The Pink Pacifier

Got my own storefront!

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:54:00 +0000

My credit card came today, so I've been hard at work setting up my own Etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/EccentricOcean

I'll be moving all my items from ThePhoenixEmporium over to EccentricOcean. I'll also be sending out messages to my followers so they don't get confused by the move. Really, I probably should have just waited to set up shop, but I couldn't wait to get going and it's so much easier to get in a crafting mood when I know there are customers out there.

Back to work now, just thought I'd post that quickly.

My Crazy Little Monkey

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Steven is almost 11 months old now, and he's figuring out how to get into everything. He can't walk yet, but he can stand up while holding onto the couch, the wall, the table, ect... and he can climb like crazy.

First he figured out how drawers worked and had fun emptying them all out for a few weeks (he still does every chance he gets). Then he realized that if he grabbed onto a drawer, he could do a chin-up and see what was on top of the TV cabinet. We can't leave anything solid on the floor by the cabinet anymore because he'll do a chin-up and swing his feet around to find something to stand on and then he'll start pulling everything down from on top of the cabinet.

At least he understands basic commands now... if you can get his attention. He understands "no" and "down", but if you don't say them sternly enough he just laughs. He definitely listens when you yell, but I try only to do it when he's doing something dangerous.

We've also switched him to homo milk (that was actually about a month ago, I just forgot to write it). I thought we had to wait a year, but the baby clinic told be differently. It's still expensive, but not nearly as bad as formula. It does go bad really fast, though. I usually try to grab his bottle and rinse it out when he's done drinking because if I leave it for an hour the bit of milk left in it will curdle.

Nat Med Talk

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:29:00 +0000

Some of you may know that I'm a natural medicine buff (I don't think I've really talked about it here yet) and some of you know that I'm a bit of a forum buff, too... I kind of get lost once I get writing on forums because there's always something new to research or debate. I love learning, so sometimes someone will post a question and even though I've never even thought about it before I'll suddenly be curious and spend hours on Google compiling an answer.

Anyways, I found Nat Med Talk the other day and I'm loving it. It's an awesome community of natural medicine buffs, all of whom are extremely supportive and patient. Some of their beliefs are a little more extreme than mine, but most of them are accepting of everyone's choices. I've been a member of communities before where taking Tylenol was practically a crime!

The forum is very well organized, and it's easy to have a look around and see if your question has already been answered before you post it. The admin even tacks the posts that are likely to apply to a lot of people up at the top of the sub-forums, such as the post about vitamin D reducing your chances of getting breast cancer in the Women's Health sub-forum.

If you're into natural medicine, check it out. Just please remember to double check everything. Most of the people on the forum aren't professionals, so even though they've done the research you should double check it just to be safe. Also, if you have something really serious, please go to the doctor instead of asking an online community for advice.

Growing Tree Toys Sale!

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:29:00 +0000

Sorry I haven't been posting lately. I thought I'd get caught up again after the wedding, but instead I've been concentrating on stocking up my Etsy store before school starts.

Anyways, just found out that Growing Tree Toys is having a sale August 3rd to August 8th and thought I'd share. You'll get 25% off any order, no matter how big or small it is, so check it out!

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:57:00 +0000

I just got an e-mail newsletter from BareOrganics.ca that reminded me of this awesome book by Dr. Seuss. If you don't already have it in your collection, I highly recommend it. Nothing beats Dr. Seuss' genius poetry combined with an eco-friendly message... plus the Lorax is pretty cute.

Standing up

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:32:00 +0000

Steven is getting more and more mobile. Since figuring out how to crawl, it seems like he's always working on the next step. His army crawl is still faster than his regular crawl, but he's figured out how to get up on his hands and knees when he needs the extra leverage or height. He's also climbing all over everything and loves standing up with the help of our footstools to see what we're up to.

Needless to say, it's no longer enough to keep dangerous things off the floor. Now we have to keep everything out of his reach. So we can't leave anything on the couches anymore and we have to be careful about cords, bags and anything else hanging over the edge of tables.

He hasn't yet figured out how to walk with the help of a chair or couch, but I have a feeling it will be quite an adventure when he does.

Teething Woes

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:35:00 +0000

Steven has been relatively good with teething so far. His first four teeth didn't give him too much trouble - he got a teething fever once or twice and was generally happy with whatever teether we handed him.

However, this fifth one seems to be giving him trouble. He won't take any of the teethers, is only happy when he's eating and spends most of his time screaming until he's red in the face. That's even after giving him Oragel and/or Tylenol. This morning he quieted down for a bit while I was holding him - he actually fell asleep for almost 3 hours, not counting the times I tried to put him down and he woke up long enough to screech until I picked him up again. Now he's not even happy when he's being held...

So I'm on a search for new ideas. If anyone has stories to share, feel free to comment or send me an e-mail. I'll let you know if I find anything.

Cookie Monster

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:44:00 +0000

Yesterday we were at Foodland and I was putting stuff on the cashier's counter when I noticed Steven holding a box of cookies. I asked Bill if he'd given them to him because he sometimes does things like that to be cute ("how did those get there?"), but he hadn't picked them up. So I took them away, which caused quite a bit of fussiness all of a sudden - Steven doesn't normally complain, but I guess he really wanted those cookies.

It took me a while to figure out how he had gotten a hold of them. There's a shelf full of cookies at the end of the fridge/freezer aisle, right beside the milk. I put the stroller right beside them when I was looking at the personal frozen meals, and I guess he decided they looked good.

The ironic part is that I put back the cookies he picked out for himself and forgot to get more of the baby ones he normally eats. Guess I'm going back today - but this time I'll keep him away from the shelves.

Another money maker

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:37:00 +0000

I know I'm not the only mom looking for ways to make money from home, so I thought I'd pass on my latest find. It's the best site I've found so far because I can easily replace the income I would be getting from a part time job because I can make $15 every hour or so.

The site is Demand Studios, and once you've submitted an application and been accepted you can start writing articles for sites like ehow, about and answerbag. You get paid $15 for most articles and $3 or $5 for short answers. I've already been paid a couple times so it's not a scam, and you get to keep your by-line, which most sites make you lose. Also, there's no waiting for a specific pay day, you get paid 3 or 4 days after your article is approved.

The work is extremely easy. They give you very clear instructions and tons of tutorials. So all you have to do is choose which articles you want to write, do a bit of research, and fill in their template. Don't be discouraged if you're asked for a rewrite, it happens often, it's just their way of making sure they only publish the best articles. The editors will give you detailed feedback, so just change what they ask you to change and wait for your article to be published.

Copycat!

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 03:29:00 +0000

Steven loves making noises. He's constantly trying to mimic what we say to him, though all that usually comes out is "da" or "ba" (usually repeated endlessly in a random order with happy shrieks inserted here and there). However, we've noticed that if we make a noise that he can already make, he'll copy it.

It started with Steven making "farting noises" by sticking out his tongue. I started mimicking him just to make him laugh, but I seem to have started a habit. Now I can turn around at any time and make that noise, and he'll do it back. He'll also repeat "da" and "ba". I'm sure he'd repeat some other noises, too, but I don't think adults are capable of making some of the noises a baby can make. The interesting thing is it's not just verbal noises. If I clap my hands, he'll hit the floor or the table in front of him with his hand. We've even gone back and forth drumming on an empty wipes box.

I honestly don't know where he's supposed to be as far as verbal language goes... but the copycat thing is kind of fun.

First Haircut!

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 02:46:00 +0000

Steven went for his first hair cut today. We went to Melonhead's, a hair dresser just for kids, so he got to sit in an airplane and play with toys while he got his hair cut. I didn't really want to get his hair cut, to be honest, but it was kind of getting in his eyes... and I have to admit, the haircut is kind of cute.

Parenting Magazine Scrapbook

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:31:00 +0000

I subscribe to Today's Parent and I also get samples of other magazines from time to time. Given that Steven is only 8 months old, the pile isn't all that big - but it's there. So I thought that instead of having a stack of magazines that I never open again (because there's no way I'll remember which ones have the articles I liked in them), I'll cut out all the articles I like and make a scrapbook. This way I can save the articles that I think will be useful when Steven is older and organize everything so I can easily find the information I'm looking for.

Once I get a few pages put together, I'll post a free downloadable PDF file for anyone who's interested. I'll update it as I update my scrapbook, of course.

Cheerios!

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Sun, 30 May 2010 14:32:00 +0000

Steven was feeding himself Cheerios yesterday. He's been reaching for the bowl/spoon more and more when I'm feeding him, so I started looking around for baby safe finger foods (preferably ones that cost less than his constant supply of Baby Mums). The only finger food I found for 8 month olds that we had in the house at the time was Cheerios (well, Special K, too, but Cheerios are easier to see when they're all over the floor). It took him a while to try putting them in his mouth, but when he finally did he gobbled them up pretty quickly.

Next time I'm just going to put the food directly on the high chair tray, though - the bowl is way too easy to fling around, even with the rubber bottom, and we don't have any suction cup ones.

I found a lot more finger food ideas that I'm hoping to try out in the next while. Read on for a summary of my research.

Fruits:
-Banana and avocado pieces dusted with baby cereal (to make them less slippery)
-Baked apple or pear cubes
-Melon cubes
-Sliced Kiwi
-Cherries
-Cranberries
-Grapes (peeled and mashed... easier just to put them in a feeder)

Vegetables:
-Cooked sweet potato chunks
-Cooked white potatoes (cubed or mashed)
-Peas
-Small pieces of cooked broccoli
-Cooked carrot cubes
-Peppers
-Mushrooms

Cereals:
-Lightly toasted bread or bagels
-Puffed rice or Cheerios

Protein:
-Tofu Cubes
-Scrambled egg yolks
-Beans
-Beef
-Chicken
-Pork
-Ham

Other:
-Tiny sandwiches of soft cheese (cream cheese, cheddar or cottage - nothing fancy like brie) or mashed banana
-Cooked pasta sprinkled with parmesan

A lot of these ideas are things that Bill and I have in the house normally, and they often come in packages too big for the two of us to finish, so I was happy to find that Steven is old enough to help us out a bit.

Sources:
Homemade Baby Food Recipes
Wholesome Baby Food

Baby Einstein: Baby Beethoven

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Sat, 29 May 2010 13:29:00 +0000

Steven just found one of his DVDs on the floor and was waving it around in the air to show me his treasure. Realizing that we've never actually tried any of the DVDs we have for him (we normally just turn on Treehouse), I decided to put it on TV for him. I've heard nothing but good things about the entire Baby Einstein collection, and now I'm seriously regretting not opening my baby DVDs sooner.

Steven loves it! Seriously, he can't stop laughing! And I have to admit I'm rather fascinated, myself. It's just a bunch of moving toys and puppets filmed with classical music in the background, but whoever directed it is an artistic genius. They've created a video that completely amuses Steven, is educational, doesn't annoy me at all and makes much better background noise than any of the other shows he watches when I'm trying to get work done. I just have to make a point not to look at the screen when I'm trying to get something done because I'm just as distracted by shiny things as he is.

I like the way Baby Einstein chose to educate kids. It's not the usual direct (and kind of annoying) way that most shows do. Instead of asking a question and then being like "Right! It's this one!" and assuming the child is actually engaging in the show, Baby Einstein took a more indirect approach. They don't ask the viewer questions, they just show the information - giving the kids a chance to absorb the information over time.

Figuring things out

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Fri, 28 May 2010 20:49:00 +0000

Steven is getting more and more mobile every day, and he loves getting into everything. He's still not quite crawling, but he has figured out how to get up on his hands and knees to see things better and will wiggle, roll and drag himself wherever he wants to go.

He's also getting more and more interested in grown-up food and getting his third tooth in. We've started feeding him bits and pieces off of our plates and even blending up some of our meals to feed him. Because of this, he always gets excited when he smells food or sees someone's plate because he thinks he's getting some (and he's usually right). He even eats cold things now. It used to be that he wouldn't touch anything unless it was warm, but now he doesn't complain about cold food. Maybe it's because it's been so hot out lately, I don't think anyone wants to eat much hot food in this weather.

I've got a ton more pictures to upload, I just haven't gotten around to it yet with all the wedding planning going on, so keep an eye out for those in the next week or two.

Baby Modeling (vote, please)

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:47:00 +0000

So we decided to take everyone's "beautiful baby" compliments to heart and see if we can get Steven some baby modeling jobs. We were worried (as most parents are) that the attention would get to his head, that the pressure would be too much, ect... but I did some research and read the blogs of some other moms who considered this idea. There seems to be a general consensus that it's the parents, not the employers, who put the pressure on their children. So Bill and I will do our best to stress the fact that it's just for fun, it doesn't matter how many gigs he gets or how much money he earns, and he can stop at any time... but for now, I think he'd enjoy it. He loves cameras and people, so it would just be another game to him.

We also decided not to put him in any auditions when he's around kindergarten age because he'll just be starting school and he'll have enough to worry about - and if he doesn't want to go back into it after a few years, then we won't push him. There were also a few people saying that constantly not getting gigs after auditions could be detrimental to his self esteem around that age (it's a lot of driving around and trying out and only getting into 1 out of every 10 gigs, if you're lucky).

We just thought it would be a great way to get an RESP started for him and to help us give him more than what we can normally afford. We already agreed that at least half of everything he makes is going towards an RESP and the rest will still be used on him in some way. We might even start up a bank account just for him so that we can keep track of his money and not get it confused with ours.

Of course, we have to wait until after I finish getting my license and we manage to get a vehicle of some sort. I'll be in school, so we might not even be able to go to any auditions until summer. But for now, I'm trying to get his profile on NewFaces more popular. There are a lot of modeling sites out there, but this one got the best reviews and was the only one I found that accepted kids and it was the least likely to be a scam.

So vote for Steven, please: http://www.newfaces.com/steviejo

And if you want to sign up your little one (or yourself, for that matter), I'd appreciate you saying that "StevieJo" referred you.

Shareinaframe.com

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:29:00 +0000

This site lets you buy a share of stock, frame it and add a personalized engraved plaque at a fraction of what it would normally cost. The framing and engraving alone is done at an extremely low price, and the processing fee they charge for the paper work is nothing compared to the usual broker fees.

The stock certificates themselves are beautiful. The Disney stock certificate, for example, features a picture of Walt Disney surrounded by color images of some of his most famous characters. They carry a wide selection of stocks. A Disney share might be the best choice for your newborn child, and maybe your husband would like a Harley Davidson stock certificate. Other popular stocks include Home Depot, Ebay, Gap, General Mills, Hasbro, Hershey and Target.

If you do your research before buying, you can ensure that your gift is worth much more in the future. Imagine what a Disney share, currently selling for $35.29, might be worth by the time your baby goes to college. Or how much a Harley Davidson share, currently selling for $32.98, might be worth by the time your husband is ready to retire. Because of this, they make great gifts for any occasion.

All in all, I think it's a great site and a great idea. I think I might start doing some research and looking into buying a share or two for Steven in the next couple years. Oh, and even though this is a sponsored post, I did look them up - I haven't found anything claiming they're a scam, and the site has been around since 2006.

Huggies Enjoy The Ride Codes

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Tue, 11 May 2010 00:06:00 +0000

Use them quick, or they'll expire!

1 Point each:
BHNXGRWNDTQKPGB
BHPCDRBCKXWNPGB

5 Points each:
BGGCLHNZGFZZPGB
BFJCWFCCTFPPPGB
BFMJCPNQCJBNPGB
BJBNWFHCHRFFPGB

If you're not already a member of the Enjoy the Ride program, you should be, check it out: https://enjoytheriderewards.ca/?TAFUid=182322

Happy Mother's Day!

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Sun, 09 May 2010 16:09:00 +0000

Just wanted to take a moment to say Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. Steven's been kind of cranky all day, but Bill's been giving me as much of a break as I'll let him. He also went over to the bakery and got us a lemon loaf for breakfast, some sausage rolls for lunch, a nice fresh baguette (which I tend to just eat plain as a snack) and some rum balls. We're also going over to his parents' place for dinner later, which is always fun.

I sent my mom a few pictures of Steven this morning. They were supposed to be printed and sent with the calla lily plant I bought for her, but we forgot about it when my friend was visiting, and she was supposed to take it with her back to Ottawa to give it to my mom. So I'll have to send it back next time she visits.

Menstrual Cups

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:21:00 +0000

So I stumbled upon a website debating the use of menstrual cups today, and after reading through the websites of a few different brands as well as googleing "dangers of menstrual cups" and coming up with nothing, I've decided I want one. I'm in the process of researching all the different brands and trying to find one for the best price possible.

I can't believe I've never heard of these before - they were apparently invented in the 1930's and have more recently made a comeback after being re-designed using medical grade silicone. Of course, as with everything that people aren't used to, there are a ton of people complaining that it's "gross". But, frankly, I don't see where their claims are based.

It's a silicone cup that gets inserted similarly to the way a tampon would be inserted. You then have to take it out, dump it, clean it and re-insert it twice a day. The sites claim that if you insert and remove it properly, the blood shouldn't spill. Also, because it creates a seal (and blood has to have contact with oxygen to oxidize), there's no smell and you can wear it while swimming and playing other sports. And beyond all that, you're no longer creating a suitable environment for various bacteria to grow (as you do with tampons and pads) so you don't have to worry about TSS or other infections. The reason tampons have the TSS warning is because they actually disrupt your body's natural cleansing measures by absorbing the liquid your body uses to flush itself out, which would obviously increase the chance of infection.

Because it's reusable, you save money on tampons and pads - which also means you're sending less garbage to the junk yard. Not only that, but it's nearly impossible to be caught somewhere without "supplies", just keep it in your purse when you're not on your period in case it starts unexpectedly. Plus, because it only needs to be emptied every 12 hours (instead of every 4 like tampons and pads recommend), it's unlikely that you'll even need to worry about it while you're out.

Of course, it takes a little time to learn how to use them correctly - but it took me a few cycles to be able to insert tampons correctly, and I'm sure that's true of everyone.

So, in conclusion, I don't see how any woman in today's environmentally conscious, money-wise and health-obsessed world could logically decide not to even try a menstrual cup... and if anyone knows where I can get a deal on one, please let me know.

Too much of a good thing

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Sat, 01 May 2010 15:45:00 +0000

Yesterday, Bill and I learned two things:

1. Steven really, really likes his fruit salad.

2. Feeding a baby too much fruit salad can result in unpleasant surprises.

He was constipated and had been having troubles for days, so I wasn't too worried about Bill feeding him more fruit than we normally would because he seemed to really like the new one we got at the store. He's insanely cute when he's excited about something - he tenses up all his little muscles and kicks like crazy and goes all wide-eyed until you give him what he wants. If he's really excited, he pants like a dog while kicking and flailing. It cracks everyone up.

Anyways, the next morning he definitely wasn't constipated anymore. Steven was sitting in his chair drinking his bottle and Bill fell asleep on the couch - and when he woke up, there was poo everywhere. It had exploded out of his diaper and it was all over his hands, his suit, his chair, any toys that had been within reach...

I've said before how happy I am that things are so easy to clean these days, and I definitely was this time. Steven went into the bath, everything got sprayed with stain remover and thrown in the washing machine, everything that couldn't go in the wash got scrubbed... unfortunately a couple of the toys were surface clean only, but I don't think it would be safe to give them back to him after just surface cleaning, so I think I'm going to see how they hold up in the wash.

Cleaning it all up took us about half an hour, and we definitely learned a lesson.

Getting back to normal

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:00 +0000

It's been 7 months and I'm finally starting to notice my body getting back to normal. I don't wince at the stretch marks every time I look in the mirror, I fit into some of my size 13 pants again, my shirts are mostly large instead of extra large... and it's getting warmer outside, which means it's time to pull out the summer wardrobe - most of which is in the size 11-13 range, thankfully. I was around size 9 before I got pregnant, but I hadn't completely replaced my wardrobe yet. If I'm not size 9 by next fall I'll need some new clothes... but I'm determined not to go out of my way to lose weight. I'm eating as healthily as I can manage and walking every day and hopefully we can get the wii fit after the wedding.

It's not just my body that's getting back to normal, but my mind is too. I'm still insanely forgetful, but not as bad as I was. I also have more energy most days so long as I don't push myself too hard. I'm trying to get back to my "early to bed, early to rise" routine, which seems to be helping too. Bill is helping out in that area by getting up at 4 in the morning to take care of Steven (who still goes to bed around 7 and wakes up at 4 most days, though he slept through last night) so I can sleep. I'm still on iron pills, and the doctor's still saying I should be able to get off of them eventually. However, I think I was anemic for years before I got pregnant because the symptoms are the same ones I complained to my family doctor about on a few visits, though she never figured out what it was. So we'll see.

For all those people who keep asking me how to lose weight, the best way is to just eat healthy and be active. I don't mean go on a crazy diet or count calories or any of that. You know what's healthy and what's not. Stir fry is good, pop is bad, it's not rocket science. If it doesn't come from an animal or the earth, it probably isn't all that healthy - and even if it does come from a natural source, deep frying it and/or drowning it in salt makes it unhealthy.

Check out my last post about losing weight for more info.

A few people have also asked about products to help get rid of stretch marks. I haven't been using any, but Bio-Oil seems to be everyone's favorite.

A walk in the park

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:03:00 +0000

As the weather gets nicer, we've been trying to get out of the house more and more. This morning we decided to go for a walk and realized that we'd left Steven's stroller at his grandparents' house. So Bill went and dug through the shed to see if we had anything else because the walk we had planned was way too long to be carrying around a 20lb baby. What he found was a wagon that had been used when his nieces were younger. It has two seats with three point harnesses and thick wheels that can handle rougher terrain, which is a bonus since we often decide to go on un-paved trails.

Steven slept through the first half of the walk, but when we stopped at the park he woke up and wanted out of the wagon - so I took him up on the play structure to have a look around. On the way back, he was wide awake and enjoying the ride. He even kept his sunglasses on once he realized that they made him not have to squint!

Yesterday there was a maple syrup festival in town, which is where we got the sweater he's wearing in the pictures. Bill and I went and ate pancakes in the morning and wandered through the stalls that were set up. We were hoping to get Steven on the pony ride later in the day, but it was cold and wet out... so we'll try again at the next festival.

Fushigi

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:58:00 +0000

I thought this was totally cool, so I had to write about it. It's a clear ball designed to reflect the light in ways that let you create all sorts of neat optical illusions. I think it would be fun for adults and kids alike to learn the tricks, and it's always fun to have things like this at parties and such.

I'm going to order one whenever we can manage (still planning the wedding, which is where most of our money is going at the moment) because I love learning things like this... and I'm one of these people that always has to be fiddling with something.

Check it out if you're interested. You can click the image or click here: Fushigi Magic gravity ball.

Cafe Mocha

OceanLady@gmail.com (Lauren) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 12:36:00 +0000

Ok, so this is a little off topic, but I thought it was worth sharing. Recently, Tim Hortons came out with a Cafe Mocha - half hot chocolate, half coffee, topped with whipped cream and chocolate. It sounds good, but the Timmies version is kind of lacking. It's a well-needed caffeine boost for those of us who don't particularly like coffee but even if they make it right it seems to be missing something.

I decided to make my own because I was sure it would cost less and taste better (and I was right). I can make about 20 home made cafe mochas for the price of one from Timmies.

Home Made Cafe Mocha
3T cocoa powder (I use Camino, but that's just me)
2T sugar
1c milk
1c prepared coffee (I'm a fan of Kicking Horse, but I'll use whatever Bill's drinking at the time)
Whipped cream
1t chocolate shavings (optional)

1. Pour the milk into a glass measuring cup and microwave it for about a minute and a half. If you're using cold coffee, you can add it in with the milk and microwave it for two and a half minutes instead.

2. Put the cocoa powder and sugar into your mug and mix it up.

3. Pour just a bit of the milk/coffee into the mug and mix it into the cocoa powder and sugar to make a paste, then add the rest of the milk and coffee and stir until the sugar and cocoa powder has completely dissolved.

4. Top with the whipped cream and chocolate shavings and enjoy!

Note: I have really big mugs. If you don't, you might want to share with someone, buy a bigger mug or cut this recipe in half. You can also vary the amounts of milk, coffee and cocoa powder depending on your own preferences - experiment with it a bit.