A Gift From Your Baby - a guest post by Trudi Goels

I was contacted by Trudi, of the Canadian Blood Services, who is trying to spread awareness around the National Public Cord Bank.  It is a great program that allows women to donate the cord, which is used to save lives already. I was, myself, interested in this program when I was delivering at BC Women's, so I was happy to have Trudi write a guest post here.

Please read on to learn more about this amazing program.

A Gift From Your Baby

When we think of babies and gifts, we think of giving them to newborns. But have you ever thought about receiving a gift from a newborn?

At birth, you and your baby share an amazing lifesaving gift: umbilical cord blood. Cord blood is rich in stem cells, which can be used for life saving transplants. There are more than 80 illnesses that can be treated with a stem cell transplant, such as leukemia and aplastic anemia.

Canadian Blood Services can collect cord blood after a healthy delivery at BC Women’s Hospital & Health Center, and if the cord blood unit meets all of the criteria for storing, it will be listed on a database that makes it available for a patient in need of a transplant. A patient like Aaryan. http://www.match4aary.com/


Aaryan is only 11 years old and for more than a year he has been living with aplastic anemia.  It’s a condition where the bone marrow fails to produce enough new blood cells. In a healthy body, the stem cells in our bone marrow mature and become healthy red cells, white cells, and platelets.  Aaryan’s stem cells aren’t doing that for him.  This is why he needs a transplant.

Aaryan has an added challenge. He is has a multi-ethnic background, with Vietnamese and Afghan heritage.  For a patient to find a compatible donor, they are matched through Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) typing.  Patients are more likely to find a match from someone who shares the same ethnicity.  The number of people who share Aaryan’s unique ethnic background are few, and even fewer have registered to donate stem cells or have donated their cord blood.

You have a unique opportunity to help Aaryan and patients like him by donating your cord blood if you meet the following guidelines:

-Healthy (mother and baby) with no medical conditions that could be passed on to a patient;
-Mothers must be 18 years of age or older, and have a signed consent form prior to labour starting (you can download the form here https://blood.ca/en/cord-blood/how-do-i-donate
-Mothers reaching 34 weeks or later in their pregnancy
-Mothers not having a multiple pregnancy (i.e. twins, triplets)
-Mothers fluent in English or French
-Mothers delivering at one of the five designated collection hospitalswhere the Canadian Blood Services Cord Blood Bank is operational

At the time of delivery your physician or midwife will determine if the cord blood collection may proceed. There is no cost to donate your baby’s cord blood

Like Aaryan, Nate needed a stem cell transplant.  His mom would like you to consider donating your cord blood, so that you can help people like her son.
Click here to watch a video about this.

For more information visit https://blood.ca/en/cordblood


Trudi Goels is the Stem Cell Territory Manager for Canadian Blood Services in British Columbia/Yukon. She has a deep passion for helping patients by providing education and opportunities for people to save lives through blood donation, registering as a stem cell donor, donating cord blood or becoming an organ and tissue donor.  She’s the mom of one amazing teenaged son and step-mom to her two fabulous bonus-kids. 
She can be reached at Trudi.goels@blood.ca if you’d like to know more or you can always visit www.blood.ca   She’d be remiss if she didn’t tell you – it’s in you to give.

The Gift of Giving by "Green Gifting"

This time of year can easily get away with us. We are asked, "momma can you buy me this," or "can I please open gifts now please please please."

Although my kids are quite little, it would be nice to start some tradition to reinstate the meaning of Christmas, in our house. This could be a little gesture, perhaps it will stay and carry on. I had this in mind and contemplating what those could me. I want to exemplify that it is great to do for others, vs only expecting gifts. But what?

By luck, my niece stayed over. I grabbed her and Caiden and took them both to Value Village for some "green gifting" inspiration. En route, she told me how her school had some books from Value Village. And then it hit me. I will get the kids to choose as many books as possible and we will gift them to a cause that would love some books.

The kids loved it and so they set out in Value Village's book section to find books and books and books. And books they found, that's for sure.

There are so many walls and shelves of books at Value Village, all in good shape and in need of kids imaginations. Because they are so low priced it is easy to gather and purchase a lot. Giving a lot feels great and to my surprise, the kids were excited about giving lots and lots of books to kids in need.

I was so proud of these guys, they didn't once ask to keep them all to themselves and took time to choose books they thought other kids would love. 

While there, I noticed that there are many items people can benefit from, so many opportunities to give used items to those in need or on low or fixed incomes. This green gifting program is fantastic, and we all should be aware all we can do our part when we can, as we can.

So books in bags, smiles and excitement in our hearts, I tasked my niece to find a charity to donate these books to. 

Green gifting and giving back...such a great way to say Merry Christmas!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice

I love comfort food, especially this time of year. One of my faves...is a chicken, broccoli and cheese casserole, with rice. Oh so delicious and warm and awesome.

I always thought about making a similar, not as calorie rich, version. I finally did and excited to share it with you, because it turned out great. As always, I test it with the kids...it checked out.

So here is a one-pot meal your family will be sure to enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice al dente (I opt for brown rice or basmati here)
2 chicken breasts, chopped in bite-size pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 pieces of crushed garlic
1 teaspoon of non-hyrogenaged margarine
1 finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup to 1 cup finely chopped broccoli
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon hot sauce of choice
1/2 cup grated low fat cheddar cheese
1 cup whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

Sautee the chicken with the onion, garlic and margarine. 

Add the curry powder and hot sauce to the chicken and continue to sautee until the chicken is fully cooked.

Add the peppers and broccoli, cover and let cook for about 3-5 minutes (do not overcook or let the veggies go soggy). 

Add the whole milk and allow everything to simmer.

Mix in the cooked rice and allow to simmer until all the liquid is absorbed. At this point, mix in the cheddar cheese and salt and pepper.

Turn the heat off and add green onions or any garnish of choice.

That's it...easy, cheesy, yummy goodness.

Tip:  For extra cheesy comfort food-like goodness, put into a baking dish and top with breadcrumbs and more cheese. Then back at 350 until golden on top.

Holiday Must-Try Treat Recipes

Snickerdoodles by My Recipe Magic

I admittedly love eating at this time of year. I enjoy all the treats, the dinners and the appies, and beverages.

It's so fun to see creative creations. I often think about what I would serve up and, thanks to Pinterest, always getting inspired.  This year, I am a little more on the "homey" feeling, so instead of being fed...I may try my hand at a few of these delectable recipes I have found online. I tend to gravitate to the cookies, and what I loved growing up...shortbread, snickerdoodles, oatmeal chocolate chip...so naturally I looked for fun cookies and treats. 

Here is a perfect round-up of some must-try and doable, I might add, Holiday treat recipes.

Peppermint Mocha Cookies from Sally's Baking Addiction

These look amazing, over the holidays I love Peppermint Mochas...combine that into a cookie...talk about a win!

Sally's Baking Addiction Peppermint Mocha Cookies

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies from My Recipe Magic

Shortbread is like a Christmas cookie staple, and I love the zest of orange, so this is the perfect cookie to signify the holidays...for sure.

The World's Best Snickerdoodles from My Recipe Magic

I grew up making and always trying snickerdoodles, ok, I also just loved saying it. I definitely want to be that mom that makes her kids snickerdoodles on the holidays. However, this recipe makes a chewy, soft version, which one has got to try.

Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups from Butter with a Side of Bread

These look too darn cute not to try, what a fantastic idea...the kids and adults will love them, 

Hot Chocolate Cups from Butter with a Side of Bread

Chocolate Sugar Cookie from Sweetopia

My sister always loved sugar cookies, she was the one to make the sugar cookies. She always stuck to the traditional, but I saw this chocolate recipe and thought, yes I may get her to make this one, or I will.

Melt In Your Mouth Egg Nog Cookies from Cooking Classy

Ok, when I saw this, I thought, "hello...where have you been all my life?" This is a must-try to stick with the holiday theme. 

Egg Nog Cookies from Cooking Classy

Micky and Minnie Mouse Christmas Cookies from Living Locurto

Ok, I admit I had to throw these in there because they are so darn cute, even through you are using pre-bought Oreos. My kids love Micky and Minnie Mouse right now, so I thought it was a fabulous idea and it has to be around this year on the treat tray.

Buckeyes (Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls) from Chocolate with Grace

I love chocolate, I love peanut butter, I love the two combined. I love this simple treat and this recipe is awesome. I have also tried it with dark chocolate and natural peanut butter and it's still amazing.

Buckeyes from Chocolate with Grace

So that does it for treats this holiday season, or this round-up at least. Enjoy your hand at these tasty treats, that I'm sure everyone will love.  

Happy Holidays!

This Life.

This life is a cycle, full of ups, downs, ins, outs and turns.
This life will surprise you, give you goosebumps, warmth, and sometimes even burns.

I have experienced all these emotions, throughout different phases in my life.
It is a natural part of growing, not just into adulthood, but even now as a mom and wife.

This life is unpredictable, as each phase comes you learn more and more.
It is never a game, it's to be self aware and learn as you go, no need to keep a score.

This life is interesting, full of new meetings, adding to your family, and sometimes sad goodbyes.
You can never say never, or take things for granted...as we all know, time flies.

This life has given me my biggest blessings and changed in so many ways.
There were times I would've never imagined being me now, not in my hay days.

This life moulded me to do exactly what was expected of me, to make everyone happy and never think of me.
How crazy was that, because I'm a better person now, and I finally feel so free.

This life is a journey and you trod along for years, trying to find what aspect feels just right.
There is no age upon which it will come to you, you just know because in you, you feel no flight or fight.

This life is different for every person, as each is unique has their own views.
It is about respecting and not judging, not knowing what it's like in anyone elses shoes.

This life is about appreciating all the good and even the bad.
I am thankful for all the things I've learned, be it happy, sad or mad.

This life is surreal, as I often say over and over, and over again.
The realizations growing daily and being open to learning should never come to an end.

This life is about enjoying who I am, in all that I am in this moment in time, here and now.
It is ok that things may change, so create memories, make goals, but cherish and be present, that is how.

This life is love. This life is for me. This life is a journey...and I am happy to BE.

Essentially Essential Oils for Me

I have always been interested in health and wellness, and never really great at taking medicines. I do love to pester the people in my life (and definitely is following suit in my children) about how to better take care of themselves too, hopefully, avoid or prevent some ailments and/or issues.  Of course, not everything is preventable, and as a parent, some things are completely unavoidable.

So it wasn't too much of a surprise when I took to trying out essential oils. To some degree, I used to use it aromatherapy, and have always used coconut oil with the kids in massage, and also for myself. I always felt that there was so much to say about how the massage, scent, or even the effect of the oil made me feel, or my kids feel, either calm, relaxed, or fixing a nasty cold...the use of oil and/or massage revolved around that. 

So when I was introduced to DoTerra oils, I immediately felt that there are some I just need to have. 

I chose DoTerra as a brand, for a few reasons:

a) Purity - there is absolutely no other fillers, additives, etc. the oil is exactly what it says it is

b) Potency - because there is nothing but the oil of the ingredient, these babies are potent and so you need very little, in the case of the kids you actually dilute with coconut oil. So buying one, lasts you a long time.

c) Reliability - there is something for everything, and so much information and research behind it, as a science major, this is extremely important to me - it is backed up scientifically, not just holistically.

Here are the oils that particularly resonated with me, but I kid you not, there are so many out there that you will need to discover this for yourself (your needs).

Serenity

I originally got this for sleep...days where Ray was up all night, using it as a calming scent in the room. However, I found for myself, I love this. I rub a little on my chest on days I am feeling overwhelmed or a bit nuts...and the scent of it just is so soothing and clears my head a little better. I love this scent.

On Guard

This is a daily at my house. It is a daily with the kids, diluted with coconut oil. We rub it on our feet (I sometimes forget for myself, I admit), and it just boosts immunity and gives a sense of boosted health, ready to fight the cold season. I wanted to try it, after hearing about it, and other than some runny noses here and there, generally the kids have been pretty good. 

Citrus Bliss

This is just something that really spoke to me, well what I mean by that it is, it seems like MY scent. I needed energy, writing, embarking on a new career path...and when I smelled it, I immediately felt a boost. When I read about it, that is exactly what this envokes, it's strong citrus blend and aroma is meant to give you a spark...that it does. I use this when I need to feel inspired and less sluggish, especially to write.

Breathe

This one is a must-have. If you love Vicks, use camphor at all when you are sick...this is for you. The smell is camphor (for my Indian friends, kapoor). Just a few drops in the diffuser or vaporizer and it's amazing. Diluting it with coconut oil and rubbing it on your back and chest and feet, if you have a bad cold, works wonders. I haven't needed it a lot, due to the On Guard, but I'm not kidding, it's awesome.

DigestZen

I wish I knew about this a long time ago. However, this is the tummy oil. I always use asafetida powder (hing) and coconut oil to help with this department, with the kids. But this oil serves the same purpose, without the strong smell/taste. I used it on our trip to Mexico and no one had any issues...so far so good.

There are actually quite a few others that I want to try, and have in my arsenal.  One of them being Lavendar and Balance. Lavendar for relaxation/sleep, and Balance on days I feel I need some grounding and clarity. So I still have to try those ones out. 

At any rate there are soooooooo many out there, so many that you really need to just talk to someone who knows about this and is able to recommend one that you may need. I know for me, I'm happy having these on-hand. I also feel comfortable knowing it's completely natural and safe and clean. Caiden loves them...he knows he uses On Guard daily on his feet, and says "momma I put tickle oil on myself" (the diluted oil is in a roller bottle which tickles his feet). 

In the end, I just want to feel revitalized when I need to, slowly etch towards living more natural, and feel healthy and well and balanced. I mean...don't we all?

For any questions on essential oils, how to use or even all the many uses please contact Carsen of Metamorefit Wellness by visiting the site 

http://www.metamorefitconsulting.com/

You can also follow and connect with her on Instagram  @metamorefit_wellness . 

I always like to tell moms things that just work for me, this is one of those "things".

Ok time for me to run on some serenity and totally zen out and sleep.

Xoxoxo

This Halloween I Realized My Babies Are Not Babies

How did this happen? How did time pass so fast that I feel this feeling and realization has come out of left field? How did it not sink in before that this baby phase is slowly fading?

Ok maybe I'm being a tad dramatic.

I was just a bit taken aback, mostly in awe, of watching the kids on Halloween. We took them both trick-or-treating, thinking they will tire quickly, that we would need to carry both at some point,  and that they would be timid or scared at some points (they are only 1 and 3 after all).

But no.

Caiden had a big day, dressed as IronMan. He embodied the whole character. He went to a party at school, had a blast, and then came home to rest...he knew he had big plans in the evening. Sure enough, when the time came, he was eager saying to the rest of us "C'mon!!" 

Rayna was her favourite character, Minnie Mouse. She looked adorable and once given her pail, was walking around signaling for her shoes.

As we all, dressed, headed down our block, it hit me. We have hit the years where we don't just dress them up for pictures and visits to family. We have entered the age of them actually wanting to partake in activities and us enjoying it with them. Where they know what's to come and actually look forward to it and it become a known family venture. I love it. At the same time, I an taken aback at how quickly it seems to have come.  As we walked house to house, Caiden would turn to us at each house and say "wait...I go myself", wanting for us to go to back off and let him be a big boy. With the same token, I would follow suit with Rayna, who, shockingly, would stand there and reach for the candy then say "that tu" as she received her treat.

This was all super cute, so amazing to be out with my family and watch my kids reach this stage...yet so unfathomably crazy surreal it feels to have two walking, semi-talking toddlers enjoying Halloween.

Toddlers...not babies...soon they will be kids...sigh.

So of course I must chronicle and take pictures!

What a great one. Our other festivities included the pumpkin patch, Vandusen Glow and a family Halloween party!

One for the books!