Are you ever in a restaurant in desperate need of a bib for your wee one? And you end up jamming a napkin down her shirt and hoping for the best? And, depending on the age of the kid, Junior ends up a) eating the bibnapkin, b) absolutely refusing to wear it, or c) both.

I can’t even count how many times this has happened to us.

It obviously happened to my friend and fellow mompreneur Alexandria of Clippopotamus, because she’s come up with a smart and funky solution: The Bib Clippo.

They’re made from washable poly-satin blend ribbons — in sweet designs — and are fully adjustable. Simply clip them onto a napkin, serviette, paper towel… anything, really, and you’ve got yourself an instant bib-on-the-go!

We used ours recently at a Chinese buffet in Orillia, and it worked fantastic. Lucy loved the fun print, opening and closing the clips, and that it was her special piece of equipment.

As a bonus for us breastfeeding mamas, the clips transform any blanket into a nursing cover.

Pretty sweet for $12, huh? Check out the Bib Clippo page.

We’re also loving another ingenious idea: Blanket clippos. These stretchy ribbons-with-clips attach to either side of a carseat or stroller and keep blankets (or toys) in place. Perfect for winter and always having your child’s favourite on hand. See more info and photos here.

Slightly embarrassingly, we are the only pair in the stroller fit class who do not have a stroller made for, well, fitting — ie: a jogging one.

We were going to borrow one from a neighbour, but that fell through. And so, there we were with our rather clunky Evenflo, Alice strapped in, blanketed and bleating.

One of these things is not like the other

Thankfully the paths were just fine for a regular stroller (it’s not like we were running, anyways) — the most rugged was a rather rough dirt road through the park which, not surprisingly, put Alice to sleep. This child will ONLY sleep not in her crib when the car is moving, or she is being jostled like the inside of a snow globe.

The class was fantastic: brisk walking, lunges, up a not-too-steep hill on tip toes (try this sometime — sounds easy, but man, it burns by the top), skipping (and we thought we looked silly doing the lunges), and two sets of yoga-pilates as a break.

The other moms are friendly, the instructor encouraging and down to earth, and it all took place in my favourite park in the sun. What a fabulous hour on a Tuesday morning. I was warm and energized and rosy-cheeked the rest of the day. And whoo boy did my arse and quads hurt yesterday — the sign of a great workout.

Oh yes we did have matching pink Toronto Blue Jays hats on

Balanced Life Yoga will prorate the cost of the class if you want to join anytime. Email Kelly for more info.

And don’t forget a class in Ajax starts July 8 for all you south Durham Mamas. More details here.

Starting weight: 168 lbs. Stay tuned for week two.

Archie Comics began decades before my sister’s books scattered across our house got me hooked around 23 years ago. Like Golden Girls, they are comfort food in written form. There is something so predictable and wholesome and safe about Archie and his band of friends from the fictitious Riverdale.

And the world’s most famous love triangle — between Archie, Betty and Veronica — has defined almost every issue.

Now the word is Archie is getting married. To the girl no one wants him to.

Yes, the snooty, cold, no-common-sense bitch Veronica is said to be the recipient of Archie’s eternal love. He proposes with Betty in the room wiping a tear off her cheek.

Really. Really.

If this is actually the case, you can bet a legion of fans are going to revolt. As blinded as Archie is by Veronica’s hotness, I just can’t believe he’d pick her over uber cute, sweet, earthy Betty.

I haven’t actively bought a new Archie book in years — aside from Eric stuffing my stocking with them, my sister giving them as gifts (then reading them herself, of course!) or buying used ones at garage sales — but I now have Sept. 8 circled on my calendar to see where this goes…

I’m proud to say Lucy is an Archie fan, too. She finds the books in the bathroom and my nightstand and office, and loves to sit down and make up stories about the pictures. Alice? Well, if chewing equates love, then she is head over heels.

(That is my collection, numbering in the hundreds. The colour arranging — which needs updating — was inspired by this.)

Thanks to my sister, Michele, and reader Kelly for having this in my inbox this morning

I am drowning in coupons for Huggies diapers and wipes after somehow getting on their mailing list.

Anyone use this brand? Want the coupons?

We’ve been diehard Costco diaper users since Lucy was born, and find them near identical to Huggies. Still hating Pampers with their smell (more chemicals? really?), and Wal-Mart’s have offered nothing but leaks on Alice (and we have to laugh that the character on them is Garfield and Odie. Now who is THAT marketing towards? Certainly not the kids IN the diapers!).

Currently we’re in love with Teddy’s Choice, the store brand from Zehrs/SuperCentre/Loblaw’s. They are super cheap, and work super well.

But nothing, I repeat NOTHING is better than Costco unscented wipes. Nothing is a thicker or absorbant or better priced (and trust me, we’ve tried every brand. Twice.).

Anyways. Want coupons?

The night before our adventure to Melonhead, Lucy was being…difficult.

We stooped low, and bribe-threatened.

“Lucy, you have to be a good girl and go to sleep so we can go to Melonhead tomorow. They have, um, a pony there for you to sit on!”

“They DO? Ohh, I so excited to go Mewonhead, Mumma!”

Child quiet and asleep. Whew.

The next morning at breakfast.

“Mumma, I wonder if the pony at Mewonhead has pink hair?”

(Oh, Christ, she remembered): “Uh, maybe, Honey.”

On the car ride down to Whitby.

“The pony! The pony, pony, pony. I can’t wait to see the PINK pony! I’m going to ride it and pet it and love it SO MUCH.”

(Dear God, let there be a damn pony. Any pony.)

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Tomorrow Alice and I start a stroller fit class.

I’ve always wanted to take one, but never knew of one close enough, or with good timing. This one will criss-cross the beautiful trails up here, and include some yoga (not my fave, but maybe outdoors with baby will be better?) and pilates (dying to try). It also starts at 11 a.m. — perfect for us Moms with babies that still nap in the morning.

I can’t think of a better way to enjoy my hometown and the sunshine, expose Alice to nature, and get expedite the shedding of this baby weight all at once. And the class is super cheap: Just $55 for eight weeks, or less than $7/class.

My friend Rachael from high school (hi Rach!) is joining me with her son.

I’m going to write about our adventures, take some photos and document any weight loss.

A similar class is running in Ajax starting July 8, and there’s still room in both locations to register. Visit www.balancedlifeyoga.ca (then select: buy passes/pre-registered classes/8-week stroller fit) for more details.

Now that Alice is eating solids, she needed her own seat.

I know a handful of you with 3-year-olds, toddlers that sit normally in chairs and have far outgrown special seats. And Lucy can sit in a regular chair, and does so when we’re out if she has to.

But my girl will still pick a high chair or booster seat when we’re out, and most definitely wanted a new chair once Alice took up residence at the table. And we don’t complain — those seats have buckles! That keep children in one place! Lucy can do up her buckles, but not un-do them. This is no accident.

I’ve written about our love of the First Years reclining seat before (click here). I’m actually using it reclined two stages with Alice, who is still not sitting on her own. We’ve got a dish towel underneath her bum to help keep her upright. Even after 2.5 years of daily use, it’s in great shape.

Despite having more room in our new house, we never considered getting anything but another booster seat. High chairs take up so much damn space and are really expensive. We love booster seats the best.

For Lucy’s new one, we ended up with another First Years product — the swing tray. Mostly because it was the cheapest and most compact. We wanted a high back, not just a seat.

Lucy loves it.

She also likes wearing no pants or, um, undergarments when it’s hot in the afternoon and Mummy makes her pose for photos with her sister
(thank goodness for crotch straps).

Spencer in this photo: A new food source! Hurrah! Also: the chaos of my kitchen/living room at the end of the day.

Dear Nerissa,

We loved the cupcakes.

Wanna see?

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Alice has had a diaper rash almost since she was born.

We’re not sure if she’s just got sensitive skin, or what, but there’s always been something: Yeast, irritation from a particular poop, then the milk allergy.

It seemed like we’d get one cleared up, be great for a few days, then she’d be red and raw all over again. It’s been very frustrating. Thankfully she has rarely complained about any discomfort or pain.

No cream seemed to work. Off the top of my head, here’s what we tried:

• zinc cream of every brand (Life, Gerber, Zincofax, Destin) and concentration (10% – 40%)
• Sudocrem (hated it, from the texture to the smell, plus it never stayed put)
• Bordeaux’s Butt Paste (disliked for same reasons as Sudocrem)
• Various all natural creams that worked great on Lucy
• Nothing at all — but this would most certainly lead to some flare-up, and we realized she needed some sort of barrier cream
• Different diaper brands, which seemed to make no difference

After a bath one morning, on a whim, I grabbed Lucy’s bucket of raw shea butter. This is the only substance that clears up the dry spots on her cheeks, and keeps it from returning. We smear it on at night, and presto! Gone in the morning.

I put a generous layer on Alice’s cute but red tushie, secured her diaper and went about our day.

Just a few hours later, her bum was completely cleared. Absolutely NO redness whatsoever. That was three weeks ago, and we haven’t had a single flare-up. I’m absolutely amazed. We just put a thin layer on at each diaper change (thicker before bed).

The brand we have is from Shea Terra Organics, but I’m sure any pure shea butter would work. And not a cream with shea butter in it — I mean the raw, natural, unscented, original stuff.

On a side note, shea butter is fabulous for any rough dry spots on the body: hands, elbows, feet. We love it.

I am loving this t-shirt from local mom Melanie, who runs Squishy Fish.

It’s made from chemical-free, unbleached, organic cotton, and is the softest t-shirt in our drawer. I have a feeling it will only get softer the more we wash it.

There are six clever and sweet designs to choose from, that I think represent the wonderful world of babies and toddlers as they develop: explore, shine, grow, dream, imagine and squishy fish.

Mel, located in Courtice, started the company because she wanted something hip and meaningful that wasn’t kitties and duckies for her daughter. I think she’s done that! Her onesies and t-shirts are created with nickel-free snaps, and are manufactured by businesses using fair-trade practices only — all good news for an eco-mommy like me.

Check her out at www.squishyfish.ca.

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