfoliant

Hello lovelies,

Everyone deserves a spa day every once in awhile and being a mom, especially a new mom you don't always have time to go to a salon. An easy way to pamper yourself at home is to give yourself a mini facial!! Below I have created an easy face and body exfoliant that you can make woth ingredients that you already have in your kitchen. Everything I used is all natural and the recipe can easily be altered for your skin type.  Having now made this on my own I will never need to buy an exfoliant again, only ingredients. Every time I use this on my face (2-3times a week) my is so soft and smooth afterwards. I am in love!!

What you will need:
- Ramakin or a masin jar to store your exfoliant
- measuring spoons
- a spoon or a stick to mix everything together
- 1/2 a cup of Olive oil (coconut oil, almond oil or jojoba oil are also great options if you want to use them too)
- 1 tbsp honey (organic or natural honey are the best options for your skin, but regular honey will work too)
- 1 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2-3 tbsp table salt (or sea salt)
- 2-3 tbsp sugar (white or brown sugar. Brown sugar will be less abrasive)
- one vitamin e capsule
- 2-3 drops of essential oil (for smell/aroma if desired)

Start by adding half of your dry ingredients to your jar.
Stir in your oil.
Add lemon juice and honey.
Pierce the vitamin e capsule and squeeze it into your jar.
Add the reamaining of your dry ingredients and mix really well.
Determine if you have the desired texture that you want. Add more oil or salt and sugar if needed.
If you decide to use an essential oil, add this last.

When making my exfoliant I didn't measure anything. I kept on adding more of what I needed until I got my desired texture. I am telling you this, so that you can customize your own mixture to suit your skin type. If you have oily skin you may want to use less oil and if you have dry skin you may want to use more etc. The measurements you use will also be determined by the size of your ramakin or jar.

Keep your exfoliant at room temperature. Every time you use it, you always have to stir the ingredients around, so It is normal for it to clump up. Your exfoliant will also last you quite a long time depending on how much you make. It can last up to a couple of months.

I don't recommend that you use this exfoliant on your face everyday as it can be quite abrasive. Use a very gentle hand when rubbing it on your face or skin.

For oily skin you may want to use this exfoliant only a few times a week, as the base is oil and it may make your skin feel greasy with excessive use.

For dry skin every other day would be perfect. You can get rid of all the dead and dry skin while adding moisture to your skin at the same time.

Normal to combination skin every other day or as needed.

I usually exfoliate my face twice a week,  sometimes three times and sometimes I can also skip a week. I have normal skin with a slightly oily t-zone. I usually start to get a bit oily on my chin and around my nose probably after 4-5 hours of being out with make up on. It is not to the amount where I need blotting sheets though, just a touch up sometimes through out the day.

If you want to make a large amount of the exfoliant it is also great to use in the shower on your body, especially if you use fake tan a lot.
If you want it just for your body you can add more salt and sugar, so it is a bit more rough and chunky and it will get rid of all of your dead skin and leave you feeling extra soft and smooth.

This is also a great DIY gift idea, especially with the holidays coming up. You can ribbon to your jar and a little note for the recipent to make it more personal.

I hope you all enjoyed this post and comment below if you try this or if you have your own recipe!!!

*The original post came from my other blog - http://annpaigefashion.blogspot.ca

Until next time....
Mel
aka Jennine's mommy

Confessions of a First Time Mom #2

Hello lovelies,

This week's topic - Baby Photos

 As a kid I believe as a family we had one maybe two cameras at the most, one being a polaroid and the other a regular point and shoot film camera. We generally only took pictures on special occasions, or if we were going somewhere new (like to  an amusement park etc..). I remember the first time I was given my own camera, I was taking selfies before the "selfie" was ever a "thing". The bad thing about cameras back in the day was that you had to fill up the entire roll of film and then wait forever to finally see your pictures (aside from polaroids). When you finally got your film back you don't even remember taking half of the pictures and you end up trying to figure out what you even took a picture of (that selfie was taken WAY too close).

With technological advances we now have the gift (or lack) of having a camera with us everywhere we go and not having to wait weeks to see our pictures. These days who doesn't have a camera built-in on their phone, which makes photo taking that much more accessible and dangerous.
Being (the camera whore that I am) a first time mom I can't even count the amount of pictures I have on my phone, (and on my computer, on my fiancés phone, on my camera, on my Ipod, the list goes on ....) of myself, I mean my daughter ha..ha.. Honestly though I take at least 5 pictures of her (not myself, on most days ;) ) a day. I take them mostly to send to my fiancé while he is at work, but then I can't bare to delete them. I must have at least 50 pictures of her giving me the same "mommy hurry up and just take the picture already!" face, but she is just too cute and to me none of them look the same. 

I have filled up my external memory card and my phone now runs like a mule, it is so slow!!!! I seriously need to buy a hundred digital frames to store all of our pictures of her and she is only barely seven months old. You better believe that this girl is going to have a scrapbook for every event in her life (whenever I find the time to start and finish them all, I am still on number one).

How often do you take pictures of your little ones?  Please tell me that there is a support group for mama's like me (where all we really do is just share our thousands of pictures).

 Until next time....

Mel 

aka Jennine's mommy

Baby Food Recipe ft. Avocado 6 months+

Hello lovelies,

Avocados are an amazing source of healthy fats and they are a perfect food not only for us, but also for our babies! Now avocado by itself is not very appealing, so I have made a recipe that is sweet enough for your baby and is also high in fat, protein and fiber.

What you will need:
- Baby Bullet or a blender and a food processor
- 1/2 banana
- 1 avocado
- 1 tbsp water
- 1-2 tbsp of plain unsweetened greek yoghurt
- 2 tsp of uncooked quick oats (you can also cook the oats for this recipe if you wish)

Steps:
- Using your Baby Bullet with the blending blade/blender/or a fork pureé the avocado and water to your desired texture
- Add half of a banana to the avocado and blend
- Add in the yhogurt and continue to blend in your Baby Bullet or by hand until you have a smooth texture
-Using your Baby Bullet with the milling blade/food processor grind the oats to a powder consistency
- Add the oat powder to the avocado mixture and blend until smooth

Makes approx. 12oz depending on the size of your fruit.

If you are not going to feed your baby right away, or if you are prepping your babies food for the next day than do not add the banana until you are ready to serve. Adding the banana beforehand will cause your pureé to turn brown and spoil. When you are ready to feed your baby just pop the mixture back into your Baby Bullet or blender and add the banana.  If you are feeding your baby on the go then you can mash the banana seperatley before adding it to the mixture.

*Always remember that when feeding your baby a new food to follow the four day rule before introducing something new, to ensure that your baby does not have any food allergies.

Until next time....
Mel
aka Jennine's mommy

Mommy daughter outfit

Hello lovelies,

This past weekend we had a kids birthday party to go on my fiancés side and here is what we both wore.

Me:
Blazer: Dynamite
Tunic: Dynamite
Beige Jeggings: Dynamite
Flats: Ardéne

Jennine:
Onesie: Target;  Cherokee
Legggings: Sears
(How adorable are the leggings and my fiancé found them hiding in the boys section, under other clothes)
Faux fur vest: Baby Mexx
(Talk about cute, I fell in love when we saw this vest)
Boots: Old Navy

Being the person that I am, I desperately hope that my daughter will have a life long love affair with fashion, just like her mommy. Until the day comes that she can decide for herself, I will dress her as a little fashionista in the hopes that she will always be one.

Until next time....

Mel
aka Jennine's mommy