Reducing plastic with reusable containers at Bulk Barn

Months ago I walked into our local Bulk Barn and saw a little green flyer by the cash. I was SUPER excited. I've always wondered why I couldn't use my own containers at Bulk Barn, and I'm really keen to reduce plastic and waste in our home.

We shop at Bulk Barn almost weekly - it's my go-to place for all the ingredients I need to make granola, bread, muffins and snacks for the kids' lunches. So you can imagine how many plastic bags we were using. And although I try to reuse and recycle, I know that every time I rip one of those plastic bags off the roller, some part of the environment is dying a little (ok, a bit melodramatic...but true, right?)

We've been doing the container system for a number of weeks now, and here is what I've discovered:

I'm shopping more often

In the past, I'd hit up Bulk Barn every 2-3 weeks and buy really large quantities of things I needed. Now I'm a bit limited in space as I don't own many gigantic jars. One of my goals is to build up my supply of large containers, so that I can take home more of everything I need. Small jam containers only work well for spices or smaller goods.

Waiting in line to weigh my jars is annoying

Once you get to the store, you have to get your jars weighed before you can fill them up. This can be annoying when the store is really busy, and you're waiting in line behind people who are trying to pay for their stuff. It would be great if Bulk Barn came up with an automated weigh system - so far, their staff are using little stickers to write down the weight, and it seems they won't take my word for it if I've left the sticker on from my previous shopping.

Things can get a little messy

Trying to shovel flour into a container can be a bit messy. It's doable, but be prepared to spend a few more minutes filling your jars (and discreetly covering up your messes.) Also, apparently Bulk Barn will not allow you to use "dirty" containers - they have to be really well cleaned. I can see this as a liability issue for them, but I'm not fussy about a bit of flour being left over in my jar.

I LOVE the grind-your-own options

I've never enjoyed Bulk Barn's peanut butter. I recently realized it's because they add salt, and I find it WAY too salty. With my jars I've started to grind my own peanuts - it makes a nice, smooth peanut butter that the kids really enjoy. It's a tiny bit pricier than the stuff in the bins, but I'm happy to pay the extra for the superior taste.

My kitchen is more organized

Most things are now stored in mason jars, which actually makes my cupboards a bit more organized. Instead of trying to sort through bags and bags of food to find something, I can easily see what I'm looking for. And I've labelled most of my jars so I don't have to ask my husband "is this icing sugar, or corn starch?"

All in all, I think it's fantastic that Bulk Barn has made this move. I really hope more people will start using the container system, as I think it will force them to improve the system a bit more. There should be automated self-serve weigh stations, and smaller scoops in the bins. Also, I would love a discount for reducing my waste, just like I get at the coffee shop when I bring my own mug. 

Have you tried the new system? What do you think?

Lice doesn't have to be a nightmare

Picture this: you are off on a trip with your family. Money has been spent on hotels. You're not in a familiar environment, and the kids are hyped up on excitement.

The first morning of your trip, you go to brush your daughter's hair and notice something strange; something dark and suspiciously "bug" looking, crawling through her hair.

This was the scenario we found ourselves in last fall. I hadn't been checking my daughter's head regularly, and the infestation had gotten pretty bad. A quick check on my head revealed that I was also dealing with lice (strangely, my husband and younger daughter never got them).

We found a local pharmacy and purchased the stuff that the pharmacist told us to buy. We treated ourselves, and went to bed with horribly smelly hair. I lay awake for hours in a state of panic. Without the comforts of home, I had no idea how I was going to deal with the lice. 

We made it back (and managed to have a little bit of fun) and I started washing everything. I received conflicting advice, that ranged from, "wash only things that come into contact with heads" to "burn the house down." We dealt with lice for SIX weeks before I finally managed to get rid of them for good.

High-tech glasses to check for lice!

Had I been to see the kind folks at Lice Services Canada, my story might have been different. The original lice removal experts in Ottawa, the staff at Lice Services have a combined experience of over 50 years! I'm positive my infestation would have been over in a shorter amount of time, and with less tears. Lice Services can do checks and removal at their centrally-located offices, or in your own home.

What's more, I wouldn't have used the (probably dangerous) and smelly product on our heads, which destroyed my scalp and caused me months of problems. Lice Services Canada uses only non-pesticide products.

I think one of the main reasons I had such a horrible experience was that I didn't know what the heck I was doing, and I was taking advice from non-experts (including Google). Lice Services Canada has a great "Myths" section on their website, which helps to educate people about lice. 

For example, did you know that you don't have to be itchy to have lice? My daughter never once complained her head was itchy until we spotted the little buggers. And although homemade products CAN work (e.g. we tried vegetable oil,) they have to be left on the head for 8 hours. It was a hugely messy process that wasn't really necessary. I just needed to get proficient at removing the nits (or eggs) - something which an expert could have done much more quickly.

March Break is coming up, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but many families will deal with lice after coming into contact with airplane seats, movie theatre seats, and museums or play centres (my kids are never allowed to put on dress-up clothes from these places again)! It's time to think about the possibility of lice, and do regular checks of your children's heads. 

Not sure what you're looking at? Snap a picture on your phone, and send it in to Lice Services Canada. They will take a look and give you a free diagnosis! Lice Services also provides screening programs at daycares, schools and camps. I remember all the checks I received as a kid at school, and I'm sure it gave my mother some peace of mind.

Remember that lice are in no way linked to being "dirty." After the common cold, lice seem to be the most communicable affliction among school-aged children. It is likely that your child will one day experience them, and there is NO shame in that!

What's been your experiences with lice? Leave us a comment!

Disclaimer: Lice Services Canada is one of our blog sponsors, and have compensated us for our time. All opinions and stories are our own...although we maybe wish this one particular story had never happened ;) 

Milestones and the Passage of Time

Recently I picked up a packet of forms from our local elementary school. It’s Kindergarten registration time and come September I will have a child old enough to attend. Not only is she old enough to attend, she is more than ready. 

Like most parents’ I have watched my child achieve many a milestone. Milestones that are written about in baby books and on the pamphlets we take home from the hospital. As a parent, I’ve met milestones too. The first date night after baby, the first daycare drop off, returning to work, tossing the pacifier, buying that last box of diapers. Some of these transitions and changes have come with great emotion. Others with great relief. 

As I spread the Kindergarten forms out on my kitchen table I waited for what I assumed would be feelings of shock or even sadness to arise. I looked at the beaming faces of the children on the school brochure. They were polished and content. Engaged and happy. She could easily be one of them I thought to myself. What surfaced with this realization was not sadness or shock or even a jolt of “how did this happen!”. I felt proud. 

This milestone packaged in an orange envelope is one that marks the passage of time. Proof that yes, time does go by quickly. I have watched my daughter go from baby curls in tiny bows to long braids down her back. From splashing barefoot in puddles to flying leaps into the deep end of the pool. From learning to roll over to cartwheels in the back yard. But when she lays sleeping at night I can still see in the curve of her cheek the baby I desperately struggled to breastfeed, and recognize the toddler who lived in imaginary worlds created with her doll. These days, I see the emerging preschooler who is independent and kind and intense and strong. Her growth and her story are written all over her face and I choose to see her unfolding as a remarkable gift.

With the passage of time, motherhood has also revealed itself to me as a remarkable gift, and I have grown to view it like the branches reaching out from the sturdy tree that stands in my backyard.  A branch that has never taken over fully and completely, or grown so out of control that it has choked out the other parts of me permanently. But rather, a branch that is part of a whole that grows in harmony and is supported by the wisdom, resiliency, and strength that is already present and alive. I think of myself like this tree, the pieces of me as the strong branches, and motherhood as but one of them. 

I suppose this is why it is pride I feel rather than sadness or shock when I reflect on the place I now find myself. For it is the bitter sweet passage of time that got both me and my daughter here. And where is “here” exactly?  It is with completed Kindergarten forms in hand, and another major milestone underway. Not just for the capable little girl in cardboard fairy wings, but also for me as her mother, committed to maintaining the necessary bend and sway and growth and trust needed to guide and love this tiny human well into her own journey. What a milestone. What a joy.

Julianne is the mother of a toddler and a preschooler, a Masters educated Social Worker, and a Certified Positive Parent Educator. Read more about her work at www.parentingcalmlivingconnected.ca 

March Break Fun: kids treated like royalty at Kids Kingdom Orleans

Last year we saw an exciting sign go up at a location near St. Joseph and Trim Rd. "Coming Soon - Kids Kingdom!" it read. 

"Finally!" we thought. There are several indoor play places around Ottawa, but they were always a bit of a drive away if you live in the East end. Now we have something close by!

My daughter and I got a chance to check out the new Kids Kingdom Orleans location when she was invited to a friend's birthday party there last month. 

We started off with playtime in the large castle play structure. The kids can run over suspension bridges, whoosh down the slides, do a rope climb and crawl through tunnels. There is also an infant play centre for the little ones.

Next it was off to the giant inflatable castle (with a climbing wall and slide.) My daughter got too scared to come down, so I had to crawl up there after her. The 5 and 6 year-olds had no trouble sliding down!

The highlight of the party (other than cake) was the redemption games. I remember the same excitement as a kid - getting the tokens, playing the games, and then seeing how many tickets you won. The tickets can be traded in for sweet treats or small toys. For only $5, my daughter got to play several games and took home a ring and a candy.

Another great activity that we need to try is LASERFORCE Laser Tag. This is a 6,500 square foot laser tag facility, and kids can get their energy out playing hide-and-seek and developing tag strategies.

For weary parents, there's plenty of seating and healthy snacks at the Kids Kafe (plus....coffee!!)

If you're looking for something to do over March Break, Kids Kingdom can be a great place to hang out and let the kids burn off their energy (and bonus - it doesn't involve them making "castles" out of your couch)

Have you been to Kids Kingdom? What did your kids enjoy about it?

Disclaimer: this post is part of our March Break Fun Campaign, and we were compensated for our time. All opinions in this review are our own!

Birth Photography: Reclaiming our story

Having pictures taken of my daughter’s birth was the last thing on my mind when I was preparing for the big day. I concerned myself with all the details – which sheets I would use on the bed, what I wanted to eat and drink, and how I was going to manage the intensity of the contractions.

It was later, after the excitement had subsided and I had a tiny newborn nestled in my arms, that I asked my husband to see the pictures. 

There weren’t very many; a few shots of my labour support team and some postpartum procedures, taken by my amazing doula. Several that had been taken of the actual birth were deleted, as my mother worried they were too graphic. I felt sad about the lack of documentation, and wished I’d been more explicit about pictures that I wanted. 

I’m not alone in this, as many women report feeling regret over lack of pictures during childbirth. “We had so savoured the grainy photos of the birth of our daughter that had been captured by my husband and our birth doula,” says Ottawa resident Julia Nichol. Julia knew she wanted to document her second child’s birth, and hired a birth photographer to do a more professional job. 

More parents are choosing to invite birth photographers into the labour room, to capture a moment in time when intense emotions make it hard to remember certain details. Labouring mothers are in their own world, intensely focused on the waves of contractions; hours can go by in a blur.

“I also believe in, and hope to support, normalizing birth and offering visuals for women to hold something true in their mind when preparing for their own labours,” says Julia. “I find it so unfortunate how labour and birth are sensationalized on television, and hope to replace it with different, truer images.”

Depicting birth in a positive light is an essential part of normalizing a largely medicalized time in women’s lives. Childbirth, after all, is the number one reason why women are admitted to hospital. We tend to associate hospitals with illness and death, so it can sometimes be hard for women to find comfort and safety while laboring in a maternity ward.

Greg and Julie Linton struggled to find that kind of comfort in the days and weeks following the birth of their son Henry. While Julie’s labour progressed very well at home, the moment of birth presented a significant challenge – Henry’s shoulders became stuck (a condition called “shoulder dystocia.”) Henry was transferred to hospital with the help of emergency services, and thus followed many days of waiting and worrying while Henry spent time at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (Henry is a now a happy and healthy one year-old.)

“I couldn't imagine getting through those first few days and months without our photographer and her photos," says Julie. "She held us up and celebrated with us afterwards. These beautiful photographs have reminded me time and time again to remember the whole birth story, and not to just focus on the one part that went wrong.” Even in the stressful moments, there was so much strength and beauty to be found.

With the popularity of birth photography on the rise, many parents-to-be are wondering if hiring a photographer for the big day is right for them.

“Some people likely believe birth to be too intimate to want to share it with the world,” says Julia Nichol. “I see that as a personal choice and completely respect both points of view. In my case, I did not feel this way at all.”

Greg Linton agrees. “People might think the photographer is going to ask you to do certain things during the birth, like trying to pose,” he says. “Being the dad, I was aware of our photographer, but at no time did I change my actions because of it. I did what I had to do for my wife and baby, and our photographer worked around us.”

Other worries women have are related to their bodies and privacy. Some women struggle with body image issues, or believe that birth photography is focused on capturing the moment when the head is being born. “It’s so not about that one shot,” says Elle Odyn from Elly Odyn Photography & Film “Of course we will get those shots if that’s what the woman has asked for. But there is so much more to a birth than that – there is an entire story to tell.”

And what a story it can be. I’ve created my own version of “on the night you were born” with both my girls. We scroll through the pictures, and marvel at the intensity of my expression, or laugh at the picture of the dog snoozing in the corner. Every child is fascinated by the story of their birth, and I love showing them how it all unfolded.

As my girls grow into women, I know that their birth pictures will show them the positive side of birth – the strength and beauty that we can witness as a new child comes into this world. I hope that this reduces any fears they may have about childbirth, and overrides what I see to be society’s negative understanding of birth. 

The message we receive is that women are to fear childbirth; we are told to distance ourselves from this process by removing our “selves” from the picture. By checking out of the labour, both physically or emotionally, there is the possibility we miss a key transformative moment in our lives.

Birth photographers are working to put women back in the picture, as the navigators of their own journey. Through these pictures, women are reclaiming their role at the centre of the story - one un-posed moment at a time.