Free Money....well kinda...

For all of you mommies out there with little ones under 6 effective July 1, you are entitled to The Universal Child Care Benefit from the Government of Canada.

According to the Government -- "It is a new initiative designed to assist Canadian families, as they seek to balance work and family life, by supporting their child care choices through direct financial support. The UCCB payment is proposed to be paid on behalf of children under the age of 6 years in installments of $100 per month per child."

I thought it would come automatically, but I just got word that you have to to apply to receive the benefit. You can download the appropriate form and find out more information on the UCCB with the following link.

Thanks to Amanda for the tip!

Brag about your DaDa...

And the winner is....

We are so pleased to announce the winner of our Father's Day Contest is Allan Stewart of Aurora. Allan was nominated by his wife Christine and daughter Meghan and since he's such an amazing Dad and husband we just had to choose him! The whole family is so excited to win a $250 gift certificate for a photo shoot from Bambino's photography.

Christine and Allan were kind enough to let us share the letter that she wrote to us to nominate Meghan's very special Dada...

"Being a childless couple was a devastating label we were not willing to accept. Allan comforted me through surgery, countless appointments and heartbreaking negative results for nearly four years. Invetro Fertilization was our last remaining hope. Allan was my rock. Coaching me through daily injections three times daily my spirits and courage began to falter. Allan never lost hope and constantly reminded me to keep my eye on the prize! Baby Meghan now giggles in delight as the sight of Dada. This Daddy's little girl takes his breath away with a glance, a miracle and her Dada. Happy Fathers day, at long last you are a Daddy. What a prize indeed!"

Thanks to Bambino's for sponsoring this great prize! And thanks to everyone who entered their Dada...
~kirsty

The Sweet Taste of Summer - Part II

Thanks Amanda for sending in these recipe's from Today's Parent magazine.

"I have two that I have tried out of Today's Parent magazine (July 2006) that are both very yummy!"

strawberry Sorbet (a healthier alternative to ice creaml!!!)
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups fresh or frozen strawberries (measure while still frozen)
3 tbsp lemon juice

In a saucepan, combine the water and sugar, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
If you're using fresh strawberries, rinse and remove hulls. If you're using frozen berries, let them thaw completely. Puree berries in a blender or food processor until smooth, then add the cooled syrup and blend just until combined. Stir in the lemon juice. Pour mixture into a shallow metal baking dish or metal bowl. Place in the freezer and let freeze until just beginning to solidify around the edges. Stir to break up the frozen areas, and return to the freezer again until partially frozen. Repeat the stirring and freezing until the sorbet has a slushy, scoopable consistency. Serve immediately or transfer to a tightly sealed container and store in the freezer. If you let if freeze solid, let the sorbet soften slightly at room temperature before serving.
Yummy on a hot summer's day!!!

Strawberry Syrup (idea from Today's Parent July 2006)
Instead of syrup on pancakes, try this:
Take a pint of fresh strawberries (can be defrosted frozen berries)--about 2 cups sliced. Toss into the blender, add lemon juice and sugar to taste and you've got strawberry puree for pancakes (makes about 1 cup).
My daughter LOVED this over pancakes and crumpets!!!





Yummy! It's officially summer, which also means that strawberries are in season and ready for pickin'! From mid-June to mid-July you can find juicy & homegrown strawberries throughout York Region.

Why not pack up the little one and head to a Pick-Your-Own farm for the afternoon? Some farms in our area have tractor rides, animals, restaurants and even have already picked baskets for you. There are many farms in York Region and beyond!

For more information check out The Ontario Berry Grower Association. My favourite recipe for strawberries is "Strawberry Poppyseed Spinach Salad" let us know if you've got any strawberry inspired recipe's send them through and we'll post them!

Just an update!!

Things are going well at York Region Baby, lots of readers online, great response from readers as well and we're really enjoying it. We are working hard to get July's articles and information ready, and you're going to be impressed!!

In the last e-Newsletter we sent out at the very bottom of the newsletter there was a sneaky little contest -- "The first person who forwards this email to 5 friends wins a $25 gift certificate to the Disney Store"! The winner was Erin Y, of Newmarket!! Congrats and happy shopping! Be on the lookout for more contests in future e-Newsletters.

Speaking of e-Newsletters, sign up to ours and be entered into win a great gift basket worth $45.99! Check out www.yorkregionbaby.com for more details.

Since it's World Cup month, thought I'd post a pic of my little baby Beckham...go England!!

Calling Hot Mamas!

As featured on the View, in US Magazine, Access Hollywood and more! Get latest must-have the BabyBeReady Bag by Baby Dish. These new pre-packed diaper bags are all the rage with celebrity mommies and mommies-to-be, including Angelina, Heidi and more.

The bags are stylish, yet practical bags and come in a range of fashion-forward designs. Everything you need for baby is in the bag, from a onesie, rattle, changing pad, diapers, bib, pacifier and much more.

Our friends at Hot Mama Beauty and Style are offering 15% off to York Region Baby readers from now until July 15, on this very cool item and the rest of their amazing products. Hot Mama Beauty and Style carries everything for moms who love to shop-- from amazing clothes, accessories (including some fantastic purses!) and lots of beauty essentials. To receive your 15% off please enter "York Baby" when checking out!

Hey, your just to funkie for me...

Elephant Shoe, one of Canada's leading baby boutique has some of the greatest baby gear around!!

From the must-have- accesory of the year, the Boon Frog to wonderful clothes for your little hipster.

It’s hard to choose a favourite, but I love the Posh Baby Kaftan Top-Brown Floral and Funkie Baby bibs, including the Shades Design.

Based in Winnipeg, Elephant Shoe has a great special of $5.00 shipping to anywhere in Canada – check out their sale section as well for some amazing deals.

Communication 101

So I have had a really fun week -- my computer totally broke down (still broken!), someone tried to break into my car and more...-- but, there has been some light at the end of the week!

My little sausage who is 13 1/2 months is communicating with me, not just waving hi and bye -- but signing words to me! We took a sign language class when he was 6 months old and we did practice with him etc etc . Around Christmas he signed "more", but nothing else and we became lazy again.

But I found my flash cards 2 weeks ago and started showing him a few signs again, "more", "eat", "diaper change" and one day at lunch this week I asked if he wanted more -- and he said "more". So, now he's unstoppable, shopping the other day he wanted "more" of everything on the shelves, and he wants "more" music and he wants "more" Grandad.... I've created a monster!

Returning to work?

"Back on Track" is a service for women & men looking to re-enter the labour market and who have been on parental/maternity benefits in the past 5 years, and have chosen to stay at home with their children.

Back on Track is a free service that assists you with career decision making, skills upgrading and at times, and funding maybe available to them to return to school prior to returning to the workforce. Back on Track understands it's a hard decision to make to return to work, but also in many circumstances a necessary one.

Also, look for a career related article on York Region Baby each month. June's article will help you get ready for that all important interview. If you have career related questions please email York Region Baby and we'll get you an answer from an expert in the field!

Sun, Fun & Shopping!!

On Sunday June 4th come the Aurora Street Festival! Imagine Baby and baby magoo will be there with all their great products.

From 11 am to 5pm, Yonge Street in Aurora is closed down, and they'll be over 500 vendors, music, food and more! Imagine Baby and baby magoo's booths are near MasterMind Toys and Tim Hortons. The weather is going to perfect and we look forward to seeing you there!! We'll have FREE face painting at Imagine Baby, along with some amazing deals.

For more information see www.yorkregionbaby.com and look under events.

See you then, Kirsty

Safe From Harm...

Please take the time to read below and check out the website Safe Kids Canada -- they have some really great fact sheets that go by topic, as well as age. I really find these useful, as a reminder to me about what needs to be done to make sure my little one is safe. Help make this a safe and fun summer for everyone!

In celebration of Safe Kids Week's 10th anniversary, Safe Kids Canada today unveiled a national report on children and injury showing that the rate of injury related deaths among children age 14 and under fell by 37 per cent and the rate of hospitalization fell by 34 percent between 1994 and 2003.

Despite the significant decline, unintentional injuries remain the number one cause of death for children age 14 and under. An average of 390 children died and another 25,500 were hospitalized each year over the 10 year period because of injuries. Yet a recent survey conducted on behalf of Safe KidsCanada showed that 23 per cent of parents believe the leading health risk to children is obesity, inactivity or poor nutrition. Injury ranked fifth at nine per cent, behind such risks as diseases and smoking.

The three leading causes of death from injuries are motor vehicle collisions (17 per cent), drowning (15 per cent), and threats to breathing which includes suffocation, strangulation and choking (11 per cent). Safe KidsCanada recommends that parents and caregivers identify, minimize and avoid risks to their children's safety in these and other areas:

Child Passenger Safety - Motor vehicle collisions can cause serious injuries including damage to the head, spine and internal organs. Children need to ride in a car or booster seat that's appropriate for their height or weight. Parents must make sure that children ride safely in all vehicles by checking the car or booster seat instructions to ensure it has been installed
properly. Most children will not be the right size to be in a seat belt by
itself until at least age nine.

Drowning Prevention - Drowning occurs most commonly in swimming pools. Children must be supervised when they are near all types of water. Parents and caregivers need to stay right beside children under the age of five at all times, even if they are just playing near water. Home swimming pools must be fenced around all four sides with a four foot high fence and a self-latching gate.

Suffocation and Choking Prevention - Major threats to breathing for young children include choking on food, strangling on objects like ropes or blind cords, and suffocating in cribs and beds. Children under the age of four should not be given hard foods like popcorn, raw carrots and nuts. In addition, parents should keep small items like coins and toy pieces away from young children. Blind or curtain cords should be cut short and tied out of reach.

Today marks the start of the Safe Kids Week - Celebrating a Safe Kids Future - which runs from June 5 to June 11, 2006.