9 Essentials for an Awesome First Birthday Party

As you all know from my Instagram birthday spam, we recently celebrated my son’s first birthday (still can’t believe how quickly one year passed!). I’d say this was our first time holding a somewhat big and fancy party. We’ve normally done very small birthday parties before with immediate family only. But this summer was a perfect time for something more special. We had quite a few family and friends in town from overseas, so it was a great opportunity to get together and celebrate. It turned out amazing and I’m so glad we did it!

Here are some pictures and details of all the local businesses involved to help you plan a similar party. (more…)

5 Tips for Transitioning Back to Work after Maternity Leave

The Inspired Accountant

Maternity leave is certainly a time of mixed emotions – especially with your first child. On the one hand, you’re changing diapers around the clock, getting spat or vomited on, and just trying to make sense of your new life with a baby. On the other hand, you’re in awe of this beautiful miracle that God has blessed you with.

Here in Canada, we are very lucky to be able to take 12 or 18 months of maternity leave. Even still, every mother will tell you that this time flies by way too quickly. Just when you feel like you’re getting into the swing of things and forming a routine with your baby, it’s time to go back. A part of you might be really looking forward to this so you can get out of the house more, have conservations with adults, and feel like you accomplish something more than just feeds and diaper changes in a day. But at the same time you might be sad, anxious, and have all sorts of questions popping up in your head.

Will my baby be okay without me? Am I going to hate myself for going back to work and leaving my baby behind?How will I get ready, get my child ready, and also make it to work on time every morning? How will I focus at work when I have so much on my mind?  (more…)

How I keep going – Preventing Instagram Burn-out

“Anam, HOW do you not get burnt out? Don’t you need a break?” I’ve been using Instagram every day for two years, making stories, replying to DMs and posting pictures and videos etc. The only time I truly took off was during the three days of my labour and delivery last year (lol!). So when another blogger recently asked me how I do it, I thought it would be a good topic to write abut. Social media breaks are encouraged & known to be helpful after all. So why don’t I take one? (more…)

What to Pack for Kids – Resort Vacation Edition

Packing efficiently for kids is a skill. I always find myself feeling unsure about whether I am over- or under-packing. We recently went to a resort in Mexico as a family and it made me realise how much planning goes into packing properly for beach vacations.

Here is a list of things that I took for my kids (ages 7 months and 6 years). I am basically pasting this list straight from my iPhone notes. I have left only what I felt was essential and removed anything that I didn’t end up using. In short, this is a super list as far as beach and resort vacations are concerned. (more…)

Our Family Getaway to Mexico

Grand Bahia Principe Coba Resort Review

Last week we went to Mexico for an all-inclusive resort vacation – our first as a family of four. If you are following me on Instagram, then you probably saw Story clips from my trip while I was there (early April 2019). The weather was perfect (between 25-30C) and we loved this time off!

With our baby son sitting up now at 7 months and eating solids well, we felt it was a good time to get away from the daily routine of life for a bit. We had done an all-inclusive vacation in Cuba about four years ago, so the experience wasn’t brand new for us. But I have to say that our vacation in Mexico was much better on so many levels! From the food to the resort to the weather and the facilities, everything was great! Let’s get into all the details! (more…)

Work-Life Balance for Working Moms

Work-life balance. I always say it doesn’t exist. At least not in the sense that most people expect. Let me tell you why.

On any given day, I can either be a great mom, a great homemaker, a great blogger, or a great accountant at my job. I can’t be great at everything everyday. If I try, I’ll end up being mediocre. Everything that we do takes energy. If you try to do something really well and put all your focus into it, know that it will take that much more energy. Yes, some people may have more energy than others (combination of body type, metabolism and the foods we eat etc), but everyone’s energy is limited. We all have only 24 hours in a day and need to rest in order to function well. (more…)

My Favourite Baby Products

Hi guys,

As requested on Instagram, I am linking for you a bunch of products that I have bought from Amazon for my baby. A few were gifts. I basically went into my order history and pasted products from there. I have included some toys as well that are actually useful.

I would recommend all of these products as I use them quite often and have no complaints.

Click/double tap on the picture to view the product on Amazon in detail.

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