Oh Baby: 39 Weeks

Well, this is it. My very last bump update. As I sit here writing this, in about 12 hours, my alarm will be going off signalling that it's time to get up and get over to the hospital. It's such a weird thing - setting your alarm to go have your baby, and just like with Sully's delivery, it won't really feel 100% real until we are at the hospital and heading into the OR.

Last week, I was so ready physically, to have this baby. But funnily enough, the past several days I've been the most comfortable I've been in weeks. Or maybe the chaos of Christmas and tidying up and doing laundry, etc, distracted me enough from the fact that I am 39 weeks pregnant. Either way, the thought that come tomorrow, I will have two children, is so surreal. You spend so many weeks and days being pregnant, watching your belly grow, adapting to the physical changes and anxiously awaiting to meet your new baby, and sometimes it feels like that day is never going to come! But here I am, about to have my life completely change again tomorrow.

I feel so unprepared in some ways. Unprepared to breastfeed around the clock again. Unprepared to be woken up several times a night and function on little to no sleep. Unprepared to care for a newborn and a toddler.

And I'm also scared. Scared to have another surgery. Scared to have another incision and have to let it heal. Scared that I won't have the patience to be the best mother to both my children. Scared that I won't know how to ask for help when I need it, or to accept it when it's offered. In some ways I'm comforted by the fact that I've already had a c-section and know what to expect for the most part, but sometimes too much knowledge is scary too.

And then there's Sully. I'm so, so excited for him to be a big brother, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about how he's going to take it. We had a very trying week with him: lots of meltdowns and temper tantrums and bad behaviour. I'm not sure if it's just a case of the terrible twos, or if he's more aware of the changes that are about to take place than we give him credit for. Or maybe it's a combination of the two. Thankfully, at least I know he will be in good hands with his Nanny and Papa while Jim and I are in the hospital with the new baby.

Anyway, this pregnancy has just flown by, as I knew it would. Sure, some of the days were dreadfully long, but it doesn't feel very long ago that we found out I was pregnant. And, as terrified and unprepared as I feel, I'm also looking forward to starting this new chapter of our life, getting out of maternity clothes, getting back into shape (one day) and living and enjoying life as a family of four.

Thank you to everyone who has sent me messages today, wishing me all the best for tomorrow and letting me know you're thinking of me and baby. Your thoughts and support mean the world to me! xoxo

10 Baby Items You Don't Need

With Baby #2 expected to make her arrival in just over a week now, I'm finding myself going through piles of baby stuff, making lists on things I still need to pick up, and reflecting on baby paraphernalia that I thought I needed with Sully that I ended up finding completely useless or not worth the money. I don't believe for a second that all your baby needs is clothes, diapers and love. Sure, you would survive that way, but there are some pretty cool baby items out there nowadays that make life with a newborn easier. But that also means there are a lot of baby related things out there that are not worth your money no matter how well the marketing on it might be.

With that being said, obviously this is a subjective list since everyone's needs differ and what works for one parent (or baby), might not work for another, but overall, when I think about the baby items that are useless or a waste of money, these one's make my list.

1. Burp Cloths: Totally unnecessary. For starters, they are too small and 10 times out of 10, the spit up is going to roll farther down your shoulder than the burp cloth covers. I'm all for multipurpose items and I found that receiving blankets thrown over your shoulder did a much better job of collecting spit up.

2. Change Table: A piece of furniture that baby will outgrow doesn't make sense to me. Buy a change pad and place it on top of a dresser. Or, change your baby on the couch or the floor, which is what I ended up doing most of the time. Great way to prevent baby falling too!

3. Wipes Warmer: I know, I know, it's a great idea! And I have friends who loved theirs. But I so rarely changed diapers in the exact same spot that the cost of one just doesn't seem worth it. And my son survived without one. Plus, do you really want to accustom your baby to only having it's butt wiped with something warm? What happens then when you aren't at home? Skip it. Babies all over the world have survived cold wipes.

4. The Pee-pee Teepee: These were passed on to me from a co-worker as a bit of a joke gift, but at first I was like, these are genius! No. Just a complete novelty item. First of all, you aren't going to pull them out every time you go to change a diaper. And if you do happen to remember to, if baby does pee, then you've just added another thing to be washed. Also, I never once was peed on...it's pretty easy to gauge when your baby boy is about to pee and a washcloth, wipe or the diaper that is still underneath the baby will suffice.

5. Sleepers that go over the head: Why would anyone think these are a good idea?! It's hard enough dressing a wriggly, screaming baby, let alone getting them into a sleeper that only goes over their head. Throw in a poop explosion and you'll be cutting that thing off with scissors!

6. Diaper Genie: Everyone tells you you need one. And I agree to an extent. The first few months of baby's life, you go through a butt load of stinky diapers so it's nice to have a closed system to contain them. BUT...I still found the smell to be unbearable once you have to empty the diaper genie. And don't even get me started on how expensive the bag refills are for them!! Once I ran out of my refills with my second hand diaper genie, I stopped using it. I'd rather take the garbage out twice a day then spend good money on garbage bags.

7. The Bumbo: You either love your Bumbo or don't. I definitely thought it was one of those "must have" items, so I picked one up second hand. My kid hated it from the beginning and after reading some articles on how it forces your baby into unnatural positions, I knew it wasn't for me. No judgement on mom's who love theirs, but I think a bouncy chair or the floor provides a better option!

8. Shopping Cart Cover: Do you really want to drag another baby item along with you wherever you go? No, you really don't. I get it, you want to keep your baby safe from germs, but I'm of the camp that exposure to germs isn't always a bad thing. And I bet 9 times out of 10, you'll forget to bring the damn thing into the store with you anyway. If you must, give the handle and seat a quick wipe down.

9. The Baby Bullet: I will admit, years before I had my own kid, I thought the Baby Bullet was so cute and I wanted one. But the reality is, a Magic Bullet or any high speed blender for that matter, will do the trick. Plus, it will also make adult sized portions so you won't need to store two different blenders.

10. The Snoogle: OK, technically not a baby item, but I'm throwing this one in anyway. My first pregnancy, I bought the regular Snoogle and hated it. When it was time to switch sides I was laying on, I'd have to flip the whole thing over, but I'd have to lift the covers off the bed first. Way too much work. And I found it uncomfortable on my head. This pregnancy, I decided to try the Snoogle on Steroids, aka The Back 'N Belly Body Pillow. It was definitely comfortable at first, but then I didn't know where to put my arms! Threading one underneath the pillow made it fall asleep and I didn't know where else to put it. That thing, along with the cover for it, was freaking expensive so I returned it right away. Two king-sized pillows, or body pillows to support my hips did the job just fine!


Come back tomorrow to see what my top baby items are!


Parents out there - what baby items did you find to be useless or overrated? 

A Clean House is a Happy House!

I have never in my life had my home professionally cleaned. And it's not that I'm a terrible house keeper, but let's be honest here: it is a rare day that my entire house is sparkling clean from top to bottom. But isn't there something peaceful and almost magical about having your entire home clean all at one time? I'm talking, all the bathrooms, all the floors, all the dusting done. It's the adult equivalent of a kid on Christmas morning.

So when Mad Maids, a local cleaning company that services Calgary, Edmonton and surrounding areas, contacted me wanting to collaborate on this post, I don't think I've ever been so happy to receive an email in my life. I was giddy with excitement. Especially since I have a baby due now in two weeks and cleaning my home is becoming increasingly more difficult. It was a dream come true!

After doing a little research on Mad Maids, I was immediately impressed with the fact that they are a company that gives back. Each time a house is cleaned by Mad Maids, a portion of those proceeds are put away for donation to the World Food Program, which they make at the end of every month. That's pretty darn cool if you ask me!

Booking of your Mad Maids cleaning is also super easy and convenient and can be done all online. Pricing is all fixed based on how many rooms your home has so there's no hidden fees. Just select your date, service of choice (routine clean, deep clean or move in/out clean), and size of home. Payment is all done online, but you are not charged until the actual day of your cleaning. The maids always arrive in groups of two which streamlines the cleaning process and all the cleaning staff undergo identity and criminal background checks. They also bring all their own supplies, but should you want them to use certain products of your own, they are more than happy to comply. This includes everything from the actual cleaning products, to the vacuum, broom, toilet brush, etc.

The day my house was scheduled to be cleaned, I received an email the night before reminding me of my cleaning booking and time. Then, the morning of, because of road conditions, I also received a call notifying me that the cleaning crew was running a few minutes late. No big deal, but the heads up was very nice! The couple that arrived were super friendly and I gave them a tour of my home. You have the option to be at home while they clean or you are welcome to leave. Arrangements can also be made to leave a key or garage code if you aren't going to be home at all during your cleaning time.

The night before my cleaning, I took a look over the list of items that are included in a deep clean (which is pretty much everything under the sun). There were two things I told the cleaning people they didn't need to do: dust my mantle as I had just decorated it for Christmas, and vacuum my family room couch as we literally just purchased it. Also, if there is anything extra that you want cleaned that isn't included in the package you chose, (such as laundry, your basement, interior windows, etc), you can add those items on at the time of your booking for an extra fee.

My team started upstairs in the master bedroom and then they literally worked from top to bottom and out the front door. I didn't want to be in the way with Sully, so we left to run a few errands and they texted me when they were almost done so that we could head back home. We did a walk through of the house before they left and I couldn't get over how shiny and clean my home looked and felt. When we went upstairs, Sully couldn't get over it either and was jumping around exclaiming: "mama, look at the new TV! Look at your new bed! Look at my new room!! It's AWESOME!!" It was hilarious and we were all cracking up. I mean, I didn't think my house was THAT messy before!

My bathrooms were sparkling, including my glass shower door. Seriously, that thing has got to be the worst thing ever in the world to clean. My bed was made, and they did offer to change my sheets, but I declined as I had just changed them. All of our blinds were wiped (another job I hate doing so I never do it), our floor vents were cleaned, baseboards were wiped, the inside of my oven was cleaned and my floors were not only washed, but also polished! And that's on top of all the other regular stuff (counter tops, mirrors, vacuuming, etc). I joked that we were going to have to live in the basement for the next week as the house was so clean I didn't want anyone touching anything, haha!

It was hard to take before and after photos that truly showed their hard work, but if you look closely at the befores, you can see the soap scum buildup.

Overall, Jim and I were really impressed with the service we received. It took the crew about 4 hours to clean two floors which I think is great since I wouldn't want someone in my home for an entire day cleaning. I did notice a few things that weren't dusted on my main floor, and when I mentioned it in an email to Mad Maids (I didn't notice until after the cleaning crew left), they offered to come back and do anything that was missed. I declined since it was nothing for me to run a cloth over, but I definitely appreciated that they fully stand behind their 100% satisfaction guaranteed claim.

You guys, for the first time in a very long time, I feel at peace in my home. I don't feel overwhelmed by the cleaning that needs to be done and it's weird to not have anything needing to be cleaned! What an amazing feeling.

Would I use Mad Maids again? You bet! I also know what I will be asking for anytime someone asks me for a gift idea! Mad Maids offers gift certificates which I honestly think is a fantastic gift idea for someone - especially those hard to buy for people, or those people who seem to have everything! I bet they don't have a completely top to bottom sparkly clean home ;)

The best part of this? If you live in Calgary, Edmonton, or surrounding areas (Airdrie, Okotoks, Cochrane, Bragg Creek, Chestermere, St Alberta & Sherwood Park), you can use code SBF20 for $20 off a cleaning package of your choice (offer ends on 01/15/17). 

AND, I'm also giving away one $50 gift card and one $100 gift card to Mad Maids over on my Instagram account, so be sure to head over there to enter! Win it for yourself, or to gift to someone you know. The winner will be chosen before Christmas so it would make a great gift/stocking stuffer! 

*I was provided with a free house cleaning in exchange for this post. As always, thank you for supporting the companies that continue to make this hobby of mine possible!*


Have you ever had your home professionally cleaned? 

Do you have a regular cleaning company/person come in?

What's the one cleaning task you hate doing?