Got Jinxed!

James has been doing really well lately. He's enjoying daycare more and more everyday. He's also been feeling well, drinking his milk, eating lots of food, and playing non-stop! However a lot of people have been inquiring as to how he's feeling. The answer was that he's great. This was the case until I got the phone call from daycare late this morning. Of course getting jinxed is not the reason why James is sick, it's just a coincidence.

James has a fever of 102.7. :( As I wasn't available, they called Adit and he went to pick James up. First we suspected that it was teething so I called daycare to learn more. They advised that this high a temperature is unusual for teething. To learn more I googled it. Baby center advises that it could be possible to have a low grade fever, so temp under 100. Since James was higher, it must be something else.

When Adit picked him up his temp already started going down to 101. Adit took James home and I hear that he's already feeling better. I would have left work, but I had an important meeting that I couldn't miss.

Well I got home and James is ok. He's warm as he due some more Tylenol, but seeing that he didn't nap that's what he's doing now in my arms. This little guy will be just fine! He had a good rda with Dada and once he goes to sleep Adit and I can catch up on some work.

As I look at him cuddled up in my arms I can't help but think where did the time go. He use to be 2/3 this size and would fit on my lap, now he's legs hang over. James is 15 months today and the poor baby has a fever. Let's hope tomorrow is better.

Happy reading!

Rachel

PS: Don't forget to read yesterday's post called "Say Cheese to this Giveaway!"to win a year membership to Smilebox!

Winner of the Boogie Wipes!

Hey all,

We have a winner! To be fair I put everyone's name (who qualified) on a spreadsheet and used a random number generator to select the winner.

The number selected was 3, who is Jennifer Siripong Mandel! Congrats to you Jennifer! You will receive 2 assorted 30 packs of Boogie Wipes!

Thanks to everyone who participated, you all made it really fun by guessing and supporting me! Hopefully I'll get some more giveaways soon!

Happy reading!

Rachel

Baby & Child Tax Credits!

Since we all have enough on our plates juggling work, baby, marriage, and life, I figured I'd remind you Canadians about the tax credits we get for our babies and children.

Children's Fitness Tax Credit:

• You can claim to a maximum of $500 per child the fees paid in 2011 relating to the cost of registering your or your spouse's or common-law partner's child in a prescribed program of physical activity. 
• Eligibility: 
• The child must have been under 16 years of age or under 18 years of age if eligible for the disability amount at the beginning of the year in which an eligible fitness expense was paid.
• Prescribed Program: To qualify for this amount, a program must:
• be ongoing (a minimum of eight consecutive weeks duration or, in the case of children's camps, five consecutive days);
• be supervised;
• be suitable for children; and
• require significant physical activity that contributes to cardiorespiratory endurance, plus one or more of:
• muscular strength,
• muscular endurance,
• flexibility, and/or
• balance.
• The following activities do not qualify
• activities where riding in, or on, a motorized vehicle is an essential part of the activity;
• self-directed (unsupervised) activities;
• activities that are part of a regular school program; or
• sports-academics programs.
• Children's Fitness Tax Credit Eligibility Checklist: Check here to see if your child's activity meets the qualifications. There are a few yes/no type questions to help you determine if you are eligible. Based on what I read, I believe Gymboree Play & Learn classes qualify!

Children's Arts Tax Credit: 

• You can claim to a maximum of $500 per child the fees paid in 2011 relating to the cost of registration or membership of your or your spouse's or common-law partner's child in a prescribed program of artistic, cultural, recreational, or developmental activity.
• Eligibility: 
  • The child must have been under 16 years of age or under 18 years of age if eligible for the disability amount at the beginning of the year in which an eligible expense was paid.
• You can claim this amount as long as another person has not already claimed the same fees and the total claimed is not more than the maximum amount that would be allowed if only one of you were claiming the amount.
• Prescribed Program: To qualify for this amount, a program must:
• be ongoing (either a minimum of eight consecutive weeks long or, in the case of children's camps, five consecutive days long);
• be supervised; and
• be suitable for children.
• The program also has to meet one of the following criteria:
• it contributes to the development of creative skills or expertise in an artistic or cultural activity;
• it provides a substantial focus on wilderness and the natural environment;
• it helps children develop and use particular intellectual skills;
• it includes structured interaction among children where supervisors teach or help children develop interpersonal skills; or
• it provides enrichment or tutoring in academic subjects.
• Note
• An activity that develops creative skills or expertise is only eligible if it is intended to improve a child's dexterity or co-ordination, or helps in acquiring and applying knowledge through artistic or cultural activities such as literary arts, visual arts, performing arts, music, media, languages, customs, and heritage.
• So check the government website to learn more, but based on what I read I think the Music classes at Gymboree also qualify for this tax credit!

Remember to keep your receipts so you can claim at the end of the year! Also don't forget that we also have Child care expenses to claim!

So I mentioned Gymboree (click here to hear about our first class experience) as a potential credit, but I don't think we'll take the music class there. Anyone know of another Art/Music class for baby? Also is there another play class for baby that isn't hosted by Gymboree and has classes on the weekends? Please share!

Happy reading!

Rachel

PS: There is Still time to enter the Boogie Wipes Giveaway, by clicking  here! Winner announced on Tuesday, so enter now!

Finally went to Gymboree!

This day started our much like every other day. James woke up at around 6:15, came to our bed and nursed then slept till 7:00ish. Then he went off to play as I got ready to get my health card renewed. I left after having a quick bite while James was playing. Luckily there was no lineup but I had the wrong paperwork. They wouldn't accept an email from home so I had to drive back and get it. That was annoying, but I got the paperwork, returned, and got my health card!

On my way home I was listening to the radio and I heard the LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem and was singing. Since the tune was still in my head I started singing it to James. He had a poopy diaper so I did a parody and sang 'poopy diapers in the house tonight, everybody wants a nice clean bum, it's enough to make you lose your mind, everybody it's poo poo time! James loved the song and was clapping and laughing! It's our new baby anthem!

So after that we fed him lunch around 11 to keep with daycare timing. He ate pretty well. Then I packed some food for him for after Gymboree class. He loves baked sweet potato so I made that, he also had grapes and Cheerios. On the drive to Gymboree he feel asleep as noon is his normal nap time. Once we removed him from the car seat he was awake and wondering where he was.

We checked into class then began exploring. Every two weeks they have a new theme. Today was slides! James loves the slide so he had fun. We even helped him to go down face first! The first time he was wondering what was happening, then the second time he tried to crawl down. What was awesome is that 2 of his friends were there: Sameera and Arianna! Sameera is a regular and was showing James around, she knew what to do! Arianna was tired so she participated toward the end of the class, then she didn't want to leave.

The class was good, the 45 minutes goes by really fast! The prices are paid monthly and it is expensive but I think it's a good outlet for the kids! I was just about to sign up when James had a mini-meltdown. He was tired and needed to sleep. Adit didn't think it was a good idea to break his schedule. At first I didn't agree with him and thought it was more important for him to go to the class, but now I'm wondering of he's right since James is still nursing to sleep an it's 9pm!

I think the only way it can work is if we get him to sleep immediately after Gymboree. That is easier said than done though! Well after the class the 3 families went for lunch! We had a Mongolian Grill buffet which was amazing. So you can basically choose what you'd like in the food an they cook it fresh. I really enjoyed the lamb and squid combo in my noodles and veggies! We even made a small portion for James, he liked the lamb and onions!

The kids were happy sitting in their highchairs, eating, and socializing. This was James' second lunch so I was happy he ate! He seems to like oranges so he ate some after his meal! The restaurant had a chocolate fountain so I had my full of strawberries and pineapples for my dessert!

After that we made a quick stop to get James a snack tray for his stroller and headed home. He feel asleep after about 10 minutes of nursing. Yes I do nurse in the car! It's a skill, but also very uncomfortable, but us moms will do anything for our babies!

James woke up as we brought him upstairs, so I decided to bring him to bed with me so we can both sleep! Best idea ever, we both slept for about 2 hours! Adit came to wake us up, but we were so comfy we both put up a fight! Eventually we got up and James started running from the living room to our bedroom. Boy has he gotten fast, he just darts around everywhere!

After some playing and dancing we gave him a bath and now I'm nursing him to sleep. Let's hope he let's me go soon!

So have you ever been to Gymboree or something similar? How'd you like it? Share your story on the blog!

Also don't forget you have until Tuesday to enter to win the Boogie Wipes! Enter here!

Happy reading!

Rachel

PS: Pics from Gymboree

Giveaway Revealed and How to Win It!

Hi everyone,

Here's the moment you've been waiting for! The Giveaway is from Boogie Wipes!!!

I first learned about Boogie Wipes from the Baby Show, the name definitely intrigued me so I kept the samples to use when James arrived. When James got his first cold we were trying to find ways to help him breathe, in particular to clear his nasal passages. We were using tissues to wipe away the mucus, but after a short while they irritated his nose causing his skin to become red and raw. We knew there had to be a better way and it was at this point that we remembered we had the Boogie Wipes samples.

As soon as I opened the package and removed the wipe I smelled this pleasant aroma. This one was Great Grape but they also come in Fresh Scent, Minty Menthol and Simply Unscented. What I liked about the wipe was that it was soft yet durable and larger than I expected. We used it to wipe James' nose and it did a great job of cleaning the dried boogies on his face. Since the wipe is large you can fold it to get at least a couple uses out of it. The wipe is so gentle that I often use it to clean his face when we are on the go. I've used baby wipes/facial wipes to clean James' face in the past, but now that I found Boogie Wipes I only use those but I think the saline refreshes baby too. The wipes are hypoallergenic and alcohol free which is important to me, they also contain moisturizers so it won't dry out baby's skin. This is the perfect wipe, is there anything they didn't think of!

These wipes come in a 30 pack pouch. We keep one in the baby bag, one at daycare, and the canister of 90 wipes at home. We've purchased the 30 packs at Wal-Mart and Babies R Us and the canister from Costco in the states. My husband's favorite store is Costco so since they carry Boogie Wipes it has to be an exceptional product and meets his seal of approval! In fact, Adit and I also use the wipes when we have a cold. I didn't know they sold Minty Menthol ones so that'll be on my shopping list this week!

I could go on and on about this product, but the best way to experience it is to try it for yourself! Well here's your opportunity! This giveaway is open to readers in the US, Canada, and Australia!

One reader will win (2) packs of 30-count wipes (Great Grape, Fresh Scent, Minty Menthol and Simply Unscented– combination varies), shipped directly to your home!

Here's what you have to do to enter:

1. Like Boogie Wipes on Facebook 
2. Like Silly Baba, Silly Mama on Facebook 

If you want more entries, simply do any of the following:

• Follow Boogie Wipes on Twitter
• Become a "Follower" on Silly Baba, Silly Mama (click on "Join this site" on the top right of page)
• Share the Giveaway on your Facebook Page (See link under "Followers" called "Share It")
• Join the Boogie Bunch!

Of course I did not forget about those of you who guessed correctly, therefore the following people already have 1 entry: Mala, Monica, and Jennifer!

I will draw for the winner on Tuesday, April 24th!! Hope you win!

Happy reading!

Rachel

Guess the Giveaway!

Hey everyone,

Since the blog is becoming popular, thanks to all of you who read it, I have have a free Giveaway to offer one lucky reader from an amazing company!

Let's see if you can guess what it is! It's one of the products mentioned on my prior post called 'Must Haves to Treat A Cold'.

Simply leave a comment on this post with your guess and if you get it right, I'll give you an extra entry when I reveal what the product is on Thursday. All details on how to enter will be in Thursdays post so check back then!

I am so excited to share this favorite product of mine with one of you!

Happy reading! (or rather guessing!)

Rachel