Jaxs' 2013 Holiday wish list

With Halloween almost here, the stores are already setting up their Christmas displays. (Some have been since back to school in August!) Disgusting right!?

Now I have to admit, I LOVE the Holidays! I love It more now with the Toddler! The elder children lost that excitement long ago, it's nice to have fresh, new spirit in the house!

The Holidays with the Huie's dulled when the elders hit pre-teens. No one wanted presents anymore.. (Unless it was something BIG!) Like 6 years ago when they all pleaded together that the only thing they wanted for Christmas was a dog... poor Ziggy.. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't turn down a flat screen TV or the latest gaming system, but we just don't have it like that. Especially with three teens! Don't even bother buying clothes for teens anymore because unless they've pulled you right into the store and you noted the exact description, colour and size, what ever you get they'll somehow not like it. I broke and learned to save myself the headache (and heart ache) by getting the ever so impersonal gift cards or the one guaranteed to bring a grin, hug AND kiss is good ol' hard cash.  They still get the token under shirts, undies and sox. Body wash, razor, tooth brush, chocolates (and our traditional tangerines) in their stocking. What ever cash or gift cards they amass, they put towards what ever it is they have their eye on and have been pretty good at snagging some great clothes during Boxing Day sales. 

I miss when they were little and the excitement and wonder the holidays brought.  Spending time together playing games, watching a movie. Things that at some point, stop happening when you have adult children.

Now that the Toddler is communicating and can have somewhat interesting conversations, everything is getting much more exciting! That even means ME! 

For fun the other day, I asked the adult children what they would want for Christmas the responses were:

Eldest #1: A giant sly smile in a serious tone..

 "A 50' flat screen for my room."

- better get saving buddy.

Eldest #2: With a Cheshire Cat like grin..

"An Alienware 17 laptop"

- Ha ha ha I never laughed so hard! (After I got over the fact that a laptop could even cost so much and not be encrusted in jewels)

Eldest #3: looking up at the ceiling a million things running through her head..

"Um... Money?"

Me: "No hunny, besides Money..."

"Ahh.. A gift card for the mall?"

Me: "No like, an item"

"What else is there?"

- Oookay, we will keep it at that.

Toddler: (Not really remembering what Christmas is)

"Mismas?" 

Me: "Yes, Christmas, what do you want Santa to bring you"

"Sa-tah?.. Sa-tah pessents me?"

Me: yes, yes, what present do you want, what does Jax like?"

"Meh-mo" (Elmo)

Me: you like Elmo?

"Meh-mo yes! Pi-ates too an Mouse house"

Me: you like Pirates too? Jake and the Never Land pirates? And Micky Mouse club house?

"Yep, yep I uh-ove (Love) das ones"

- I love you!

I have to admit, I am gushing with excitement for holiday season 2013 in the Huie house.

Jax Christmas list so far:

- Big Hugs Elmo (sure to sell out fast to make sure you get one early!)

- Innotab 3 with wifi (Since the Toddler confiscated my iPad) this is my only glimmer of hope to get it back.

- Jake and the Never Land Pirates play ship 

I plan on a few surprises this year and shaking things up a bit.. I am going to get the festive spirit back in this house if its the last thing I do!

(P.s. Santa, mommy wants a Microsoft Surface for blogging)

Toddler Rash

Kids are always coming up with rashes, it's part of being a kid.  As babies, heat rash and diaper rash are common place..something thankfully we didn't have a problem with Jax.  As we start to introduce different products, you get to find out what works with your child and what doesn't. As a baby, We couldn't use any John*** products on Jax.. Except for the cocoa/shea butter products.  He'd break out in a rash. However, Aveeno baby eczema cream (he never had eczema) was (and still is) the only lotion we could put on his face with no reaction. Aveeno is a J&J product.. Go figure!

With Jax turning 2 this summer we had the pleasure of discovering sunscreens.

Last summer we used green beaver and he didn't have any reaction from that.  Although expensive, it worked well and he had no reaction.

This summer we started out with Nurtigena wet kids.  Jax broke out with small pimples everywhere it was applied! I didn't think to take a picture of that rash, needless to say, 2 $15 cans went into the product graveyard.. And ultimately found a home with a friend of mine who swears by it.

I was lucky enough to get to test out the new Banana Boat Natural reflections sunscreen. (See review here) I was so happy it works fantastically on Jax but where I live it's hard to find.

This past weekend we did an unplanned trip to the beach, I was in charge of filling the cooler for our picnic and hubby was in charge of gathering the rest of the beach necessities. One thing we ended up forgetting was Jax's sunscreen!!

We stopped by a rural grocery store to grab some.  While they didn't have Banaba Boat Natural Reflections, they did have regular banana boat kids. ($15 later 240ml) I scanned the ingredients looking for any peanut/oil ingredients, there were none. Expiry date was 02/2016 so no worries there! (Jax has a peanut allergy)

Before we continued on our drive to the beach, I applied the sunscreen, as you are supposed to apply at least 30 minutes before you go out into the sun. About 10 minutes later, as I was taking photos of the kids laughing in the back of the van, (that's our Jax on the left and his cousin on the right)

I noticed Jax's face was red! Hoping it was just because his face is sensitive, I thought I'd keep an eye on it.

Imagine my horror when upon being settled in at the beach, I change Jax into his swim gear and discover this:

This "rash" was everywhere! On his face, arms and back! Not on his legs, as I didn't apply any there.  This is why I know the sunscreen is to blame :(

It didn't seem to bother him much, he was his usual playful self.  Although I ALWAYS have his epi pen just in case, he didn't have any problems breathing so no need to resort to that! But I was kicking myself for not bringing the Benadryl!!  I got a towel wet and tried to gently wipe off the Sunscreen, not sure that it worked well being water proof, so we put his UV shirt and hat on and let him play. 

As soon as we got home, we gave Jax some Benadryl and a bath and it seemed to lessen the rash a little bit, not completely but enough to give ME some relief!

Today, the colour of the bumps is gone but the raised patches still abound.  This afternoon, I notice its extended down to his groin and starting to creep down his legs :( looks like another trip to the doctor  is in order!! 

I called the 1-800-SUN-TIPS # on the banana boat kids sunscreen and spoke to customer care, they're sending me a postage paid box to return the sunscreen for testing along with some coupons to replace the product (which Ill be using to stock up on the Natural Reflect) 

They asked I forward the photo of the rash and call them back after we'd been to see the doctor.  I really appreciated their concern. She also offered to reimburse any out of pocket expenses for fees, medication we may incur from the incident.  

Outstanding customer service!

Ill post an update after we see the doctor tomorrow morning

#ProductJunkiFail

Stay Tuned & Stay Lovely

~ ProductJunki

First time travelling with a Toddler

It's almost time.... Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.. 

We will be travelling with our toddler on July 10th, which just so happens to be his 2nd birthday. If you have ever been a parent of a toddler, or have ever had contact with these little primates you know when they reach 2, they go wild.  So wild infact it's termed the "Terrible Twos" 

In my case it's been going on much longer... Much much longer.. You see we were blessed with a very strong willed advanced primate, don't be fooled by all the cuteness up above there.. No, no, no that would be your first mistake!.. He crawled early and walked by 9 months...he has a special knack of picking things up quickly.. It's no surprise then that the terrible 2's hit around 18 months..and have showed no signs of leaving.... Ever so it seems.  He took control of my iPad not long after and who am I kidding, he runs this house okay!!  We are also smack dab in the middle of potty training.. Any experienced mom knows that once you start, you have to go with it. To stop or stray from the program can cause major set backs. Jax has been doing wonderfully well, but he is only 23 months and does have accidents sometimes which is another reason why I'm not sure how this holiday will go.

We are going to the Iberostar Ensenachos in Cayo Santa Maria Cuba. My husband is the best man in our friends wedding and we will be travelling with our terrible two, potty training, strong willed child... Not sure if that's a good or bad thing but we are about to find out.

I think I will be forced to spend a lot of time on this ship... I may end up walking the plank! 

T- 12 Days until Dday Bday... Some cute clothes I ordered from TCP have arrived and I was finally able to get the stroller I wanted and it's being driven down as they aren't sold in Canada... But more about that later... This weekend it's Canada day long weekend and I'm hoping to get things together and start organizing as I absolutely hate doing things at the last minute!

I bought a few snacks for Jax to take along.  Tomorrow I'll pull the suit cases out and check them over to make sure they're travel worthy as they've seen their fair share of voyage and have been tossed around a centrifuge quite a few times.

T-11 Days: 

Primate has awoken in a bad mood today he had an accident overnight first one in over a week. He seems much better now after feeding on eggs, Maple leaf bacon, oranges and raspberries!

I pulled the cases and hubbies is worst for wear, It may make it one way but certainly not a return flight. 

I emailed the resort our names and passport numbers for advanced check in as we will be arriving at the resort after 10pm, and I certainly will not feel like standing in line to register, that could take a few hours!!  Knowing this I will have to ensure we have some food for our primate as he is not very friendly when he is tired and hungry. 

Having travelled to Cuba quite a few times, 8 to be exact, I know that they lack some of the more modern conveniences we tend to take for granted . I will have to account for this when packing for our primate!

As I start making my what to bring list, knowing its a huge resort we will definitely need to have a good lightweight stroller with a shoulder carry strap to traverse the uneven terrain in towns as well as stairs and obsticals at the resort. The resorts in Cuba are not accessible. 

Jax is also basically potty trained at this point. He wears underwear all day and a pull up at night.  Now we tote along his potty/urinal everywhere we go, we even have one that stays in the van for when we are out. 

Considering we have to travel over 2 hours to get to the airport, another 3-4 hours at the airport, 3 hours of flight, another 2 hours to the resort I'm not sure how this is all going to work! Do I revert and put him in diapers? As his favorite potty training book states "I don't want to!" 

I'm not going to. No, I can't! The thought of having him reverse his potty use and stay in diapers until he's 3 is a nightmare!

I will have to make sure he has enough changes in clothes, a few pull ups just in case and I will bring his potty as a carry on item in a plastic bag. 

His potty is very light molded plastic made by safety 1st. Such a great invention as not only is it a floor potty but you can hang it up on the wall and it turns into a little urinal. Genius! 

T- 7days:

Had a few days of exhaustion, got some shopping done but that's about it!

We decided to have a party for Jax on Saturday (T- 5 days) How can you not throw a little party for your baby boy!  Lol his is sure to contribute turning the next few days before departure into shear chaos! 

The stroller arrived, have not had a chance to look at it yet, starting to feel a slight twinge of panic lol

I got Jax a Spider-Man carry on so he can pack some snacks and activities to keep him busy for over 12 hours of travel!

Hubby and I decided its in our best interest to invest in a little portable DVD player so our little primate can watch his shows or better yet, his favourite move The Lion King :)

The cloth training pants and swimsuits I ordered still have not arrived I'll be sad if they don't make it in time for this holiday 

Necessities for travelling:

1. A good lightweight stroller.

We have a Britax BReady and it's been a great stroller so comfortable for Jax on long hikes on the trails but not designed for travel! It's big, bulky and heavy! 

Jax also has a Mamas and Papas Urbo stroller that I won from OSM.  Jax loves this shiny stroller and it's lighter than the Britax and wonderful for urban strolls and at the mall but still not convenient for air travel as it needs to be taken apart to collapse into 2 pieces and although lightweight does not fold down enough to be gate checked.

I had been researching light umbrella strollers and there were a few that would have been great to have like the higher end Britax bnimble, Mamas and Papas tour, a Maclaren (obviously). 

Since we ended up having to pay for a seat for Jax because the day we leave (His Birthday) he turns 2.. We couldn't afford to go all out in a 3rd stroller just for travelling.  I came across one from Summer infant called the 3D lite and it looked perfect! At $79.99 usd it has all the features if the more expensive models.. A large basket, 4 position recline, cup holder, 11 lbs and most importantly a shoulder carry strap.  I was so disappointed to find out its not available on the Canadian market yet! So sad as it seemed like the perfect travel stroller that won't break the bank!

Went back to looking and came across the Baby cargo 200 review by whispering 

Coming in at 149.99 it was a bit more then I wanted to spend, also had the option of the 100 model at $119.99 for the extra $20 the 200 model is much more luxurious! After test driving it out at Toys r us, I was convinced to spend the little extra and get the 200 model.... That was until my wonderful sister in law announced she was driving down for a visit with a special surprise.. She had ordered the 3D lite!!! 

2. Familiar snacks, food and drinks

When travelling to a foreign country with a toddler its smart to bring along some familiar foods. Knowing Cuba is not how would you say.. A culinary capital of the Caribbean, this is one area that I will not compromise on! 

3. Toys, books and activities

Paleo Pancakes...Huge success!!

We have recently been making a conscious effort to eat healthier, with that we have been trying to adapt a Paleo no GMO diet. It's hard, very hard to give up grains, dairy and refined sugar and gluten. That ish is in everything!! While we are not 100% paleo yet, my latest experiment is definitely moving us closer. I came across a recipe on Pinterest for bananegg pancakes. They were good, don't get me wrong simply 2 ingredients.. Bananas and eggs, sort of like a banana frittata. I wanted something a bit more pancake like.. So here is my modification for a super healthy, protein packed, GMO, Gluten free delicious pancake that will have anyone asking for more!!
Use organic ingredients as much as possible this way you can limit your exposure to GMO products!!

Ingredients:

2 Ripe Bananas sliced -Organic
5 free range or omega eggs
1/2 tsp pure Vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil (Nutiva)
1/4 C coconut flour
1/2 tsp ground flax

Directions:

Whisk together the bananas and eggs, coconut oil and vanilla you will have some lumps of bananas, and that's OK!

Gradually add the coconut flour and flax until combined.

On a preheated greased (coconut oil or coconut butter) skillet over medium heat

Drop and lightly spread 1/4c of the pancake batter. You'll want to make them small so they are easy to flip.












Cook for 3-4 minutes on the one side then gently flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes and Done!

Drizzle some pure maple syrup, agave nectar or honey and garnish with fruit and you have a delicious protein, omega3 packed breakfast!

Enjoy!









This recipe will make 7 1/4c pancakes

These were a huge hit in my house my picky toddler happily ate 4 whole pancakes to himself!

First time blogger

I feel compelled to write up a quick synopsis of why I'm even doing this..
ever since my first Tinkerbell perfume (Chanel No.5 to a then 4 year old) and barbie nail polish (that annoyingly peeled off with the slightest touch) I have always wondered if there is anyone else out there who constantly buys into all these products that promise the world and have been severely disappointed.

I have also always wondered if there is anyone else out there who has dedicated every cupboard, closet, under sink space to toss these useless products and never see them again - I've designated this my "Product Grave Yard" (photos to come soon) and I'm positive there has to be thousands of you out there somewhere.

About a year ago I signed up to be on some focus panels whereas they send me products to try and give them my opinion, I thought well Great! Fantastic! I do this anyway so why not get the products for free??? I felt it was my moral duty to try this and see if it worked, and you know what?

it did.

I thought to myself.. now how can I have an impact on this? My opinions matter, I am a consumer who constantly gets sucked in to these unscrupulous marketing ploys and people all over the world have the right to know about it, so i started this blog.

I am new, never blogged before, not sure if I'm tarnishing blogging etiquette but i guess I'll learn along the way.

I recently received several more packages in the mail of new products that i am currently testing. I will update the blog once I've used the product to the point that it has influenced me for good or for bad. I will give it to you straight. No beefed up marketing campaign, no empty promises. Just me, the product, our relationship and you.

Being a mother to an adult, a teen and a toddler.. I have a wealth of knowledge and experience that I hope will be of use to you! I have been there, done that and am doing it all over again!!

I will be reviewing all types of products, heath, beauty, baby, home, food, eco/green transitioning, travel as well as all the ups and downs of raising 3 generations of boys all under one roof!

This is my journey...

Stay tuned & Stay lovely

- Undercover Product Junkie
**Give me my fixxx**