Crissie's Corner

I am a 30-something Stay at Home Mother to my trouble making toddler Emma (AKA Dilemma) and a wife to my wonderful husband Bohdan. I am an artist, writer, and the queen of multi-tasking. Family is the most important thing for me and mine is truly the reason I wake up everyday. I was born and raised in Toronto into my boisterous Italian family and I continue to this day in the traditions I was taught, homemade wine, cured sausages, jarred tomatoes and so many others. I have embraced my husband and his Ukrainian roots as my own. (I must say I have learned to make a mean patychky and a delectable borsht.) I want to beat my infertility a second time, maybe even a third. I think life is precious, and aim to enjoy every single moment of it, even on my worst days of Dilemma supernova meltdown, tantrums, cold and projectile vomit I remember what a blessing it is to have her as my daughter.

Okay so here's the deal, I LOVE to cook and inventing my own recipes so I thought why not use my blog as a place to share some cooking ideas and recipes? And seeing as the weather has been so nice lately and I'm itching for a BBQ party on the backyard deck with great friends and good food, I thought I would share my "Foodspirations" with you all! So here are some of my recipes... Pineapple Rum Chicken Legs For 18-24 chicken...

Parents often become excited about the changes that come when their baby is ready to switch from breast milk to solid foods. After experiencing this with my six children, I’m here to offer some tips on how to make the transition smoothly. The Time is Right: There are many ways to determine when the time is right to begin transitioning your baby to solid foods. He (or she) will give you multiple signs when he’s ready; some signs and...

I remember putting on, what at the time, looked like an eeny, meeny diaper – onto my newborn. And it was too big!  Luckily my son gained a lot of weight fast and the eeny meeny diapers became too small very quickly! What a challenge it was to keep his legs down while attaching the diaper, hoping that he wouldn’t, at that moment, decide to pee. Once we mastered putting on diapers, dealing with diaper rashes, cleaning etc. there was the...

Food introduction is a very exciting time for you and your baby, it’s the start of so many new tastes and flavours. It is also a new way for them to experience the world. There is so much information available out there regarding food introduction and it can be overwhelming deciding the best approach. Naturopathic physicians focus on introducing foods that are easy to digest, nutrient dense and are considered hypoallergenic.  So here is a...

These limited edition diapers have a tropical look allowing little ones to strut around in the coolest and cutest diaper of the spring and summer travel season. Dress ‘em cute for a cause – For every pack of Huggies® Hawaiian Diapers and Wipes purchased, Huggies will diaper a baby in need for a daythrough Every Little Bottom, a program committed to helping get diapers to babies in need. For the past two years, Every Little Bottom has...

Dear Rosemary, My son is turning seven months old in a week and I would like to change his sleeping/napping habits so I am hoping you could help advise me as I have to start working again in the next month. He has been on a pretty consistent routine, unless he experiencing a growth spurt or is teething, where he goes to sleep at 8:30 pm in his crib. From there he wakes up every three to four hours, the first two sessions, and then every...

Mocc Ons are the latest innovation from the makers of ’must have’ baby brand Sock Ons. The cute moccasin style slipper socks will little toes are warm and comfortable. Mocc Ons have high quality washable leather soles which are stitched to a soft stretch cotton sock. They come in four fab designs! Now available in Pink Spot, Zebra Stripe, Rainbow and funky Cow Print! www.lifeandsoles.com

1. Easy Seated Pose with “Success Breath” Multitasking can easily become overwhelming. Try this simple posture for a few minutes to ground your thoughts and slow your heart rate down. Sit in a comfortable position, either on the floor or a chair. Rest your palms on your thighs or place your dominant hand on top of your non-dominant hand. Close your eyes. Take a couple of minutes to let go of what has happened prior to this...

By: Jennifer Lubel When my son turned three, he developed a preference for the color yellow. For at least a year, he HAD to draw with a yellow crayon or a yellow marker and always chose the yellow lollipop after his ordeal at the doctor’s office or at the kid’s haircut place. And, he HAD to wear a yellow shirt every day. Not only that, they had to be short-sleeved shirts. All through the long, cold winter of 2010, my son was the...

ACHOO! Does Spring equal red, watery, itchy eyes, scratchy throat and the sniffles? You have seasonal allergies. It’s that time of the year again when the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming, the grass is turning green, spring is in the air and your seasonal allergies are in high gear! Stocking up on allergy medication is the norm, but did you know taking certain vitamins can help you deal with common allergy symptoms? Vitamins...

If you can imagine the worst tooth ache you have ever had, coupled with a headache and ear ache and times that by 3…that’s what your tiny little baby is feeling when teething. Teething can cause so much distress for baby and parents alike. The common signs of teething are biting and drooling but unfortunately that’s not all your baby may feel when going through active teething. Active teething is when your baby’s teeth are cutting...