Hey there! I’m Christina and I created The Naked Mama Blog for all women to indulge in the real truths behind being a woman, mom and wife. This blog features support for new moms, must have products, travel, and health & wellness.
To read the full story behind the Naked Mama, click on the “about me” tab.
Having a walk in closet or closet room is something I have wanted since moving into our home. Sharing a closet with my husband was difficult. We both have too many clothes and shoes to be crammed in one space. Then add in travel bags and accessories, it became chaos. My solution – I converted our fourth bedroom to a closet room and I am absolutely in love. It is an organized space that feels inviting and a room I love being in. Bonus feature is that I created another cool space within the room, check it out below. If you don’t have an extra bedroom to do this, you can still create an organized space in your current closet.
This section is where I hang all my day to day clothes and as you can see I have colour coordinated them. The top is for clothes I wear daily, and the bottom is going out attire or things that might be worn on weekends only. In the middle drawer section I keep my small purses, work out clothes, tracks, stuff that might not be able to get hung.
Amalia Bentivoglio – https://www.torontoismyboyfriend.com/ who is a personal shopper and fashion stylist, provided me with advice and tips on how to organize my closet so it functions best. And I have to give her a big THANK YOU! Her advice really helped take my closet to the next level. I will share some tips with you here:
Off to the right of the hanging clothes is my shoe area. I am slowly working on this but you get the idea. Again you want to keep shoes that you wear most often eye level. I have more of my fall, winter shoes on the bottom, and dressier on the top. I still have shoes in a bin in my actual closet (which you will see below) but the shoes I wear most will be displayed here.
I installed a unit just for sweaters and storage which you see above on the right. I do love cozy sweaters and tights so this was a great place to keep those items. This area is also a great place to display items such as a purse bag, shoe box etc.
Now this is the actual closet in the room. This closet itself is fairly big on its own but is still full of clothes and storage. I keep the door open so I can still see inside because just like the saying goes, out of sight out of mine, but if I want to close the door I can. I keep more formal wear, dresses, off season clothes here, bathing suits, along with storage bins which you can see in the bottom. This is an excellent space to still use so that all your clothing is in one spot in your house.
Now I love this entire room, but I also created a space for myself to sneak away and have some quiet time. My little office nook – my mommy nook
We had to convert our previous office into my sons toy room. I am a busy mama but also have lots of work that needs to get done for my blog, for SHE, and the wellness company I work with, so a quiet working space is important. I LOVE this space. And I love how simple yet perfect it is. I want to give a big shout out to https://www.mapiful.com for transforming one of my favourite photos into a piece of art.Having that personal touch to the space makes the room even more magical.
“Cleanliness is next to godliness”. We are all familiar with that phrase, however, sometimes it’s hard to keep our homes tidy and organized, especially with a small space. I’ve recently reorganized my linen closet, it’s a small closet so optimizing space was important.
I decided to use baskets to keep all items such as face clothes, my sons bath towels, toilet paper, paper towel and diapers organized. Essentially, anything you keep in your linen closet is able to fit in a basket. I hated having the bags from the toilet paper and paper towel around and the closet just looked a mess. Now it has a clean and organized feel and everything is accessible.
These baskets are great for storing bigger items. They are from www.ikea.com and were $17.99 each.
I am currently using these to store my sons diapers and our paper towel.
The next style of basic I fell in love with because it is so unique and versatile. The basket itself is very soft and has a great feel. I decided to use these baskets for toilet paper, I also placed one in my bathroom as a toilet paper holder, it gives off a very warm and cozy look. This basket is also from www.ikea.com and is $14.99
And lastly, I purchased some smaller plastic baskets from http://www.homesense.com to store my sons smaller towels and hand towels. These type of baskets are also great for playrooms and snack cupboards.
So far I am loving the new look of my linen closet and the baskets really are the perfect way to keep things organized while also adding a nice touch to the home.
Enjoy!
Banana bread is one of my favourite comfort foods. I love banana bread but am always worried about the amount of sugar in it. Bananas have natural sugar and when you combine that with refined sugar and white flour thats just TOO much sugar for me. That is why I LOVE this recipe. Its simple, low sugar and delish!
Banana Bread Recipe
1 large ripe banana
3 organic eggs
1 1/2 cups almond flour ( I have tried this with coconut flour also but the taste is too overpowering for my liking)
2 tbsp soft butter
1 tsp baking power (gluten free if possible)
1/4 sugar substitute ( I use erythritol, you can use whichever works for you)
Tiny sprinkle of salt ( optional)
1-2 tsp of cinnamon
Crushed walnuts (optional) I put some in the mixture and also add on top towards the end of baking
** tip – add a scoop of protein powder to get some extra protein in**
Baking Instructions
Preheat oven to 350
Please batter in a loaf tin ( 7 by 13) with parchment paper
Bake for 35 to 40 mins until fork comes out dry
ENJOY !
I was craving pancakes so I decided to get a little creative and I realized how easy it was to make your own low carb pancakes at home. They are actually super easy to make with minimal ingredients and time. This recipe literally took under 20 minutes to prepare and cook. My favourite mom hack – make more than you need and freeze so you have them ready to go.
Low Carb Coconut Flour Pancakes (serves 4)
Mix all ingredients together. I used a hand mixer which worked fine but if you want a smoother consistency you can use a blender. Mix until everything is smooth.
Heat pan at medium heat and melt butter or coconut oil ( or spray). Spoon out desired amount of mix and cook each side for 2 minutes each – time may very depending on size. Once pancake is able to lift off nicely you can flip. ( I make bigger ones for myself and smaller for my son)
Bon Appetit!
Tis the season for cold and flu and lets face it, it has been a long winter of bringing home germs from daycare. I always want natural health products to give my son and these cough and cold products from @hylandscanada are my go to. With Hylands cough and cold syrups, my son feels better in the day and sleeps better at night.
These products are alcohol free, sugar free, corn syrup free, artificial sweetener free, paraben and dye free, they also taste great and help ease symptoms and speed up the healing process. And we all know the heath of our kiddos is so important.
Hyland’s has been around since 1903 and has been trusted by generations of parents! Grabs your products at Amazon.ca or @loblawson
Ok guys, its that time of year… CHRISTMAS is right around the corner. If your like me and have not started your shopping yet, I have some simple yet great ideas for those extra gifts you may need to purchase. Fun fact- incase you did not know, aside from being a mom and thenakedmama – I am a high school teacher. I wanted to share some fun gift ideas to make shopping a little easier for you.
Gift cards are a great idea. You can’t go wrong with any of these in my opinion. It’s a simple gift but would be much appreciated and useful.
Personalized mugs or water bottles are a great idea for all teachers. Chapters has some really cute mugs ready for purchase.
Some classic teacher essentials. Whether its elementary or high school, every teacher could use one of these. Agenda and pencil holder are both from https://www.katespade.com/
And my most favourite, I am all about self love and positive energies. I have received each of these as gifts and they are some of my favourite. Yoga bracelets and healing stones are a perfect gift to pass on positivity and strength.
When gift shopping I always hope to find something nice but also useful, and I am positive that all teachers would make use of any of these ideas above. I will continue to post some other gift ideas on my instagram page, so if you are not following you can head over there and check it out 🙂 @thenakedmama_
Happy shopping!
Plan and execute your child’s birthday party without the added stress
Let’s be real, planning a party can be very stressful. Who do you invite? Location? How much is this going to cost? I can be a real headache. I wanted to share some tips that will help alleviate some of that stress when planning.
BE ORGANIZED:
Buckle down on date, guest list and location. Be sure to decide your guest list before location because you need to know your numbers.
GUEST LIST:
First thing to do. Make sure your location will accommodate the number of guests you expect. Usually expect for about 10 percent of guests not being able to make it. When making your list be clear to separate children from adults so you know for loot bags, food etc.
BUDGET $$:
Parties can get crazy expensive and yes you will spend more than you think. Have a budget in mind and try your best to stick to it. If your budget is $500.00 and the location you want charges $300.00, this may not be the best option for you after factoring everything else in. Below in the detail section you will see all the other miscellaneous items that will add to budget.
LOCATION:
Now that you know your numbers and have an idea of date, you can call around and book a venue, if you decide to have the party at home or a relative’s house, PERFECT, this will save you some money. If you decide to do an outdoor location have a plan B just in case the weather does not cooperate. There is no bigger stress than worrying about the weather leading up to the party and not having a backup plan.
DATE:
This is all personal, on the actual birthday, before or after, it’s up to you. Remember to check that the date is available and if you need to give a deposit to book then do so.
Believe it or not the hardest part is done . Now onto the fun stuff BUT you still need to be organized. Next steps
THEME:
If your child has a favourite show, character, book, then this part is easy. Do some research on pinterest and Instagram and you should find something that interests you. In my next blog post I will share the details of my sons first and second birthday party with you.
INVITATIONS:
Coordinating your invitation with your theme adds a nice touch to the party already setting the tone for the day. It is not necessary to do this as you may have not been able to decide on a theme yet, so also having a generic birthday one is fine too. Online invitations are the way to go. You can send out invites for free online as long as the guests have email or text. Online also allows you to keep track of responses, see who has received the invitation, and you can send any changes or updates to your guest. The site I have used is http://www.evite.com. Mailing out invitations is always nice but it can get expensive. I also worry about the invite getting lost in the mail. If you are not using an online invitation but sure to have a chart so that you can keep a list of your guests and be able to check off who is attending and who is not and do this right away as they rsvp.
All in the Details
You can be as simple or as crazy as you like. I tend to go for more of the CRAZY but that’s me. Some items below may not apply to you and that’s ok but here is what you can include for the special day.
CAKE:
Order the cake ASAP- a good cake maker is usually super busy. You can also order from a grocery store but you still need to get the order in. Make sure you try the cake or know of someone who has used them before. Nothing worse than spending money on a cake and it tastes nasty. Pick a flavour that you know will work for most – chocolate or vanilla is easy and you should try for nut free.
Whatever you decided on theme – this is where you can start trying in the detail. Have your cake scream your theme.
There is also nothing wrong with getting your cake from the grocery store. It all just depends on how detailed you want your cake to be. The grocery store is defiantly a cheaper option but you won’t get that WOW factor like you would have if you get it custom made.
ENTERTAINMENT:
If it’s a child’s party you want entertainment for the little ones. If your location is at a Play Center, park, games room, then there is likely plenty for them. If your party is at house or party room then you need to keep these kiddies busy. I like having someone come to entertain because its less for you to do the day of and gives you a break.
Ideas: magician, mascot, entertainers to sing and play games, balloon maker, face painter, playscape.
There are also things you can have set up on your own: colouring station, craft, make a cupcake station, sandpit, swimming pool, sprinkler, bubbles, area with soccer or balls.
DECOR:
Realistically it all depends on your budget because all these tiny details add up. You may want to keep it simple and that’s perfectly fine, or you may want to go a little more extreme (this tends to happen to me) and that’s ok too. Here are some things to consider for décor and your final touches:
Backdrop, balloons, balloon arch, custom signage, birthday banner – all of these things can be DIY or you can hire someone to do this.
Plates, cups, cutlery, napkins, table clothes – you can keep it neutral or get creative with your colours and theme. For example – if your theme is Paw Patrol – you can buy all Paw Patrol – or keep it to the colours that the theme may use most.
Loot bags – I always offer a little something for the kids to take home. I am not a huge fan of the traditional loot bag filled with trinkets and candy. I personally like the children to leave with something of substance that they will use. The past two parties I have bought books for the children that tie in with my theme.
FOOD/DRINK:
You have probably already thought of this but now is the time to get the order in. Ordering pizza or catering saves you from time and hopefully you can enjoy the party more.
Sweet table, cookies, candy, cake, whatever you have this adds a nice touch. Perfect area to take pictures.
Providing food yourself – adds more work for you the day of. An option is to ask people to all bring something like a potluck style but I am not a fan of asking people to bring when they are attending a party. But if it works for you then go right ahead.
Catering – way easier and less work for you. Some ideas that I have seen work are pizza, Greek, Chicken and Rice, Italian (lasagna and salad) Get the food delivered right around the time you want your guests to eat so it is hot and ready to be served. Most places also provide plates and cutlery which is great.
Snacks – potato chips, chips and dip, popcorns, fruit, are all easy snacks you can have around for guest to snack on. I like to use plastic cups for the kids – they can fill the cup with snacks and its easy for them to walk around and hold.
Seating- if you have a smaller space don’t worry about having everyone sit at tables. You can have chairs set up around your space and people can eat that way. You can rent cruiser tables or longer folding tables or invest in a few small plastic side tables but don’t panic if the seating isn’t perfect. ** For my last party I rented smaller tables for the kids and had the adults sit casually – we did not have enough space for everyone to sit at a table.
Drink –
At my sons first and second birthday party we did have alcohol but I have been to many parties and it was not an option. If you decide to have alcohol keep it simple – wine and beer only, or you can make a sangria (one alcoholic and one not).
**Set up your food/drink station so guests can help themselves. My rule is I always offer the first drink and then help yourself and make yourself at home. Less work for you and you can mingle and interact with guests.
HAPPY PLANNING
Purchasing a diaper bag is super important because this new bag will be with you all the time. Deciding on what kind is a personal preference. Some people like a shoulder bag, others a back pack, some like high end, others good value, whatever you decide just make sure its practical and provides the best use for when you’re out and about.
My first diaper bag that I received as a gift from my hubby functions as diaper bag and purse , I wanted one more on the stylish side but also functional. During the first few weeks with my son I was bringing out my purse and diaper bag but it felt way too hectic. Keep it simple and use one bag for everything. I love my original diaper bag (it was a push present from my hubby) but taking it placed like the beach and park was not ideal because I was extremely worried about getting it damaged.
Recently I had the privilege of trying out a backpack style diaper bag and it defiantly was a game changer. This Hafmall bag is perfect for trips to the park, beach, or anywhere else you are headed and plan to bring a lot of items. Its great quality and extremely spacious. I use both bags now – one for when we have functions – wedding, party etc, or quick trips to the store, and the other for the more adventurous activities or going away for an evening. https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=hafmall&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
~Easy to clean
~Good size – trust me you need more space than you think
~Gender neutral – dads you will be taking the bag too
~Won’t wear and tear (your bag spends a lot of time on the floor and being thrown around)
~Easy access to open and close with you need
~Compartments inside and out (I am not a fan of bags that have one big space, I like to keep things in certain pockets and compartments)
~Side pocket for cup or bottle
~Insulated pockets (my backpack diaper bag has this)
~Adjustable straps
~Easy to hang on the stroller
~ Be able to use it after your child has grown as a travel bag
Once you found your perfect bag, now you have to pack it. Carrying around unnecessary stuff just makes for more clutter and extra weight. Here is my list of diaper bag essentials that I have with me at all times
I hope this helps and makes selecting your bag and packing it a little easier
Working mom VS stay at home mom. Let me tell you they are both a job and hard as hell. Recently I have had the privilege of being both types of “moms”.
Working mom: From the time you wake up till you go to bed, it’s non stop. Some days you feel like you lost the battle. Mom guilt for going to work, not being able to balance mom life, work and social life. And your still expected to have dinner on the table. Sure it’s nice to have some “freedom” and maybe have a hot coffee, but let’s be real, sometimes it just sucks. You feel me?
Stay at home mom: Still a non stop job but now your just chasing a child around and trying to maintain your sanity and a clean house. There is more of an expectation to have the house perfect, dinner ready, but have you tried doing all this work a toddler? Winters are long, minutes feel like hours, and lets not forget feeling isolated and lonely at times. And yes, your coffee is always cold.
So what’s the consensus – forget working mom and stay at home mom, being a MOM is a non stop job and the harder job I’ve ever had. Thank you to @lovechildorganics for helping make being a mom a little easier, whether its being home or going to work, the products make my toddler healthy and happy. https://lovechildorganics.com/
@mariabudaphoto for the amazing shot
If I am going to be completely honest, I have never really taken care of my eye brows. I had very dull and boring brows, they had no real shape and were fairly light in colour. I think I may have coloured them in a handful of times but I really didn’t know what I was doing. Then I was introduced to microblading.
Antonietta, founder and owner of Lavender Brow & Beauty Bar, introduced me to microblading and has completely changed the way I think of eye brows. After seeing the dramatic difference between my before and after pictures, I can’t believe that I didn’t have my eyebrows done sooner. My new brows look amazing, my face looks brighter, and I finally have a shape to my brow that opens up my eyes.
After posting my microblading journey on instagram I received many questions about the procedure, the process, and the aftercare.
FAQ
Q: Does it hurt? A: It doesn’t necessarily hurt, feels more like an annoying sensation.
Q: How long does it take? A: Takes about an hour and a half to two hours. The actually process is quick, the shaping of the brow takes majority of the time.
Q: Do you need a touch up? A: Yes, after on month you will go for a touch up and after one year.
Q: Can you go in the sun? A:You should not go in the sun for a least 30 days after having your brows done, and always be sure to wear sunscreen on your brows or else you risk fading and colour change.
Q: Will your eyebrows scab? A: They may scab or feel dry at times but if you do the proper after care there should be hardly any scabbing.
Q: How do you know what colour is right for you? A: You will decide together and find the best colour the match. Remember that your brows will lighten 40% by time they are healed. Day 1 ad 2 your brows will look the darkest.
Q: Do you need to prepare in anyway for microblading? A: Yes you do. A day before the procedure be sure not to have any alcohol, aspirin or ibuprofen. On the day of NO COFFEE ( yes thats right) These are all blood thinners and may cause bleeding during the procedure. There are some other pre microblading tips but each technician may have their own procedures they follow.
Thenakedmama
THE NAKED MAMA 