No it’s not a fancy drink with an umbrella! It’s a fantastic baby carrier and I love, love, love my mei tai!

I do own another brand but found after about 30 minutes, my shoulders and lower back would start to hurt and I would either take the baby out, or switch to a woven wrap.

I thought it was my baby. He’s quite heavy. Then, I met Michelle from Natural Mother Mei Tai and she let me try one of her carriers. Wide straps, padded shoulders, it’s glorious! The first time I carried him using a Natural Mother Mei Tai, my shoulders screamed with delight and my lower back applauded! The baby, he curled in and went to sleep. Yay! I love, love, love this product!

This is my third baby to be carried but my first to be carried so comfortably and I must add, so fashionably. I quickly realized that I must order one of my own. Only one? That’s hard to do once you see the gorgeous fabric selection. Flowers, geometric shapes and funky prints oh my! I fell in love with a print and waited anxiously for me new mei tai.

Once my mei tai arrived, I quickly took it out of the bag and immediately fell in love. It’s beautiful. Right away, I noticed the quality and attention to detail. Not a single pulled thread or glitch. It’s gorgeous. I also ordered a matching mei tai for my daughter. It’s just the most adorable thing ever. I carry her brother and she carries her doll. How cute is that?

One afternoon I decided to practice the back carry on my 3 year old daughter. Awesome. I walked around my with her on my back. No shoulder pain, no back pain. Nothing! I love, love, love my mei tai!

2 weeks later, we took a trip to Toronto. After 3 hours of wearing my 20pound baby downtown TO, the only thing that hurt were my legs from all the walking. I can easily do the dishes, prepare dinner, sweep the floor, vacuum, carry laundry up and down the stairs and of course shop while wearing my little man. He’s happy and I’m happy.

I love, love, love my mei tai! Have I already written that? Well, it’s true. Several months later, I’m still wearing my baby. I’ve ordered a second one and have also had one made for a good friend.

~ le c

~~~~~

My third child was born with some special needs which mean that he won’t be mobile at the same time other children are. Translation: there will be lots of carrying in my future. I had heard about Michelle’s NMMT’s and was intrigued. I owned a beautiful mei tai already, but was impressed with the cut and thinner, padded straps of the NMMT, which would allow me to wear my baby sooner without frog-legging him in. It was perfect for my little man.

Although I’ve been a tea drinker for over a decade, I am still new to the world of loose tea leaves. When Jessica approached me about her new business selling Steeped Tea, I was intrigued. I began with a Black Tea Sampler (since I like caffeine!) which included 6 small bags of tea leaves, a tea ball and a handy little spoon that measures the right amount of leaves for the perfect cup of tea - everything you need to get started!

Although all 6 flavours were delicious in their own way, my absolute favourites were After Eight and my classic choice, Chai. After Eight (like the chocolate) is a blend of chocolate and mint. While it’s not quite the same as biting into a chocolate covered mint, it’s about as close to it as you could get in a tea. With a splash of milk, it’s devine. I find myself craving this tea, thinking about it, counting down the hours between my breakfast cup of tea and my afternoon pick-me-up cup of tea. I even had to limit myself to only drinking it once every couple of days to make sure the other teas had a fair chance at being tasted. Oh, it is good.

It wasn’t long before I was messaging Jessica for another order. This time, along with large bags of Chocolate Mint and Chai, I asked her to recommend her two favourites from the green and white leaf lines. She chose Mango Delight (a green tea) and Superior Toffee Dream (a white tea). The health benefits of white and green tea have been all over the news lately and I wanted to get a taste of them!

Toffee Dream is perfectly named, since it is quite a dream to drink. So smooth and lovely. I prefer it with a splash of milk still, but for the maximum health benefits you are supposed to drink it without. Fortunately, it tastes great either way. I make myself a cup in the morning and use the same tea leaves again and again throughout the day. Delish!

The Mango Delight scared me a little bit as I am not generally a fan of either fruity teas or green teas. I was pleasantly surprised! The mango is not overpowering, nor is the green-tea flavour. Like the white tea, these leaves can be used more than once and give just enough of the flavour to tease your taste buds without being overpowering. The more you use the tea leaves, the less caffeine is in it, much to the delight of my four year old and two year old who love this tea and are over the moon when I make them their own cup.

The Steeped Tea catalogue boasts dozens of flavours of black, green, white, rooibos, and herbal teas from traditional English Breakfast (black) and Peppy Peppermint (herbal) to non-traditional Pomegranate (white) and Apple Crumble (black). They also have a wide range of tea pots, infusers, recipes, treats, and tea-based beauty products to fulfill all of your loose tea needs and wants.

If you are new to the loose tea world, I highly recommend getting started with one of the Tea Sampler Packs (Green Tea, Rooibos, Black Tea, Herbal and Fruit Tea, or a mix of them all in the Steeped Tea Sampler), which comes with the tea ball and measuring spoon. Loose tea and accessories also make a great gift for any occasion. Jessica is also available to help you host a Steeped Tea Party where you and your friends can sample a variety of the delicious teas and you benefit from the perks of being a Host/ess with discounts and half-priced items.

Have a look at the website Steeped Tea | Enjoy The Company Of Friends And Family With A Warm Cup Of Steeped Tea and catalogue http://www.steepedtea.com/pdf/Steepe…logue_2010.pdf and then contact xojessica via private message in the forum or at jessicasmithbng@yahoo.ca to place your order, set up a Tea Party, discuss becoming a consultant yourself or to ask any other questions you may have. She also has a facebook group! http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/…&v=wall&ref=ts Be sure to keep an eye on the Business Mama’s section of the forum for deals and specials on Steeped Tea products.

Excited about tea? Want to try some out for yourself? Send an email to jill@londonmoms.ca by SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2010 with STEEPED TEA in the subject line. The emails will be numbered and a random number generator will select one lucky winner to recieve a free Steeped Tea Sampler Pack from Steeped Tea, a $28.95 value.

If you would like a product or service reviewed by the Swag Mama’s, send us an email at jill@londonmoms.ca or stephanie@londonmoms.ca

Ruby Dreamz

 When I had my second child I thought I had everything I could possibly need for him. I had had fun shopping for clothes of course and since my first had been a girl I needed a lot in this department, but as for baby supplies I thought I had most of it under control. I soon discovered, though, that I was seriously lacking in the blanket department. Or rather, I did not seem to have the perfect fit for what I wanted in the blanket department! I had those thin receiving blankets which, while great for spit up, I did not find useful for much else. I had heavier quilts and crib comforters, but these were too much for just the everyday. I wanted something in between. Something I could grab quick to place under my baby if I had to set him down, but also something soft and warm that I could change him on and put over him to keep him warm. It had to be something of decent quality because I had a bit of a messy baby on my hands and frequent washing was inevitable. However, I think even more than all of that I wanted something that suited our style in pattern because I was so sick of all the little cutesy bears and baby bottle/booties designs. I was at a loss.

Then somehow, right out of nowhere came a local mom starting up her own business, Ruby Dreamz, making just what I needed. Tanya , a stay at home mother of 5 had a vision for my dream blankets. Her first products were her receiving blankets. These were the perfect, every day blanket in my opinion. They are approximately 40 inches by 40 inches, so not too big, but big enough for all my under, over and swaddled up needs. She uses two sides of high quality flannel so they are definitely soft and warm, but not so warm that I worry about my baby getting too hot. But best of all , at least for those like me who are a little bit picky, she has a wide variety of fabrics to choose from and can even make a custom order. Perfect! I wanted jungle theme, but it could not be white or light because we are messy, and I also love frogs. My baby soon found himself to be the proud owner of two of Tanya’s blankets. A frog one to suit mommy’s likes and a jungle one with bright colours and black to suit our inability to keep whites white. She definitely hit our requests right on the mark.

Next thing I knew, Tanya was making a new style of blanket - a fleece tie blanket. Of course, already loving the receiving blanket style I just had to have one of these, too. This time I gave it to my older daughter because she was feeling a bit left out of the Tanya’s Blanket Club. She loves it! It is so soft, snugly and warm. She rarely goes away for a night without taking it and in fact you will often find it in every location of our house because it is a cuddling favourite Tanya once again hit the mark with taking custom orders and suiting our needs perfectly. The blanket is a design we love, is perfect for our blankie needs and best of all has stood up to probably even more washes than any other blanket in my house and still looks great. Success!

Recently, I have discovered that Tanya has once again broadened her horizons and has taken on the new venture of rag quilts. I, personally, have not gotten the chance to try one of these out myself just yet, but they are definitely on my must-haves list. I’m thinking Christmas sounds about perfect timing for the gift of a childhood blanket they will treasure into adulthood.

~ KM

~~~~~~

I recieved my Ruby Dreamz receiving blanket just this past week.  It begged to be cuddled with: from the soft feel, to the beautiful print and even in the way it was folded just so, showcasing the double-sided loveliness.  The fabric was custom selected specifically for my son and suits him perfectly.  It washed up well and in no time was laid out on the floor for my baby to roll around on while he played.  Unfortunately, that didn’t last long! As soon as my son rolled off of it, my older daughters snatched it up and began wrapping themselves in it, laying it across the couch and table as a tent, and lovingly tucking their own babies into bed under the new blanket.  Fortunately, I was able to steal it back in time for afternoon nap. It was light enough to be tucked around him in a single layer, but big enough to be doubled up for when it gets cooler.

I adore this blanket.  Tanya has created a quality product that is both functional and adorable.  Great as both a gift and a staple in your own collection of supplies for your child. A perfect lovey at any age.

~ t

If you would like to see pictures of some of Tanya’s beautiful Ruby Dreamz creations you can check them out on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gi…9293874&ref=ts

Her pricing is very reasonable and includes a generous discount for those in our Mom Perks program (get in there if you are not already).

Receiving blankets $25 ($20 for Mom Perks)

Tie blankets $40 ($30 for Mom Perks)

Quilts $60 ($55 for Mom Perks)

You can find out more about ordering or doing a custom order by private messaging Tan5Kids in the forum or emailing her at rubydreamz@live.com Bookmark her blog, which will be up and running soon http://rubydreamz1.blogspot.com/ 

Are you convinced yet? Want to join the Ruby Dreamz Fan Club?  Well, here is your chance to win yourself a bit of swag.  Send an email to Jill@londonmoms.ca with RUBYDREAMZ in the subject line.  The emails will be numbered and on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2010 a random number generator will select one lucky reader to win a Ruby Dreamz receiving blanket.  Good luck! And happy snuggling.

If you would like a product or service reviewed by the Swag Mama’s, send us an email at jill@londonmoms.ca or stephanie@londonmoms.ca

Backpacks, lunch bags, shoes, clothes and books. Will your child get to walk alone this year? Public, Private, Homeschooled or Unschooled? So much to decide and so much to plan.

Stop over to our School Age (http://forum.londonmoms.ca/school-age/) and Education (http://forum.londonmoms.ca/education/) sections to help you make these decisions and more. Come join the discussion and see what other moms will be doing and what other kids will be wearing.
 
~ princess2808

~ princess2808

Congratulations to all of our LondonMoms who welcomed new bundles of joy in June and July. Come over to our Expecting and Post Partum section of the forum http://forum.londonmoms.ca/expecting-post-partum/  to read the inspiring birth stories and to reminisce about the birth of your own children!

K’sMum ~ Girl ~ June 4

Kendra ~ Girl ~ June 9

mum-to-a&m ~ Boy ~ June 15

slowlygoingcrazy ~ Girl ~ June 23

JudyO ~ Boy ~ June 25

Jupiter ~ Girl ~ June 29

a_bun_in_the_oven ~ Girl ~ July 5

Skytimer14 ~ Girl ~ July 9

babyboy1 ~ Girl ~ July 9

Spiced_ginger ~ Girl ~ July 10

~*Tiffany*~ ~ Girl ~ July 15

Newmum2 ~ Boy ~ July 16

satin_thoughts ~ Boy ~ July 23

Leigh ~ Boy ~ July 26

Michelleshere ~ Twin Girls ~ July 28

Youngmom ~ Girl ~ July 29

Congratulations Mama’s! Enjoy your new babies!

~ Princess2808

We could not have done it without the support of those who donated their time and craft supplies to the children’s area.  Once again, the generosity of our members has been shown to the entire city and has not gone unnoticed.  We are looking forward to more volunteer opportunities throught the city in the future. 

“For the second year since they became involved, LondonMoms have made the KidZone the hottest spot at the festival.  Joined by OEYC, CAS, the MLHU breastfeeding tent, a ridiculously awesome bouncy castle, and some fabulous volunteers from TD, LondonMoms have provided the core of the popular area for kids.  Without them this year, we would not be able to make KidZone the tremendous draw that it is, providing free crafts and activities during the day’s festivities. Thank you, LondonMoms, from the bottom of my heart, for your generous and enthusiastic contributions to the London Pride Festival!”

– Sherri Moore, Director, Pride London Festival

~ Princess2808

With a growing community of almost 4500 members we needed more help! Please give a warm welcome to the following members who have stepped up to the plate and are joining the team:

KathyM, Colleen, Tan5Kids, and One Ordinary Girl will be helping out by joining the Mod team and coordinating efforts in the Just for Mom, Family Life and The Kid Years sections.

Geomamma will be helping out with the LondonMoms Facebook group.

Princess2808 will be updating the home page for us.

mum_of_four will be updating the twitter page for us.

Mom2Markus will be planning our monthly Mom’s Night’s Out.

Happily Ever After will be helping organize the sales and yearly events.

Kaisa will be keeping tabs on the birth clubs and keeping everyone in the know on the newest LM babies.

            As always turtle, Kaitlyn’sMommy, le cupcake and mum_of_four will be moderating the whole board and Leslie remains our head honcho. Thank you everyone for helping to make London Moms the supportive and helpful community it is. We look forward to growing our community even more!

~ Princess2808