You’re pregnant and counting down till that 40 week mark but for some their little ones decide to come along much sooner. Today is World Prematurity Day, a day dedicated to raise awareness for all the babies who are born prematurely worldwide.
The arrival of your baby is an exciting and joyous time but for parents of premature babies it’s also a worrisome and scary time. These babies are vulnerable, sensitive and need care around the clock. The hospitals and staff have the medicine and machines which are an important part of their treatment but they are discovering just how important and critical the human touch element is when it comes to newborn care and development. Many times the Mammas aren’t able to be there around the clock to provide skin-to-skin hugs and that is why our good friends at Huggies created No Baby Unhugged. This program is an initiative designed to help hospitals ensure that all babies get the hugs they need, even when Mamma can’t be there.
No Baby Unhugged directly supports NICUs in providing premature babies with the hugs they need to thrive. We’ve all heard about the amazing benefits of skin-to-skin which include improved oxygen levels and pain tolerance, stabilized body temperatures, improved sleep, brain development and more. For premature babies, skin-to-skin also positively influences their short-term and long-term development.
(click on image above to view the full document from the Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres)
Through this amazing program, Huggies has provided $50,000 in funding to two Canadian hospital, with more planned. So far Huggies has partnered with Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney, Nova Scotia and Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario, offering funding to cover hugging chairs and stations, along with dozens of Hugger Volunteers in the neonatal intensive care units to help ensure all babies get the hugs they need. Over 600 babies are admitted to the hospitals each year, where hundreds of hours of care are offered by trained volunteers. Click on the videos below and see for yourself on how these No Babies Unhugged hospitals are making a difference.
There’s something about Disney and every little thing that they do that is MAGICAL! The characters, the stories, the emotions and the feelings that come from a Disney experience is like no other than I have ever come across. It doesn’t matter if you’re 3 years old or 93 years old. It brings you back to a time of innocents, it brings you back to a childhood where magic was real and anything was possible.
To this day one of my favourite things to do is sit with my kids and put on a Disney movie to watch together. Many of the stories and movies are ones that I got to experience for the first time with my kids, which makes it extra special for me. The first movie I ever took Samantha and Liliana to see at the theatre was Cinderella (2015) and I will never forget it. They were 4 and 2 years old at the time and were in awe from beginning to end. They didn’t move an inch, say a word and many times I had a to lean over to make sure they were still breathing haha. To see their eyes light up and the smiles emerge on their faces was just magically and is something I will ever get sick of seeing.
This past May I came across the news of a new Disney theatre release…Beauty and The Beast! The girls and I have been patiently awaiting for this movie to hit the theatres and we still have to wait a bit as it won’t be out till March 17, 2017 but today they released the official movie trailer! I have goosebumps and can’t wait to sit down with my little ladies later on to watch it together.
Here it is…
So mark your calendars because it’s coming in a little over 4 months and you don’t want to miss it!
Allergies are on the rise in North America. According to stats, 30% of adults and 40% of children are allergy sufferers. According to The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, an “allergy” is an overreaction of the immune system to substances that usually cause no reaction in most individuals. So why are people reacting to substances like dander, creams, pollen, foods and mold?
SYSTEM OVERLOAD!
Our immune system is tasked with the role of reacting to things that are life threatening-like a virus or bacteria. When the body is overloaded with poor food choices, stress, chemicals in the environment, products used on the skin, medications etc, the immune system can no longer keep in check what it had kept in check for so long. This is when I see patients in my office complaining that their allergies have worsened or a new rash has formed.
What to do if you have allergies-known or unknown.
1. Remove the Allergen. If you know what you are reacting to, then do your best to avoid exposure as best as you can. Allopathic allergy shots are created to help you become “desensitized” to the allergen. There are many side effects with this and it can be very time consuming. I offer an all natural Allergy Shot to help your immune system find balance.
If you do not know your allergens, then 1. See a Naturopath and get a Food Sensitivity Test to see if something you are eating is triggering a reaction and 2. See your Allergist to get tested for environmental allergies/medicines/chemicals.
2. Detoxify your Liver/Kidneys/Colon. All three of these organs help to eliminate waste from your body. If any organ is not performing it’s duty, then the build up of allergens and toxins can start to show symptoms like hives, rashes, runny nose, sore throat, puffy eyes, headaches, brain fog etc.
3. Clean up Your Diet: Eating fresh whole foods and eliminating sugar and processed foods is sure to help with your allergies. Ensure you get tested to see which foods are best for your immune system. Ensure you are drinking lots of water to clean out your system.
4.Supplementation with Fish oils, Vitamin C and Zinc can help modulate your immune system.
5. Manage Stress: This is super important! Most people do not know how much they are stressing their mind and body until hives appear or allergies worsen. Try to implement deep breathing, yoga, meditation, Reiki, Acupuncture or counselling for your stress.
If you are one of the few Chic Mammas out there that wasn’t able to escape to watch Bad Moms with us on opening night then keep reading! Well, wait who am I kidding even if you were there or watched it in theatres on a later date you’re gonna want in on this too!
Let’s just take a moment to watch this, reminisce and share a few more laughs together, shall we? LOL
So good, I know…I could watch it over and over again! Alright, so let’s get to it cuz guess what? It’s time again for a Chic Mamma Bad Moms Night with a twist! This time it’s a CHIC MAMMA BAD MOMS NIGHT IN 😉 . With the movie’s blu-ray and digital download release yesterday we decided that it’s only fitting to host our own party and we’ve got everything needed to get you going. C’mon Mammas you work hard, you’re tired, you never take time for yourself so it’s time to give yourself a break and have a much deserved Bad Moms Night In! Invite the ladies, get the Party Punch going and we’ll take care of the rest.
We’ve teamed up with our awesome friends over at eOne Films and Gaiam Canadato bring you this fab Bad Moms prize pack. Just enter via the rafflecopter contest widget below for your chance to WIN.
And because we love you so much we’ll let you in on a little secret…eOne Films is giving away another great Bad Moms Night In prize pack on their facebook page where you can WIN a $500 gift certificate to the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts store! If you want a head start on that shopping just head on over to the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts online store at http://bit.ly/FairmontStoreCDA and use the code ‘BadMoms20’ to get 20% off!
Talking about deals, before we leave you we’ve got one more fantastic deal and it’s because we care about you and want to make sure you’re in tip top shape for your kick ass Chic Mamma Bad Moms Night In. We’re hooking you up with 20% off on all Gaiam.ca products when you use promo code BadMoms20. The discount is valid now through to November 30th and is applied to the pre-tax total before shipping costs. So go for it, treat yourself to something nice, you’ll be happy you did!
Our hormones dictate how we feel, think, eat, sleep, respond, urinate, defecate, menstruate, lose or gain weight….might I go on….They are essential to life! Hormones are the messengers within us that make things happen to ensure we stay alive! Now I might add, most people today are walking around hormonally imbalanced. How can you tell? Here are a few clues that signal hormonal imbalance:
Weight Gain
Hair Loss/Thinning
Facial Hair Growth in Women
Development of Gut/Breasts in Men
Acne
Insomnia
Depression
Constipation
Brain Fog
Anxiety
Sugar Cravings
Lack of Energy
PMS
Irregular Menses
Short tempered/Irritable
Low sex drive etc……..
So what can you do about it?
Here are 6 lifestyle modifications that you can start tomorrow! If you follow these steps, you will feel happier, healthier and more energetic for sure!
Get moving. Exercise has been shown to help with weight loss and also getting hormones balanced. It does not matter which are out of balance, as exercise is a fantastic way to help balance many. Choose an activity you enjoy and stick to it. It must be consistent exercise at least 4-5 times a week for 30 minutes.
Get sound sleep. When we sleep, this is when our body comes back to homeostasis, if we allow it. Disconnect from your TV, phone, email and anything that can affect melatonin production at least 45 minutes before bed. Limit caffeine after 2pm as this can affect sleep. Create a zen space for sleep and make it a priority and protect your sleep hours. They are necessary for hormonal balance. Aim for 7-9 hours. When you dream, this is a good sign of deep sleep. If you can remember them, even better!
Enjoy a High Fibre Diet: This includes mostly fruit, vegetables, nuts/seeds and legumes. This type of diet is very high in fibre, which gets the bowels moving and helps flush out excess estrogen levels.
This is a must, especially if cortisol (your stress hormone) is elevated. Choose any form of meditation and stick to it. This has to be a consistent practice. Aim for 20 minutes a day to find inner peace and hormone balancing.
Do a Liver Detox twice a year. Our liver recycles hormones and when it becomes “sluggish”, hormonal imbalances results. If you are unsure which one to do, reach out as I have the perfect cleanse aimed to target liver, kidneys and colon.
Remove sugar, dairy and high fat foods/meat from your diet. This is a MUST! If you need help with sugar cravings reach out. Keeping a food journal is a great way to become conscious of what you are eating, when and why.
(Get the scoop on your hormones by clicking here to fill out Dr. Jen’s “Hormonal Questionnaire”)
I am a proud Torontonian! I love the city in which I live and work. It’s filled with amazing people from different cultures who embrace their roots, there are tons of great places to visit, awesome places to eat, fantastic music, artists, andddddd I could go on but I’d be here forever. Today, I really just want to focus on one of my all time fave things about Toronto…Sick Kids Hospital.
We are so amazingly fortunate to have one of the best hospitals right here in our backyard. One that many travel to from not only across our great country but all over the world. It all started back in 1875 by a group of women who rented out a house in downtown Toronto, set up some beds…6 to be exact and Sick Kids was born! This hospital has done sooooo much, the history on this place is just amazing. They are known world wide for their groundbreaking work and have a reputation like no other.
Sick Kids treats kids of all ages who are battling all different types of illnesses including the rarest of the rare and most serious. For some kids they are in and out, others have a short stay and some live there for months on end. These kids, their parents and the Sick Kids staff are truly amazing. Their reality isn’t an easy one and takes a lot of courage and strength.
Recently the hospital started to put up images of kids standing brave and tall with a big “VS” behind them and today they launched the video for their newest campaign and BEST campaign I’ve ever seen. It’s called ‘Sick isn’t weak’ and well I could tell you about it but I think the best thing to do is press play and watch and see for yourself!
To all these superheroes (the kids) and their parents I applaud you…keep on fighting the fight because you can do it! And to the staff…from the admin people, social workers, nurses, doctors, surgeons, anesthesiologist and everyone in between THANK YOU! Thank you for all that you do, day in and day out.
Getting ready this morning and as I rummaged through my jewelry box I came across one of my favourite necklaces that I haven’t worn in ages. My personalized “PINA” necklace and so I picked it up and thought perfect I’m going to put this one. I then remembered that today…October 11th is International Day Of The Girl…perfect day and reason to wear it. You may think well what does this piece of jewelry have to do with the fact that today is International Day Of The Girl but it does you see because although it may just be a personalized necklace to many, to me it’s a symbol of who I am and it tells a story….my story…the story of a GIRL!
It goes a little like this…
I am a daughter
a little sister
a wife
a lover
a mother
a granddaughter
a niece
a cousin
a sister in-law
a zia
a Godmother
a friend
a good friend
a best friend
an entrepreneur
a business owner
a music lover
a teacher
a shoulder to cry on
a person to lean on
a hard worker
a strong independent woman
A GIRL…I AM PINA…I AM MINE!
So today celebrate YOU and celebrate the GIRLS around you because GIRLS are leaders, GIRLS make a difference and GIRLS’ rights matter. Let’s make it count ❤️.
Guest Blog Written By: Michael Appugliese “mike fresh” from Freshouse Juicebar
The Benefits Of Cold Pressed Juice
If you haven’t already heard, drinking cold pressed juice can be the most natural and raw way to increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables.
What is Cold Pressed Juice?
Cold pressed juice is a method of extracting juice from produce. It involves two steps.
Pulverizing
The produce is first pulverized by a blade and turned into pulp. This process breaks open fibers and frees up nutrients and enzymes to be released.
Pressing
The newly made pulp is placed inside a cloth type bag and squeezed at high amounts of pressure using a hydraulic press. The strong action of the press squeezes out the most juice that can be squeezed out of the produce, better and more efficient than any other form of juicer on the planet.
What is the difference between cold pressed juice and regular juice?
The juice that you find at the supermarket can take up to 12 months before it hits the shelf. Regular juice is: 1.Juiced 2. Pasteurized 3. Stored 4. Shipped
Pasteurization is the act of heating up the juice to extremely high temperatures to kill off the bad bacteria. The problem is that vitamins, enzymes and good bacteria are also heat sensitive, so you also destroy the good bacteria. Chemicals are also added to the juice during this process before it is bottled.
Cold press juice is simply the pure juice from the produce, with no type of processing done to it at all. The juice is extracted and bottled. Because of its natural nature, cold press juice must be consumed within 3-5 days (depending on the juice) from the day it was pressed. Just the way nature intended it to be!
Why Drink Cold-Pressed Juice?
Maximum Nutrition – Regular centrifugal juicers use a blade that creates heat, which causes the juice to oxidize and lose nutrient value. The hydraulic press removes the juice from the pulp without adding any heat and yields a highly concentrated juice full of nutrients.
Fastest Absorption – once the pulp has been removed, the digestive system is able to absorb all of the nutrients immediately. The digestive system does not have to work on breaking down anything. As soon as the juice enters the small intestine, the nutrients are absorbed immediately and enter the bloodstream.
Freshest juice – Real cold press juice is never pasteurized or processed in any way. The shelf life is only 3-5 days, guaranteeing a fresh product. Always watch out for cold press juice that has been HPP’d (High pressure processing). This juice claims to be cold press, but has been processed to extend the shelf life from 3 days to 30 days! Makes you wonder if this can still be considered natural??
We are all supposed to eat fruits and vegetables everyday, the problem is that in today’s fast paced society people find it difficult to stop and take a bite of the apple, or eat that piece of broccoli. A high majority of Canadians do not take in anywhere near the recommended 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables. Cold press juice is a convenient way to stay healthy and guarantee your absorbing high quality nutrients, while getting in all your servings of fruits and vegetables.
“The juices extracted from fresh-raw vegetables and fruits are the means by which we can furnish all the cells and tissues of the body with the elements and nutritional enzymes they need in the manner they can be most readily digested and assimilated.” Dr. Norman Walker
ChicMamma.ca Vendor Signature Little Ones Inc. is a leader when it comes to personalized items. They offer personalized onesies, birthday outfits, blankets, pillows, baptismal sleepers, bibs, etc…if you can personalize you can bet that they do it! This Canadian (Ontario) home based business knows what’s hot, what’s in, what’s new and offer all of it with only the best quality to their customers.
One of the newest things to hit the personalized world is sublimation printing. You’re probably wondering what sublimation printing is and so the best way to describe it is that it’s a very high-quality, brilliant, lasting image that is undetectable to touch and has unparalleled resistance to washing. Patricia and her team at Signature Little Ones Inc. are one of the first in the country to offer this amazing new technology and are taking things to the next level. Made to order and customized just for you they are super excited to launch this new collection!
I had the chance to speak with Patricia of Signature Little Ones to talk more about sublimation printing as well as get to see, touch and feel the product…it’s absolutely amazing! I actually found out that sublimation printing isn’t something new to Patricia as she has been working behind the scenes taking the time to study the process and master the perfect image before launching this collection. She wanted to make sure that all her customers who order a sublimation piece would walk away having a great one of a kind quality piece they could cherish for a long time. Although sublimation offers unequaled creative freedom, it requires know-how to achieve a final satisfactory result and vivid colours.
Signature Little Ones Inc. signature item for this collection is their personalized blankets are the perfect gift for any parent to be. A great size for the crib, stroller, laying about, or just to swaddle your new born. It’s an amazing keepsake and stunning photo prop for your newborn pictures. The blankets measure 30” x 40” and they are made with the softest fleece. The process involved in making these stunning blankets ensures the integrity and the softness of the blanket which stays bright and colorful wash after wash.
More pieces will be introduced to this new collection, but to start they will also be offering their personalized bibs. These too are made with the softest fleece measuring 8.75” x 14.25” and have a velcro closure. The design covers the entire bib and is not only will this stay bright and colourful no matter how many times you have to wash it.
These beautiful pieces will be offered in a variety of designs with countless colour options making each piece unique and different.
Also stay tuned because other pieces like onesies, baby hats and lovies will be joining the collection soon enough!
NOW FOR THE FUN PART…CONTEST TIME!
To celebrate the fact that sublimation printing is now available at Signature Little Ones Inc. we are going to give away a great prize pack that consists of a custom sublimation printed blanket and bib (prize value $100.00).
While Pinterest would have us believe that bonsai shaped broccoli, storm trooper sandwiches and apple roses are key when it comes to packing school lunches, I have found that the key ingredient, when it comes satisfying the two little stomachs that I pack meals for, is the act of listening. Defined as, giving attention with the ear and attending closely for the purpose of hearing, it is this seemingly simply act, that can help you gain valuable insight and, make the completion of tasks (such as packing lunches), a whole lot easier. Yes, you read that right; the act of listening has taken a great deal of effort out of meal prep.
I learned this valuable lesson on the eve of my children’s very first day of school two years ago. I was ready to simply pack up leftovers from dinner and send them off on their merry way. Given that it was a pretty important first day though, I decided that before moving forward with my lunch plan, it might be a good idea to inquire, rather than assume. I felt it best to ask so that at least one component of their day would not be surprising or overwhelming for them (this was after all a brand new experience for all us). So I turned to my little ones and posed the question that has since been our evening ritual “what would you like mommy to pack for your lunch?”
Funny enough one of my girls answered without hesitation asking for lasagne. While I love my daughters dearly I wasn’t prepared to pull and all-nighter creating an Italian casserole, so lasagne were a lunch box no-go. After explaining to them that mommy couldn’t get that particular lunch made I posed the question again. They pondered for a few minutes and then responded with the next, more feasible option. While I don’t recall the exact noon hour nosh they requested, I do recall that they each asked for something different (which has typically been the case since).
While you might think that given the choice, children will gravitate towards unhealthy options, but I have actually found the opposite to be true. Of course my girls will ask for cookies, bags of chips or juice boxes on occasion (they are kids after all), but for the most part, they make great choices and by involving them in the process, I empower them to make those choices.
So before running out to buy a bento box in which to compartmentalize googley-eyed oranges and critter shaped cucumbers (which admittedly yes I have done from time-to-time, heck even I like to pack a little pinspiration), try listening to what your children (and their taste buds) have to say. And by the way, since I did take the first day off school off, I had plenty of time to layer noodles and make the girls their lasagne to enjoy as a special dinner on their first day of school, and to pack for lunch the next day.
Here’s to a happy and healthy start, to a new school year. Buon Appetito!
The arrival of your baby is an exciting and joyous time but for parents of premature babies it’s also a worrisome and scary time. These babies are vulnerable, sensitive and need care around the clock. The hospitals and staff have the medicine and machines which are an important part of their treatment but they are discovering just how important and critical the human touch element is when it comes to newborn care and development. Many times the Mammas aren’t able to be there around the clock to provide skin-to-skin hugs and that is why our good friends at Huggies created No Baby Unhugged. This program is an initiative designed to help hospitals ensure that all babies get the hugs they need, even when Mamma can’t be there.
