Gummy vitamins came into the market because of a need–a supplement fatigue also known as pill fatigue. Customers wanted more options and the gummy trend started popping up everywhere. Now, finding a company that doesn’t sell a gummy is difficult. Problems with Gummy Vitamins Gummy vitamins may help fight pill fatigue, but they raise some questions in my mind: Are gummy vitamins too much like candy? Gummy vitamins look like candy and taste like candy, which can be confusing to small kids, and gets kids used to candy and candy-like products at a young age. Are gummy vitamins bad for teeth? Some ..read more

The immune system is our powerful internal army seeking, recognizing, and destroying invaders to keep us free of disease. When the immune system is functioning optimally, few viruses, bacteria, cancer, or parasites are allowed to set up house in the body, and create illness. Parts of the Immune System The immune system has two main parts: the innate immune system that you were born with and the adaptive immune system that develops over time as it is exposed to viruses and other invaders. When an infant is born, they acquire some immunity from their mom and through the placenta and from breast ..read more

Constipation: let’s just say the word… CONSTIPATION. Constipation is uncomfortable and sometimes very painful. But there is more to it than just having a hard time passing stool. And no one learns more about bowel movements than a new parent. From the birth of their first child, parents are told what colour to look for, the frequency, the shape and even the consistency. We learn that poop of breastfed babies is different from poop of formula-fed babies, and that starting solid foods or even the foods a breastfeeding mom eats can affect our little ones. The only issue with when most people lear ..read more

I know, I know, we are all skeptical of natural deodorants. We all want to kick our endocrine disruptors and nasty chemicals, but we also don’t want to be smelling ourselves by lunch time! Since my early 20s, I have been using natural deodorants, with some brands working great for a week and then suddenly NOT. I always had my ‘backup’ generic aluminum, PPG-14 Butyl Ether, petroleum, parabens and phthalates deodorant ready to take over if needed. Once I had my daughters and the frequency of my showering dramatically reduced—dry shampoo for the win—I knew I needed to find something that worked ..read more

Focus on Local Brands and Small Shops for 2020 2020 has been a year! This year will forever be in our history books for decades and even centuries, but part of that history can be joy. The holiday season is a time of caring and showing our love for one another. Even if you cannot be close to your loved ones this year we can still make everyone feel loved. This year, I focused on local stores and Canadian companies. I also brought back some favourite items from holiday gift guides from previous years. As many of you may know, I always encourage experiences over gifts but who doesn’t like openin ..read more

When I had our first daughter, it was just the two of us for most of the days with dad at work and grandparents coming and going for quick visits. We would relax together and she would lie on my chest. It was wonderful. As she became more active and we increased our daily activities and outings, we started using a baby carrier. Once you start baby wearing you won’t stop! Baby wearing is amazing! After our second daughter was born, that carrier came out as soon as possible so I could be close and comforting to my newborn and attentive to my toddler. Then, when baby girl number three came, the b ..read more

We have all been there. Enticed by an easier, better, faster way of doing something in the kitchen. I am not going to lie, I have been tempted by the endless infomercials and the new and improved versions of kitchen gadgets. Whether it is the perfect julienne potatoes or the perfectly diced onions with no tears. However, I do not enjoy clutter, so all of the items in my kitchen must impress and be used on a regular basis or they won’t make the cut. —I have compiled a list of 10 must-have kitchen items—items I love and use -items you may not know you even need. 1. Magic Egg Timer Making the per ..read more

Single-use plastics, a term that has become a dirty word, refers to disposable plastics that are used once and tossed. The main culprits are grocery bags, food containers, straws, water bottles, cups and cutlery. Because of the composition of plastics, they do not degrade and according to 4Ocean a plastic straw would take 200 years to decompose. Because most plastics are not recycled properly and do not decompose, they are ending up in our oceans and sea creatures are either ingesting plastics or getting tangled in them ultimately ending in the animal dying. The biggest issue that directly af ..read more

Inspiration from Sleep Deprivation Every parent can relate to the struggles of putting their child to sleep. After giving birth to my third daughter, bedtime was more than a handful, especially when one child just could not and would not fall asleep. The countless nights of staying up with my middle child (and a newborn) inspired me to write my first children’s book. My three daughters and I love to read stories at bedtime. We have our favorite children’s stories, but we also like to create our own stories or makeup new endings. We usually read two or three stories each night. But Emma would r ..read more

The holidays are always a busy time. Even when we try to slow down it speeds up! Some years the holiday season just flies by and we wish we could put it on pause and enjoy our time with family and loved ones. One thing many people fall back on to help ease the holiday stress is purchasing presents online. And while I do agree it saves some time, it does not mean you have to purchase online from a big-box store. This year support a local store. Being inside a store lets you see what else is available that you may not even have known the store had, and provides you with an opportunity to look, t ..read more