Bluenose Mommy

Do you make lists for the Summer? Are the lists for things you want to do with the kids? with your spouse? with your family? Are they lists of tasks that you just really want to accomplish around the house while the weather is nice? Those are great lists! I have those lists too, but I also have another list, which I consider to be just as important as all the others. This is a list of things that I personally want to do just for me. You can call it self care or keeping my self a priority or whatever "label" you want to give it. All I know is that there are things that I want to do, some small, some larger, that aren't going to get done if I only make the other lists. I am also someone that isn't going to wait until retirement, or the kids are older, or this or that before I allow myself to make time for me. Yes it takes more planning and yes you need a supportive spouse or creative ways to make it happen, but you can have your own list. What is somethin

I'm a planner by nature, but not much gets planned like my Summers do. Hence the Summer Planner binder that we have. I start with monthly calendars and put in all the camps, sports, appointments, lessons and trips that are already paid for and/or booked.  Then I search and search Facebook events and Pinterest lists for ideas to fill in the remaining days and create our own list.    At the beginning of each week we sit down with our weekly planner, check out the weather forecast, consult our monthly planner, and fill in all the fun things we are going to do. The weekly planner gets posted on the fridge or somewhere prominent that everyone can see.  You can access our Monthly Planner here You can access our Weekly Planner here! And here is our master list for all things Fun to do this summer in and around HRM! Do you like a planned summer or a go with the flow summer?

Let me share a story. Brinley was 1 and we were going apply picking. My Mom had just knit Brin and I matching sweaters, at my request. Dressed in these matching sweaters, jeans and turquoise rubber boots we headed out for our family adventure. Can you see where this is going? We got out of the car at the same time as 2 random females strangers did and I overheard the following comments. “Wow, they are in matching outfits” (certainly not said in a cute or excited tone) “Why would you want to do that?!” (In a confused and disgusted tone) And those two comments right there ended our Mommy and Me outfits…. until I met Emily King. She introduced me to fuck it lists. She inspired me to make lists of things I don’t do or I’m ashamed of doing simply because of others opinions, which also reminds me of this quote from Rachel Hollis: “Others people’s opinions of you are none of your business” ~Rachel Hollis At first I put a couple things on this list at

What if? What if we loved our bodies for who they allow us to be, for what they allow us to do and learn. For growing with us and responding to our emotions, environment, and choices What if we love it for the times it has done more then we could have imagined and slowed us down when we inevitably needed to? What if we stopped worrying about the parts we don't like and started CELEBRATING  the parts we do. What if we treated our bodies like we loved it, what would that look like? Would you go for more massages? Would you go to a chiropractor? Would you buy natural lotions and creams to soothe it? Would you ever forget sunscreen? Would you eat a balanced diet and not deprive yourself of nutrients or treats your body craves? Would you pay more attention to how your body responds to food and listen? Would you challenge it to learn and do things you haven't before, like we do with our minds? Would you do more yoga and less cardio? Would you buy that t

I am not one to stay home. Ask my aunt and uncle who have a running joke that I must be sick if they don't see my car leave at some point throughout the day. Even on maternity leave, I frequently left the house on a daily basis, it's just how I roll. So, if you're wanting to get out of the house with your new baby, here are my top suggestions Parent and Tot Swims or Lessons. I am pretty confident every public pool around has these, so choose the one that works for you. Sackville Sports Stadium has a play and splash program where there's a playgroup in a multipurpose room and then a parent tot swim, and it's FREE. Baby Massage Class at PACT in Cole Harbour New Mom Drop in group at PACT Mom & Baby Yoga with ESTELLE at Dartmouth Yoga Center (You seriously will never go to a yoga class like hers anywhere else. She is beyond amazing!) Hike it Baby (Check out their Facebook group here ) Babies First Books at HRM Public Libraries Kinder

Mother's day is just around the corner, which means it’s another occasion to be hitting the stores and buying that special lady in your life something that is supposed to signify how much they mean to you...right?! Or you could pick something from the list below and be a little more thoughtful than new PJs and a starbucks gift card..just a thought. Here are my personal top picks for a Fantastic Mother’s Day Gift A day away at the Nordic Spa. There’s one as close as Moncton NB now! Tickets for a winery bus tour   A spot in a Mala Workshop by Sarah Kelly Designs A spot in a painting class by Estelle A Day at a local spa A floating sessions at Compass Rose or The Floatation Center Soul Sisters Race registration Soul Sisters 2016 Tickets to the Water Lantern Festival A Ticket to Elizabeth Gilbert’s workshop in Halifax Family Tickets to Glow Halifax Car detailing Spin Co Passes A spot in a Kitchen Door Cooking Class A ticket to Champagne and Chaturanga May 11th, at

We 💚 the outdoor Vegetorium Egg Hunt for Fruit. Egg hunts are my favorite part of Easter! Our Easter bunny color codes the eggs that she hides so that neither kid gets more then the other and so there is no fighting. Lets be honest, Mom and Dad haven't usually had a full cup of coffee by the time the hunt starts, so the easier it can go, the better for everyone. The color coding also makes egg fillers easier because the bunny can be more specific on the items that go in the eggs. Labelled Baskets from @Poppyjeandesigns to make the colour coding easier!  This Mom and Dad also don't want the kids to have 10 chocolate eggs for breakfast so we are very fortunate that our bunny fills our eggs with other items such as: hair elastics golf tees socks Nerf darts tattoos  stamps stickers nail polish nail stickers head bands sweat bands mini bath bombs glow sticks underwear lip chap floss bracelets small craft kits chalk coloring sheets The Bunny sti

After writing about my sons birth, I knew it would only be fair to share the story of my daughters birth. I didn't want sharing their birth stories to be one of the things that, as the second child, she could hold it against me. Being the second child myself, I am acutely aware of the differences of childhood memories between the first and second born, so I try my darnedest to duplicate everything for her as I did for him. But lets be honest, I came across her Halloween footprints the other day. White feet on a black background, not spider webs, or happy Halloween scrawled on the canvas. But, I tried, and really the most important step is done, the feet. Anyhow, so my daughters birth. First let me start off by saying that we didn't know what we were having for either pregnancy, but I should have known this pregnancy was a girl. I had different cravings, I was nauseous over food I loved, I was carrying different, I had migraines at the beginning and end, and she was a li

At first I had this as an add on to my original baby shower gift idea post. However, once I started writing it, I felt it deserved a whole post on its own.  It can be tricky to buy baby shower gifts for second, third, forth etc. moms, because if the babies are close together, the family probably kept all the big items that they would need for the next one, and the clothing can probably be all handed down. But going from 1 to 2 children is a big adjustment, and there are some things that I feel can help make that change a little bit easier. So what can you get the mom for these subsequent showers?   1- Wrap or Carrier If mom doesn't have either of these from the older children, I highly recommend this as a gift idea. I used the carrier sporadically for the first, but All of the Time for the second. The Boba wrap that I had is what my baby pretty much lived in the first couple months. Whether it was to go for a quick walk or to watch the older kid play out in

Before I was a mom, baby shower gifts were my favorite things to shop for! It was so easy, right? just buy a cute outfit, maybe some blankets and a book, oh and lets top it off with a cute rattle. Done. Now, there is nothing wrong with that gift, but after being a mom myself, I realized there are many items that are MUCH more important to have then those listed above. So below, you will find my go to gifts for first time mamma. Shopping for a mamma who's not having their first baby? Check out my list for the not so new mamas here . Gift Ideas for the first time Mamma 1- Group Purchase If you can go in on a gift with a group of people and buy a larger item, do it. Some great large item purchases that I would suggest are: Car seat, stroller, bassinet, crib, or rocking chair. These are items that I believer are most necessary and are items that you should only buy exactly what the Mamma is asking for. These are the items that if they are on the registry, only buy that exact