Sorry for the Silence

I'm preparing for a little website re-design, so please bear with me as I transition.

And, yes, I have been pretty silent over the last month with no big excuse... but I'll be back soon.  I promise.

I Tell My Daughter Princess Stories

Ok, not exactly the confession of the century, but, I've been reading a number of posts lately that are very critical of sharing stories about fairy-tale princesses with their daughters.  Why?  Because many of these stories feature princesses that are rescued by a prince.  And many argue that this sends a message to young girls that they need a man to get through life.

I consider myself a strong an independent woman.  Yes, I am married, but not because I didn't think I could survive without a husband.  I love my husband, and we each bring our own strengths to our marriage.

I too was told fairy-tales as a child as well.  I loved hearing these classic stories.  I loved imagining their beautiful dresses, and I even liked the part where the Prince would come to save the Princess.  In my opinion, these are stories, not reality, and the important thing is that we encourage self-confidence and independence in our children.  If they choose to have a partner in life, great, but it's also important for them to know that being in a relationship doesn't define you as a person.

So I will continue to tell princess stories to my daughter.  We will watch our favourite Disney princesses on tv.   And I will continue to encourage her to be happy, healthy, and self-confident.

How do you feel about these kinds of stories?  Do you share them with your children?  Why or why not?  Feel free to share in the comments below.

An "Overtired Mama's" Tips for an Unforgettable Disney Vacation

I've had Disney on the brain lately.... Actually, I always have Disney on the brain, but, these dreams of Disney that I've been having have inspired me to share a few of my own tips for an amazing Disney vacation.

Sometimes I laugh when I read titles like the one I just used for this blog post... how can a Disney vacation NOT be unforgettable, right?  Well, I do think that with any vacation, there is a chance that you can be too tired, too overwhelmed, or trying to do too much, and that can make your vacation unforgettable in a not so enjoyable way.  Here are a few things I recommend to make your vacation more enjoyable:

1 - Get a stroller - Ok, maybe not if you're travelling with teenagers - although they might not be opposed to being pushed around in one after a long day of walking - but if you have young children, or school aged, strollers can be a life saver.  When my daughter was 2, she stopped being interested in riding in a stroller, however, when we made our first trip to Disney when she was 3, the stroller was a must, and even when we went back the following few years, we continued to get a stroller.  Think about it, their legs are short, your legs are long, it takes them almost twice as many steps to go anywhere, that's pretty tiring, even for energetic kids, so to minimize exhaustion, get a stroller.  You can rent them in the park, or, you can do what we did, we purchased an umbrella stroller at Walmart.  Best $20 we ever spent.  Then we handed the stroller on to someone else when our holiday was over.

2 - Drink water.  This may prompt people to say "that goes without saying".  Maybe, but sometimes we all need to be reminded.  You can get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the park, and you can actually forget to drink.  By the time you sit down in the hot sun for one of the parades, you realize you haven't had a drink all day.  Not good.  Make sure you take a bottle with you when you leave your hotel in the morning, we kept ours on top of our stroller to help remind us to drink.

3 - Take your time.  This is a hard one.  You want to experience everything.  Especially if you don't anticipate coming back for a while, or maybe you only have one day.  Do your research beforehand, and make a list of your "must dos", but keep your list limited to a few things, that way, you can focus on those attractions first, and the rest is a bonus.  Always allow time to take in the sites, enjoy your surroundings.  I love to sit in the hub in front of Cinderella's Castle and take it all in.

4 - Don't take your camera.   Whaaaaa??  I know.  Crazy, right?  If you can manage it, buy a Memory Maker, and take your cell phone.  I am assuming, for these purposes, that your phone has a camera, perhaps it doesn't, in which case, just take a small little camera for "emergencies", however, hear me out - the memory maker sounds expensive at first glance, but, if you are spending more than 1 day in any of the Disney parks, if you are travelling with a larger group, and if you're looking to minimize the amount of stuff you are hauling around with you.... these are all great reasons to "splurge" on the memory maker.  There are Disney photogs EVERYWHERE,  and the memory maker means you can have as many pictures taken as you like.  And these photographers are good.  It only takes a second, and they get fantastic shots!  They know the best angles, and can add some "extra magic" to your pictures (we had some pictures were Lumière was added to our pictures... awesome, right!?).  Best part? It's unlimited.  As many as you like.  It even includes pictures on attractions like Splash Mountain and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, AND video on some attractions like Tower of Terror.  So cool!  

This allows you to focus on the moment, and not whether you should be getting a picture.  And you have your camera there for those "impromptu" moments that may come up.

5 - Do a character meal - Ok, we ignored this the first couple times we went.  My daughter wasn't a big eater, and we weren't sure we wanted to spend more money than we needed to on what we thought was an "unnecessary" experience, but boy were we wrong.  The benefits of the character meals are 3 fold - 1 - awesome food.  I haven't been disappointed by any of the Disney restaurants we've been too.  Food was always hot and delicious.  2- You get to meet some awesome characters!  We had breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and friends, and I will admit that I nearly cried when I got to meet Eeyore (my fave), Tigger, Pooh and Piglet!  So fun!!  And the look on my daughter's face when she got to meet Pooh?  Priceless.  3 - It "forces" you to sit down, relax, and take it all in.  When you're rushing around the park, sometimes you are so focused on getting to everything, you don't take the time to really enjoy everything.  These meals make sure you do that.

I'm pretty sure I could continue writing this post for another 1000 words or more, but I'll keep it to those tips for now.  You may not agree with all of these tips, or you may have more to add, please share in the comments below.  I love getting feedback, and I love reading about other peoples' experiences!  Most of all, I love to talk Disney!

May is Preeclampsia Awareness Month

I know, I've written about this topic a few times before, but I also know that the more I share my story, the more I help spread awareness.

I am a HELLP syndrome survivor.  HELLP syndrome is a severe form of preeclampsia that can be potentially fatal for mom and baby.  I am happy to say that my daughter was born healthy, and I, after treatment, also ended up OK. 

The signs and symptoms of HELLP syndrome are sometimes ignored or not recognized - in my own case, I chalked them up to "typical pregnancy symptoms".

Some of the symptoms include:

- Headache

- Nausea/vomiting

- Swelling

- Discomfort in abdominal or chest - upper right side.

- Pain in the shoulder and/or when breathing deeply

- Change in vision

- Bleeding

- High protein in urine

- High blood pressure

I did not experience all of these symptoms, but I had some.  Unfortunately I ignored them as I thought they were typically pregnancy pains and discomforts and my doctor did not seem concerned.

Read more about my own experience and how you can learn more here: http://www.yummymummyclub.ca/family/pregnancy/20150505/signs-of-hellp-preeclampsia

Have your own experience with preeclampsia or HELLP that you would like to share?  Feel free to share your story in the comments below.  

Minimally, please consider sharing the signs and symptoms with your friends and family.  Awareness is key!

April is Cancer Awareness Month

You may or may not have known that April is Cancer Awareness Month.  I have some very personal reasons for supporting this cause, so as the month draws to a close, I thought I would share those reasons with you now.

I used to work for the Canadian Cancer Society and was fortunate enough to have met some really amazing people while I worked there.  I was able to learn so much about the many different types of cancer that exist (over 100!), programs available and research progress.  I know longer work for the Cancer Society, but the work they do still touches my daily life.

I've had family members and friends that have experienced cancer diagnoses, but it was when my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2011 that made me truly aware of how a cancer diagnosis affects a family.  Losing my dad was difficult, and an experience that I have in common with many people.  I believe that supporting the Canadian Cancer Society will ensure that people will survive cancer more often, and that those who experience a cancer diagnoses, and their families, will receive the information and support they need.

The Cancer Society provides the hospital with many information resources that were shared with my family and many others.  They have a toll-free Cancer Information Service that you can call and have your questions answered, and through that same number, you can even be matched with a volunteer who has been through a similar experience to receive some emotional support.  

I've heard many people say that they don't believe that Cancer research is resulting in any change in cancer, but it's easy to see that survival rates are changing in many different types of cancer, in particular the survival rates for breast cancer (86%) and prostate cancer (96%).*

In my own experience, there is a history of skin and colon cancer in my family, I've been getting screened for years and have even had some pre-cancerous growths removed.  I also actively participate in cervical cancer screening.  Without research, these cancer screening methods would not be as accurate as they are today.

Even with all of the progress we've made, we still have work to do.  The survival rates for many different kinds of cancer are still low, and there is still research that can be done in to earlier detection and better treatments.  

I continue to support the Canadian Cancer Society and their programs and services, information resources, advocacy efforts, and research, and I hope that you will join me in supporting this fantastic organization.  Visit www.cancer.ca to see how you can get involved.

Interested in supporting me and my fundraising efforts?  I am participating in this year's Relay for Life.  You are welcome to pledge me at http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFL_NB_odd_?team_id=322372&pg=team&fr_id=17846

Or, have a look at our online auction that is running until May 2 at 9 PM Atlantic.  Don't live in Saint John, New Brunswick?  If there's something you're interested in, contact me and we can make arrangements to ship: http://relayforhope2015.eflea.ca/

Minimally, what I hope everyone takes home from reading this post is that there is progress being made, and there are even things we can do to reduce our own risk of cancer, visit www.cancer.ca to learn more, or call the Cancer Information Service and ask one of the Cancer Society's Information Specialists your questions at 1-888-939-3333.

*Source - Canadian Cancer Society.  "Cancer Statistics at a Glance". http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-101/cancer-statistics-at-a-glance/?region=nb. 2015.

Mother's Day Giveaway!

I love giveaways!  And this is a fun one!  I've partnered up with some fabulous bloggers to giveaway $140 in gift cards!  And you get to choose where they come from!  I know, this is a lot of exclamation points for one post, but it's so much fun!

Check back to this post on Thursday, April 30, when our giveaway begins, to enter the giveaway!

Checkout the details below:



                                         

Tammy from My Life Abundant and Tammy from Creative K Kids have gotten together with a few of our bloggie friends to have a giveaway!

      

 We are so excited to be giving away $140 in cash prizes for Mother's Day to one lucky reader. The prize will consist of $140 in gift cards. The winner will choose the gift card(s) you want. Please choose a gift card(s) which comes from an online store. EX: Amazon, Target, Walmart, Macy's, Kohls, etc. You may ask for more than one gift card(s), but must add up to $140.

Now its time to meet our wonderful co-hosts who have made this giveaway possible.

Starting at the top row we have:

Tricia of The Good Mamma | Leticia of Desafio in the City | Audrey of That Recipe | Christie of Sparkles of Sunshine | Laci of Sequins in the South | Sahana of Vikalpah | Zan of Flourishing at Home | Katie of The Ramblings of an Overtired Mama | Terri of Our Good Life | Camille of Chicken Scratch n Sniff | Kim of The Resourceful Mama | Christine of Where the Smiles Have Been

Please stop by and say hi to these wonderful ladies and their blogs.

The giveaway will end midnight on Thursday, May 8th, a few days before Mother's Day. You will have 48 hours to respond to the email claiming the prize. If we don't hear in 48 hours, we will choose another winner. The giveaway is open to anyone over 18 years of age. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck and Happy Mother's Day,

Katie - aka Overtired Mama

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Product Review: L'Oreal Paris Fibralogy

I was happy to have been selected to review L'Oreal Paris Fibralogy products for Influenster.  I received Shampoo, Conditioner and the Booster, free of charge, to review, compliments of L'Oreal and Influenster.  So what did I think?  Let me start by sharing a  "before" picture:

My hair is typically flat and dull, with very little body, as you can see.  I have extremely dry hair because I am so hard on it (hair colouring, straighteners, curling irons, hair dryers, etc).  So when I received the Fibralogy products, I was excited to give it a try.  Fibralogy products are meant to thicken your hair and provide you with more body.  Sounds good, right?

First, you begin with the Shampoo, once it's rinsed from your hair, you add a small amount of the thickening booster and, without rinsing the booster, add the conditioner, then it gets rinsed out together.   Ultimately, the products are meant to leave your hair feeling clean, thicker and softer.

I've been using these products for a week now, I'm not sure that my hair feels much thicker, however, I do notice my hair is softer and certainly appears to have a little more body to it.  Here is my "after" picture.

My hair after using @LOrealParisCanada 's #fibralogyworks products. #GotItFree from @influenster

A photo posted by Katie (@katie_nb) on Apr 24, 2015 at 8:06am PDT

What I love about these products is that a little goes a long way.  You only need a small amount of product for it to do it's work.  I also love that my hair doesn't feel greasy or weighed down after I use the products, as some products have done in my past.  They also don't have an overwhelming smell, which is great, because I have had some shampoos that are so scented that I can't wear them to my scent-free workplace.

So what does this all mean?  I think these are good products.  I'm not sure that I would purchase them to thicken my hair, but I love the way my hair feels when I use them.  I've scouted these products out at some of my local stores and the prices are very comparable to other similar brands, so you're not breaking the bank for great quality.  I would recommend these products if you're looking for softer hair with a little more body, but the jury's still out on the "thickening" claim.  I plan to continue to use these products to see if I notice a difference.  I will share once I'm done the bottles!

Have you tried the Fibralogy products?  What did you think?