Mommy Mondays

The second part of the Momtourage double header took us to one of my absolute favorite places. I was hesitant to share this little gem on my blog, only because I worry other mommas will love it as much as me and I won't be able to get in anymore! However, I couldn't resist, because I love giving local businesses a little love and free advertising, especially when the staff and services are as exceptional as this...so sit back, relax, and let me tell you all about Maison Blanc!

After lunch, we headed to Maison Blanc Day Spa, located in downtown Whitby, where they have Mommy Mondays at the spa. Imagine this...walking into a beautiful, elegant spa, decorated in vintage French decor. You walk in and are greeted by friendly staff. They take your coat, provide you with spa slippers, get you settled to wait in a beautiful sitting room where you are offered tea and snacks. Sounds pretty nice, huh? Now imagine that you can have that experience with your baby in tow! (And when I sit back and dream about it, my sweet angel is never crying or screaming, he's always in awe of the beauty and calm surrounding him...hey, a girl can dream, right?)

Little Char in awe of the gorgeous decor

Little A waiting to go upstairs

Maison Blanc offers a whole host of services on Mondays for mommies where their babies are welcome. I've looked at different spas in Toronto that have mommy days, and there is one huge difference. Most of the spas offer to take your baby to a playroom while you have your treatment. Now, I can't be the only crazy momma out there that is NOT comfortable sending my baby off with a stranger out of my view just so I can get nails done. At Maison Blanc, they have staff take care of the babies right in front of you. They set up a playmat with toys, and your baby is never out of your sight. Pretty awesome, huh? Check it out:

Next thing I love about Maison Blanc - the service. It is absolutely spectacular. No detail is left untouched. They are patient and understanding of the babies, taking breaks to help out when another pair of hands is needed for baby cuddles, and have no problem stopping in the middle of a service if Mom is needed for some soothing. The staff are fantastic with the babies, and for the most part, the babies loved all the attention from the staff - check out A below:

Clearly, A doesn't look too distressed being away from me

We have all had manicures and pedicures there, and they do a fantastic job. Every time I go, I feel completely de-stressed and get pampered like a princess. I honestly cannot say enough wonderful things about this place! The staff all does a wonderful job, and every person I've met there is friendly and welcoming - especially the owner, Nancy. I adore this place and just can't give it enough love!

One of the highlights of a pedicure there is the seat - hands down, most luxurious pedicure chair I've been in:

Mandy & Jen

Ahhh...now this is bliss!

Mandy taking a little time to snuggle with London

Following our services, they always offer us beverages to relax afterwards. My personal fave is the Cacao tea, served with a little biscotti - delicious!

Every inch of the spa is like dessert for your eyes - everything is just so feminine and pretty!

If you check out their calendar, they have lots of fun girls nights, like Manicure & Bellini night! I haven't had a chance to take advantage of their services baby-less, but I will definitely be coming back with and without A (Hubby, are you reading this? Hint hint, nudge, nudge....my first Mother's Day is coming up ;) 

Since I never think to bring my real camera with me, all I have are photos from my phone - and my crappy iPhone photos just do not do this place justice, so check out their website and have a peek. You will not be disappointed if you treat yourself here!

Maison Blanc Day Spa - http://maisonblancdayspa.com/

159 Brock St. N. Whitby, ON  
905.430.3500

A Momtourage Double Header - Part 1

This week's outing was a double header in two ways - it was a double-goodbye to Jen & Mandy as they return to work next week...and to celebrate, we decided to do two outings in one day. I considered us pretty brave!

For Jen & Mandy's last week, we decided to go for lunch at The Table in downtown Oshawa. Mandy and I had our babes with us, but sadly Charlotte had already started phasing into daycare, so Jen was by herself for the day. 

As I worked in downtown Oshawa before I had Andrew, I had been to The Table a few times, but only for take-out. Waiting for my food, I would always stare longingly at the beautiful harvest table in the middle of the restaurant, with it's glass jars of water with mason jar cups. I love the idea of everyone sitting together at one table...in theory. Once we got to the restaurant, an awful thought hit me...I don't think anyone else is going to want to sit with our loud, messy babies. Thankfully, as we were there early (11am) the lunch rush hadn't started yet and the table was almost empty. We even had a visit from the owner, Carol, to visit with the little ones.

Surprisingly, they actually had high chairs for us to use, and we set up with the babies at the end of the table, so even if other diners sat beside us, they wouldn't get A's sticky hands grabbing at their shirts and babbling in his baby zombie voice (no joke, it happened to me in the doctor's office - thankfully the lady he was grabbing loved babies and ended up entertaining him until we got called in).

Here are Mandy and Jen with London and A at the end of our meal...love that big harvest table - wish I had a house big enough to fit a table like that!

Now, I personally love The Table, but it isn't for everyone. Everything at The Table is made from scratch - baked goods, desserts, soups, salads. I love the sandwiches and salads (especially the Salad Trio - you get to try three different kinds!). It's a healthy-eating kinda place...so definitely don't head there if you're craving grease!

Head on over to http://thetablebycarol.ca/ to check them out. Their assortment of soups changes daily, so check their website to see what's being served when you go!

The next part of our day...coming soon!

Cheeky Mommies

Now, this next activity isn't for everyone. Sadly, not everyone in the Momtourage was into it, but personally...I love it. Please read with an open mind, as I have gotten some pretty odd reactions when I tell people what A and I do every Tuesday morning...we go to pole dancing class.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking (and what I have heard already) - is it safe? Don't worry, we don't swing around the pole with the babies underneath, they are playing a safe distance away, always within mommy's view. Isn't it inappropriate to take your son to a class where you are swinging around a pole like a stripper? Nope - he's seeing his mommy happy, active, and feeling great about herself. What's inappropriate about that? Now, I don't know that I would be bringing him when he's five years old, but for now, why not?

Cheeky Girls in Whitby offers Mom & Baby Pole Classes; I started in the beginner class. I thought going into it that it would just kinda be something fun to kill time with Andrew, but it really is a great workout. It starts with some stretching and strengthening exercises, and then you get to the fun stuff - swinging around the pole. 

Honestly mommas, it is SO much fun, and a great workout! Our teacher, Stephanie is fantastic. She is like a personal cheerleader for each and every one of us - even while I'm falling and smashing into the pole. We have enough insecurities as new moms (or experienced moms), we all need someone like her in our corner to tell us that we can do it, and to encourage us to try it again.

I tried to take a couple photos, but as the lighting is dim, they didn't turn out great - but I will share one with you - this is our instructor, Stephanie posing on the pole:

Did you notice something different in the photo from other fitness studios? Because I noticed it as soon as I walked in...there are no mirrors. There is no checking to see how you look on the pole. I find that women as a whole rely so much on checking on how we look and how we carry ourselves, and rarely give ourselves the opportunity to just focus on ourselves. It's refreshing to spend an hour without mirrors, and just focusing on me and what makes me feel good.

From a selfish point of view, pole class also gives me a chance to feel like pre-baby me. I love little A, and I love being a mom, but sometimes I do miss the old me. And pole class lets a little bit of the old wild me out...for an hour a week ;)

Physical activity aside, pole class has also taught me three things:

1) Strippers are seriously ripped. I have a new appreciation for what those ladies do when they go to work. It takes serious stamina and muscle...neither of which I have!

2) I have a little issue with control. My first couple days on the pole I didn't really move much - I was too busy white-knuckling the pole and not sliding down at all!

3) Cheeky Girls is like a secret cult. I had never heard of them until Mandy told me about the class. But one Facebook post after my first class and all the other Cheeky Girls came out of the woodwork! I love being a Cheeky Girl :)

If bringing your baby to class isn't your scene (or if you don't have one), Cheeky also offers lots of classes just for the ladies!

Well, That's it for me tonight. Baby A is fast asleep, and it's my turn now!

If you're interested in dancing and swinging your baby belly away, check out Cheeky Girls, you won't be disappointed - http://cheekygirls.ca/

Bye-bye Momma!

As with everything else in this world, there is a downfall to having a Momtourage. Sadly, I have already discovered what it is...and while it may not come as a shock to everyone else, it was to me: Eventually, moms on maternity leave go back to work.

While I logically knew that at some point we would all be returning to work, I seemed to have blocked it completely from my half-functioning brain. When Ash, the first of the moms to go back to work, announced her last week with us, it completely caught me off guard - I was not ready to lose one of my biggest supports and cheerleaders. 

While I'm sure it was hard for Ash to go back to work, it was sucky for the rest of us - not only do I miss seeing Ash, but I miss seeing her kids! We went from spending at least one day a week with her two daughters (now 1 year and 3 years), to not seeing them at all...and I miss them, especially Princess Ava's witty comments.

Since Ash's return to work, momma Sharon has also left us (albeit for a short time - she will be welcoming Baby #2 in August!!! She's a brave woman!) Soon, Jen and Mandy will be leaving the Momtourage...such a sad time for me :( I truly am going to miss these girls so much. I never thought I would become so close in such a short time, but they have all become close friends of mine. Although we came together over our babies, we have all found that we have mutual interests outside of our children, and not seeing them every week will be difficult for me.

We decided to have a little good-bye party for Ash on her last day with us. We had a potluck lunch, and decided to have a photoshoot with the moms and kids...a little way for us to commemorate an amazing few months together.

Luckily, my friend Shannon is an awesome photographer, so we had her come to Ash's house and do a photoshoot. If you decide to do this with your entourage, make sure your photographer has tons of patience, and have lots of toys on hands to trick smiles out of all those tots for the camera!

Below are a few photos from our shoot:

My little man and I

Jen and sweet Charlotte

The entire Momtourage!

The babes

The photoshoot and lunch was a fun and informal way to spend Ash's last day with us, as well as a sweet keepsake to remember the awesome year we spent together :)

If anyone is interested in Shannon's work, check her out here: https://www.facebook.com/ShannonNicolePhotography?fref=ts

Mom Fail #129640643

So this isn't going to be 'real' post, just a...quick and dirty one. Hah, very appropriate, considering the content to come.

Fellow mommies, ever have a moment when you think, "Crap. That was a huge mom fail." Well, I have had plenty of those moments. The most recent was this past week at Beans & Babes with the dwindling Momtourage.

A had been on antibiotics for just over a week, and for those of you that don't know (don't be embarrassed if you don't, I didn't know until this past week), antibiotics can cause some serious diarrhea in babies and kids.  A had been having some serious bowel trouble since on the medication (which involved me handwashing sleepers about five times a day..no matter how tight I did up those dang diapers) and had been living in sleepers while we had been hanging at home. A smart mom would have continued to keep her baby in easy to remove clothing, even if they were going out for a playdate.

But NOOOOOOOOOOO, I got all excited that he wasn't contagious and put the kid in overalls and a onesie. Things were going great...until I smelled a familiar, foul odor. I grabbed a diaper, wipes, and change pad and headed to the bathroom. If you are eating or have a weak stomach, you might want to move on to the next site in your list of internet surfing. You're still here? Ok, consider yourself forewarned. 

The kid had shit everywhere. Literally. Up to his shoulder blades. And I had to wrangle a onesie and overalls off of him. Sweet sleepers, where were you when I needed you? Wipes just weren't cutting it. I pretty much had to bathe A in the sink.

As if that wasn't bad enough, I realized once he was clean and dry that....I hadn't brought any clothes into the bathroom. Shit. Pun intended.

And so, this happened:

Jen and Mandy just about killed themselves laughing when I came strolling out of the washroom with a naked baby. Don't worry, I had clothes in his diaper bag, he wasn't naked for the rest of the afternoon. 

Now, I'm not one to embarrass easily, but I was thanking my lucky stars that we were at Beans and not Il Fornello or something...because other than the moms I was with, not one person in there even gave us a second glance. Moral of the story? When your kid keeps having shit-splosions, stick to baby-friendly venues ;)

Now dear readers, please tell me that I'm not the only one out there who has had mom fails? Pretty please share some of your stories!

Beans & Babes

This post about Beans & Babes is long overdue, seeing as a good chunk of my mat leave has been spent here. While cruising the internet one day looking for a baby-friendly outing, I came across a little place called Beans & Babes, located in south Whitby. I quickly organized an outing there for the following week, and it quickly became a regular meeting spot for the Momtourage. We usually head there every other week.

Beans & Babes is a cafe tailored to moms with babies and young kids. There is a play area for toddlers and young kids, and there is even a section for babies, with age appropriate toys, exersaucers, and play mats. One of the things that I love about it is letting A try out new toys without having to buy them. I am horribly inept at picking the 'winning' toys. Earliest example of this - I refused to buy any Lamaze toys when I was pregnant. I scoffed at the $20 price tag on them, and snidely commented what a rip-off they were and that my kid could survive with cheap stuffed animals instead. How wrong I was - I quickly ate my words. We were given a Lamaze toy as a gift, and it was one of the few toys that A was interested in from a young age. And so, I headed back to the store to spend my own money on those $20 stuffed animals...and it was well worth it! That overpriced little penguin and  robot have been saviours in the car and in restaurants - I don't go anywhere without them.Now that I have gone completely off tangent...back to Beans! It's awesome to let A try out new toys to see what actually entertains him before spending money on new stuff.

Another thing that's awesome about Beans is how breastfeeding-friendly it is. There are big comfy armchairs to curl up in, as well as nursing pillows. You are never rushed when you're hanging out there, so if it takes you 40 minutes to feed your little one, no worries! The staff is wonderful, especially the owner Jordan, and are so accommodating, especially when you have a little one. They will bring water and drinks as you're nursing (as it can take SO long when they're newborns!), and do what they can to make you comfortable. I can't say enough about the staff - they are always so friendly and helpful.

Beans is also awesome for feeding the babes - they have tons of high chairs, offer free Cheerios, will warm up any food or bottles that you have, and their menu includes a special section for babies just starting solid foods, including toast fingers, shredded cheese, and fruit.

Below is a photo of a big Beans outing that I organized....I do believe that it is the biggest outing the Momtourage has had! What a great day it was - I got to spend time with new and old friends and all their little ones, ranging in age from 2 months to 5 years old!

One massive mommy crew! Back row: Kristin & Bryson, A and I, Angie and Wyatt, Julie & Daniel; Front row: Sharon & Brody, Mandy & London, Jen & Char, Ashley & Kennedy, Payton, Courtney & Sadie

If you have a Momtourage to head to Beans with, make sure you call ahead and book a table - if you have 6 or more moms, all the kids play is half price! Check out Beans & Babes on Facebook, as they often have contests for free play passes. You can also check out their website here: http://www.beansandbabes.ca/.

Have any of you been to Beans & Babes? Have you checked out any of the other play places in the area? There are a few that I've seen online but haven't been to yet, are they worth going to?

BYOB...bring your own bib

A gem of a lunch outing that the Momtourage attended was the Babies at Lunch event held at the Old Mill Inn & Spa. Held monthly, it gives moms a chance to enjoy a nice lunch out without worrying if their little one is making too much noise. The entire dining room at The Old Mill is filled with moms, babies and toddlers! There is designated 'stroller parking', highchairs/boosters, bottle warming, and crayons/colouring sheets for the older ones. For a flat price, you get lunch, coffee/tea/cappucino, and a pink carnation for all the mommies. Make sure to call ahead to reserve a table...especially if you're going with an entire momtourage ;)

Now, when we first booked we weren't expecting much in terms of food...we were just grateful to go somewhere a little fancier where we wouldn't get dirty looks if one of the babies red-zoned. The Old Mill went above and beyond - it was an extensive buffet (worthy of a typical Old Mill luncheon), with hot entrees, seafood, cheeses, salads, and a drool-worthy sweet table.

A was only 2.5 months old at the Old Mill Luncheon...and boy did he ever scream that day!

Jen and Char

It was fun to get dressed up to go out...and when I say dressed up, I mean I did my hair and makeup and changed out of my sweat pants. This was probably one of the first times I attempted to put real clothes on A. He was so tiny that anything other than newborn onesies or sleepers looked ridiculous. The overalls he has on in the picture? Size - 3 months....and he's swimming in them! All the mommas and babies were all dressed up and looked adorable, I wish I had a picture of all of us!

This is definitely an outing that I would like to do one more time before all the mommas are back at work!

Have any of you been to the Old Mill luncheon? Do you know of any other mom & baby lunch outings in the GTA? Let me know in the comments!