I miss Sweden!

Summer is the most difficult time for me when it comes to missing Sweden. Sometimes it gets so bad that I can feel my heart aching and my whole body and soul has a feeling of some kind of emptiness. 

I have not been to Sweden since 2012, and that was a sad visit to say Good Bye to one of the people I love the most, my grand father. I have not even been to his grave or walked by his beloved house....

I never imagined to live outside of Sweden for this long, yet it's my decision that it is that way...I can't imagine myself living outside of Sweden for the rest of my life, but as Little B grows older and all that, it will be harder and harder to move.

Right now, I am honestly sad about not being able to live in Sweden, although I have a great life here! I just miss Sweden, the traditions and nature. It also makes me sad that Little B would be more Canadian than Swedish. Nothing wrong with that, but I am Swedish....

I won't make it there this summer and its hard to see all the pictures online from vacations there. Although the weather sucks....at least something that I don't miss!

Ok that was my whiny post today.

Xoxo

Little B's mom

Little B enjoys the pool on this hot day

Little B's granny got her a nice splash pool that we keep on our deck. She just loves it! We start almost every morning by going out to the pool. I have my coffee and watch her play. 

Every day with my little girl is a wonderful day!

Xo

Little B's mom

Awesome Homemade Facial Toner

I have decided not to spend any more money on Facial Toners. I mean, why would you when you can make it yourself?
The other day I made one using these ingredients:

• Green Tea
• Tea Tree oil (a couple of drops)
• Argan oil (a couple of drops)
• Filtered water

Homemade Toner

I steeped the green tea for a while in hot water, let it cool and put some drops of Argan and Tea tree oil in it. Voila, I now look more beautiful then ever before and my wallet stays thick. Just kidding. Anyone get my sense of humour, I know it's quite weird. Not even my husband gets it...

Anyway...
Try this toner yourself, what are you waiting for? It truly is good, cheap and moisturizing. I put it in an old spray bottle that used to have toner from Dermalogica, so I can just spray it on my face. Very good when you just need a moisture boost or when you're traveling. I will make sure to bring it when I go to Milano this weekend...(I wish...)

Have a wonderful Sunday!!!

Xo
Little B's mom

Fashion Friday - Minnie Mouse

Today is a day to stay in and wear something cozy. Little B insisted on wearing her Minnie Mouse outfit that we actually bought from Costco. Go Costco!!! It has a cute Minnie face on the back of the pants, looks so adorable! 

My sweet baby is a big girl now, she turned one yesterday! That is pretty incredible and I can't believe how fast this year went!
Ok, time to relax and enjoy that it's Friday!!!

Have a nice weekend!!!

Xo
Little B's mom

Best Friends with the Cat

Little B's best friend is a four legged animal with fangs and claws. She has a stripy body and a tail that looks like it belongs to a Raccoon. Her name is Michelada (named after a very delicious Mexican beverage), but we call her Michi. 

Little B with Michi

She is such a sweet cat and has been like a second mom to Little B. The day little B was brought home from the hospital (almost a year ago) Michi was in shock. Her eyes got huge and she looked extremely confused. Fortunately, Michi adjusted quickly and started to really express motherly feelings towards Little B. When Little B cries she instantly wants to check on her. She also shows her concern by meowing and sniffing Little B. Now, they are best friends! They play together and snuggle together. It's fun to see how much they like each other! 
Our other cat, Monsieur Gariz (Gary), is not nearly as affectionate. He is a man-cat who rather spends time alone far away from Little B. If Little B cries he runs away =)

Cats definitely have different personalities!

Xo
Little B's mom

Fashion Friday - white & blue stripes

It's been pretty warm here the last couple of days. Little B has been enjoying the weather by visiting the park and playing on the balcony with her BFF Michi (our cat from Mexico).

Little B wishes you a good weekend!

Xo

Little B's mom

Fashion Friday - Frilly White Dress

Wohooo it's Friday!!!!!!

Little B selected a nice white!! dress and pink undershirt that she has paired with a pair of cute sandals.
She is very excited to go grocery shopping with mommy and beer shopping with daddy in this outfit!

Little B's Friday Fashion

This outfit is not very good for crawling, but it's good for sitting in the grocery cart, car seat and stroller. Mommy will match by wearing similar impractical clothing in the form of a long skirt that makes it difficult to walk, and a top that is too tight. What a fashion duo!   

Have a Happy Weekend!!!!

Xo
Little B's mom

10 things I miss about Breastfeeding

Am I dreaming or is it true that I'm not breastfeeding anymore! After 11 months it's now over, my boobs are back to just being plain old boobs. Although, I have wanted to stop for several months, it still feels quite weird that it's over.

10 things I miss about Breastfeeding

1. CONVENIENT. I didn't have to mix and sanitize bottles, I had the food with me everywhere I went, I never ran out.
2. NO PERIOD. I haven't had the red plague for almost two years, that is pretty incredible. I do not long for the day it returns with its bloating belly symptoms and mood swings (and neither does my husband I’m sure!)
3. GREAT SKIN. Ever since I started breastfeeding my skin has been great. I haven't had any problems with acne AT ALL. Before, I could get some pimples but  NADA, NONE during the time I was breastfeeding.
4. FREE. It was way cheaper (free) compared to formula.
5. RELAXING. Breastfeeding gave me a chance to relax, I could read my book, blog or just browse online.
6. HEALTHY. Breastfeeding is supposed to be healthy and better than formula, so it made me feel good that I gave her the best food.
7. COMFORTING. Bringing out the boob was a bulletproof way to calm her down when she was upset. 
8. COZY. It was cozy and cuddly to spend that time with my baby.
9. NEEDED. You definitely feel that you are needed and that you are the only one who can give your baby what she wants. This could off course be a bad thing too.
10. BREAK. It gave me a break from whatever I was doing. 

Just drank some booby milk

How did I stop breastfeeding?

Little B's granny, her auntie and cousin offered to take care of her over the weekend. It was strange and difficult to not have her close, but it definitely paid off. They got Little B to sleep all through the night and to drink formula. Amazing! It's now been almost a week and she still sleeps through the night and continues to drinks formula. We moved her crib out of our bedroom and she is back in her smaller sized crib we got when she was a newborn. I don't know if it's because she likes the small crib better or what, but she still sleeps all night long. 

I hope it will continue this way!

Xo
Little B's mom

Fashion Friday - Butterflies

Since Little B has been crawling her pants tend to get rather dirty by the end of the day. It's like what the H**L? How can the floor be so freaking dirty? She also refuses to wear a bib so eating can get pretty messy too. 

However, since it's Friday! I like to dress myself up and the Little B a little extra! I can honestly say that thinking about fashion keeps my brain sane. Fashion makes me forget about troubles and problems. I guess the vainer the subject the better it numbs my worried mind. Haha, well maybe some of you can relate? It's like gardening or yoga, it helps to keep you relaxed.

On that note for my friends and potentials frenemies ;) I'm starting a weekly feature; "Fashion Friday" for babies, soon to be toddlers...=)

Today's fashion is all about spring. Butterflies and tropical colors

Fashion for babies

Imagine crawling around the garden wearing this outfit, while helping mommy plant some flowers. The birds will be singing and butterflies fluttering. Whereupon, Little B would eat handfuls of dirt and rip all the flowers off the plants. Mommy would be sweating bullets while scooping out dirt from the Little B's mouth. Little B would be yelling loudly! The cats trying to eat all the birds and butterflies. Imagine…..what a beautiful day to wear this outfit!

Happy Friday!!!

Xo

Little B's mom

Pigment Spots Be Gone!

As I wrote about earlier "Remove Brown Spots while Breastfeeding" I have some annoying pigment spots, I guess it's called melasma... .
I have now started a real fight against these annoying things and I will win! Even without the help of Hydroquinone and Retin A they will disappear! (hopefully)...

 I always look to Paula Begoun for advice when it comes to skin care. I think she seems to be very credible and honest! She writes about different brands and ingredients. I always check reviews on her site before I purchase anything. After much research I decided to try some of her own products. Needless to say, I'm giving Vitamin C another chance among with some AHA's.

Paula's Choice Resist Products

1. Resist Weekly Resurfacing Treatment
2. Resist C15 Super Booster
3. Resist Super Antioxidant Serum
4. Resist Vitamin C Spot Treatment

I've just started using them and I hope they will work! I'll review them after a couple of weeks of usage.



Spring kisses from me and Little B
xoxoxo

Out for a run with the stroller

Since spring is finally here I got inspired to start running with the stroller. It's great to get your workout done while little B gets some fresh air.

To motivate myself, I got some new stylish workout clothes. Who doesn't want to look cool when working out?, haha. Seriously though, it feels better to work out if you look good. Vain or what, lol! I also got a new water bottle to drink my icy cold water drinks in :) This makes you forget that you have to wear a tampon while running, which I wrote about here; Urinary incontinence.

Flexing my huge biceps

There is an outdoor gym along the path where I stop to work on my muscles. My goal is to do three pull ups before the summer is over. Right now, I can only pull up an inch, so I got something to work on...

The pull up muscles needs some work....

I also worked on my abs and lower back. I have gotten such a pain in my back after lifting little B in and out of her crib (like 100 times every night..)

My six pack is almost there...

Most of the time little B sleeps when I run, but yesterday she was awake so we went to the playground. She tried out the swing and that was a lot of fun! I know she looks pretty bored in the picture but I promise you, she laughed later!

Little B 

Tonight, my husband and I are going for a run together with the little one. Good way to spend some family time!

Xo
Little B's mom

These books help keeping her tummy full and my sanity intact!

A full Little B is a happy Little B, which automatically means more peace for everyone =)

Sometimes it seems like my ultimate goal throughout the day is to keep her belly full. 

Distraction is key to get her to eat her food. I usually read something to her and some books keeps her attention way longer than others. Little B got a book called "That's not my tiger" a couple of months ago from her granny and she loves it still.  Since then I've gotten two more; "That's not my fairy" and "That's not my piglet". They are written by Fiona Watts and Illustrated by Rachel Wells,
www.usborne.com.

Books by Fiona Watts & Rachel Wells

What's good about them is that she can touch the different textures of the pictures, like the tiger's fluffy ears or the fairy's bumpy shoes.

www.usborne.com

They are also very colourful and durable! The tiger book has been licked, drooled on, food droppings have been smudged all over the pages, it has survived a trip to Cuba where it got covered with sand and the fatty stains of sunscreen lotion . And still.....it looks good. Wish I could say the same about myself after months of sleep deprivation or binge drinking tequila (kidding I don't do that anymore).

Anyhow, I got the books from Babies R Us and www.Amazon.com. They also have a website for more information, www.usborne.com.

Happy World Book Day!

Xo
Little B's mom

Growing up bilingual, how to teach her my language

Whaatt? My child will learn English as her main language? How on earth is that possible when I grew up speaking Swedish? What do you mean she won't have a Swedish accent? She is Canadian? What???
Haha, well although I logically know this is how it is and how it will be, I still can think that it's a bit strange.

Sometimes I feel very stressed when I think about the huge responsibility I have to teach little B Swedish. I'm like the only one around her who speaks Swedish, which makes me solely responsible for her learning the language. In other words; Help!

What also freaks me out is how my own Swedish language skills can be lacking. Sometimes I have trouble finding the right words and I can mix English words with Swedish. It's like the opposite way of Swenglish and that my friends, sounds pretty darn bad!

To help me teach little B Swedish, I gathered some useful tips. Here is what I came up with so far:

How to teach your child your native language

• Read, read, read books in your native language. I mostly read for little B when we eat. 
• Talk! Apparently you have to talk to your child in your language even if people around you (like dad and cousins) does not speak your language. I think this is pretty difficult since my husband doesn't speak Swedish. I try to do it but it's a challenge. I do however speak Swedish when we are alone all the time.
• Sing. We sing a lot and listen to Swedish music on YouTube. 
• Watch programs for kids in your language. I use Apple TV to stream some Swedish programs for her.  
• Use Skype to communicate with relatives in your country.
• Apps, I know little B is probably too little for apps but I have used them. Swedish learning apps are good!
• Hire an Au Pair from your country. this is probably not for everyone, but it would help a lot! At the very least, my husband would be a happy camper having another woman around, haha.
• Spend time with people from your country and travel to your country. Pretty obvious that this would help. However, might be difficult to fulfil...

Little B with her Swedish books

Anyways, to me, it's just so important that she learns Swedish. I mean, Swedish is part of me, a huge part! I think that she will be happy when she grows up that she is bilingual! 

Xo

Little B's mom

Smoothie with kale is little B's favorite!

Who knew that I would have such a healthy veggie loving baby haha. I mean, when I was a child, I only wanted to eat candy and pizza (I was very fat by the way...I had boobs...) Well, today I tried to feed her some regular baby puree that I purchased and she refused to eat more than 2 spoons. I then went ahead and mixed a smoothie for us instead. She really loves smoothies!

I found some organic black kale at the supermarket, which looked super healthy. I also added banana, avocado, kefir, water, blueberries, strawberries, mangoes and hemp hearts. It tasted like ice cream and we both got very full and satisfied. 

Healthy Lunch

I read on The world's healthiest foods that the health benefits of Kale are even better if you steam it. I might try that so my bacon-loving husband can get a boost for dinner. 

Anyways, don't think I'm all healthy all the time myself. I spent the weekend binge eating Frozen Yogurt and eating Ketchup chips while watching Netflix. 

Ok, time to enjoy this beautiful weather we're having! We're going out!!! 

Xo

Little B's mom

Remove Brown Spots while breastfeeding

Since last summer I've had some sunspots on my face. They are not very noticeable (my husband can't see them unless I point them out) However, the thing is that I see them and they bug me!

Now, if I wasn't breastfeeding I would know how to get rid of them. I would simply use some Retin-A in combination with perhaps, hydroquinone. Or I would go and get a photofacial at the dermatologist. I've researched and researched how to get rid of these annoying spots while breastfeeding. The hormones are still weird while you breastfeed. I know, since I have not had a single pimple since I started (good) and my face is dryyyy (bad). Therefore, some people may develop sunspots more easily. It could also be called the mask of pregnancy or chloasma.

So what do I do? I rated what I've tried from 1-5, where 1 is not working at all and 5 is working very well.

Tested Sun Spot remedies:

Vitamin C = 1

Tried a dose of vitamin C capsules and it did not help. Also tried applying pure lemon juice for a couple of weeks with no results =(

Salicylic Acid = 3

After researching this I found that it's safe to use while nursing. It feels like the skin is reacting to it, but I have not seen any results yet. However, I think it has potential....

Glycolic Acid = 4

I purchased Derma E overnight peel which I've been using for about 4 weeks. I think it might be working, but it's not providing any fast results (I'm very impatient). However, I will keep using it.

Exfoliate = 3

I do this every day, by using my homemade exfoliator I found on wellness mama. 

It definitely refreshes your skin and it helps in shedding the dead skin layers. In the long run I can see it helping.

Green tea toner/green tea bags = 1

Nope, that did not work for me! I ended up drinking it instead =)

Next to try:

Kojic Acid

I heard many good things about this and I will see if I can find any cream with this ingredient.

Licorice extract

This should also help fading dark spots. I have yet to find a good cream with this ingredient. What I do have though is Swedish salty licorice candy. That is so darn good, but most Canadians seem to think it tastes like sh xx ttt.  Unfortunately, candy doesn't fade any spots...

No No's right now ( I have yet to actually confirm the dangers of these ingredients with a qualified doctor)

Hydroquinone

This is very effective but also a bit scary since it's banned in Europe. In some cases, I heard it can actually make your spots worse. Might try it anyway later.....

Retin-A

Not recommended to be used while pregnant or breastfeeding. Too bad since I have a huge tube in my fridge......

Prevention:

Sun Screen

Any living woman knows that this is important! The higher the better! 

Hat

Use a hat. I found a great one at IKEA yesterday for only 2 dollars. That is what I call CHEAP! 

Ok that's all I've got for now.

Happy Easter!!! 

Vacationing with a baby

We just came back from a nice vacation in Cuba with our little B. It was nice for the whole family to get away from our everyday life and enjoy the beach, pool and nice weather. Everyone was very friendly and little B loved the pool! I just have to add that the buffet food was pretty bad! In fact the food was terrible! I didn't want to be "one of those people" who complains but I guess after tasting it for a week, I have to say YUCK!
Anyways, that was not what I was going to write about. I wanted to give some useful tips for others who plan on traveling with a baby.

Food for baby
We brought food from home for little B. She likes those soft pouches with food, they are light weight and easy to use. For one week, we packed about 14 of those.

Baby food

We also brought some snacks, like crackers and some apple sauce.
Although the buffet food was what it was, we occasionally gave her some yogurt for breakfast from the buffet and some bread (I also gave her ice cream but don't tell anyone......)

Drinks for baby
We brought formula that I packed in my carry on luggage. We also had easy access to boob milk (The milk factory was present) and we used bottled water for her to drink as well.

Sanitizing bottles
I was concerned about sanitizing her bottles and stuff before we went. I emailed the hotel who said that there will be a kettle in our room. Great for pouring boiled water over stuff and kill bacteria, right?! However, upon arrival we only found a coffee maker in our room. Good thing was that I packed a little bottle of dish-washing liquid and a brush which I used to clean her bottles. I first used tap water, then I poured some bottle water over everything to rinse of the tap water. Maybe this is insanity and paranoia at its finest but it made me feel better!

Swimwear
What a joke to buy a swimsuit for a baby! I never ever used it. All we used was her rashguard top with the swim diaper. Still the top had short sleeves (whhaatt?) so we had to use loads of sun protection. Also I don't understand the purpose of the bottoms that came with the rashguard. We only used her swim diaper...maybe the bottoms are for playing in the sand and what have you....


Stroller
We brought a light weight stroller with us. It was pretty cheap, but worked great! Loads of storage space and even a cup holder. I plan on using it here in Canada too for shopping and such.





Fun to have
We also brought a floating ring for her. It was great since both of us adults could swim around the pool with her in it and she loved it!

Looking outside on the windy weather today, I wish we were back there!

Mommy and baby beach ready

We are going to Cuba! Cuban cigars and whiskey here we come....just kidding! :)

I'm a little nervous since I never gone anywhere with my baby before. I have written looong lists of things to bring and my goodness, there is a lot to think about. However, I'm probably overdoing it and should just chill out. Relax Woman!! 

I bought baby tylenol, baby benadryl, baby creams, tissues, travel bottles, baby disposable change pads, baby polysporin, baby food, baby this and baby that. Probably spent more on buying things for the trip than the actual trip itself haha. Anyways, out of all these things I mostly enjoyed buying the swimwear for both me and my baby. For little B I picked up two bathing outfits, and a swim diaper. For me, I got a set from Victorias Secret and an extra pair of bottoms with a high waist. I love the 70s fashion that's back now!

We also have loads of sunscreen and a froggy tent the little one can play in at the beach.

Bye bye you windy chilly weather you.....! (I almost blew away with the stroller today, thanks a bunch weather!)

Xo

Little B's mom

Homemade Green tea & Avocado mask

I feel that I need to freshen up after this lengthy winter chill. I love beauty products and have been browsing online to find my next beauty elixir. If I wasn't breastfeeding it would be so much easier to find something good, like Retinol! The best for aging in my opinion. Well, since I will be breastfeeding for several more years ( it seems) I have to find other options.

The new thing right now seems to be avocado oil. Since I couldn't find anything worth buying at the moment, I made my own avocado and green tea mask. 

I just used matcha green tea powder with some avocado oil. I bet this is going to make me look fab! :) 

After reading online on wellnessmama.com, I also went ahead and mixed my own exfoliator the other day.

I used sugar, coconut oil and avocado oil.  It works really well!  So well in fact that I don't see myself buying any more exfoliators in the future! 

All these money savings will buy boatloads of diapers! ;) 

Xo

Little B's mom

Urinary leakage solution

Yes urine leakage/urinary incontinence, that's not nice and it's not sexy. It's also rather embarrassing to talk about. But the truth is, urinary incontinence is something many women suffer from. I've had it ever since giving birth to Little B.
You can get it fixed by surgery, which I might do later. You also have to work on you kegel muscles every day, which I've done.

My problem is way better now, 9 months post-pregnancy, but I still have problems when I run or jump.  Black pants has been my motto and a sweater to tie around my waist if it gets bad.
Anyways, I just cannot believe it took me until today to find a solution - The TAMPON!
By using a tampon I was able to run with the stroller without any leakage at all. It was amazing and I finally felt like normal. The bigger the tampon, the better! Although this is just a temporary solution to the problem it really helps!

I just felt compelled to write about this subject since it might help someone. And it doesn't seem like people talk that much about these things. I mean it's not all champagne and roses after delivering a baby through your vagina! There are many other side effects as well, but that I leave to another time.

Have a great weekend all you awesome moms out there!

Xo
Little B's mom

3 things that would benefit you child

Tonight we had to get out of our condo since a realtor was showing it to a client. We went to our neighbourhood restaurant and had an appetizer. While there we met this really cool older gentleman. He already raised 5 children. He started talking to us and said that he had some advice that would be valuable for little B and her future. Since I'm a freaking foreigner in Canada it was good to hear advice from someone with experience here!

I guess what he said applies to Canada but it could really be adapted to anywhere you live.

1. Place your child in the French immersion School
I guess little B would have to learn English, Swedish AND French. How awesome wouldn't that be for her career and future opportunities!! I studied French myself for about 6 years, but I don't remember much more than Bonjour. Little B would have to teach me! =)

2. Air Cadets

The gentleman said that the Air Cadet program focuses on leadership and decision making skills (all very beneficial to have). I can see how this program would help build a confident young woman!

3. School of the arts

It was very noicy in the restaurant so I couldn't hear why he recommended this. I could think of a few reasons like creative development and so on. Anyways, I would have to look into it. 

The gentleman said that these things had greatly benefitted his children who now are successful adults. It was really cool to meet him and I'm happy that he shared that with us! 

It's so amazing to think that little B has her whole future ahead of her. I so want to be able to make her future as successful as possible! I will definitely look into these three options for her. 

Xo

Little B's mom