Oh how the mighty shoe falls

Now that I am older and a mom, I feel like my style has gone out the window. I haven’t traded in my dress pants for lululemons, but I have traded in my stilettos for more practical ballet flats.

Out for lunch the other day, I sat talking to my girlfriend about how in our younger days we spent eight to twelve hours wearing the highest and more fashionable heels we could find. And we did not only wear them out to the clubs or events, we wore them to work. Some times they were a conservative one inch kitten heel and some days called for the three inch power black heel. But every day we wore a pair of heels, our closets equipped with shoes to fit any occasion. Three pairs of different black heels were a must. A pair of stylish kitten heels matching our cute flowy summer dresses waiting for the snow to thaw and a pair of fierce fuschia pink with metal spiked heels sat ready and waiting for a night out dancing.

At that time, I had 37 pairs of heels, not just shoes, but heels. Brown ones, pink ones, patterned ones, sparkly, beaded and flip flop styles. I dreamed of owning a pair of Blahnik's, Choo's and one day Louboutin's,  I loved my shoes, and I still do. But now that I am older, I find I can’t wear heels for very long anymore. I know they aren’t good for my bones, back or feet, but some days I still long to wear my pretties.

The Lil’ Cupcake is already getting into the shoe fetish. She is particularly drawn to the fierce fuschia pink with metal spiked heels that sit in my closet bagging for an occasion to be worn. But now that I don’t go out dancing very much, they hardly see the pavement, unless the Lil’ Cupcake is playing with them.

After my dear friend D and I recalled our current work and everyday shoe collection made up of a pair of Toms for casual Friday, a pair of Uggs for walking in the snow, and a pair of black high gloss patent leather ballet flats for work, she sadly said “Oh how the mighty shoe fiends have fallen.” I thought it happened because I was a mom, but D doesn’t have children, and she has also fallen victim to comfort and flats.

Sadden by our new found realization that our fashionista selves are getting lazy, we decided spring is just around the corner, and we need to shop and find key pieces, blouses, pants, and SHOES. Off the Pinterest we go, to find our new improved and mature fashionista selves. Now if I could just figure out an awesome style for my hair. If anyone wants to have a makeover day, I give you permission to call me up.

Timi & Leslie Giveway

Diaper bags, the go to accessory when outing with the baby. Have you seen the Timi & Leslie Diaper Bags. Drool. They are fantastic, fabulous and functional. I love them. I recently purchased one, and I am in love. I loved it so much, I grabbed two, one for me and one for a friend who is expecting in July. We both love our diapers. It comes with everything, including a cute little wristlet for mom to stash the purse essentials, debit, credit and starbucks card.

If you haven't checked them out yet, head on over, I'll wait...Ok, now that your back, you must enter the Plush Little Baby Giveway for the newest colour Cocoa Brown Annette Bag. Another drool worthy bag. And if I haven't convinced you, and it's free hasn't convinced you, how about the idea that it is the bag that Celeb mom's like Jessica Alba, Victoria Beckham, Alyssa Milano, Courtney Cox, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman and Faith Hill all carry one.  Alright now, go and entre the Giveway. Because it is FREE, and really who doesn't like free.

10 things about me

Not too long ago the world was a big place, but with the introduction of the World Wide Web, and new social media tools always popping up, the world seems as though it is getting smaller.

Sure you may have a mutual friend with someone across the ocean, a twitter connection with someone backpacking through Europe, but do you really know that blog writer? Over the past two years, I have been following some great blogs. Through the blogs I have learned a lot, but do I really know them. Not really, I don’t know their likes, or hates or what makes them, them.

In an effort to personalize and connect with you, my readers, I wanted to share 10 things about me that make me, me.

1. I love oranges, but I can’t eat them because they give me migraines. Boo.
2. I fell off a road and tipped over a 300-hundred ton truck when I was 18 years old.
3. I can’t get anything accomplished if the area is messy or untidy.
4. I am an only child
5. Sometimes, I wish I had siblings
6. I have no fillings, crowns or any sort of dental measures in my mouth
7. Goal for 2012 is to read 100 books.
8. I bite my nails
9. Pop makes me sneeze and hurt my throat, so I have to put water in it to tame the carbonation, and yes, people make fun of me.
10. I love the mountains, it is one of my favourite places to rest and relax.

There you have it, 10 things about me, which was actually quiet hard to do. Leave me a comment about something that makes you uniquely you.

I am mom, hear me roar

The past week, Twitter and the blogsphere has been blowing up about mom-wars. Here's my response.

Me, the Lil' Cupcake and my mom in Kauai last Christmas


Initiation is nine months, hours of painful labour, teething and sleepless nights. Building a family, raising a child and harbouring fond memories of each delicate moment is the invisible reward in which we seek.

My uniform is simple, a ponytail, comfortable Toms and whatever clean clothes are seen first when I stumble from the bed. My weapon of choice, a classic tote slung over the right shoulder ready with an arsenal of equipment for any climate, season or mishap. I am Mom.

I wear split-up, snot and slobber as a badge of honour. I often have smears, smudges and unidentifiable messes on my clothes. They are my battle wounds that I wear proudly and signify that I am a member of the not-so-secret society of warriors. I am Mom.

There is no special handshake or card; we are identified by the babies on our hips, the small hands in our hands, and the pictures on our phones.

We are gold card carrying member of the Starbucks club, Tim Horton's or Second Cup, which help us stay awake. We drink coffee like a champ and can pee faster than Michael Phelps can swim a lap. I have hearing that can put a dog to shame, and have hugs that can stop crying in midstream. We are Moms.

My little hawaiian princess. Photo by Modern Twist Photography

The future holds many decisions, lessons and rewards. The unknown is scary and exciting. Each milestone reached, each obstacle achieved, and every problem solved brings exhilaration only known by a mom.

With a nod and a smile, we are the same. Some will judge, others will snicker, but respect should be mutual. In the end, we all have a common goal: to raise happy and kind little people. No matter the choices we have each made for our little humans, we have made the best decisions for us.

Respect is mutual. We are the voices for our children, and we are Moms.

Wordless Wednesday

The Zoey dog

Cleaning house, au natural

I do not consider myself a crunchy mom, a granola mom, or a green mom, but I do try to make the best choice for my family that save us money and the planet. I am well aware of the harsh chemicals in cleaners and the impact they have on our air and watershed, not to mention our immune systems, but I am also conscious about how to have a clean, germ free home. I, like the next mom, had always used what my mom used, and what her mom before her used.

Like the old adage goes, a house is only as clean as it smells, and that smell was always bleach and harsh chemicals. The chemical smell always annoyed me and gave me a reason to hate cleaning bathrooms, not to mention the dry, cracked and irritated hands, persistent cough, and watery eyes that resulted after spraying down the shower. All this makes for such an enjoyable experience, right? If only I followed the directions on the bottle, you know the ones that say wear gloves when using cleaner and use only in well-ventilated areas. Right, because all bathrooms are well ventilated with the tiny fans and the windows that rarely open. When DH and I bought our condominium, I decided to switch to the popular brand green line cleaner. You know, the one with the yellow daisy, but with the traditional name still it on. I found the cleaners’ worked well, but they still had the smell, and they still irritated my hands.

When we moved into our new house, while we were expecting, my mom helped me clean the house. She went out, bought the cleaners and left a bottle of bathroom cleaner on the kitchen counter; it fell over and spilled on the counter and floor. It ate away the finish on the laminate counter and the floor. My husband cleaned it up before he went to work and threw the in the sink, it burned the stainless steel sink. The offending cleaner left black marks in my sink, a white spot on my floor, rough patch on my counter, and me wondering what caustic substance is in my household cleaner. Moreover, why am I using it in my house? At that moment, I decided all cleaners with unpronounceable names and chemical ingredients were no longer welcome in my house.

My search was not difficult I came up with many solutions. To narrow down my choices, I ask myself, can I pronounce the ingredients and if ingested, would I be ok? If the answer is yes, it can come in the house. If no, it stays at the store. Even though my cleaning products are generally safe, I keep them up and out of reach of the curious little hands that like to put everything into her mouth. I no longer use window cleaners – I use Norwex cloths. Toilet bowl cleansers or all-purpose cleaners are now replaced with all-purpose vinegar. I started using Method disinfectant for the Lil’ Cupcake’s toys and high chair, and I keep Clean Well hand sanitizer wipes in the diaper bag ready for use when we are out and about. I feel better about my cleaning products and the minimal impact they have on my family and my environment. I no longer have to worry about my hands or choking on fumes, but I still hate cleaning bathrooms, but my house smells fresh, looks clean and if I want to eat a piece of fruit off the floor, because I dropped it again, I don’t have to worry about what chemicals I am eating inadvertently, which is always a good thing when you have a child.