Me and Meg
www.meandmeg.com


Words, I'm bringing back. 

My vocabulary is at an all-time low. Last night while reading Fancy Nancy, I learned some new words; it's tragic. I need to broaden my patois. Here are a few words I would like to see make a resurgence. 

1. Shucks- as used to express disappointment. If I could exchange shucks for shit, I would almost stop swearing entirely ( I need to find a replacement for f*ck, a good one though, not fudge). 

2. Salon. As in: I'm going to the hair salon today, or the nail salon. I don't get hairdresser. You don't leave there with clothes on your head. 

3. Bedlam-I need synonyms for confusion and chaos. This will do. 

4. Cachinnate. My father use to say "don't cachinnate in front of anyone, you sound like a hyena". 

5. Whilst. My husband says this, I like it. It is so much more refined than while. 

6. Pedantic. This word gets a lot of use in South Africa (where I lived for three years), I don't hear people say it in Canada. 

7. Calamity. Any word I can use instead of disaster is amazing; actually it's refreshing considering how many diasters I deal with daily. 

 8. Lollygag. I say "hurry up" way too much. Stop lollygagging sounds softer, nicer. Here's an example of how I sounded last year:

Here is the new and improved Leigh: 

That sounds lame. 
Shit.
I don't think I can express myself without swearing. 

Cheers,
cheers L  

Joanna Ferensowicz, EcoSavvy Mama 


We're in the kitchen more than any other room in the house. This gives us the chance to use food to help our babies to develop their skills. Here are some tips:

Finger foods are important for speech development

The introduction of solids is a big milestone and for good reason. Oral motor skills required for speech development are developed through the sucking, chewing, licking and biting. Different textures help strengthen the tongue while biting and chewing strengthen the jaw and lips.

There is more than one way to use spaghetti

Babies love to touch and feel (and eat) anything that has an interesting texture. Cooked spaghetti at room temperature helps with the development of fine motor skills and grasp, self-help skills, and development of touch, texture and temperature senses. So drop a handful of cooked spaghetti on your little one's highchair tray and watch her play while she's getting some nutrition too!

It's OK to play messy!

Stimulate you child's senses by giving them some edible finger paint (just in case they decide to taste-test it!) or some edible play dough.

To make edible finger paint, simply make some instant vanilla pudding (according to the instructions) and add some food colouring. Even though this activity will get quite messy, the best way to control the mess is to do it at the high-chair. Take some digital pictures of your little artist at work for some great memories! (No need to keep the actual art!)

To make edible play dough, use 2 parts oatmeal, 1 part water and 1 part flour. Mix these ingredients together until they have a consistency of dough and then watch your little one squish the playdough with so much amazement! (For safety reasons, playdough is usually suggested for older babies and toddlers).

By Joanna Ferensowicz, EcoSavvy Mama
http://ecosavvymama.ca/blog
Follow me on Twitter: @ecosavvy_mama

Me and Meg
www.meandmeg.com

The Only way to go...... 

is with gratitude. I don't want to get too heavy-duty on you this morning, but I saw this on Pinterest and had to share. Most of us spend too much time thinking about what we don't like, what we don't have, what makes us mad/annoyed/frustrated, rather than thinking about all goodness. 

Cheers, L&M

Some controversy has risen as a result of this new doll--Children everywhere can now play with a VBAC Baby Doll. VBAC refers to 'Vaginal Birth After Cesarean', and is a new addition to the toy market. It retails at a high price-point of $170.00, and is causing a stir online and among parents and caregivers nation-wide. 

The handcrafted doll has a c-section scar on her lower-belly, and a tiny felt newborn (complete with umbilical cord and placenta) that can be delivered via the doll's hand-stitched vaginal opening. The doll comes with placenta, cord, diaper and receiving blanket. She loves to wear her baby in a rebozo or sling, and she makes sure she bring her diaper bag and her cardigan, poncho or scarf with her to keep her and her baby warm! 

The custom-made line of dolls from MamaMor are "educational tools that demonstrate normal, natural birth, breastfeeding and bonding," according to the Canadian company's web site.

Curious to see, what do you think of this doll?

Me and Meg
www.meandmeg.com

With the new year under way, I decided to launch a new version of Freya (if you recall she is my “horrible” daughter that Meg has mentioned previously). Think of it like you would a grand re-opening of your favorite store or restaurant.   It's akin to Mattel releasing the same Barbie again, advertising it as "all new". I am doing that with Freya.  All that has changed is my mind set. She hasn't changed, but that is irrelevant now, because with my new attitude, she is different.

I will even go so far as to say she is "new and improved". She sleeps longer and even says Mama when she is screaming in her crib. The all-new Freya throws food, has tantrums and cries once she is buckled into her car seat-for the duration of the car trip (how neat!).  Also, the new Freya can not be fooled by baby toys, she only wants real cell phones, or sunglasses.  Even better, Freya loves to pull other children's hair.  Freya enjoys pointing and screaming; nothing is more entertaining than watching my husband and I run around as we try to figure out what she wants.

Freya is a seasoned wrestler too. She loves nothing more than sitting on her whiny two-and-a-half-year old sister, pulling her beloved blanket from her hands. Her best feature by far- she doesn't nap! She is always awake, there to entertain and annoy. She never runs out of batteries.

What's not to love? She sounds like a money maker to me.

Me and Meg
www.meandmeg.com 

Dear Husband,

What a week you've had! My oh my. All that working-out has affected your brain I think.  It is that or you're just an all-out testicle.  I want to again (it's no trouble really, I like putting basic, fundamental, logical thoughts on paper for you) remind you that you have three girls. Our oldest daughter, let's call her Malone is four-and-a-half. You have been a father for that long.

Can you imagine my surprise then, as I'm out shopping for organizational items with Meg (the queen of clean) you call and ask, quite rudely I'll add, "what should Freya eat for dinner?" I realize you were at my mother's house and it would have been incredibly awkward to ask her for some food for her granddaughter.  Besides, how are you to even know what she could eat? Again, this is only your third time around, I understand how confusing that must have been for you. 

To clear things up, here is a list of some of her favourites:

Cheerios, goldfish, avo, cucumber, peaches, strawberries, cheese (she really likes this!), pasta (another winner-but you have to boil water, maybe forget this suggestion), yogurt (peel the lid off), toast with peanut butter, broccoli (cooked, again maybe a little advanced), and lastly canned salmon.

I think the next time I go out; I will forget my phone (like you do, that way we can avoid more of these stupid conversations). Also, when you ask me "what are you doing?” I will reply: "golfing".

Whew. I got a lot off my chest this morning.

Always your loving wife,

L

-Me and Meg
www.meandmeg.com

Hey lil-sugar readers.  I don’t know if you remember but when we first met I described to you how the Manny (our younger brother, male nanny) and I were attempting to reboot my sister, Leigh.  She was way off track as a mother and we thought it was our duty to help her get back on the path.  Well, it pains me to say we failed. 

The Manny and I have worked very hard with Leigh, we spent November introducing new concepts to her - like putting dirty diapers in the proper receptacles; wiping down high-chairs before the food hardens to a point that it becomes part of the chair.  These systems appeared easy enough for her to handle.  So over the holiday we tried more complex scenarios.  For instance, we attempted to have Leigh follow her fifteen-month-old when she left a room, to alleviate a lot of the frantic searching that goes on.  That proved too difficult; actually it was impossible for her.  More and more, the Manny and I were met by roadblocks; Leigh just could not conquer and move past some "basic" parenting strategies.  In the end, she has failed her rebooting.  While the Manny and I are disappointed, we are not all that surprised and have washed our hands of her.   

We decided all we can hope for is that the kids make it out okay.  As I type this her one daughter is sitting on a stool banging her head against the wall and another is kicking Leigh on the ground.  I know I speak for the Manny when I say we wish things would have had more of a happy ending - but this is the real world.  If there was standardized testing people had to pass prior to becoming parents, Leigh would have failed and never would have been allowed to reproduce.

Just now my sister (who is thirty-five-years-old) asked me to feel her toes in her new running shoes and tell her if they fit. What am I suppose to do with this? You see why we weren’t expecting much.

Cheers.

M.

Kaia Garber,the offspring of Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford is the new face of Versace at the age of only 10yrs old!!

Given, this is probably the perfect choice to front Versace’s junior line, many are knocking the ads as being 'sexual' and pushing the limits. Is 10 yrs old too young to model for such a line, or is it ok, simply because her parents are both in the industry? You decide.

Versace is known for its glamor, and I’m sure Young Versace will follow suit and aim for the young and affluent.  The line will be available at the Versace Young boutique in Milan and in select stores. 

Versace is the latest fashion house to target the 'tween' generation. Following Stella McCartney, Diane von Furstenberg and Lanvin who all announced plans to enter the market in the past year.

Jessica Alba, mother of 2 and actress known world-wide has now devoted much of her time to the launch of her new company 'The Honest Company.' The name pretty much says it all! Although the company is not currently shipping to Canadian residents, they are definitely looking into it for the future.

This is a collection of completely toxic-free household cleaning goods, diapers and wipes — to help eliminate the hassle of hunting down natural options for every family. 

The Honest Family Essential Bundle ($36) includes yummy skin and hair care products plus laundry detergent and hand soap. And the Honest Diaper Bundle ($80) features a month’s supply of non-toxic, chlorine-free and plant-based diapers.

Check out: www.thehonestcompany.com

There's still time to do this amazing project for your children!

Imagine the look of wonder and surprise when a child receives a photo of Santa caught in the act in his or her very own home. iCaughtSanta.com is a unique website that helps visitors create those memorable keepsake photos. 

In three simple steps anyone can upload a holiday photo, add Santa Claus and print it as proof… or share it via Facebook and Twitter. Last-minute shoppers can purchase Gift Cards and eGift Certificates for loved ones with children, making iCaughtSanta.com a great gift idea even if you don't have kids yourself. Tons of poses and expressions to chose from!
Look at the example below...Fun, unique and affordable!!
Act now and get 50% off, just for lil-sugar readers! Just enter: SANTA50 and get your entire order for 1/2 price! Merry Christmas!