WIN! Lil Tights By Skights!

The wonderful thing I love about being a Mamalicious Mama is the unique items I get to review for our group. Our mamas are based in Scarborough and Pickering, so you can imagine how happy I was to find product created by a Mama in the Durham Region.

Canadian Mom and designer Julie Thompson has created "Lil' Tights by SKIGHTS". They are like tights... But better than tights. I like to refer to them knee high tights.

It would have been awesome if I had them when Missy Miu was a crawler. I love the padded knee feature that would have protected her knees as she crawled on the floor and carpet.

When we are home I want her to feel unrestricted, but to remove her leggings would have her feeling chilly. With Skights that it a non issue.

Oh... And Diaper changes are much easier. No hassle of removing her pants. Just the diaper.... Just the diaper.

With Toronto 's latest cold Snap, these sure came in handy beneath her pants.

Lil' Tights have a stay put design so they are not easily removed by your little one.
And may I add... Potty training will be much easier.

Skights are made of stretchy Lycra and Spandex (75% Cotton, 22% Nylon, 3% Lycra). They come in three colours:
- small - 9 to 18 months
- med -18 to 30 months
- lg - 30 to 48 months

You can purchase Skights online for $14.99. Purchase 3 or more pairs and save 10%.

What is even more awesome is that this week Julie's Skights are heading to Hollywood to exhibit at L.A.'s exclusive, invitation-only Boom Boom Room Pre-Golden Globes gifting suite. This is where baby and kids' gear is showcased for celebrity moms and dads!

Great news though... Thanks to Skights we have an exclusive contest for the Mamalicious Mamas.

1. Visit Skights Facebook page and LIKE it.
2. Click on this LINK and comment on the pic what you love about Skights
3. RSVP on the event board after completing steps 1 and 2.

You have until Thursday, January 16, 2014, 3pm to compete for the a pair of Skights. Remember... to be eligible you must follow instructions to a T.

Good luck Mamas!

**The products for this review and giveaway were provided for free. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.**

Debt Free - Like Really

I have been really serious about becoming debt free....  For like the last 20 years.  

Made you laugh.  Right?

But seriously.   Now that I have a daughter I so have to get my act together.   I lose sleep thinking that  she may have to go without as she grows up.    I remember how my Mom "struggled" make ends meet.  I would like Missy Miu to see me "budget" to make ends meet.

In order to become debt free I have to have a plan. So I have decided on the following  route.

1. SNOWBALLING - From most to least expensive interest rate I am listing my consumer debt with the amount of months left.  Here's an example...  err...  Not mine:

1.  Furniture Store       32   %       6000     84
2.  Dept.  Store Card   28.8%       600        22
3.  Dept.  Store Card   28.8%     1100        48
4.  Car Loan                   9   %    25000     600
5.  Family                        0  %      2800         0

This list allows one to list their most expensive debt (using the interest rate).  Pay the minimum payment required on bills 2, 3 etc.  On the first bill you throw more than the minimum amount.  Every time you move down the list you snowball.   The payment used to pay off the most expensive debt will be applied to the next most expensive debt on the list.

2.  Start Now  Procrastination is not helping to pay down my debt.   How is it working for you?

3.  Make a Budget and get it to balance.

4.  Trim Down Where can you cut spending.   Does it mean bringing your lunch 3 days of the week instead of buying for 5 days?  Maybe that's an extra $65  month.   Take the $65 and apply it to the first loan on the top of the list.

5.  Make A Payment No need to wait for the due date.   If money is owing...  It's always owing.   Each time you apply a payment, you reduce the interest added on.

6.  Empty The Pockets
Got change in your pocket? Under the couch  cushions? I collect loose coin in a jar and stash it way in the back of my closet.   Every couple of months I count up the money and apply it to debt.  You'll be surprised to see how much money this can add up to.

Next week we will discuss making a budget.   In the meantime I ask that with me you create your snowball list and make a payment.

Until next week Financial Mamas!

New Year... New Events

Happy New Year Mamas!   Just wanted to give a heads up on January 2014 events:

- We have coffee at Debbie's Boutique Café and Café Mirage

- We will  have two Storytime sessions at Ray's Café

- Stroller Walking at Scarborough Town Centre and Markville Mall

- Hat Day at Creative Play Indoor Playground

We have room for 5 more events. Let us know if you have and suggestions.

We've just added Stroller Walking at the indoor track at Stephen Leacock Community Centre

Please visit our Mamalicious Mamas board for more information.

Introducing The Financial Mama Series

Before going on maternity leave we made some attempts to save for the income we would soon be missing. We definitely could have done a better job. We had to live very tight during my time from work... Sometimes uncomfortably so.

I am back to work now and have many "what could have been done differently" thoughts. I want to be financially secure, provide for our daughter, go on a vacation once a year.... And oh yeah.... Retirement is not to far away.

On Mondays we will be posting the "Financial Mama Series". I will share with you what I'm doing to get my financial house in order. I would love for you to follow... Maybe we can all do this together. I would love to hear about what you are doing in terms of money in your household. Any tips or suggestions? Please share.

So before I enter 2014, let me introduce you to my first challenge:

Can you track how you normally spend your money?  In some aspects this may be a piece of cake for me.   I have a spreadsheet that states unequivocally where my money goes in terms of my fixed expenses.

Fixed Expenses: The bills that are paid out at the same time and are a fixed amount.   ie: rent,  car payment, daycare

I also have listed my variable expenses.

Variable Expenses: Money that is spent on  any particular day and at any total.  ie:  groceries, vehicle gas,  hair appointments

I do an OK job at tracking my variable expenses. I have a cute pink notebook (and it is cute) in my bag.  Flip through and you will see a section of vehicle gas.  My budget is $240 per month.   Whenever I fill up I subtract what I spent and am aware of how much money I have left.  Same for my $75 clothing budget and $400 grocery budget.

I get in trouble with the variable category I call "Miscellaneous".  Why am I calling this miscellaneous anyway?  This is the money that goes to STUFF.  Could be coffee...  a movie...  a blouse....  Wait! !

I HAVE A CLOTHING BUDGET!!

See what I mean? You will probably find that you have a hard time finding out what happened within your variable category.

Like me, you may think this first task is a difficult one.  (why am I envisioning Jack Nicholson yelling that I can't handle the truth?)  This task is just to give you a visual heads up about where your money is going.  Easy peasy.

It is usually advised that you look over 6 months of expenses.  I am using two as I have been collecting a full paycheque during this time.

A Mamalicious Year In Review

A year ago Missy Miu was 4 months old and I was one lonely Mama.   I knew there were groups of Moms who were getting out and keeping each other company.   I was experiencing so much despair that the thought of being sociable would paralyze me.  Many of the Mom outings were a bit of a commute.   Going to work entails a 52 km drive one way.  The long trips to mingle with the baby became another excuse not to get out.

I soon realized that at this point maternity leave was going to be sad experience.  The only way to get around this was to create my own group.   I mean surely I would be a social butterfly if it was my group.   If I planned events in my area then the excuse of a long commute would be removed.

Thanks to Meetup.com I was able to get some great ideas and form a mommy group Scarborough Pickering Mamalicious Mamas.   Almost a year later we have over 200 Mamas.   Many going through the same predicament of loneliness.  

We are all excited about being a parent, but were not really forewarned that sometimes it would be difficult to find other children for our little ones to mingle with,  peer support and things to do. It's pretty exciting to know that we had Mamas participate in almost 200 events.   I would like to thank the volunteer Mama's who host many of our outings.

Our group has evolved.   We have new Mamas and Back to work Mamas.   We are listening.   Even though Moms are returning to work they still want to keep in touch with each other.  They had lots of baby questions and they have now turned to toddler questions.

I'm excited about out first Weekend Mama event taking place next month on a Saturday.   Any member can attend however it is a great opportunity for back to work Mamas to catch up with each other and for their toddlers to mingle.

We have accomplished a lot with the Mamalicious Mamas and would like to continue.     We have some great ideas and are looking forward to working with businesses in the community.

I am back to work,  juggling family life but excited about upcoming developments for the Mamalicious Mamas.

Contest: The Go Anywhere Booster Seat

Now that we have a child getting ready to head out can be quite an experience. Now when we pack a few essentials, it looks like we are going on a major excursion. We have a mobile high chair which can be a bit of a hassle to carry. This would be why I'm very excited to blog about the Go Anywhere Booster Seat by A Parent Company.

On a trip to England Phil and Vanessa Carrington they came across the Go Anywhere Booster Seat; a product not offered anywhere in North America. They became the exclusive distributors for the North American market and it is now available here through their business, A Parent Company.

When folded away, it has the look of a stylish messenger bag with a handle and shoulder strap. I love the fact that it is very light to carry. In fact it weighs 1.5 lbs.

The Go Anywhere Booster Seat has three sets of adjustable straps that secures to a chair. It is a quick and easy setup which is a major highlight for me.

Missy Miu is so actitive, but I am able to secure her in with ease

Other selling points:
- It's a wipe clean seat
- BPA & Phthalate free
- It's stylish and hip
- great for traveling and everyday use
- Boasts a 5 point restraint harness
- Ideal for children who are able to sit unassisted up to 40 lbs

I am so excited that our Mamalicious Mamas are eligible to win a Go Anywhere Booster Seat. It will be posted on our event board on Dec 16th, 2013. All they have to do is visit A Parent Company's Facebook Page, Like it and make a comment on the selected photo with chair why they would like to win one. 

**The products for this review and giveaway were provided for free. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.**

Cookie Exchange Event

We will be at Creative Play Indoor Playground for our Cookie Exchange.

While our little ones play we will get into the Holiday Season exchanging small tins of cookies.

You may bake em', buy em, then savour em. (nut free food is allowed on premises).

It will be a great opportunity to share secret recipes or the favourite secret spot you bought them.

Please RSVP by Monday, December 2nd. We will contact each Mama with her picked Mama name on Tuesday, December 3rd.
Shhhh.... It's a secret....

http://www.meetup.com/Scarborough-Pickering-Mamalicious-Mamas/events/152394092/

Mama Melanie will be your host for this event.