I just survived the day I spend two years dreading. Yes, two full years of dread for one day. There are others that I don’t particularly look forward, but they don’t even come close to this one. Second place goes to that day at the end of February when we have our annual puke-fest. There is usually one day of overlap when all children are simultaneously puking and pooping because of a nasty little tummy bug that is working the rounds.

So, what day could be worse than that you may ask? Well, picture my family on an airplane for 22 hours. Every second year we embark on a wildly stressful journey to spend the holidays with the in-laws. Mind you, once we arrive it is completely stress-free which is why I am willing to suffer through the getting there part. I recently wrote an article about this journey and it was aptly titled “Hell in the Skies”.

I made two observations during this most recent trip:

1) My new heroes in life are the people behind the Nintendo DS. I truly admire them and feel that I should offer up my next born child to them in thanks. I know having an electronic babysitter is frowned upon, but there is a time and a place - a 22 hour flight is such a time and a place. So to my friends at Nintendo DS, have I told you lately how much I love you?

2) You can actually get flight attendants to back down if you turn into psycho-mom. I had finally settled one very crabby kid to sleep. With seatbelt on, she was lying down beside me. We soon encountered a bit of turbulence and I was instructed to life child upright. At that point, I invited nice flight attendant to arrest me, fine me or throw me in bad passenger jail because there was NO way that child was going to be disturbed. Yes, I was willing to risk a turbulence related injury - sleeping child trumped bodily harm. Any of you mamas who are game to travel with kids will understand that kind of desperation. Our nice flight attendant realized she was not dealing with a rational human so slowly backed away as not to make any sudden movements that could cause me to lash out.

So was it worth the two years of dread? All things considered, maybe dread is a bit extreme but at least if my expectations are low I am pleasantly surprised when I survive without throwing a tot out of the plane.

Fortunately, I now have four weeks of therapy to prepare myself to board the plane for the journey home. 

How excited would you be if you turned on the radio and out came a song with your name in it?  For a toddler, nothing could be more thrilling.  (www.justforme.com) When I bought my youngest son his personalized CD, I found myself belting out children tunes in my minivan.   

The songs are familiar ones so as the children get older they become accustomed to all of their favourite music.   My eldest child also gets very excited when he hears his little brothers name on the radio.  It’s a great way to get the whole family singing along.   

The songs are endless.  Everything from If You’re Happy and You Know It, Bingo, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Row Row, Row Your Boat and many more it’ll take you right back to your childhood. 

Not only is this a fantastic item to buy for your kids, it makes the PERFECT birthday or holiday gift.  Even give it to an older sibling when their newest member to the family comes home to make them feel as special as they are. Order yours today at www.justforme.com - you’ll be singing Hush Little Baby all day at work.

How many times do you think you have lost a pair of shoes in your life?  Too many to count?  Now what if someone could have told you years ago that there was a way to prevent all of this confusion.  Enter Stuck On You (www.stuckonyou.biz/). 

I ordered shoe labels because I was fed up with my kids always misplacing their shoes at school.  From having inside shoes, outside shoes, my kids were never coming home with the shoes they went to school in.

The icons are adorable, the labels come in the cutest colors and they are so reasonably priced, I actually toyed with the idea of ordering some for my high heels.

Stuck on You also offers personalized notepads, bag tags, clothing labels, kitchen labels and so many more things that your house will be more organized and easier to locate all of those things you find yourself constantly misplacing.

My kids love their shoe tags and even find it necessary at the grocery store to take off their shoes and show random strangers their labels.  Hey, whatever gets me through the produce isle.  They also last incredibly well - not fading even after being taken through the sandbox and waterparks.

They also would make a fantastic gift idea.  Visit www.stuckonyou.biz/

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I like to say I’m making the world a more beautiful place, one baby at a time.
Reading through the lines, what I’m really saying is yep, baby #6 is on the way. I think I’m about 16 or 17 weeks along, but that is the kind of minor detail that gets forgotten at this point in the pregnancy game. Long gone are the days of being in awe of your ever changing body and knowing things like when the baby gets eyelashes and fingernails.
For me, these pregnancy days pass much like any others really. Sure, I was tired and seedy for a while, but no one seems to take much notice. Indeed, I didn’t have time to take much notice either. I remember my first pregnancy - coming home at the end of the day and having a little snooze on the couch as daddy-o prepped dinner. By #6 you come home from the office, feed five little people, dress them for hockey or ballet, pack up school lunches, help with homework, read to the little ones and put the lot of them to bed. My lifestyle is identical to what it was pre-pregnancy. I may notice one little lifestyle adjustment this holiday season when I have to pass on the egg nog. As I like to say, from here on in I’m eating for two, and daddy-o is drinking for three!
Reactions to my pregnancy news are generally luke-warm at best. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard the phrase “are you crazy??” over the last few weeks, I’d be a very wealthy woman. I actually keep a top ten list of inappropriate responses I’ve received in my history of pregnancies. The former top spot went to a response I got to my third pregnancy which was: “I thought you were smarter than that”. The new top ranking position goes to a recent: “oh my god, are you going to keep it??”
Uh yeah, I was considering it.
So while the pregnancy bit gets a tad boring after a while, the part about having a new baby in the house never loses its charm with this mama. I’m just of the phone with my glowing cousin, Ariel-Ann who became a mama for the first time just a few days ago (OK, check out her baby Issac in the pic. I know….he makes you want another one too, right?)
It ignited that old feeling of baby excitement. As such, I’ve now formulated my new comeback to the bad reactions. It has formally been a sarcastic “I’m going to keep having them until I have one I like”. From here on in I’m going to say that with the fabulous and beautiful humans I create, it is only fair to give the world just one more.

Julie Cole is the co-founder of Mabel’s Labels Inc. (www.mabel.ca) and the proud mother of five….almost six!

About six months ago I told my friends at Disney Canada that they’d never catch me dragging my kids into an amusement park the size of Ottawa, Ontario. They rubbed their hands together as though given a dare. They welcomed the challenge of my anti-Disney sentiment and were confident they would one day convince me of the Disney magic. To prove it, they cooked up a plan to get me down to Orlando to see it all for myself. Those Disney folks may seem sweet, but underneath all that they are a determined and committed crew, especially when it comes to converting the Disney non-believers!

My reasons for never having been to Disney World and never planning to go were legitimate. First up, I find princesses profoundly irritating. The books my girl kiddos read come directly off the anti-princess reading list. I also get a bit antsy when I’m surrounded by hyper kids on sugar highs. It probably doesn’t help that seeing exhausted toddlers forced to stay up late makes me want to shake parents and say “can’t ya see the kid is no longer having fun??” Bringing five kids to Disney just seemed too hard, plain and simple. Plus, I don’t like to mess with a good thing and my kids think going to the cottage is high-end holidaying…..no need to raise that bar!
So I post this today fresh out of my first Disney World in Orlando experience. I attended an online media event where Disney Canada kindly hosted me and a half dozen other mama blogger types for four days of the finest they had to offer. As a Disney first-timer, by head is still spinning from touring fabulous resorts, visiting the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Epcot. I will have a hard time forgetting the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, Mickey’s parade, the fireworks, Playhouse Disney, Fantasmic, Downtown Disney, Character dining, IllumiNations and so much more. Let me tell you, once away from our computers, we mama bloggers can pack a lot of action into a few short days!
So am I a Disney convert? Well, let’s say that I will concede to now understanding the ‘magic’ I hear everyone going on about. Am I ready to pack up my crew and head for sunny Orlando? Perhaps. One thing for sure is that it no longer seems like the impossible and daunting task it once did.

***shameless Mabel plug: I wouldn’t step foot in the place without all my kids wearing our Mabel 411 wristbands!***

I have often found it difficult to find cute gifts for twins.  Something a bit unique, just like them.  When I came across Huddy Buddy (www.huddybuddy.com) my prayers were answered.  Not only do they have great shirts for twins, they also sell an endless selection for boys and girls that go from “Daddy’s Girl” all the way to “Potty Trained”.  Kids will enjoy wearing such fun shirts that have all sorts of sayings that the parents appreciate even more (“Eating Solids”). 

I just bought my best friend matching onesies for her identical twin girls.  “Yes we’re identical”.  It’s perfect because she is stopped every minute at the mall being asked if they are identical, so now people have their question answered. There are so many generic clothing items out there now for kids, it’s great to have them in something that is cute and gets such positive attention – because we know how much our kids like to be the centre of the universe. 

My friend has washed the onesies many times, well let’s be honest, your kids are going to barf on them, draw on them, wipe their dirty hands all over them, so they will certainly see the inside of a washing machine several times a week.  It’s important to know that they have gone through the cycle numerous times and have come out just as soft as before they went in.   

Stock up for your kids, your friends kids and even the kids that are going to be making their grand entrance into the world soon (“New”).  There really is a shirt for every occasion. Visit www.huddybuddy.com, your children will be the talk of the playground.

 As an added bonus when you shop at huddybuddy.com enter  BUDDY10 for 10% of all orders! 

Now that we have our ADORABLE Holiday Gift Tags out at Mabel’s Labels, I was thinking it would be a great time to do a give-away!

If you want a shot at winning these little beauties, just e-mail caitlin@mabel.ca with the subject line ”Mabel Give-Away”. Be sure to drop Caitlin a line on or before Nov. 16th.
About our Holiday Gift Tags:

No matter what holiday you celebrate, this festive season will be full of giving, and there’s no better way to make every gift you give extra special than with some gift tags! Designed to stick to presents, Holiday Gift Tags are round personalized tags that are customized with any information you like. They are available in four unique holiday designs, from funky motifs to classic patterns

Check ‘em out here:
http://www.mabel.ca/mabel.php?n=holiday%20gift%20tags

Happy Festivus

Some people may think being a mother isn’t a full time job.  Well, I have the business card to prove it!  I ordered my “Mama Cards” from Mabels Labels (www.mabel.ca) and thought that it would help me arrange play dates and get in contact with more mothers much easier.  Boy, I couldn’t have been more right! 

I have two children, ages two years and five months.  Between the two of them I am a programming maniac.  It’s hard to keep up with their friends in the various programs and now I don’t have to fumble in my unorganized diaper bag (and the many that I do have – this is another obsession) looking for a pen and paper.  I simply whip out my Mama Card and just tell little Billy to have his Mommy call me.  Or I give the card directly to Mommy so that Billy doesn’t shove the card up his nose or eat it – hey you never know with kids. 

When I brought them to my music class I was so excited about them that I was handing them out to everyone and they were certainly impressed with this fabulous product.  They are straight forward, convenient and most importantly adorable with such cute designs to choose from. They are not only a great product to have for yourselves, but what a wonderful gift idea at a time of the year when you are struggling to buy the mom who has everything another holiday present. So visit www.mabel.ca and order your Mama Cards today.  Your “little bosses” will appreciate your efforts – and your friends will definitely love them!