Dear New Mom Me:

In honour of Mother's Day, I thought that I'd take a moment to sit down and write a letter to myself...to my new-mom self (not that I'm not still new at this, but I've come a long way in 11 months!).

Dear New Mom Me;

Hi there. I bet you're feeling just a wee bit overwhelmed right about now. That beautiful baby boy that you'd been dreaming of has finally come and is in your arms, or likely sleeping on your chest.

You're probably thinking Wow, I'm responsible for him!? You're probably feeling Oh gosh, I can't do this! and I'm so angry! but...that's your PostPartum Depression talking.

That's right, you heard me. You're going to have quite the battle on your hands for the next few months with PPD. You're going to feel everything from exhaustion (mentally and physically) to anger, even possible rage, irritability, sadness, depression, fear, anxiety, despair...

I promise you though, I know it seems really heavy right now, and I know that you feel that you're broken and like you'll never be fixed, but you will! I promise you, that one day, you'll look down at that little boy, sleeping in your arms and think Wow...I CAN do this.

You're going to hate the poopy diapers at first, and noone can blame you for that one! They're gross, and what they say is true: when they start eating solids...it's a whole new ball game down there!

You're going to feel guilty about breastfeeding, or lack thereof. You're going to have alot of mixed emotions wrapped up in this one, but trust that you know what is best, and you know your body better than anyone else. If you feel like telling people that it's completely none of their business as to why you're supplementing with formula, do just that. Know that you're doing everything right for your son and providing him every opportunity to thrive. Breastmilk...formula...pumping...boobs...whatever the method, he's going to be just fine.

You're going to have fits of rage, and outbursts that you can't really explain. Know that this is okay. It's not necessarily normal, but it's normal for you and for a mom with PPD. Lean on your support systems, and know that your husband and son think you're the absolute best mom ever.

And...when all else fails, keep your head held high, be confident in the decisions that you're making for your family, and know that you have this to look forward to waking you up every day





You're going to love and absolutely excel at making baby food, play time, 10km walks in the sunshine with another mommy friend and her kiddo, and will even create your own Mommy play group for your area.

And you know why you excel at it? Because you're a great mom, and even with the challenges, you were made to do this.

Don't give up, and at the end of the day, when things are really rocky and you feel like giving up, look at that sleeping little boy on your chest who thinks you're just the greatest...because you are.

Love,

Not-So-New Mom Me

Y3W: Best Friends Wedding

I'm so excited!

So, GodMomma has been planning her wedding for the past few months, and today was the cake tasting!! I'm baking the cake, and I couldn't be more excited about it!


Chocolate with Strawberry Buttercream (and Vanilla Buttercream in the background)


Lemon with Vanilla Buttercream


Banana with Chocolate Buttercream...the bride's favourite!


Vanilla with Strawberry Buttercream (and Vanilla Buttercream in the background)

So incredibly delicious, and what GodMomma, MommaJo, T, and J decided on is going to be spectacular for the wedding!

I'll have to tweak some recipes to get just the right amount of moisture for one of the flavours, but I'm so excited about their cake!!

Photo Updates

Hey everyone!

Okay, so blogging has taken a bit of a backseat. Sweet Stella's in keeping me super busy...as in orders piling up, taking part in the Emmy's gifting suite, birthday parties out the wazoo busy!

So...here are some picture to tie you over til I can think of something wonderful and witty to write!


Family photo's on the lawn at the Club - Easter 2011

Loving the blocks that the Easter Bunny left

All dressed up and ready for brunch


Finding Cherrios on the floor...after brunch

Sweet Stella's: How-To Tuesday: Roasted Beet Shapes

Sweet Stella's: How-To Tuesday: Roasted Beet Shapes: "Happy Tuesday everyone! Today's post is going to be pretty short and sweet, but is an awesome thing to do with your kiddos for a nutritious..."

Y3W

My Diaper Bag

I know alot of you have been waiting for this post...okay well maybe not, but I have been.

A while ago, I posted that I wanted to get one of these lovely bags...



But the truth is...they're stupid expensive and I already have a pretty expensive bag.

So, to make my basic black (slightly boring) SkipHop Via Messenger a little more girly, I've sourced out some amazing artisans to make embellishments for my bag!!


My first acquisition was the Neena suede flower clip from Shabby Lane Boutique. I LOVE the mustard colour, and the sparkle in the centre is awesome.

Next came my obsession with flower rosettes...




From Nikki, In Stitches (I've also ordered a headband for Owen's 1st birthday photo's...SO excited!) She created it just for me...her first ever diaper bag pin! Colour me excited!

And finally...someone near and dear to my heart has created a bombshell of a kelly green rosette, and is crocheting a HUGE grey flower! I am so thrilled to get those from Rumour Has It!

Now...ask me in a few months if I saved any money by getting these embellishments...and I may have a different story to tell!

Have a great weekend!

Raised vs. Container vs. Traditional

I'm talking about gardening here folks!

As you all know by now, I'm huge on making my own baby food. This summer, I plan to take that process one step further to actually grow some of what we eat.

Our backyard lacks drainage, and is primarily clay so I'm thinking that I'm going to have to resort to container and raised beds.

Any tips and tricks you care to pass along? Feel free to post in the comments!

Our backyard also lacks shade...alot of shade. We planted 6 cedars along the back fence (our Oceanic 6...l-r Desmond, Kate, Jack, Hurley, Sayid, Sun), a Newport Flowering Plum on the left (Juliette) and a Celebration Maple on the right (Sawyer) last spring and they're looking great, but don't provide alot of shade for the rest of the yard, so whatever I plant needs to be good in full-sun.



We also have 3 window boxes attached to our deck that I'm hoping to use for maybe garlic and onions....herbs and peppers? I'm not too sure, or should I just fill them with beautiful flowers? Last summer, Nana V planted everything as I was off at the hospital having Owen! And...since I had a newborn...everything fried in the hot sun!



Last year, I had a 3 tier container garden that had all of my herbs and peppers in it. The herbs did really well, so I'm thinking that I will use it for that and put it here at the corner


I'd love to plant some cucumbers, onion, garlic, basil, thyme, mint (maybe in the back left corner of our yard since I know it will spread like mad), peppers, carrots, and maybe even some potatoes. I'd be thrilled to grow a vine of some sort on our side fence, maybe blueberries? Do those grow on a vine??

As you can see, I need some assistance!! Any tips, tricks, advice, suggestions of plants that will grow well are greatly appreciated!

Baby Food Machine!

There seems to be alot of talk lately about baby food on the mama blogs that I follow, so I thought I would do my own post about what Owen has had, liked, hated and some tips to make life a whole lot easier on yourself if you're making your own baby food.

Owen's Likes

Peas Carrots Turkey Chicken Pork Beef Beets Potatoes Corn Squash Apples Peaches Oats

Owen's Dislikes

Rice Apricots

Owen's Absolute FAVOURITES

Cherrios Rosemary Turkey+Carrots Cinnamon Applesauce+Oats


I absolutely LOVE cooking with herbs and spices for him. So far, he's had (and loved them all)

Sweet Potatoes+Apples+Cinnamon
Roasted Carrots+Nutmeg+Cinnamon
Baked Squash+Ginger
Roasted Carrots+Basil
Crock pot Pork+Garlic
Crock pot Beef Roast+Garlic+Rosemary
Crock pot Turkey+Rosemary+Carrots

Noticing a theme?? I love to use my crock pot for making baby food! It makes the entire process SO easy! Last Thursday, I threw in about 7 chopped apples and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon...flicked it onto high and 2 hrs later...applesauce! Today, I used it with about 12 small porkchops and 2 cloves of smashed garlic...flicked it on low and 4.5hrs later...80 (yes...EIGHTY!) cubes of shredded pork that Owen ate by the handful at dinner.

Now that we're onto finger foods, he eats everything that would have been pureed, only diced! Apples, we either puree into an applesauce or I will chop and boil until slightly tender, drain and scoop into ice cube trays.

Mama's Methods & Tips

I already talked about the crock pot, which is great if you know that you're going to have a busy day or week since whatever you're going to make your kiddo, you can save some and have it for dinner! It's perfect for bigger batches and one pot meals as well! Try a pork roast and with 2 hrs left of cooking time, throw in some quartered potatoes. With 1 hr left, throw in some chopped apples - one pot meal, and it purees very smoothly!

Another method I love is roasting. Owen absolutely LOVES his roasted carrots+nutmeg+cinnamon, but also really enjoys roasted potatoes+carrots+corn. Roasting is great for big batches, which is how I make everything, and great for keeping the flavours fresh and concentrated. It's great to throw everything into a roasting pan with an inch of water and whatever spices or herbs you like, and bake it in the oven for an hour! Set it and forget it!

I hate hate hate steaming. It takes forever, and I'm just not that patient! I also don't have a tonne of free time these days, so I need quick prep and long cooking times to be able to get other thins accomplished while his food is doing its thing. When I was steaming, though, I used a metal colander over a pot of boiling water as opposed to a steamer basket or a fancy baby cooker. It worked just fine and we had it in the house, so why not!

My biggest and best tip is to cook in big batches. It saves so incredibly much time in the long run, and you can do it for finger foods as well; just shred your meats!

I really enjoy the Wholesome Baby Food website, and they have some great methods and recipes for beginners. It's definitely where I started, then I branched out and got adventurous. I still reference it to see what herbs and spices go with which veggies and fruits, and to check on the nutritional information for certain veggies if we're having digestive issues (one way or another! I try to treat Owen's ills with diet and so far, so good!)

Every few Tuesday's over on Sweet Stella's, I blog about baby food prep and give some tips and recipes so if you're ever in need of some advice or some inspiration, look over there!

Have questions? Drop me a line!

*Edit - he also LOVES frozen wild blueberries and they are a sinch to make! Just defrost what you need in your kiddos dish in the microwave, or overnight in the fridge! Chalk full of fibre, awesome for constipation! They're also pretty small, so not a choking hazard once they're at the finger-food stage!