mama. baby. drama: Haircut for my Diva

mama. baby. drama: Haircut for my Diva: Evelyn's bangs have been obstructing her vision so it was time for a cut. I decided to take her to a new kids cut place in Avenida calle...

Haircut for my Diva

Evelyn's bangs have been obstructing her vision so it was time for a cut. I decided to take her to a new kids cut place in Avenida called Divas and Dudes. The website looked nice and their prices were reasonable so off we went.

The salon is bright and cheery with super friendly staff. Evelyn had her choice of four vintage looking metal cars, naturally she chose the pink one. Unlike other kid salons they don't have tv's playing movies. Instead, Evelyn was handed an ipad mini loaded up with games. This is brilliant, it kept her head down and her hands busy. It meant she she had a lot nicer cut that she has had in the past. When the cut was finished Evelyn got to choose from an assortment of hair mascara colors to have some "highlights".

On top of having four haircut chairs the salon also features a kids spa. I got a little sneak peek of the room and it is beautiful! There is a shimmery pink flowered wallpaper on the walls and a lovely chandelier. There is a long bench covered in fluffy cushions for the girls to sit on for their pedicures and pretty little chairs for the manicures. It is completely designed for kids even down to the teeny bopper magazines. Pedicures last 20 minutes, perfect for a little one to enjoy but not get too antsy and each month features a different ice cream scent for their spa time. Strawberry Shortcake is the scent for February and it smells delicious! We will definitely be coming in for some spa days.

Below is the salons price list for haircuts. Divas and Dudes offers many services beyond basic haircuts. From updos to birthday parties you will find lots of choices and prices to suit your needs.

1^st haircut - $19  Your little diva or dude will receive and 1^st hair cut certificate and a keepsake box for their precious locks.

Little Diva or Little Dude Hair Cut (7 yr & under) - $18  A buzz or trim finishing the style with streaks of color or a spritz of glitter.

The Big Dude's a Buzz (8 yr & up) - $22  A clipper of a cut for a cool short look.

The Diva and Dude Cut  (8 yr & up) - $28  You’ll love being the main attraction with a shampoo and trendy cut and style.

Add some style to that cut and blow dry - $15

Bang trim - $7

mama. baby. drama: The Moment When...

mama. baby. drama: The Moment When...: It is that embarrassing moment when you are working out in your living room with no music and only one other person in the room, your traine...

The Moment When...

It is that embarrassing moment when you are working out in your living room with no music and only one other person in the room, your trainer (who is a man I might add) and you are doing sumo squat jumps and you hear your thighs clap together. Yes, I said thighs. clap. together. Someone kill me now!

mama. baby. drama: Keeping it real...

mama. baby. drama: Keeping it real...: I have a 5 year old and 2 year old. They love each other dearly but they fight...a lot. Some days are great others not so much. They have be...

Keeping it real...

I have a 5 year old and 2 year old. They love each other dearly but they fight...a lot. Some days are great others not so much. They have been particularly miserable lately fighting over toys and being told "no". Some days you would think they had never been told no before. Here is a snapshot into some not so cheesy happy moments in our home.

sigh...she is 2. These moments are frequent. This particular moment I told her she couldn't have a bag of chocolate chips.

Apparently when you can't play with your sister's new toy it also mean you can't play with anything in the entire house and you have never had any special...ever!

mama. baby. drama: Evolution NOT Resolution...

mama. baby. drama: Evolution NOT Resolution...: It's an Evolution not a Resolution... I saw this saying at a Jugo Juice store recently and it struck a cord with me. I have spent many...

Evolution NOT Resolution...

It's an Evolution not a Resolution...

I saw this saying at a Jugo Juice store recently and it struck a cord with me. I have spent many years struggling with my weight, slowing gaining more and more. About a year and a half ago I decided enough was enough. I was going to be strong and I was going to be healthy. So I took up some good habits like regular exercise and eventually running. I love how I feel after a good sweat sparkle session. It is easy for me to workout because I enjoy it. I like trying new workouts, I like pushing myself and I find it easy to make fitness a priority. However, I suck at food. I like... no... LOVE food. If I ate nothing but cheese and olives and dark chocolate for the rest of my life I would be happy (fat but happy). The idea of being on a "diet" is just something I could not even stand. I have tried very unsuccessfully in the past to reduce, not consume and starve myself and inevitably failed every time.

I am at this point where it is so intensely frustrating to work out so hard and not see the pounds come off as easily as I would like so I decided late December to make a complete food overhaul and see what would happen. January has come and gone and I have made big changes. I have reduced or taken many choices out of my diet. No wheat, minimal dairy, major sugar reduction. I think before I eat and I do my best to follow through on my menu plans. I lost 13.4 pounds in one month. I am not hungry. I am not deprived. I am just limiting my treats and watching all the rest of what goes in my mouth. I believe the reason why this time I am doing well is because I have figured out what works for my body. I am exercising AND eating right. Some days it is tough (read: I just really really really want sugar) but I stick it through because I know come the weekend I get my cheat meal and it will be worth it! It will mean I get sweet potato fries and desert! So because I plan and because I know that a treat is coming I am able to more or less do well on the non cheats.

This whole process to health for me has been an evolution. It has literally taken years to figure out how to take care of my body. To learn how to push it and how to fuel it. I am still learning, I still have a looooong ways to go but for the first time I have the right people supporting me and the right mentality in place. I am so excited to see what my body can do for me now that I am fueling it properly.

So, if you have any great protein filled recipes that don't use gluten or dairy please share! I am always open to trying new flavors.

Now, if you will excuse me my stomach is growling which means I am not bored but actually physically hungry so I am going to have a snack.

mama. baby. drama: Local. Handcrafted. Delicious. 4th Spot.

mama. baby. drama: Local. Handcrafted. Delicious. 4th Spot.: Over the weekend we went out with friends for lunch at one of my fave places, 4th Spot . I discovered this place by chance with my SIL ab...

Local. Handcrafted. Delicious. 4th Spot.

Over the weekend we went out with friends for lunch at one of my fave places, 4th Spot. I discovered this place by chance with my SIL about a year ago after a mani/pedi session and have been back several times since. This is the first time we have brought our kids along and it will not be the last!

4th Spot is located on 4th street and 26th avenue NW. It is an old house renovated and converted to a restaurant. With decor celebrating the community and our city it is fun to look at the big Calgary maps on the walls covered with stickers from customers who have marked out where in the city they have travelled from to enjoy this lovely restaurant that celebrates supporting local producers. They have a great list of daily specials drawn onto the wall which include everything from a free beer with your burger to half price pizzas. 

There are two levels to 4th Spot. Don't take your kids to the top level, it is the lounge and they aren't allowed to be up there. There are no distinguishing signs telling this but the staff is friendly and kindly let us know we couldn't sit where we were. We moved to the main level and quickly settled into a large booth with our friends. There are lots of traditional style wooden high chairs and the waitress brings each kid a little coloring book with kids menu in it and a handful of crayons. The kids beverages come with lids so there is less chance of spillage. The restaurant is lively and the staff are friendly so don't worry if you have noisy or busy kids, chances are they won't ruin the experience of the other diners. There are several traditional choices for kids food. Pizza, chicken fingers, spaghetti...all priced at $8.99 they are well done and taste great and include a drink. I do wish there was some veggie sticks or something healthy on the side so my kids were getting a more balanced meal but I remind myself that it is our treat meal and we don't eat out often. I had gluten free fish tacos with a side of sweet potato fries. The tacos were fresh, full of crisp veggies and delicious! They sweet potato fries were a real treat, I particularly enjoyed their spicy mayo dip. My husband took advantage of one of the great specials and had the SUPERbowl in honor of the day's game. Our friends raved about the inhouse made hot sauce so if you like a little spice make sure you try it out. We ordered a few deserts and shared with each other. The apple pie has a layer of custard on the bottom that is beyond fabulous! 

Unfortunately they have no choices for a dairy or gluten free desert so if you have allergies or kids with them and plan on ordering desert come prepared. The menu however has a large selection of gluten and dairy free choices. 

Gluten free fish tacos

mama. baby. drama: Feeling Sick...

mama. baby. drama: Feeling Sick...: Our little Harps gets sick...a lot. She did really well through November and December. No ER visits, her specialists were very happy with he...

Feeling Sick...

Our little Harps gets sick...a lot. She did really well through November and December. No ER visits, her specialists were very happy with her development. After starting a new medication for her allergies in October we had what I would say is about a 60% improvement in her GI issues (which are all allergy related). Harper has what the doctors call 'Delayed Anaphylaxis Allergic Colitis'. This means that if she has milk products they will do a lot of damage internally, specifically in her bowels and colon. This is largely why we have moved to a cleaner style of eating in our home. Most restaurants do not take care with their food and if I make it I know what is in it. Outside of her improved GI issues Harper was kicked out of neurology! Her myelin sheath delay seems to be improved and they were no longer concerned with neurological issues. However, she has been referred to an orthopedist to help with her pigeon toe and gait issues. These seem minor compared to a neuro delay so a happy dance was done in the hospital!

While most things have been going well Harper still struggles with getting sick. It seems to be a never ending cycle of croup and pneumonia. January had three ER visits for us. One for an allergy attack (Harps got a hold of a sippy cup of milk at a playdate).The other two were croup and pneumonia. What started as a simple cold turned quickly into croup. After two and half days of grumpy croupy time Harper got blue lips so I took her to the Children's Hospital. She was given her normal routine of steroids and epinephrine and we were sent home. Two days later we were back in the ER. Sigh. This time because she had run a 40 degree fever for what was now 4 days and even tylenol and advil were not helping anymore. Combined with the fact that Harper hadn't had a wet diaper in nearly 12 hours I figured it was time to go back. Harper's cough was no longer croupy but still really bugging her. My Mommy instincts told me something was going on. At the ER the Doctor checked her over said she was dehydrated and that the would rehydrate her and monitor until she started having wet diapers again. As Harper rehydrated her fever still was not going down so the Doctor decided to do a chest xray. Sure enough there was pneumonia there. Some of it looked bacterial so we began a round of antibiotics and went home. Harps is doing immensely better but at night she is coughing away and anytime she gets worked up, busy or running around she coughs and coughs and coughs. I feel so bad for her everytime she goes through this being sick sucks yet everytime we go in she loves on all the Doctors and nurses, makes two year old toddler jokes and entertains every one possible. She has a smile that can light up a room and a hug that can warm even the Grinch's heart.