With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, many parents will be getting ready to send their children away for a week (or more!) of summer camp.  If you are one of these parents, you are likely already starting to gather the gear that your kidlets will need to take with them on their camp retreat.

Stuck on You has a great selection of products to help ensure that your child comes home with the same things they left home with. No more lost items needing to be replaced?! Yes please!

Children will love their own personalized Toiletry Bag with multiple inside pockets to keep their belongings organized!

These little 100ml Travel Bottles are great for any type of travel. You can customize what you’d like each bottle to hold!

For the ultimate in camp organization, the Camp Sleepaway Pack comes with a Toiletry Bag, Iron On Clothing Labels, Small Name Labels and Shoe Dots!

Now for the fun part!! You could win 1 of 5 Stuck on You vouchers (valued at $20 each) to purchase the products of your choice! To enter the contest, please fill in the Rafflecopter form below.  

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Stuck on You has you covered when getting ready for summer camp! (& a giveaway!) appeared first on North Shore Mama.

One of my favourite fieldtrips with my students every year is to the Vancouver International Children’s Festival.  As a French Immersion teacher, the VICF is perfect because of the FrancoFun day which offers activities and performances in French!

I have yet to take my own children to the VICF, but we plan on going this year for the first time! I’m really looking forward to it, especially since I have not been since it’s been on Granville Island!

“A world-renowned festival of performing arts for young audiences, the Vancouver International Children’s Festival has been educating, entertaining and inspiring young audiences since 1978.”

I am excited to have the opportunity of giving away a Family 4-Pack of passes to the World of Art in the Children’s Festival’s Activity Zone.  There are many activities for families to enjoy this year such as facepainting, making music with found objects, african dance & music, shadow puppetry, circus skills, bicycle spin-art , origami and MORE!

To enter the contest, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below.  This contest will run until 9pm PST on Wednesday, May 22nd.  The winner will be announced on May 23.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Giveaway: 4 passes for the World of Art at VICF! appeared first on North Shore Mama.

So without further ado, here is Leslie!

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Why won’t my baby fall asleep?

Have you ever found yourself endlessly rocking your baby to sleep just to have him wake up right when you place him in the crib?

Have you tried driving to Squamish and back in the middle of the night and your baby STILL won’t sleep?

Were there things that used to put your baby to sleep and now they don’t work anymore?

If so, you’re not alone.

Most parents have found themselves in this situation and they can’t figure out why their baby won’t sleep. The answer is actually quite simple: your baby doesn’t know how to sleep. When babies are newborn or infants, we love to hold and cuddle them to sleep, they fall asleep while feeding or in the stroller while we take a walk. Over time, however, babies become dependent on these methods to go to sleep. If your little one cries each time they are placed in their crib, it’s because they don’t know what to do in there. They are used to movement or feeding to make them fall asleep, so they genuinely can’t fall asleep without some kind of assistance from you.

Adults and babies alike all have sleep cycles. While adult cycles are slightly more complicated, babies only have 2 stages of sleep: active and quiet and the cycle lasts about 45 minutes. After the quiet cycle ends, the baby must re-enter active sleep or wake up. A baby who falls asleep with our assistance, or a sleep “prop” (eg soother, lullabies, bouncing, rocking), usually can’t re-enter the active cycle. This is the reason many babies will only nap for a short period of time and wake up several times in the night, which most parents find frustrating.

While the answer to this question may be simple, teaching your baby to fall asleep independently can be difficult. Here are a few of my favorite tips on how to start your baby on a path to great sleep.

1. Develop a consistent bedtime routine. A bedtime routine should last about 30 minutes and could look like bath, pyjamas on, feed, read stories and into the crib awake. This routine should be the same each night and it’s a great idea to take turns with your husband, partner or any other caregiver that helps you so that your baby can learn that the steps are the same no matter who puts them to bed.
2. Give your baby an early bedtime. Most people think putting their baby to bed later will help them sleep longer, but usually the opposite is true. When a baby goes to sleep overtired, they are likely to have a rocky sleep and will probably wake up earlier. Most babies do well with a bedtime around 7:00pm (and then mom and dad can have some time to themselves in the evening).
3. When your baby wakes in the night or from a nap, give them a few minutes (between 3-10 min) before you go to them. Many babies are actually stirring and not quite awake and can put themselves to back to sleep if given time.

For more tips on how to get your baby to sleep better, please visit my website akissgoodnight.ca to download your free copy of my top 5 tips.

*In honor of Mother’s Day, I am currently offering $100 off the price of a consultation or $50 off the price of a Newborn Package until May 19th, 2013.*

Sleep Well,
Leslie

Leslie Black is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology. She has lived in North Vancouver since age 7 and continues to reside there with her husband Jason and two young children William and Charles, along with their energetic companion Sully the Boxer. Leslie has been a family counselor for 6 years, specializing in parenting.  After successfully using the Sleep Sense Program to teach her boys how to be great sleepers, and working with countless tired parents who wondered how to get their children to sleep, Leslie decided to become a certified Sleep Sense Consultant.

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Do you have infant sleep questions that you would love to have answered? For the next week, you can leave your questions in the comments section below and Leslie will be choosing a few to answer in a follow-up post. So great! Thank you, Leslie!

The post Expert Series: A Kiss Goodnight Sleep Consulting appeared first on North Shore Mama.

PERHAPS… you are even trying to make one of these life changes RIGHT NOW! Whether you are on the fence about a career change, about starting a family, about moving ‘up’ or ‘down’ in the real estate world, about popping the big question, or about selling it ‘all’ and becoming a world traveler, there’s a very good chance you will be seeking out the advice of others in hopes that they will help guide you.

And so arises the question… Can the wisdom of 50 strangers change your life for the better?

Who are these 50 strangers, you ask?  Well, they are The Audience….

“Every day, millions of users on Twitter and Facebook consult their family, friends & followers for advice.  Many of our major decisions are played out online.  The Audience brings the concept of social networking to television and explores the question: Can the wisdom of the crowd change a person’s life for the better? The Audience employs a clever and surprising format.  For one week, the individual is followed by ‘The Audience;’ 50 ordinary, insightful people from diverse backgrounds. ‘The Audience’ puts their heads together, debates the dilemma, and comes up with the best possible solution… the wisdom of the crowd.  At the end of the week, ‘The Audience’ presents its considered, collective, and thoughtful advice to the individual that should help them move forward and make a positive decision regarding their dilemma.”

Are you ready to take the plunge?

This is a great opportunity for anyone who is open to sharing their decision-making journey on T.V.  This may not be something you could ever see yourself doing, but even if you are slightly intrigued, fire off an email to: info@theaudiencecanada.ca to apply for a spot on The Audience.

For more information about The Audience, visit their Facebook page.

“Life is a journey, not a destination.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

*I have been compensated to help spread the word about this opportunity.  The ideas behind the content of the post are mine.* 

The post Are you on the fence? Let The Audience guide you! appeared first on North Shore Mama.

We spent the morning making four difference recipes which the kids all loved! We started with a simple (and delicious) guacamole.  The wee ones got to cut the avocados and mango and mush them in their bowls.  It was great seeing them all getting right in there.  It was truly hands-on and the munchkins got to do every step of the preparation which was really fun for them!

What’s gonna work? TEAMWORK!

Next up, the kids made a healthy alternative to lemonade.  With freshly squeezed lemons and maple syrup instead of sugar, you really can’t go wrong.  I know what we will be sipping on in the shade this summer!

I think Portia’s personal favourite recipe was probably the apple caramel popcorn that came next.

The grand finale was pizzas from scratch! The kids rolled out the dough, chose their toppings and then watched in awe as the pizzas went into the pizza oven.

A huge THANK YOU to Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. for inviting us and teaching our little angels the joy of cooking.  I was so impressed by how calm the morning was, being the large group that we were!

You and your kids can attend a family pizza making night at Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. too.  To find out more, visit their site.  They also host kids parties, which I think would be a great idea!

As a little treat, Rocky Mountain Flatbread will be choosing someone randomly from their Facebook Fan Page to win 2 tickets to their Family Pizza Nights {sunday and mondays 5-7pm}. For your chance at winning LIKE their Facebook Page and cross your fingers

The post Kiddie cooking day at Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. appeared first on North Shore Mama.

My morning started with back-to-back face and foot reflexology treatments, compliments of Kalyana, followed by being treated to high noon tea at C.C Violin Patisserie and Café.

Admittedly, I have a mild obsession with foot rubs. I have friends who don’t like feet anywhere near them and others who don’t want anyone touching their feet, but I am all about the feet. (Especially if it involves a massage!). My mom and I love going for foot reflexology treatments, so when I heard about Kalyana in West Vancouver, I was pretty excited to try a new local wellness centre.

When I arrived for my treatments at Kalyana, which opened its doors just over 3 months ago in West Vancouver, I was greeted by two members of the Kalyana team and had the opportunity to chat with them a bit before my first reflexology session. Saran and Rowena explained to me that the reason they believe so strongly in reflexology, and other holistic treatments, is that it is a preventative treatment- a way to relieve stress and live a balanced lifestyle where relaxation plays an important role! I couldn’t agree more.

I had never had reflexology done on my face. It was a really relaxing and calming experience. I’ve been for a few facials in the past and there is always more of a focus on applying and removing products, whereas the facial reflexology is more of a gentle massage of the face and scalp.

My favourite part was definitely the foot treatment though.  We take our feet for granted.  They lug our bodies around all day long and they get shoved in all types of shoes (and not always the most comfortable ones either!).  Our feet get way less love than they deserve.  My sweet reflexologist, Corrina, told me that I would have an amazing sleep after my treatment as she did a real number on my ‘insomnia point’.  Baby Madeleine must have heard her, because Madeleine let me sleep for 6.5 hours straight last night (the most I’ve gotten since she was born was 4 hours in a row) and it was such a deep sleep that I woke up at 5am and did some work! Thank you Corrina!

All in all, my 2 hours at Kalyana were pure bliss. My day of pampering did not end there though!

Next up, I was being treated to high noon tea at C.C Violin Patisserie and Café, another West Vancouver gem! I invited my mom to join me and we had such a perfect catch-up for the first time in a long time with no kidlets around.  We actually managed to finish sentences. It was so nice!

If you have yet to check out C.C Violin Patisserie and Café, you definitely should! They have an incredible spread of baked treats with everything from pain au chocolat to macarons. They serve unbelievable coffee (Galileo-for those coffee aficionados out there) and have super friendly staff as well.  I will definitely be suggesting C.C Violin the next time I’m meeting a friend for coffee.

High Tea at C.C Violin

Now here is the extremely fun part!! Kalyana and C.C Violin Patisserie and Café have teamed up with a special offer and will generously be treating one lucky reader to this fantastic pairing:

At Kalyana:
-Mother’s Day Aromatherapy Oils: for your treatment, choose from Jasmine (uplifting and soothing), Lavender (calming and healing), Mandarin (cheerful and  sensual), Neroli (spicy, floral and calming), Orange (lively and refreshing) or Rose (romantic and supportive).
-A 45 minute Facial Reflexology treatment followed by a 55 minute Foot Reflexology session including a hot-stone foot soak.

At C.C Violin Patisserie and Café (before or after your Kalyana experience):
-High Tea

The post Reflexology and high noon tea… A perfect Saturday {& a giveaway!} appeared first on North Shore Mama.

Even if you live in North Vancouver, unless your children have attended the Seymour Heights Parent Participation Preschool, you have probably not heard about this little gem of a preschool. You might have passed it on your way to drop off your children at Seymour Dance, or on your way to the Bubble; you might have wondered about its cute mural; but you were probably not sure what it really was. Tucked away in a little pocket close to Ron Andrews Rec Centre, this preschool is quite unassuming at first glance, but to the parents and children that have attended it, this preschool means the world.

Parents attending a preschool? Oh, YES!!!…If you are a SHPPP parent, you are not in for an easy ride, trust me. You commit to a number of things: participating in the classroom once every two weeks as the Teacher’s assistant; attending parent education and general meetings once a month; running the preschool with all the other parents by taking a job and keeping up with your job tasks; and… having FUN in the process! (As a side effect, you also become actively engaged in your child’s development and education; become an active member in your local community; build a rock-strong attachment with your children that no peer or other influence can touch; take the time to play with, listen and respect your children; and … set some pretty high expectations for yourself as a parent, and then meet them, of course).

The preschool is a member of the Council of Parent Participation Preschools in British Columbia, and it receives strong direction from the Council, but everything is run and done by parents.

The parent participation philosophy is something I have always believed in without even knowing it. Also, everything I know and believe in as a parent today has been reinforced by this preschool’s philosophy. I am also not the only adult in our family that “attends” the preschool. Our whole family does: when my “real” job hours and responsibilities increased, the Dad stepped in by meeting his parent education orientation requirement and stepping into the classroom as a real pro; when my job increased from part-time to full-time, Grandma took my place; and our Grandpa has always been involved with drop-offs and pick-ups and special events attendance. The whole family has come together here for the same cause. And our relationships have become stronger and more meaningful in the process.

We have put hours of volunteering into this preschool, and never ever thought the time was not well spent. Every minute we have devoted to it has multiplied in terms of how much we have got in return. I am proud to say that I now know how to pick good from not-so-good children books from afar (thanks to my two-year experience as the preschool’s Librarian); I have personally met and quizzed some of the best speakers on parenting in the Greater Vancouver area (from my year spent as the Parent Education Chair); I would know how to establish a society or a non-for-profit, and how to write a Constitution for such an organization (No prob! I learned that this year as a Vice-President).

So, if you are thinking about what path you would like to take with your child, take a good look at the Seymour Heights PPP, or any other ppp in your community because you will make the right choice. To quote our fabulous Teacher Patt with the sentence that completely won me over at my first orientation (a Wine and Cheese event in the faraway 2007): “I know this is the right choice for you and your child because YOU will be there.” From that moment on, I knew what path I was going to take – to be there for my children, involved in the classroom and everywhere else. …And I have been, just like all the other parents who have decided to get involved in a ppp.

So what are some of the words of wisdom I have learned at the Seymour Heights PPP:

• The most important thing a child can do and spend time on is – play! (See the article by fabulous Kathy Lynn.)

• You build a stronger attachment with your child by spending more simple moments with your child. (You can find more on Neufeld’s views here.)

• A child learns way more if he initiates the play and you come along for a ride, than if you just stick with your teaching agenda. (I kind of new this before, but StrongStartBC‘s Carol Lundrigan showed us some great examples this year).

• A child is never too young to learn about body science. Saleema Noon totally empowered me to discuss this topic with my children in one of her talks years ago. (You can find more on Saleema Noon here).

• When resolving sibling conflicts, your goal is to give the children the skills so they can learn to do it all on their own. If you give them the tools, they will eventually problem solve by themselves, and will not need you to intervene (and how great is that!). (To learn more about Chasidy Karpiuk, see here).

• When dealing with a persistent child, no matter how hard it could be, just try to see the issue from her perspective. (On this and many other similar topics, see Chris Burt’s website.)

This is only a sneak peek of what you could learn and experience at a parent participation preschool. For more, join us for our monthly parent education talks first Wednesday of every month, and sign up your child for the Three’s or Four’s class in September. It was the best thing I did for my family!

Thank you for sharing with us, Emina!

The post Seymour Heights Parent Participation Preschool appeared first on North Shore Mama.

My Baby’s First Journal arrived in the mail I could not wait to crack it open to see what it was all about.

The journal is a feeding, sleeping and diapering log to be able to keep track of those important details when baby is first born! For those who are “pen and paper” resolved, this is a great way to stay on top of when you last fed, diapered and bathed baby!  As a currently sleep-deprived mama, I know how important it is to document these things, as it is very easy to forget most things at this stage in our lives.  ;)

One of the first things I noticed about the product, while flipping through it for the first time, was the quality of the materials used.  The paper is thick and sturdy.  No worrying about the toddler tearing out important information!

I find the design of the book to be clean and straightforward and there are enough “log” pages for the first 3 months of your baby’s life, should you wish to document for that long.  And how cute are the little feet at the bottom of each page?!?

I personally used an iPhone app that tracked all of this information for me, and that is my one struggle with this particular product.  Having said that, there are many aspects of the “pen and paper” way of logging that an iPhone cannot give you!  For example, if your partner is helping out with feedings and diaper changes, this journal can be shared with them (and others who might be helping out as well) so that all of the recording is being done in one place.  There are certainly ways of syncing the iPhone apps with your partner, but having a hard copy to pass off to one other seems to make more sense.

Glow Baby has a variety of products from Memory Books to Menu Planning tools to keep mamas and papas nice and organized!  Whether you are a parent yourself or you are looking for a great baby shower gift, Glow Baby has you covered!

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Here’s the extra exciting part for you!  Glow Baby has graciously offered to gift one lucky reader a $30 gift certificate to spend in their online store! Whether you fancy the Baby’s First Journal seen above or one of their other great products, it’s up to you how you’d like to spend your prize!

(This contest is open to Canadian residents and will run until 12am PST on Tuesday, April 7th.  The lucky winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email.  The winner must claim their prize within 48 hours, or another winner will be selected.)

Entering the giveaway is easy.  Fill in the Rafflecopter form below as many ways as you like.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Glow Baby- Baby’s First Journal review (& giveaway!) appeared first on North Shore Mama.

I’m determined to get back up and running though. I decided that there would be no better way to get your attention (and love) back than to host a few giveaways this week.  To thank you for not giving up on North Shore Mama, check in often this week so you don’t miss out on the goodies to be won!

Thanks for sticking with me while I immerse slowly from the newborn fog

The post Crickets appeared first on North Shore Mama.

This seems to be a very popular query as by the time you type in “what to pack i“, your question is auto-completed! You can try it just for fun… or just keep reading my post and save yourself the search

I decided that I would post my own little list of deemed essentials, in case anyone is expecting and is wondering what they might want to have with them once it’s “GO TIME”.

I should note that I delivered both our girls via caesarian section (both liked to hang out in breech position), so some of the items on my list might be more valuable for longer hospital stays.

A few of the items that went into ‘my bag’.

Here is what I had in MY bag for birth #2.  I didn’t have all these items when Portia was born and learned a few tricks for the second go-round!

• Baby mitts (those teeny newborns flail their arms like crazy and their nails are deceivingly sharp)
• Receiving blankets (they have some in the hospital, but they are pretty rough from the 1000′s of washes)
• Baby hat (again, your nugget will get one in the hospital, but both ours were too big and not overly cute)
• A sleeper or other little outfit for your baby to go home in (the softer the better!)
• Pacifiers (if you want to try pacifying your baby from the get-go, I suggest bringing a few different kinds)
• Lip balm and moisturizer (why is it so dry in hospitals anyways?)
• Makeup bag with basics (there are lots of photos being taken and visitors coming by-ok, and I’m vain)
• Your own pyjama’s or a robe in case you stay the night and want out of the hospital gown
• Slippers (if you’re labouring a while, you might do lots of walking and you’ll want to be comfy)
• Phone & charger
• Magazines/a book, in case you are really chill or something and can relax every now and again
• Eyeglasses or contacts
• Snacks (to keep up your energy or cure any cravings)
• Your own water bottle (because hospital cups only hold so much)
• Wallet with ID and Care Card
• Bathroom essentials: toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, face wash, hair ties, headbands, shampoo, etc.
• NIPPLE CREAM (ok, I can’t stress this enough.  Apply before, during and after breastfeeding! Especially in those first couple of weeks!)
• Nursing bra and nursing tank (not necessary, but can make life easier!)
• Your ‘good’ camera! (No explanation needed)
• Nursing cover (a.k.a Hooter Hider- especially while you’re getting the hang of nursing and visitors are filing through constantly)
• Your own comfy pillow (and a pillow & blanket for your partner if you think you’ll be staying the night-or in our case 3!)
• Gifts to and from an older sibling (Portia got a little present from her new baby sister and she had a little gift to give Madeleine when she met her too)
• A properly installed car seat for the exciting ride home!

This is a very exciting time and I wish you all the very best!

The post It’s in the bag… the ‘hospital bag’ that is! appeared first on North Shore Mama.