A Cute Mother's Day Gift

We always say, kids say the darnedest things, and my kids sure do!  Since the day my oldest was born I have been writing down a description of moments that stand out in our daily routine and nowadays they are mostly about the things both my kids say.

For the first year of each of my kids' lives I used the following calendar:

Via Bed Bath & Beyond

But after that, I couldn't find anything to keep track so I just wrote notes in my phone with the hope I would find something new in which to document and keep as a keep sake.  And last week, 2 years later, I finally did.

Via Chapters Indigo

This diary is perfect.  It is made to allow you to document 5 years and gives enough space to write down that special something, whether it is something that was said or done.  Now I have to start transferring all that I have on my phone to this book.  Wish me luck, as I know it is going to take me a while.  Worth it for sure.  

This diary is sold out on Chapter's website but they have it in store and you can also order it from Amazon.ca. 

Bloom Maternity

With a little searching I found Bloom Maternity in Westmount Montreal. It's a small maternity clothing boutique that has a little of everything.

I loved my experience shopping there because the owner who buys all the styles they stock was on hand to help me find just what I needed. It felt like I had a personally shopper - for free (well almost ;))!

So I finally found a dress to wear for our first wedding of the season. I loved that the owner had "faux belly foam inserts" on hand so I could see if the dress would accommodate my belly as it grows in the coming months. She buys items that you can wear before, after, as well as throughout the whole pregnancy.

They had this style in black which is very similar to the one I ended up purchasing. It's by Jacky Luxury which is not even a maternity brand so I will be able to keep this little black dress to wear post baby too.

Bloom Maternity offers many known and lesser known high end brands and I was surprised to pay less than I would normally for a "non-maternity" dress. Great experience overall! I would definitely recommend this store for momma's to be! A gift certificate from this shop for Montreal pregnant mom's is a great gift idea!

You can check out their Facebook page to see some of the styles they are currently carrying! Happy shopping!

My Mother's Day Gift - Marc by Marc Jacobs

I realized that I never posted about what I received for Mother's Day from my boys and how I was spoiled. Last year my husband had to make an effort to figure out what to get, but this year he had it easy as I had been talking endlessly about whether or not I should get this particular Marc by Marc Jacobs bag.  I needed something for the summer and just couldn't decide on a style or colour.  After much searching while in New York City, in Montreal and in Ottawa, I finally decided on the Classic Q Natasha bag in grey.

This is the bag in nude.

Via Neiman Marcus

Via Neiman Marcus

Via Neiman Marcus

This is the colour I got - gun metal.

Via Shopbop

This past weekend, now that I am no longer carrying a baby bump, I finally started carrying the bag and I absolutely love it.  It is perfect for many reasons.  It is not too deep so I don't lose anything; it has a separate pocket where I can store my keys and phone and find them quickly; and it is cross body and easy to carry.  I definitely recommend for anyone looking to have a practical casual bag that can also be used at night because of its size.

A Gift for Me for Mother's Day

On the day I became a mom, my husband read me a newborn prayer he found online.  It was a beautiful moment that I will certainly never forget.  Not only were we emotional having just become parents and met our wonderful little guy but we were in tears reading such beautiful words.  I've wanted to frame it for my son since that day and unfortunately, I haven't had time and then I just couldn't find the right paper to print in on. Finally, last week it dawned on me that I should just print it on one of my son's newborn shots.  Took me long enough!!

Here is the result:

 

This picture was taken by a wonderful photographer, Eduardo Reyes.  You can see his work at www.eduardoreyesweddings.com.  It was perfect to fit the prayer.  I tried to find the source of the prayer online and I couldn't but you can find it on so many blog posts online and I got it from this blog.   I framed the picture in a white frame and will be hanging it in my baby's room.  It will be a nice keepsake.  I hope to do the same for the next little guy.

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!

A Mother's Day Basket for a New Mom or Mom-to-be

Tomorrow I am attending a Mother's Day fundraising event at St.Elias Banquet Centre in Ottawa.  It is a great event for a great cause and the highlight is a super fun basket auction.  The banquet centre will be filled with donated baskets, each up for the grabs by the winning name.  Guests throughout the evening purchase tickets and put those tickets in a box for the basket(s) they would like to win. At the end of the night, each basket is drawn for one lucky winner.  This year Mrs. P and I donated a basket of Our Favourite Things for a new mom or mom-to-be.

The items include

Bath Kneeler

Via Skip Hop

Via Skip Hop

Ikea 4 piece cookware for kids

Via Ikea

Sophie Teether

Via Walmart.ca

Baby's first year calendar

Via Walmart.ca

Via Walmart.ca

Here is how the end result looks like.

Wish me luck, I hope I win a basket!

Every Mom Should Carry One of These - The Gucci Belt Bag

About five years ago I was visiting New York City with a good friend of mine who was already a mom and who was living there.  She took me to great places and one day we visited the Gucci store and she pointed to the Gucci belt bag and said it was the best purchase she made as a mom.  It allowed her to carry all the essentials and keep them very close to her, while freeing her hands and arms for her kids.  Plus it looked really great because of the green and red belt.  My husband bought it for me at my next birthday and it has come with me on ever trip we have made, every event I have organized (festivals and other casual fundraisers) where I was required to run around and oversee things, and now when I am out and about with my son.  It is really one of the best gifts I have received and I think every mom should have one.

My husband bought mine at Holt Renfrew but they don't show it on their website.

Via Neiman Marcus

They come in two different sizes. I prefer the smaller one because I also carry it cross body like a messenger bag, but that's just a personal preference.

Over the years Gucci has made the belt bag in different colours but currently on Gucci's website only the above and below are available.

Via Gucci.com

Via Gucci.com

If you don't get it as a gift, just buy it for yourself!

Hello Monday!: Easy DIY photo Valentine

This is actually a Father's Day gift but I thought it could easily be made up as a Valentine's gift since Valentine's is also the perfect occasion for the kids to share what they love most about their dad.

via Positively Splendid

I found this on a site called Positively Splendid. You can download her template for Dad from this page. She also has a template for Mom here and for your child's teacher here.

via Positively Splendid

via Positively Splendid

Adorable, personalized and easy to make Valentine's gifts! Enjoy!

Top 5 gift ideas for a new mother

The biggest challenge when shopping for a newborn is refraining from buying every teeny-tiny-adorable piece in the store! The options are limitless but what about the new mom? A good friend of ours recently suggested I do this post and I thought it was a great idea! So here goes, my TOP 5 gifts for the new mom:

1) A tea or coffee gift set:
This is the gift my friend received; a David's Tea Assorted Tea Gift Box. She is an avid tea drinker and so this gift was really just for her! The nice comfort of taking the time to have a nice cup of tea and the bonus caffeine boost that comes with it is extremely welcome when you become a new mom!

David's Teas Assorted Tea Holiday Gift Box

David's Teas Assorted tea & Tea Mug

David's Tea Assorted Tea Gift Box

David's Tea Bubble Teapot

David's Tea Bubble Teacups

David's Tea Ice Tea Maker

Starbucks Coffee & Chocolate Pairing Experience

Starbucks Coffee Press Gift Pack

Starbucks Dark Roast Coffee Journey

Starbucks Ready Brew Coffee Tour

2) A baby journal:
New mom's find out pretty quickly that they need some way to keep track of their little ones daily routine (what time they sleep, eat and so much more). I ended up using a random notepad as it was all I had on hand but I would have loved this custom baby journal. Such a great way to have all those little notes in one place as a keepsake for later.  There are many options out there but seeing as I am recently crushing on Pinhole Press, take a look at these:

via Pinhole Press

via Pinhole Press

via Pinhole Press

via Pinhole Press

The inside looks like this:

3) Meals delivered to the door, homemade meals or a gift certificate towards a cleaning service :
Now this one should be at the top of this list...New parents do not have time to cook & clean...they hardly have time to take a shower! Showing up with a homemade meal or offering a gift certificate towards a "meals on wheels" service or cleaning service is like giving them gold!

It can just be a gift certificate towards a couple hours of cleaning, towards a week of meals or even a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant (just make sure it delivers as they won't have a chance to go out for dinner for a little while).

I've never used a service like these. Showing up with some homemade food has been my thing but if I wanted to offer this to a new mother and could not make it to her doorstep I think I would try Mamaluv.com.  They have packages to suit any budget and they offer delivery services in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.  

4) Birthstone jewelry:
I think this would be a sweet gift for a mother who has just had her second (or third) child. The pendants with each child's birthstone can be engraved with the child's name & birth date. They can also be ordered separately to be added with each additional child.

I found this style and more birthstone jewelry options below at redenvelope.com:

5) Gift certificate for a photo session in studio or (even better) at home:
I wish I had done a professional family photo shoot just the three of us in the first few weeks of bringing our son home but time flew by and between changing what felt like a million diapers and feedings every 2 hours (sometimes every hour!) we did not get a chance to have a professional photo shoot done until he was 4 months. New parents never have the time for these things and so having a professional photographer come to your home or a gift certificate in hand for a nearby photo studio is a true blessing and the photos taken will be treasured forever!

Here are a few Montreal photographers and photo studios:

via Sonia Jam Photography 

via Anita Huber Photography

via Boite Blanche Photo Studios

via Magenta Photo Studios

Oooooosh! How cute is that last pic!