The Path to Smoother Skin with La Roche-Posay Canada's Lipikar Baume AP+ & a Giveaway!

When we were approached to test out La Roche-Posay Canada’s new Lipikar Baume AP+, we jumped at the chance in hopes that this could be the cream that would help eliminate Zoe’s rough patches on her cheeks. 

Zoe’s skin has always been a bit more sensitive than her siblings’ and she has had a rough patch on both of her cheeks since she was basically an infant.  We’ve tried countless creams, stopping short of prescription ones, and haven’t yet found one that helped those rough patches.  That is, until, we tried Lipikar Baume AP+.

For starters, we absolutely love the texture and thickness of Lipikar Baume AP+, and was surprised at how it quickly absorbed into Zoe’s skin without leaving a sticky residue, despite the richness of the cream.  Over a period of two weeks, we also began to notice an improvement in the rough patches and will continue to use Lipikar Baume AP+ as it helps diminishes our target skin issue.

The Perfect Roadtrip Accessory - Heinz Little Kids Toddler Snacks!

Being a family that’s always on-the-go, I’ve finally caved into the world of convenience. I’ve also found out that it’s not a bad thing – especially when the kids enjoy it and it keeps them quiet.

Just saying!

When I think of Heinz Baby, I think of baby food and baby-only products.  While Heinz does carry a number of options for babies, they also have food and snack options geared towards the toddler age group, which was perfect for my littles!

We had the opportunity {or should I say the kids had the opportunity} to try a few of Heinz Baby’s toddler products while we were on our mini vacation in Bellevue a few days ago, including their food pouches and new oatmeal bars.  While the recommended age for their toddler snacks is 1 to 4 years, that didn’t stop Jadon from trying out the oatmeal bars {and begging for more!}.

The kids seemed to really enjoy Heinz Baby’s toddler snacks as we went about shopping, dining and visiting family.  I love that they come in small, convenient packages that I can easily throw into my purse or the kids’ lunch bags.  These days it seems the less hassle, the better!

Heinz little kids toddler snacks came on vacation with us!

Fall in Love with Over The Loom + a Giveaway!

With all the craziness leading up to Zoe's birthday party, I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I almost forgot to plan the birthday girl's outfit!  After all, it's the most important detail of the day - besides all the little party details, of course.

Thankfully, Angel Kho from Over The Loom saved the day {and my sanity} with a gorgeous dress that went perfectly with the party's mint green colour scheme.  Made out of soft tulle, the Knox Tulle dress fit Zoe perfectly {with room to grow!} and received many compliments and admirers.  I think the pictures speak for themselves!

While browsing Over The Loom’s website, it’s hard not to fall in love with every single item. Their dresses, skirts and outfits have a girlish, old-world charm about them – think lace detailing, tulle and princess-inspired dresses.  While I was a little worried that lace and tulle would mean that Zoe would get limited wear out of her outfits, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the fabrics, as well as the construction of the dresses and skirts.

We also love the versatility of Over The Loom’s skirts!  Not only will Zoe be able to wear them for dressy occasions but she’ll also be able to pair them with casual tops for everyday wear, such as a day at the park.  Here's Zoe showing off her Isabella Tulle Skirt in Apricot:

      

{Win It!}

Zoe's "Yoga in the Garden" Garden Party!

Last month we celebrated Zoe’s second birthday, if I may say, in style.  I decided earlier on that this year would be the year I would go a little crazy and style her party with as many details as I could possibly manage.

We hosted her party at Yoga Buttons, a local kid-friendly yoga studio in the heart of the Kitsilano neighbourhood of Vancouver, with approximately 25-30 of our closest friends and family.  The theme was “Yoga in the Garden”, or a garden party, with a white, gold, light pink and mint green colour scheme.  For some reason it took me a while to think of the colours, but thanks to a bulk tissue paper purchase at my local dollar store, I was able to take some of those colours and pair it with white and gold.  The result?  Absolute perfection!

The party had to be all about Zoe [of course!}, so I made sure it was known with the help of a few {giant} gold balloons:

And a number “2”, just in case anyone forgot how old she was turning {I kid!}:

Zoe’s birthday banner and paper fan backdrop were both handmade by yours truly. I wanted everything to match the party’s colour scheme and I really just enjoyed getting crafty. The paper fan backdrop was actually meant for the dessert table but I think it worked a lot better here:

We had a snack station set up for all of the guests with a few nibbles and bites:

I scored an amazing deal on the plastic drink bottles {they’re actually spice bottles!} from our local dollar store and paired them with these gorgeous light pink and gold striped straws:

The tassel balloon and tassel garland {both made with love by me} truly complimented the snack station:

My favourite part of the party was the dessert table set-up.  As soon as guests walked into the studio, they were greeted by this table and I may have gotten a few compliments here and there!

It's a YogaButtons Birthday Party {Review}!

It’s no secret that I love parties.  I love the preparation and I also love throwing them.  So when it comes time to find a venue for my kids’ birthday parties, I always make sure I search for something that’s unique and age appropriate for the kids, and also fun for the adults.

When I came across YogaButtons at their one year anniversary party last year, I knew it would be a perfect spot to have Zoe’s second birthday.  I contacted the owner, Carolyn Lundie, and we instantly hit it off!

Carolyn was, unfortunately, away on an Italian getaway {lucky girl!} on the day of Zoe's party but she definitely left us in good hands with Jen and Anita, both of who did everything they could to ensure the party ran smoothly and without a hitch.

When I was corresponding with Carolyn about the party, I let her know that we were going to have a "garden party" and she assured me that they would have crafts ready to compliment our theme.  Sure enough they had a craft table filled with jewels and stickers to make cute little flowers, however, Jen's instinct was that the boys would respond better to a Lego workstation than making flowers.  She discretely asked me if it was okay {of course it was!} and off the boys went to play with Lego!  Best. Idea. Ever!

While the kids spent approximately 45 minutes on their crafts and Lego building, the adults mingled and helped out the younger ones.  I loved that YogaButtons had a big enough space to accommodate both the kids and parents, as we had a number of younger babies and kids attending that needed adult supervision.

I must admit that while I thought yoga was a cute and unique idea for a birthday party, I was a bit skeptical about how the yoga part was actually going  to work.  When you have kids ages 0-8 years old, you can't really expect that they will all stay still and listen.  Once again, the staff at YogaButtons proved me wrong and this happened:

Freshly Picked Moccasins Review + an Instagram Giveaway!

At SwankMama, we have an obsession with stylish, quality made baby/kid clothing and shoes, and Freshly Picked is no exception.  Recently featured on ABC’s Shark Tank where she secured a lucrative deal with branding genius Daymond John, founder and owner Susan Petersen has taken Freshly Picked from a small business to making it a big time success.  Moms from all over the world are battling to get their hands on the latest moccasins from Susan and Freshly Picked – just check out their Instagram site with over 158,000 followers and counting!

What’s the verdict on Freshly Picked?  We absolutely LOVE the soft, buttery leather of our gold moccasins {or should I say Zoe’s moccasins!}.  They exude a sense of style and class, and attract admirers of all ages.  Perfect for my little princess, no?  Now if only they came in adult sizes!

But let's be honest, looks aren't everything.  We’ve searched high and low to find shoes to actually stay on Zoe's tiny, narrow feet and I think it’s safe to say that we've hit the {golden} jackpot!  After such a difficult time trying to find proper shoes that don't slip off, Freshly Picked has filled that void.  Knowing that Zoe is able to walk properly without the worry of having her shoes slipping off is such a relief for us.  Needless to say, we can’t wait to buy her more pairs of Freshly Picked mocs!

Celebrate the outdoors at Active Baby's Grand Re-Opening and 5 Year Anniversary event!

When we first posted about Active Baby’s new Upper Lonsdale location in early March, July and Chen {co-owners and husband & wife duo} were in the process of settling into their new store and gearing up for their Grand Re-Opening event, which is scheduled to take place at the beginning of next month.

After much anticipation, Active Baby started the month of April with a bang – an explosion of giveaways worth over $7,000, including a Mountain Buggy Evolution Terrain worth $549.99!  These amazing giveaways lead up to Active Baby’s big Grand Re-Opening and 5 year anniversary celebration on May 3-4, 2014.

If you’re planning on joining July and Chen at their Grand Re-Opening on May 3rd or 4th, you’re in for an amazing time!  With free parking behind the store and a huge selection of the best products on the market for today’s active family, the first 50 customers to make a purchase during the weekend will receive a gift bag filled with goodies from Active Baby’s fabulous sponsors.  In addition, all attendees will receive exclusive discount offers only available during the Grand Re-Opening event!

The Importance of Early Dental Health with the BC Dental Association

As a child growing up, I remember my regular visits to the dentist and how, after each visit, the dentist would determine my teeth were in excellent condition and that they remained cavity-free! It wasn’t until I became pregnant with Lil J back in 2009, that I realized how important dental health was during pregnancy.

In addition to the obvious physical changes your body endures while pregnant, it’s encouraged to maintain your regular dental checkups to ensure that your and baby’s health remains in top form. The main things I remember learning during my mass pregnancy research was that there is an increased risk of dental disease during pregnancy and flossing is extremely important. So much so that an occasional flosser, such as myself, started to floss once a day to ensure that my baby’s health had the best start possible. Other issues, such as the fact that bacteria in your mouth can transfer throughout your body possibly exposing health issues to your unborn child, definitely alarmed me and made me extremely conscious of the importance of maintaining my dental health.

HUGGIES® Little Movers Slip-On® Diapers Review + a look at how theyreally move! #FirstFit

It's still so hard to believe that Baby Z is almost two and that pretty soon, those two dreaded words will enter our vocabulary again:  potty training.

Not that potty training doesn't have great end results - it's the work before and during that makes us slightly cringe.  Luckily, HUGGIES® Little Movers Slip-On® Diapers is helping us with most of the prep work with it's pull-up style design that will get Baby Z ready for her "big girl" underwear in no time!

We really liked the convenience of the slip-on, slip-off method and, while they seem to fit a bit bigger than normal diapers {keeping in mind that Baby Z is very petite for her age}, we didn't have any problems with leaky messes or any complaints from Baby Z herself.  In fact, she started to try to take them on and off herself!

Mischief Makers and Apparel Review

If there’s one thing we love, it’s shopping. And half the time when I’m trying to limit the amount of spending I do on myself, I somehow justify buying my kids’ clothes as a necessity – because it is, right?

Speaking of kids clothes, we love browsing through Instagram and discovering little boutique shops that specialize in stylish, on-trend fashion. I mean, here at SwankMama, we basically live and breathe fashion! We came across recently launched online children’s boutique, Mischief Makers and Apparel, through some fellow Instagram friends and quickly became insta-buddies with founder and owner, Annie Vanrivong.  Annie has been hard at work the last few months in anticipation of the launch of Mischief Makers and Apparel, which happened TODAY!

Active Baby's New Beginning: geared towards growing your family + a new location!

From the moment I found out I was pregnant with my son back in 2008, my newest obsession became pretty clear:  I couldn’t get enough of boutique baby stores.  Back then, it was slowly becoming a trend – moms wanted stylish products for their babies and companies were noticing.  Then came the baby boutiques that were unlike the usual big name baby stores.  Every single item seemed specialized, not to mention extremely trendy – think nursing covers, diaper bags that double as purses and modern cribs that rival your own bedroom set.

If you live on the North Shore in North Vancouver, you may be familiar with a local go-to store for families with active lifestyles:  Active Baby.  Co-founder and owner July and her husband Chen first opened Active Baby in 2009, and took a risk and set up shop in a low-traffic area of Capilano Mall.

Fast forward to five years later, after an extremely successful run in the mall, July and Chen grasped an opportunity to move Active Baby to the bustling area of Upper Lonsdale - also located in North Vancouver.  The space had once housed another popular children’s boutique and they had a vision to create an open concept storefront that would eventually be filled with everything and anything an active baby/family would ever need.

After extensive renovations, Active Baby finally opened its Upper Lonsdale location in December 2013 with an amazing collection of baby gear fit for the very active babies of the North Shore and beyond!  We chatted with July and discovered that not only was she chasing her dreams, but she was raising a family and taking classes at a local university.  Talk about being active!

EVENT: Modern Mama's Hottest Tots Products Event {Vancouver}

We're getting so excited for Modern Mama's most anticipated event of the year - the Hottest Tots Products event!  This fabulous night out for Vancouver's swank mamas is happening on November 26, 2013 at Hennessey Salon & Spa in Park Royal South.  We can't think of a better way to spend a night - good company, mini pampering stations and appetizers to go along with the hot product you get to take home!

Modern Mama has rounded up 40 of the hottest products on the market suitable for pregnant mamas, babies and beyond, and YOU get to go home with one of them - guaranteed!  Some of the featured brands include Britax, Medela, UPPAbaby, ERGObaby, Sweet Dreams & Flying Machines and, our personal favourite, Vonbon Apparel!

Make sure you visit Modern Mama's website for detailed info on the products up for grabs at Hottest Tots Products, the event itself and how to snag your coveted tickets.  There are only 40 available {and selling quickly} so make sure you act fast!  Pre-mobile babies are also welcomed and a quiet breastfeeding area will be available for the duration of the event.

Swank Holiday Gift Guide: For the Littlest Ones

We kicked off our Swank Holiday Gift Guide a couple of days ago with some solid gold lovin' and now we've gathered our favourite {what else?!} baby items of the holiday season!  It wouldn't be a SwankMama gift guide without some of the amazing gifts for the littles.

Here are some of our must-have baby items that are suitable for our littlest creations and that also have us mothers swooning over:

Our Top 3 Baby Must-Haves + a Giveaweay #SearsBabysRoom

When I first found out I was pregnant with my son, I remember spending hours upon hours researching the latest baby gear, toys and nursery items.  I also vowed to myself to only buy the essentials - the things I'll need {or think I'll need} - such as a car seat, stroller, baby clothes, baby monitor and bottles {luckily, my parents helped us out with the crib and crib mattress}.

Little did I know, the things I bought that I didn't necessarily view as necessities suddenly became my lifesavers.  These included:

1. Graco Pack 'N Play:  The version we had was a playpen, bassinet and change table all in one!  We were able to keep both babies in our room until they grew out of the bassinet {eight months for Lil J and over a year with Baby Z} and we've travelled with the playpen numerous times on airplanes, road trips - you name it!
   
                               
2. My Breast Friend:  Get that image out of your mind because it isn't really what you think it might be.  Whatever that is.  My Breast Friend is a nursing mother's best friend - hence the name.  It's a pillow made of soft foam that wraps around your body and makes breast feeding more comfortable for mom and baby.  It'll also do wonders for your back and arms, and you may even catch yourself snoozing off for a minute or two.  Shhhhh, don't tell anyone.