I heard on a podcast last year, Seth Godin, an author, genius marketing guru and father explain that he did this particular bedtime routine with his children until they were in high school. I thought it was clever, loving, simple yet a powerful parenting habit to share with you today.
Comments closedThe best part is it was spontaneous and with very little planning. The only thing we booked were the basics such as airplane tickets and hotels.
You know what, once upon a time…before I had kids… I used to buy travel books and research online for hours before going on a vacation about everything such as what to see, where to eat, what activities to do during that time, the festivals, the best views and so on.
Clearly if you are going somewhere far away that you might not visit again, then you really want to see the best of the best or the main attractions.
Well, this Summer we did not stop traveling, I had 3 big trips with only a few weeks or even only 1 week in between so needless to say, I kept everything to a minimum except for my meticulous planning on what to pack (such as putting outfits together to reduce the amount of stuff and buying mini travel size of my favourite products).
Comments closedWhen you’re curious, you find a lot of interesting things to do. Walt Disney Do you have a bucket list? There are a few things on my bucket list, ever since moving to Montreal over 10 years ago, I always wanted to go whale watching. Quebec has a…
Comments closedThis week it’s all about how to develop a powerful brain for your child. If you have been reading along then you know that I enjoy sharing great books and especially some oh so interesting ones about motherhood. You can find my previous posts about some good reads here and here.…
Comments closedMother’s Day is just around the corner and I have been thinking of what a mother, being a mother myself, would really appreciate or need.
So forget about scented candles, silk pyjamas, perfume or any other classic mother’s day gifts. I decided to make a new kind of list that is more modern, yet has some really helpful and time saving gifts. After all, I often hear mother’s say that they don’t have enough time to make time for themselves.
Comments closedEver since I started shopping for my son over 2 years ago, I have learned quite a few things about different brands which includes the quality, the style, the fit, the price and overall which ones are worth it and those that are not so great. In an ideal world,…
6 CommentsOne of things that had worked like a charm is making my own diaper spray and using a natural ever so simple product when changing my son’s diaper. These items have become my go-to products which have worked wonderfully and that I am happy to share with you.
Always looking for inexpensive and natural alternatives to incorporate in my life, naturally my son’s diaper routine also fell into that category. Babies skin are so sensitive so it was very important for me to find a way of not having to constantly buy those thick white diaper creams which you cannot even pronounce the ingredients.
After a lot of research, I found this easy and inexpensive baby bum spray that has the best smell and…I don’t know if this is really because of the product… but my son has never had a rash. It is very sensitive and soothing on the skin.
1 TBSP of olive oil
1 TBSP of Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lavender Castille Soap Liquid
4 Cups of water
Mix together. Use in a spray bottle (there will be leftover liquid, keep aside to refill the spray bottle as needed, always mixing it before each use)
TIP*** I had bought the large 16oz Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Soap bottle and it was too much since 2 years later, I am still making this mix from the same bottle. So I linked to a smaller one which is even less expensive yet should still last a year.
Diaper Routine:
After last week’s emotional post on motherhood, click here to read it, I wanted to end this month of love with a comfortable, fun fashion post. One of the things that I hear a lot of women mention is that they want to be comfortable in the clothes they wear.…
Comments closedI thought about writing this post after my son was born over 2 years ago but never had the courage to do so. It scared me, it made me sad, it confused me, I felt ashamed. I kept thinking of the judgements, but even worst I would judged myself for having these thoughts. It made me cry. After all, ever since I was a young girl having children was an obvious decision « of course », how could a woman not want to have one. I actually wanted a few kids, I loved seeing pregnant women and thought mothers with young kids was incredibly beautiful. It made me happy, it made me smile. I was one of those women (pre-motherhood) that would be shocked when another person would mention that they had no interest in having kids, or maybe only one but that would be it. I would judge them and try to find out why, why oh why didn’t they want any children, that wasn’t normal? Wasn’t it the normal progression to have a child after school and/or post secondary education, marriage and having a career?? So I was surprised, when I didn’t actually love being pregnant. It felt weird to lose (to a certain point) control of my body and the thought of having a human being inside me was a little bizarre and freaky (I kept referring to it as the little alien inside me but that was probably having been tramautized by the 80’s-90’s Alien movie series with Sigourney Weaver when aliens would burst out of their stomachs!).
When I was pregnant, every single person would tell me how I would feel and how it would be, such as « It is challenging, you will never sleep again, it’s a lot of work but you will love every moment…, you will forget about the pain when you see your baby, I would not change a thing ». However, I did not expect it to be the most difficult, dark, emotionally draining and one of the most lonely times of my life. I have tears just trying to go back to those first few months of motherhood as I am writing this post trying to explain my experience. It scares the hell out of me posting this today as I don’t even know if I have ever truly told anyone about it, I don’t remember.
I was ashamed and embarrassed that I did not feel like everyone expected me to feel, happy. Our society projects becoming a mother like the best feeling in the world….for me, well, this wasn’t the case. Some of you will be find my truth horrible, others that know me will be shocked by this revelation as people have always seen me as sweet, calm, patient and motherly. I was afraid of opening up and actually writing this post to the world as others can be cruel and judgemental for feeling different about what has been categorized as #momlifeisthebestlife. At the time, giving birth and becoming a mother truly did not feel that way, it was actually the opposite for me.
So…judge me if you will, understand me if you can, this is something real that I’ve discovered over time a lot of new mothers go through but rarely speak about it.
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If you had to choose between eating a nutella filled crepe or a melted chocolate filled crêpe, which one would you prefer to eat??? If chocolate is your first choice then you are my kind of person!
No matter where I am located (traveling or at home), I am always on the lookout for amazing dessert places. Chocolate is almost always my preference but not your taste like chocolate but is only cocoa powder or taste like chocolate but is a water based chocolate syrup wannabe dessert. I like the real deal, the dark chocolate, slightly bitter taste mixed with nuts or fruits, mmmmm!
When February rolls around, I tend to want chocolate even more. Ever since moving to Montreal over a decade ago, Juliette et Chocolat has become my go-to place for dessert cravings and light lunches. You basically go there to eat chocolate for brunch, lunch or dinner. I am happy to say that I’ve probably tried almost everything on the menu. So naturally, I planned on going with my little family closer to Valentine’s day to get my monthly dosage of chocolate, hihi…
Comments closedUsually, the start of a new year has a lot of people thinking about goals, new projects and resolutions. Generally speaking, how to make this year even better than the last. Wouldn’t this also include how to create a happier environment ?
This had me thinking about an audiobook that I discovered a few months ago about raising happy kids. As a young mom, the challenge of raising children is real, even more when they are under the age of 5. So if this can help me, I hope that it can also inspire you in raising happy and confident children.
If you’ve missed it, here is another great book that I’ve talked about in a previous post about parenting.
Did you know that Denmark was voted the happiest place in the world since 1943 !!! So maybe they are doing some things right with their kids that we can also learn and apply in our lives.
As any parent knows, parenting is one of the most challenging things. So when I heard raved reviews about this parenting book on what the happiest people in the world do to raise confident and happy kids, I was very intrigued.
Comments closedOUTFIT: Old Navy navy plaid maternity shirt (regular plaid shirts also sold at JCREW, JCREW FACTORY, OLD NAVY, NORDSTROM), Old Navy Plaid scarf, Simons knit cardigan (other similar here or here), Gap maternity pants, blue suede Chelsea boots (sold out) One fashion item that will never go out of style…
Comments closedMY OUTFIT: Nutmeg Kenneth Cole NY wool blend coat, Simons mustard shirt (old) similar here and here, GAP maternity bi-stretch pants, KAMIK rainboots (old), other available styles SASHA’S OUTFIT: Guess denim jacket (old), LP Apparel sweater jacket, LP Apparel printed mountain shirt, Noppies sweatpants (old), BOGS rainboots, LP Apparel infinity scarf…
Comments closedHappy Thankgiving weekend!
If you have been following me on Instagram (@christiane.begin) then you know that I visited Tunisia recently with my little family. As my partner is originally from there, we visited his relatives as well as some tourist spots. I am currently prepping those posts and selecting from the many pictures we took so stay tuned!
Thanksgiving has always been an important weekend in my family. We had our extended family and some close friends on Sundays to celebrate and eat A LOT of homemade food. We celebrated the end of the farming season in my town (I grew up on a farm) while being together enjoying 5 course meals my mom usually prepared which was one of my favorite part of getting together. Mmmmm! Now that I have been living at the other end of the country, I don’t get to share these special moments with my family. On the other hand, I have my little family that is growing and I try to incorporate those traditions into my cooking and my baking. I enjoy the Fall feeling and coziness it brings with warmer clothing and hot beverages. Don’t you just LOVE the Fall flavors such as pumpkin, cinnamon, apple, cranberry sauce….?!
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