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Let’s Protect Kids from Online Sexual Exploitation

FAM, health By Jill Amery October 5, 2016 No Comments

Usually, when we celebrate anniversaries it’s with balloons and cheers. While this 14 year anniversary is amazing because it has helped so many children, I am sick to my stomach that the service has been necessary that long.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection is a national charity dedicated to the personal safety and protection of children. I’m shaking as I write this. In addition to the reduction of sexual abuse and exploitation of children, they assist in the location of missing children. The charity also operates Cybertip.ca — Canada’s national tip line to report child sexual abuse and exploitation on the Internet. It also provides other prevention and intervention services to the Canadian public.

When the Bully is The Girl Next Door

FAM, grow, kids, LIVE By Renee Robbins October 5, 2016 No Comments

She is beautiful. She doesn’t know it, not yet—but she is starting to become self-aware. When I looked into her face, she wouldn’t meet my eyes as she allocuted and apologized, in that soft voice. I absently noted that her eyebrows were growing in, heavy and awkward. The arch seemed wrong. I realized that it was something she had done herself, probably from a video on YouTube, or one of the many sites she visits on her phone and her tablet. She doesn’t have limits on her screen time, she never has.

Dyson Pure Cool Link

FAM, health By Jill Amery October 3, 2016 1 Comment

One part of parenting that I constantly struggle with is Mom guilt. Household homework discipline isn’t the greatest, school lunches aren’t always balanced and sometimes I cop out by letting the kids watch Pokemon Youtube videos instead of having meaningful conversations. Any technology that can help me feel like I’m doing something right is a winner, but the Dyson Pure Cool Link Desk model is a winner for a whole ton of reasons besides alleviating my guilt.

Parental Control Apps

apps, FAM, GEAR, kids By Jill Amery September 30, 2016 5 Comments

I have two boys and very real concerns (read: I’m petrified) about their entry into the digital space. While I haven’t been one of the parents who refrained from submitting the kids’ photos or names into cyberspace, I am one of the last hold-outs for allowing them an instagram account. There’s also been a significant amount of avoidance about when they can get cell phones. After a lavish essay about why instagram is a good thing, our older child was awarded his own profile, with very strict rules and unlimited access by me. As I now venture into parenting kids who will eventually own a mobile phone, a roundup of parental control apps is in order.

Superhero Art Meets Pinup Girl

FAM, self By Guest September 27, 2016 No Comments

Comic books have always been inextricably connected in my mind with the simple joys of childhood. Leafing through the pages of a comic book, it’s easy to get lost in the fantastical storyline, imagining superheroes swooping in and saving the day when all seems close to lost.

Comic books of yesteryear are places where reality stands still and fantasy can take over. Anything is possible. In adulthood we tend to lose that magic. It’s sad we get hung up on limitations and practicalities. We cease to be incredulous, overwhelmed by the day to day that threatens our ability to imagine.

Abundance During Pregnancy

FAM, pregnancy By Jill Amery September 22, 2016 3 Comments

I will never forget how connected to my body I felt with each pregnancy. The cravings for nutrients, sleep and extra calories balanced out against my desire to nurture, nest and send love and energy to the little human inside. It’s always yin and yang, somehow, and the abundance of what I was receiving helped the balance output I was expending.

It is vital during pregnancy to care for both the mind and body. Sleep should be increased and embraced, calories increased by 300-500 per day, and clothing sizes will invariably widen so as not constrict your beautiful growing body. Smile.

Why I Care About the Brangelina Divorce

FAM, self By Jill Amery September 20, 2016 No Comments

Celebrities don’t usually affect me. I’m not one for autographs, oohs or aaahs. Maybe it’s because I was an actor at one point, and relate to people as ‘people’, without the cloak of fame. But Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston have always been slightly mystical to me – which makes my fascination with them more vivid in its abnormality.

Tips for Mastering the Guest Bathroom

FAM, health By Grace Riley September 17, 2016 Tags: bathroom, Big Bang Theory, Chron's, guests, ibd, Ulcerative Colitis No Comments

Remember the Big Bang Theory where Howard has a blind date and doesn’t react well to some spicy food so he clogs the toilet and climbs out the bathroom window of his date’s apartment in embarrassment? Even the smallest room in your house can leave a big impression. A new survey commissioned by Gut Inspired, a group of Canadians living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), revealed that 61% of Canadians are not comfortable doing.. their business at a friend’s house.

Ditching the DVDs

kids, Uncategorized By Gina September 16, 2016 No Comments

The first trip we took with our daughters was to the beach, 4 hours away. As we loaded up the back of the car with suitcases, strollers, toys, and the other half of the house, we made sure to bring along several of their favorite movies.

We headed down the road to the sounds of Mickey Mouse on his newest adventure while the kids stared at the screen. The trip was non-eventful and we were grateful for the DVD player for entertaining the girls so we could concentrate on driving while also indulging in adult conversation.

Labelled: Highly Sensitive | A ‘What does it mean?’ Guide

FAM, kids By Julia Arnold September 14, 2016 1 Comment

My son recently turned six. He is many things, both good and bad, but an easy child is not one of them. Someone once asked me to describe him at a party and I was at a loss. I eventually settled on “complicated,” which got some laughs (he was only 2.5 at the time), but I could not find the words to sum him up using only a few basic character traits.

Labels are everywhere. Every disability you can imagine, every ability too. Every skill, every problem, everything we are—neatly named, categorized, and filed away.

Here’s one you may be unfamiliar with: Highly Sensitive. Yes, it’s an actual thing and, for us, this diagnosis…this discovery that there was a name for what we’d been experiencing—it was life-changing.

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