Friday 29 March 2013

Two lessons I've learned from my toddler

Sometimes when I'm tired or having a hard day as a parent, I think of the things I've learned from my two-year-old daughter. In the end, they give me a good giggle!

Never give up
Always, always, always ask for milk and cookies or chocolate ice cream for breakfast. The answer will likely be 'no', but maybe one day it'll be 'yes'! Persistence pays off.

You shouldn't care what other people think
If I feel like dancing, just do it - dance away in the middle of a mall or restaurant. I'm happy, so shouldn't I be allowed to express that? And while I'm at it, I can wear whatever I want. What's the harm in wearing a ladybug Halloween costume in the middle of February?

What have you learned from your little one?

Saturday 23 March 2013

Best places to go with a new baby

I'll be honest with you: I stayed inside my apartment for a month before I went out by myself with my new baby. I thought of all the what-if's: What if I can't open and close the stroller? What if I have to change her diaper and I can't do it alone? What if I have to nurse her? What if she cries? What if people stare?

So if you're itching to escape your home with your new baby, here are some places I recommend in Mississauga, Ontario. They're divided into great and okay categories. You'll see why:

Great Places
  • Erin Mills Town Centre: The mall isn't too big or too small, so there's a variety to look at. Plus their nursing room is awesome: there's a microwave, changing tables, comfy seats and it's all separated from the washroom stalls. Wherever you are in the mall, you don't have to travel far to dash to the nursing room. Oh and there's a Toys R Us Express, score!
  • Any Ontario Early Years Centre location: Other moms are there, too, so everyone can relate to handling a fussy baby.
Okay Places 
  • Square One Shopping Centre: The mall is large and unfortunately there's only one good nursing station (in my opinion). It's upstairs near Walmart, tucked behind Michel's Baguette. It has everything you need to nurse and change diapers, plus there's a private room in there with a toilet and chair for nursing. Just be warned: If you need to go there quickly and you feel antsy with a fussy baby, it may take awhile to get there.
  • Indigo/Chapters: The most comfortable chairs here are in the children's section, but of course those aren't for nursing. And if you need a washroom asap, sometimes it's not nearby. So this is the best place to go if your baby just fell asleep but you still want to get out.
Also, I've never been here, but I've heard that those Movies for Mommies events are baby-friendly. Check their site for details.

Can you add anymore places to my list?


Friday 22 March 2013

ON SALE: Fisher-Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm

I was at the Real Canadian Superstore this evening and saw the Fisher-Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm for $24.97. This is a great deal to me; at Toys R Us, it rings in at $44.99.

But if you want to go the cheaper way, you can find Little People houses, barns and accessories at Value Village. The only difference is that everything is separated. So you'd buy the house/barn/whatever separately and the Little People are usually in a pack of six or eight. I've bought six Little People for $3.99 before - I just washed the crap out of them first and then my daughter played with them.

Have you seen any good deals on toys lately? Share them below.

Wednesday 20 March 2013

How I saved money on a lost library item

My two-year-old is the biggest gleek in the world. She's seen the Glee concert movie a zillion times and knows the moves to River Deep Mountain High. She even knows where to find the Glee soundtracks in our local library.

See this CD to the right? We took this out of the library and my daughter insisted on holding this as we rode the elevator up to our condo apartment. Seems like an innocent move, right?

Wrong! A fluke accident happened: the cover spontaneously opened and the CD slipped out, falling straight into the elevator crack.

Turns out it costs $25 to pay for a lost CD from the Mississauga Library. I'm thinking, "aw crap, the library is supposed to save me money, now I have to pay for a lost item? I could've just bought the CD myself!"

Well, instead of paying $25, we have the option of replacing the CD. We could buy it used from Amazon, but we'll have to pay for shipping. However, Indigo has it for $14.99 and shipping is free when you have it sent to a store, so we've decided to go with that option.

So today's lesson: If you lose a library item, see if you can buy a replacement. It might save you a few extra bucks.

Now some of you are probably thinking, "Who cares?! It's only $25!" But when you have a kid, you know that $25 can go a long way.








Saturday 16 March 2013

Canadian Tire deals

So I went to Canadian Tire today and landed an amazing deal:

My husband and I got this Safety 1st Convertible Onside Air Protect Child Seat for ... $4.99.
Yes, you read that right!

Here's how we did it:

Original price: $129.99
Canadian Tire money: $110
Canadian Tire gift card: $10
Canadian Tire $5 off special scratch card: $5

Here's the formula: 
129.99 - 110 -10 - 5 = $4.99

P.S. While I was at Canadian Tire, I picked up their Destination: Home promo flyer. Check this out: From now til April 4, if you buy anything from their Destination: Home guide, you get 10% back on your Options Mastercard in Canadian Tire money.

So is this promo worth it? Honestly, the stuff in the guide is pretty good. You can get a 12-bin toy organizer for $39.99 and Sterilite totes and bins range from $3.49-$24.99. Get your Destination:Home flyer in store or online at www.canadiantire.ca.



Pampers on sale

I just got back from the Real Canadian Superstore - great, awesome, amazing sale on Pampers! I got a box of 176 (size 4) Baby Dry for $29.97. I also had a $1 coupon, so I actually paid $28.97 ... which means I paid 16 cents per diaper. 

Quick tip you should know:  I've noticed that Costco's increased their prices on Huggies. For size 4, it would cost about 20 or 21 cents per diaper. So if you think Costco is cheaper, that's not always the case.


Friday 15 March 2013

Free Sears portrait - expires soon!

Check out the latest promo from Sears:

It's a free photo quartet and expires soon - March 31st!

Here's the printout to bring to your photo session from the Sears Portraits site.

Enjoy!

Monday 4 March 2013

Mabel's Labels sale - ends March 5

Just got a great tip from a mommy friend:

Mabel's Labels has a 40% sale on different items, including sticky labels and shoe labels.

Personally, I've never used these products but I've heard nothing but rave things about them. They're awesome for labelling your daycare items and even clothes you lend out to friends and family.

Sale expires 10 pm EST (7 pm PST) on March 5th, 2013.