As you may already know I am a huge fan of babywearing. Not only is it a great way to bond with your child but you are also able to be hands free and can continue with your daily tasks with babe in tow. You become very attuned to your childs needs (and I am NOT saying you are not attuned to your childs needs if you don’t babywear), build a loving and trustful relationship along the way and your baby enjoys being snuggled up against you just like how they were so comfy growing inside you for the last 9 months.

I had the wonderful opportunity of reviewing the Cuddly Wrap, Baby Blanket & Burp Cloths that were sent to me from Peapod Creations. Baby boy who is now 9 weeks old (I shed a tear as I say that….9 weeks already!!) was the ultimate tester as we snuggled in the wrap, he peuked and spit up on the burp clothes and played and snuggled with the blanket.

Cuddly Wrap by Peapod Creations- PTPA Award Winning!

The Cuddly Wrap may look confusing to some upon looking at it as it’s one gigantically long piece of fabric but once you tie it up a few times it becomes super easy. I would get quite the looks when taking out the wrap and tying it on in parking lots, restaurants, the movie theatre and many other places. They would look in awe as I would tie it up quickly, easily but baby boy in it and carry on with whatever I was doing.

One Size Fits All! It’s SOOOO SOFT! Canadian Made!

The one wrap fits all shapes and sizes.  Both my husband and I could wear it comfortably, along with grandparents and caregivers.  The Cuddly Wrap is good for newborns all the way to toddlers. A lot of baby carriers come with an extra insert for an infant and some are not appropriate until 4-5 months so it was nice to have one wrap that all could use.  Since baby boy is only 9 weeks I cannot attest to carrying an older child in the wrap but carries with older babies and toddlers are demonstrated in the fantastic and informative cd and booklet that the wrap came with.  There are a few different carries that can be done with the wrap for newborns and small infants and all were very comfortable to wear and carry my babe.  The carries were simple to learn and left me hands free to write this blog post, empty the dishwasher and prep for dinner.  The fabric is very lightweight and comes in an array of colours (we chose the beautiful sage colour) however I did find it too hot to warm on some of the 30+ weather days we have had in Ottawa, Canada the past few weeks. The body heat that was generated between boy and myself was more than enough without adding in a layer of any fabric!  Baby Boy always fell asleep in the Cuddly Wrap and was quite cozy snuggled against me. It stopped almost all fussiness no matter where we were.  Babe found it so comfy that there were a few times he fell asleep in it for 3 hours at a time. It was these long stretches of wearing it I found that it would begin to lose its tightness and he would slowly move lower on my body. At no time was this a danger as he was still tied tightly in the wrap but he was no longer on the top of my chest but slightly below it. That was after 3 hours of wearing though, with grocery shopping, few bus rides, walking, etc.  Once the material was stretched out during that time of wearing it would then need to be re-tied. That being said I did not nurse the boy in the wrap as I would have had to stretch it out slightly to feed him in the Classic Cuddle position and then it would have been too loose for carrying.  Since we took the Cuddly Wrap everywhere with us a little storage bag for it would have been an added benefit that would have been greatly appreciated.  However, we easily stored it in our diaper bag when it was not in use.  The Cuddly Wrap comes with a dvd and instructions in english, french and spanish that are extremely easy to follow.  All the videos are also available on their website. Trust me that once you learn the tying it will become second nature and you won’t even think about how to tie the wrap up!

Peapod Creations Blanket

The Peapod Creations blanket is also ooooohhhh sooooo soft! With its 100% organic cotton was perfect against my sweet babies delicate skin.  It is double layered and reversible, allowing you to use the other side if you don’t want anybody to see that spit up milk With it being 32? square it would be great for swaddling newborns, however as I mentioned baby boy is now 9 weeks and growing so fast that he was too big to be swaddled in this blanket. I wish we would have had this sweet blanket for the first few weeks of swaddling.  He did enjoy playing on it and cuddling with mom and dad.  We have spent many days and nights snuggled up as a family with this soft blanket. It also has a neat little pocket that you can place your soother in, a little toy, etc.  It comes in blue, pink, red and sage green so there is a variety of colours to choose from, as with the Cuddly Wrap.   After several washes the colour has not faded one bit and Grandma even made a comment on how soft the blanket was! If it makes Grandma approval you know it’s a great product!

Peapod Creations Burp Cloth

The burp clothes also come four colours (red, blue, pink and sage green) and I loved how all four come in the package. If you are a mom you know that you go through a lot of burp clothes!  With its 100% organic cotton we knew everyime it touched our babies skin that it was not causing any harm, and we wiped up a lot of spit up! Its reversible and double layered, so lasted through many uses before needing to be washed.  It stayed nicely on our shoulder with its kidney shape when burping the boy, unlike some other cloths that seem to find their way off your shoulder just as you need it the most!  These as well saw their fair share of washes and still look and feel like brand new. 

The Cuddly Wrap can be purchased through many retailers available on the Peapod Creations website. If you are in the Ottawa area visit Milkface, Extraordinary Baby Shoppe or Kiddytown to purchase this product.  You can also purchase online from Eco Baby Boutique

You can also read about the Cuddly Wrap and see the PTPA award here. 

Giveaway!

A lucky reader at Namaste Mommy will receive the full package! This includes the PTPA Award Winning Cuddly Wrap, Peapod Creations Blanket & Burp Cloths!  Click here to enter and good luck!

Hi!  My name is Garah Cassady and I am the publisher of Palm Coast Macaroni Kid!  I am so excited to have a place  here on the PTPA Panel of Moms!

I’m a wife and stay at home mother of  three children ages 10,6, and 3.  Two boys and girl:) I love being a mom. It’s the best job in the world!

I’m really very new to blogging. Last month the former publisher of Palm Coast Macaroni Kid asked me to be her replacement.   I have never met her and have  no professional writing experience.  I was merely a subscriber to her newsletter, but somewhere along the line I had unknowingly impressed her with my awesomeness

At first, I’ll be honest, I  wasn’t sure I could  write a  whole newsletter by myself.  I have always lacked confidence in myself. Accepting the position as publisher was a risk  I’m glad I took. I have already surprised myself in more ways than I can count and the transformation in myself has been amazing! If someone had told me two months ago that I would not only write and edit a whole newsletter every week , but also have a blog on the PTPA Media website I would have never believed them! I have stepped out of my comfort zone and am now on my way to becoming the woman I hoped I could become. I invite you to come along on the journey with me.

I look  forward to meeting you all and sharing my experiences and opinions  with you.

Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians! I will be doing all things Canadian today including showing my country pride by wearing a red lippie!

How To Wear Reds:

• Red is a bold colour but with the different textures and formulas you can find reds in sheer to rich tones. Choose one you’re comfortable with. Stick with stains, sheer glosses and tinted lip balms for something more subtle.
• For a summer red lip, I love pairing it with bronzing, glowing skin. Stick with bronze and golds on the lids, lots of mascara, and shimmering bronze cheeks. Lovely!
• To avoid a red mess on the teeth, take your index finger (clean of course!), put it in your mouth and pull straight out.
• When shopping for the perfect red, check the shade in natural light before purchasing. For pale skin tones, try a cool and bright cherry red. (Think Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga).
  For medium yellow and olive skin tones, give a warm-toned fire-engine red a go.
  For dark skin tones, try a berry colour or crimson red.

How will you be showing your Canadian patriotism and does it involve a red lippie?

Warm summer weather is all about shedding those heavy layers and showing a little skin. What you might find underneath those layers of clothes might be scary so it’s time to get your skin prepped and ready! This season it’s all about looking healthy, radiant and beautiful. Here are some skin-saving summer beauty tips to get you in tip top shape!

Step 1: Slough away dry skin, fine lines and uneven texture with gentle body scrub. There are many wonderful scrubs on the market so indulge in a favourite. Your skin will be left looking and feeling soft and smooth. *Tip: Exfoliate on dry legs prior to shaving or waxing to effectively get rid of dead skin cells.

Step 2: After your shower, lather on a moisturizer all over while your skin is slightly damp. This will help lock in moisture. If your skin is looking a little drab and needs a little colour, choose a moisturizer that naturally enhances the colour of your skin and has an SPF. To pull of the perfect faux tan, don’t forget to apply on your face, hands, and feet!

Step 3: The hot summer season means showing off a little leg. Compliment flirty dresses with legs that have a sexy shimmering sheen. Try a dry body oil or a bronze shimmery lotion or stick to give your legs the perfect summer glow.

Step 4: When the sun is beating down on you it’s hard to look flawless from head to toe. M.A.C. Senior Artist, Caitlin Callahan, shares some tips on melt-proofing your makeup!

A little melting is not so bad: that glow looks great on the skin and reflects beautifully in the sun. That being said, waterproof products have come a long way.

Eyes: Instead of a powder eye shadow that can end up looking cakey and/or crease when worn too long in the heat, try a cream-to-powder or gel-based formula. The texture is lighter and won’t crease throughout the day.

Face: If you’re really oily or live in a humid climate, use an appropriate primer instead of over powdering (looks lousy in the summer). Use a mattifying primer or moisturizer before the rest of your makeup; this will keep you matte for hours. Before touching up, blot your face with a tissue or blot film to remove moisture, don’t just pack on top.

Don’t use foundation all over unless you really need it. Tinted Moisturizers are lightweight and give you that tiny bit of coverage for the summer. Go one shade darker for a touch of tan.

Hope these helpful tips will get you ready for some fun in the sun this summer!

Not all mothers may have experienced what I like to call the “post-baby mommy cheeks”, but I sure did. I have round cheeks to begin with so after I had my son the extra weight accentuated my chipmunk cheeks even more. Well, thanks to a few contouring and highlighting techniques and products, my face was looking more sculpted and slimmer looking!

Here is a Makeup 101 I did a while back on my best friend on achieving slimmer cheeks. Keep in mind, she doesn’t need slimmer cheeks but you’ll be able to see how a little sculpting can transform your face! You don’t have to do this everyday but if you have a special event or will be taking photos, knowing this lil’ how-to will make you look fabulous!

What You’ll Need:

• Matte bronzer or a powder, foundation or concealer 1-2 shades darker than your natural skin tone
• Angled contouring brush, small and big blush brush
• Highlighting powder or cream with a slight shimmer
• Your favourite blush

Before:

Only a BFF would let you post a photo sans makeup!

Contouring:

There are many contour and highlighting palettes available, but you can use a bronzer with no shimmer, a darker blush, or a pressed powder 1 or 2 shades darker than your skin. There’s some debate over which is easier to use but I prefer powder products over a darker foundation or concealer. On my friend, I used a matte bronzer (no orange undertones!).

Start at the hairline then blend towards cheek.

I had her smile so I could see exactly where the colour should go. You want to start at the hairline and apply most of the colour there and blend towards the outer part of your cheek. I used a smaller, dense blush brush and ran it back and forth along the hollows of the cheek then used a bigger fluffier blush brush to blend any harsh lines. The picture below is what it looks like blended.

Contour blended

Highlighting:

This is an important element in creating dimension to the face. When the light hits your face, it will pick up the highlighted areas and the contoured areas will recede in the light, giving you a slimmer looking face. I used a fluffy angled contouring brush to apply shimmer to the cheekbones. You can use a loose or pressed shimmer powder and/or cream  in shades of white, champagne, or peachy-gold depending on your skin tone.

Highlight the cheekbones.

Blush:

To finish off your look, add your favourite blush to the apples of your cheek. If you have really round cheeks, avoid applying blush too close to your nose and more towards the hollows of your cheek. Tap off excess blush on a tissue to give you the perfect amount of colour.

After:

My BFF is gorgeous to begin with but adding a bit here and there helped bring out her best features. Seriously, this trick made me feel better about my appearance and gave me the quick-fix I needed when the pounds weren’t falling off fast enough. Now, if this technique would only work on the rest of my body…!

What do you think of contouring and highlighting? Would you ever do this technique?

I’m a little behind and playing catch up this week. My last post was about beauty care during pregnancy. You’ve had the baby and now what? Read up on my post-pregnancy beauty tips!

Taken when my son was 7 months old.

After having gone through those long hours of labour, you’re exhausted, emotional, and thankful you and the baby made it out in one piece. During your pregnancy you were treated like a queen, never having to lift a finger, showered with compliments, and people never thought twice about you eating a whole pizza by yourself. Now your close friends and family are pushing you to the side and fighting over who gets to hold the baby.

My first three months of motherhood was a roller coaster ride full of many ups but many downs as well. Some of you may have been lucky enough to skip through what is known as the post pardum “baby blues”. About 85% of women experience some symptoms of “baby blues”. There were a lot of days I didn’t feel like showering let alone put make-up on to see people. It’s a gross but true fact. I was exhausted every day and so irritable that any little thing would set me off. I would only leave the house when I absolutely needed to. Everything from cleaning my face to brushing my teeth took so much time and energy from me. There were many tears shed because I couldn’t fit into my old clothes.

The great news is that you do start to feel like yourself again like I did when my baby was 3 months old. It was as though a dark cloud was lifted and I was feeling like my old self. I gave myself a much needed makeover. I wanted to be around people again.

However, even at the 3 month mark I was still having to get up every 1.5-2 hours to feed him which didn’t leave me much time for myself. Here are some tips that helped get me through those tired times:

1. Sleep when the baby sleeps - even if you have visitors over. They will understand you need to catch your sleep any way you can. By sleeping, you’ll build up your energy to be able to continue a beauty routine and other important things like getting out of the house with the baby.

2. EAT and drink lots of fluids! I was always on a weird schedule and never ate at the proper times but eating is very important to sustain your energy. If you’re breastfeeding, eating is also important not only for milk production but gives you the fuel you need to persevere through what can be a trying time for both baby and mother. Also, breastfeeding burns a lot of calories so you need to eat to balance it out. Even if an apple is all you can manage it’s better than nothing. I was lucky enough to have my mother-in-law and mother bring or cook us food that we could freeze for later on. Eat foods that are quick and easy to prepare. Drink water or sugar free juices to keep your body and skin hydrated.

3. Always start your day with a shower or try to fit it in there somewhere. I cherished my showers because it was the only time I had to myself. It was soothing and calming. I always felt refreshed and energized after my showers. Yummy smelling body washes are great pick-me-ups.

4. Just because you’ve had the baby and your tummy is returning to normal size doesn’t mean you can stop moisturizing. To help prevent or minimize your stretch marks you still need to moisturize. Since I was also breastfeeding, I was losing a lot of fluids so my skin was always dry. Moisturizing along with drinking fluids will help combat this problem.

5. It’s understandable if you don’t have the energy to put on make-up but it will make you feel better on the inside when you look great on the outside. A little bit of concealer, blush, mascara and tinted lip balm or gloss is all you need to look radiant and polished!

You’re done and looking damn good for someone that has just had a baby! Remember, taking of yourself will make you better at taking care of your baby. That was a hard lesson to learn. If baby blues has caused you to lose touch with friends, family or your significant other make an effort to reconnect with them again. It will make you feel normal to engage in everyday conversations especially since all you can think about is the baby (and of course the baby should come first). Another important tip is to take at least an hour a day for yourself whether it be soaking in the tub, listening to music, watching t.v., shopping, reading a good book or meeting up with a friend. And lastly, a happy mom makes for a happy baby!

My belly taken at 5 months pregnant while working at a M.A.C. beauty event 2006. Body Painting Artist: Chrissy Almeida

If you’re pregnant I highly recommend getting your belly painted! Although the end result was amazingly beautiful, I did get a few strange stares and comments while getting my belly painted at a M.A.C. beauty event back in 2006. Don’t worry - your experience will be much more calming especially since it won’t be in front of a crowd of strangers. Regardless, I will cherish these photos forever and will remember the little kicks he made as the brush stroked my belly!

As a mom-to-be, you’ll witness as you go farther into your pregnancy the amazing changes your body will go through. It’s exciting to see week after week your belly get rounder, then soon after you start to see your belly move, and towards the end your belly will be so big you won’t be able to see your feet!

Not only does your belly change, but your hair and skin change too. Every woman that has had a child will tell you that their hair was in the most amazing condition it has ever been in. My hair was so shiny and so full that my co-workers started to ask every week if I was going to the salon. During pregnancy your hair stops shedding which is why it looks so full and lush and all the vitamins and good food you eat contribute to the healthy shine.

If only pregnancy could co-operate with the skin like it does with the hair. When women are hormonal we breakout. So you can just imagine the bad breakouts pregnant women get especially during the first trimester. The good news is that when your body starts to adjust to all the new changes, your hormones start to calm down and those pesky pimples start to disappear. I was probably one of the luckier pregnant women that only had a few zits here and there.

A week goes by and your skin is looking a lot better but then you start to notice dark patches on your face. At first you think you’re seeing wrong, but as the days go by the patches get darker and darker. This is known as the “mask of pregnancy” or the medical term “chloasma”. It usually is more noticeable in darker skinned women. When I was pregnant my blemishes got darker, my nose and around my nose got darker, upper lip and forehead and even my beauty marks got darker. I also noticed that my armpits got darker so I was always self conscious when I wore tank tops and lifted my arms to apply make-up. My skin not only started looking different it also started feeling different. My belly was itchy all the time and this was because my skin was stretching to accommodate my big belly (people thought I was having twins!).

To pregnant women everywhere here are some skin tips that helped me through my pregnancy:

1. Don’t scratch your belly no matter how itchy it is (trust me I had to slap my own hand from scratching the hell out of it)! As soon as I would feel itchy, I would apply a moisturizer or body butter that contained shea butter. They have a variety of stretch mark creams and lotions to choose from which you can purchase from your local drugmart, maternity store, or Babies R’ Us. And when you’re on-the-go, carry a body balm that comes in the form of a stick or has a travel size option - saved me from a lot of red scratch marks on my tummy. Apply them religiously to prevent stretch marks.

2. Because your skin is more susceptible to skin damage during pregnancy, there is no better time than when you’re pregnant to wear a moisturizer with an SPF of at least 30. Everyone should wear SPF products daily to prevent skin cancer. Apply it even if it isn’t sunny because the UV rays can still penetrate your skin. If you are allergic to certain SPF products like I am, find one that is all-natural or mineral based.

3. If you experience dry flaky skin where your dark patches are, use a moisturizer with Vitamin E. I found it really helped keep my skin moisturized. Vitamin E also has healing properties which helps repair the skin’s barrier.

4. Even out discolouration or dark patches with a lightweight concealer with SPF if the discoloration is light or a creamier version with an SPF if your discolouration is dark. If you need more coverage I would suggest a cream or cream-to-powder foundation. If you’re skin tone is pretty much even (damn you!) use a tinted moisturizer with an SPF.

5. Remember that although you may feel like your body is not yours or your growing belly is giving you the “I’m too fat to fit my old clothes” blues, your curviness is sexy and beautiful! I was always told that I looked glowy and radiant (who knew sweat could work for me). Pamper yourself at least once a week even if it’s as simple as putting your feet up on some pillows. Get your significant other to massage your legs, back, arms, shoulders and feet (pretty much everywhere!) with the most luxurious body lotion you own. Doll yourself up every now and then (when you’re not busy peeing or eating!). Take pictures of your belly as it grows so you can look back on your progress. Be proud of your belly - after all you are carrying the most precious cargo!

Stay tuned for Post-Pregnancy Beauty Care in my next post! Pass this on to anyone who is pregnant!

What are/were your beauty tips while being pregnant?

Picture this: baby is finally sound asleep and mom has approximately 45 minutes to have a shower, fix her hair and put on some makeup. Because moms are such amazing multi-taskers, she gets distracted answering emails, putting a load in the laundry and paying some bills. Before she knows it, there is only 10 minutes left before the baby awakes (it’s like clockwork). As she’s about to step into the shower, the phone rings and baby cries out like an alarm. Ah, well - what’s another day without showering?

Hi! My name is Joy and when my son was born almost 4 years ago the above scenario happened to me plenty of times. I definitely had to learn to simplify my beauty routine. It’s a wonderful honour to join this amazing PTPA Media Panel of Moms as the resident beauty expert. I have been a professional freelance makeup artist in the Toronto area for over 6 years working in the beauty and fashion industry. It’s great connecting with other on-the-go moms and sharing beauty tips. I’m here to put the yummy mummy back into your everyday routine and to remind you that we all need a little “me” time.

Aside from being a freelance makeup artist, I am the founder of beauty blog Makeup Junkie where I share beauty tips, celebrity style, and product reviews. I started my blog 3 years ago and since then it’s been a fantastic ride full of exciting opportunities. It’s good to know I’m in good company when it comes to my obsession with beauty products! Whether you have a beauty crisis or just want to say hi, visit me over at MakeupJunkie.ca!