Be Quick!

Okay, time for another Ju-Ju-Be blog. As Christmas approaches I’m always on the look out for neat gifts and fun stocking stuffers and the Ju-Ju-Be BeQuick fits the bill perfectly. This functional, multi-purpose, and of course beautiful little accessory would make a great Christmas or baby shower gift for any mom (or child). It’s the perfect size to help organize larger bags (like in the picture of my BFF) or it can be a bag in its own right, and it’s available in all the gorgeous Ju-Ju-Be prints. It comes with a little strap that can either clip onto other bags or a stroller or it can serve as a wristlet strap to carry the quick. There’s a small zippered pocket on the inside as well, perfect for holding all kinds of things. Ju-Ju-Be BeQuicks have all kinds of uses, but let me highlight a few of my favourites to give you some ideas.


1. Diaper changes: This is probably my favourite and most often use for a BeQuick. I can fit a cover, insert (usually a prefold), Ju-Ju-Be BeLight change pad, cream, wipes and a wetbag in a quick. That way when I’m away from home and need to change Emma’s diaper I can just grab the BeQuick and it has everything I might need. It’s also very handy if someone else takes Emma out for a trip; they know they can just take the diaper BeQuick and it has everything they’ll need.








2. Spare clothes: I always have a BeQuick in my purse with spare clothes in it. I can easily fit a pair of pants, shirt, onesie, sweater, socks and bib in a BeQuick with room to spare.

3. Car toys: I keep a BeQuick with toys especially for the car. That way Emma isn’t bored of the toys and when we’re going out I can just grab the BeQuick. Of course, half the fun for her is taking all the toys out, but at the end of the car trip I can put them all back in and it’s ready for the next time.

4. Breast pump: A BeQuick is the perfect size to hold my Medela Harmony breast pump and two spare medela bottles. It keeps everything together and because the BeQuick is machine washable (like all Ju-Ju-Be) I can make sure it stays clean.

5. Sling/wrap: Okay, I can’t get my ergo in a BeQuick (though I’ve tried), but I can get my ring sling or a woven wrap in one. I got tired of either packing my sling at the bottom of my diaper bag and then having to unpack everything to get it, or packing it on top and having to take it out to get at everything else. It’s so handy to be able to pack my sling in a BeQuick and then I can clip it onto my purse or other bag.

6. Nighttime diaper/clothes: Whenever we’re going to be out in the evening and I know we’ll be putting the girls in pj’s before we drive home I bring a BeQuick for each of them with everything they need for bed. That way when it’s time to get ready for bed, it’s easy to find what the girls need.

7. Mini purse: Kaitlyn has caught the “Ju-Ju-Be” bug (though not as severely, yet…) and so I gave her a BeQuick to use for some of her small dolls. She proudly carries it as her purse, telling anyone who will listen that she has her very own Ju-Ju-Be.

8. Restaurant toys: I’ll admit I haven’t actually been to a restaurant in a really, really long time, but I know other mamas who have used their BeQuick as restaurant sanity-savers. You can easily pack crayons, small colouring book, puzzles, toys, etc into a BeQuick to keep kids busy while you’re waiting for your food.

9. Snacks: BeQuick make great pouches for snacks as well. Throw in a couple of granola bars, a juice container, a package or two of Mum-mums and you’re all set. And again, because they’re completely washable you don’t have to worry about them getting messy.

10. Puzzle pieces: For some reason our puzzle boxes seem to end up squished or eaten (between the puppy and Emma) and I’ve discovered that a BeQuick makes a great holder for puzzle pieces. They take up less space that way as well and so far Emma hasn’t been able to mangle or damage them.

Cosmetic bag, first aid kit, pencil case- there really are countless other ways to use Ju-Ju-Be BeQuick and at only $16 each, you really can’t go wrong with them.

Oh, and did I mention they’d make great stocking stuffers! Hint, hint, Santa…

Jenny

I've never been really good with change...

I’ve always had trouble with the change of seasons, change of teachers, doctors or coaches, change in routine. I’ve never been adventurous with food; I’m nervous around new people and my idea of a great holiday is staying at home. I am anxious by nature, and change of almost any kind used to through me into turmoil. Call me boring, but that’s who I am. Or rather was.

I’ve realized, lately, that I’m not so bothered by change. The changing of seasons has always been really hard, (not ideal when you live in the Ottawa Valley). Normally this time of year is especially difficult for me. The transition from summer to fall to the pre-winter gloom has always unsettled me. I’m usually dragged through winter’s pregame show kicking and screaming, refusing to wear socks or close my windows, until I surrender to the inevitability of winter and collapse into a human hibernation of gloomy thoughts, carb overload and pale, dry skin. I’ve never enjoyed fall, despite its unmatched beauty and crisp, clean days, because I would anxiously anticipate the inevitable cold, dark days that unfailingly followed.

Last year I never went through this turmoil, but instead rolled through the transition from summer to winter light-heartedly, thoroughly enjoying my walks through the woods as the leaves changed and then fell. At the time I chalked it up to being pregnant, figuring my early January due date was giving me momentum to ride through the fall.

This year, though, I’m not pregnant, and yet I still feel content and again, I really enjoyed the fall, viewing each crisp, sunny day as a gift. Even now that we’re in that awkward in between time when the leaves are gone and Halloween is done, but the stores are not yet totally overrun with Christmas (I do love Christmas) and the first snow hasn’t yet come to lay down a fresh blanket over the soaked, muddy earth, I still feel happy.

I have nothing in particular to feel happy about. In fact, most people who know me would say it’s been a rather difficult fall and yet at this, my most dreaded time of year, I feel happy. I feel content and blessed. I think it’s because at the ripe old age of 29 I’ve come to realize that change is inevitable. While previously I dreaded change and resisted it in all forms, (almost always in futility I might add) I now recognize that aligning my sail with the wind, rather than against it makes for a far more enjoyable ride. Accepting that my life and the people in it will change frees me to totally and freely embrace all that is good right now.

I think I’ve also realized that not only is change inevitable, it is necessary. As much as I sometimes wish I could stop time, to prolong those moments when the world seems just right, (sometimes as I’m snuggling and nursing Emma, sometimes when I’m with the horses in the barn or the dogs in the woods), I know that those moment will pass, but new, precious moments wait. After all, if I keep my hand clenched around the moments of today, how will I embrace those of tomorrow?

So while I still curse the mud and the early dusk as I yet again hose off my horses muddy legs I also feel content and thankful that right now, at this moment in my life I have a wonderful horse. And as I grumble about having to convince Emma to leave her hat on, to stop biting her mittens or quit arching her back as I try to put her fleece suit on, I am overwhelmed by how much I love that little girl and how blessed I am to share these days with her. And as I grudgingly start carrying Kleenex in my pocket for the seemingly endless task of wiping little runny noses I feel grateful that we are healthy in mind and body. Of course it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in my world, far from it, but I know enough now, or maybe I just have accepted, that the rain, the snow, and especially the storms are inevitable, so it’s worth my while to soak up the sun every day I can.

Jenny