Me and Meg
meandmeg.com

So, I want a new bag. More specifically I would like a tan coloured bag that I can wear; lately I have really been wanting to be hands free. After a little shopping around I think I found something I like. Now the problemo is, how do I get it? I don't know how things run around your parts, but if I come home with a purchase over twenty dollars I usually have some explaining to do and said bag runs well over twenty dollars. I am not complaining, I love my life;I just love buying clothes too, but Wizzy likes saving and worrying about tomorrow. He's so silly. 

I think I have come up with the perfect solution. I am going to take a page out of the kids book and ask for it five thousand times until Wizz has no option except to relent. It's perfect. I started the campaign yesterday, here is a little snippet of how I have been implementing my plan thus far: 

Wizz: "Hey babe, do you want me to grab Jax from the bus?" 
Me: "Yeah, thanks. Oh and buy me that bag I want while you are at it. Thanks." 
Wizz: "What time do you have to leave tonight?" 
Me: "Well since you want me to go buy myself that bag, I need to leave around 5 pm." 
Me: "Can you grab a few things on your way home?" 
Wizz: "Sure, what do you need?" 
Me: "Fresh rosemary, lemons, 2% milk, and that new bag I emailed you. Just pop over to the mall for that." 

I have high hopes for this plan. Kids are really successful with it, so I think I can harness some of their power and get what I want.



M.

Me and Meg
www.meandmeg.com


Words, I'm bringing back. 

My vocabulary is at an all-time low. Last night while reading Fancy Nancy, I learned some new words; it's tragic. I need to broaden my patois. Here are a few words I would like to see make a resurgence. 

1. Shucks- as used to express disappointment. If I could exchange shucks for shit, I would almost stop swearing entirely ( I need to find a replacement for f*ck, a good one though, not fudge). 

2. Salon. As in: I'm going to the hair salon today, or the nail salon. I don't get hairdresser. You don't leave there with clothes on your head. 

3. Bedlam-I need synonyms for confusion and chaos. This will do. 

4. Cachinnate. My father use to say "don't cachinnate in front of anyone, you sound like a hyena". 

5. Whilst. My husband says this, I like it. It is so much more refined than while. 

6. Pedantic. This word gets a lot of use in South Africa (where I lived for three years), I don't hear people say it in Canada. 

7. Calamity. Any word I can use instead of disaster is amazing; actually it's refreshing considering how many diasters I deal with daily. 

 8. Lollygag. I say "hurry up" way too much. Stop lollygagging sounds softer, nicer. Here's an example of how I sounded last year:

Here is the new and improved Leigh: 

That sounds lame. 
Shit.
I don't think I can express myself without swearing. 

Cheers,
cheers L  

Joanna Ferensowicz, EcoSavvy Mama 


We're in the kitchen more than any other room in the house. This gives us the chance to use food to help our babies to develop their skills. Here are some tips:

Finger foods are important for speech development

The introduction of solids is a big milestone and for good reason. Oral motor skills required for speech development are developed through the sucking, chewing, licking and biting. Different textures help strengthen the tongue while biting and chewing strengthen the jaw and lips.

There is more than one way to use spaghetti

Babies love to touch and feel (and eat) anything that has an interesting texture. Cooked spaghetti at room temperature helps with the development of fine motor skills and grasp, self-help skills, and development of touch, texture and temperature senses. So drop a handful of cooked spaghetti on your little one's highchair tray and watch her play while she's getting some nutrition too!

It's OK to play messy!

Stimulate you child's senses by giving them some edible finger paint (just in case they decide to taste-test it!) or some edible play dough.

To make edible finger paint, simply make some instant vanilla pudding (according to the instructions) and add some food colouring. Even though this activity will get quite messy, the best way to control the mess is to do it at the high-chair. Take some digital pictures of your little artist at work for some great memories! (No need to keep the actual art!)

To make edible play dough, use 2 parts oatmeal, 1 part water and 1 part flour. Mix these ingredients together until they have a consistency of dough and then watch your little one squish the playdough with so much amazement! (For safety reasons, playdough is usually suggested for older babies and toddlers).

By Joanna Ferensowicz, EcoSavvy Mama
http://ecosavvymama.ca/blog
Follow me on Twitter: @ecosavvy_mama

Me and Meg
www.meandmeg.com

The Only way to go...... 

is with gratitude. I don't want to get too heavy-duty on you this morning, but I saw this on Pinterest and had to share. Most of us spend too much time thinking about what we don't like, what we don't have, what makes us mad/annoyed/frustrated, rather than thinking about all goodness. 

Cheers, L&M

Some controversy has risen as a result of this new doll--Children everywhere can now play with a VBAC Baby Doll. VBAC refers to 'Vaginal Birth After Cesarean', and is a new addition to the toy market. It retails at a high price-point of $170.00, and is causing a stir online and among parents and caregivers nation-wide. 

The handcrafted doll has a c-section scar on her lower-belly, and a tiny felt newborn (complete with umbilical cord and placenta) that can be delivered via the doll's hand-stitched vaginal opening. The doll comes with placenta, cord, diaper and receiving blanket. She loves to wear her baby in a rebozo or sling, and she makes sure she bring her diaper bag and her cardigan, poncho or scarf with her to keep her and her baby warm! 

The custom-made line of dolls from MamaMor are "educational tools that demonstrate normal, natural birth, breastfeeding and bonding," according to the Canadian company's web site.

Curious to see, what do you think of this doll?

Me and Meg
www.meandmeg.com

With the new year under way, I decided to launch a new version of Freya (if you recall she is my “horrible” daughter that Meg has mentioned previously). Think of it like you would a grand re-opening of your favorite store or restaurant.   It's akin to Mattel releasing the same Barbie again, advertising it as "all new". I am doing that with Freya.  All that has changed is my mind set. She hasn't changed, but that is irrelevant now, because with my new attitude, she is different.

I will even go so far as to say she is "new and improved". She sleeps longer and even says Mama when she is screaming in her crib. The all-new Freya throws food, has tantrums and cries once she is buckled into her car seat-for the duration of the car trip (how neat!).  Also, the new Freya can not be fooled by baby toys, she only wants real cell phones, or sunglasses.  Even better, Freya loves to pull other children's hair.  Freya enjoys pointing and screaming; nothing is more entertaining than watching my husband and I run around as we try to figure out what she wants.

Freya is a seasoned wrestler too. She loves nothing more than sitting on her whiny two-and-a-half-year old sister, pulling her beloved blanket from her hands. Her best feature by far- she doesn't nap! She is always awake, there to entertain and annoy. She never runs out of batteries.

What's not to love? She sounds like a money maker to me.