We are so very blessed in Canada. When we get pregnant, there is nursery-planning to be done, websites to study and prenatal vitamins to consume. This magical time isn’t so exciting in other parts of the world. We are very much the exception and not the norm. In countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines and Rwanda, the outcomes of pregnancy can look very different. Every day, more than 800 women die from pregnancy or child-birth related complications in developing countries.
At age 20, I used to get out of bed, apply lip gloss and run out the door looking fresh-faced and awake. (And of course that was when I though I was pudgy and ugly). The universe gives us this inverse relationship where wisdom is only bestowed with age. Well – I will be damned if with wisdom, I don’t start truly appreciating my own beauty too. After 2 kids and a hundred and fifty thousand soccer games, I can accept both beauty and wisdom, but I am going to need a bit of assistance from some of my favourite beauty products! I am asked to test loads of things, and over the past few months these few spring beauty finds have stood out for me in a huge way.
Julie Andrews is obviously a Goddess. And thankfully, this was recognized by the wise folks at Netflix as well as myself. Tailored to creative pre-schoolers, Julie’s Green Room – a Netflix-original, is streaming away as of this month. You can join Fizz, Riley, Peri, Spike, and Hank, as they explore the magic of the performing arts under the mentorship and teaching of theater legend Julie Andrews.
The first two things I noticed about Ashley Scott (besides her flawless beauty) were words on her twitter account. ‘Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life’ is her bio, and a few days ago she tweeted 11.11. Whoa. I am one who constantly sees 11:11 on a clock, and knew inherently that I was going to enjoy our interview with Ashley Scott on parenting spiritually in LA.
I just returned from ten days staying in a Barcelona flat where I washed in cold water and hung everything to dry. You may have caught my Facebook Live video about how environmentally-friendly European homes are as I showed viewers around my Gothic-quarter flat. As an exchange student living in Germany when I was 16 years old, I noticed that lights went off automatically, water was heated sparsely, and clothes dryers didn’t exist in most homes. At the time I thought that the Germans were the ones who lagged behind. How wrong I was.
Sometimes you speak to a person and it makes you a better woman and mother. So was the case when I spoke to Nikki Deloach the day before her new film,”Perfect Catch,” which premieres on the Hallmark channel on April 22nd. In the podcast below, I talk to Nikki about her 3 year old son, her current pregnancy and the insane judgments hurled on us by other parents. We also spend much of the interview discussing what got her through her own struggles with postpartum depression and how the challenges associated with this mental illness helped her become an even better actor.
Our family gets giddy for holidays. Knowing me as you do, it shouldn’t be a shock that I have an entire storage room dedicated to wreaths, décor and cookie cutters divided meticulously into seasons. Yes.. I do. And I gently rotate them throughout the year so that the next holiday’s treasures are easily accessible. Beloved traditions have permeated every Hallowe’en, Christmas and Easter in order to make memories and bond as a family. We have special recipes and songs, outfits and stories handed down through generations. While all of this adds sparkle to life, sometimes these traditions aren’t entirely selfless. At times, I focus more on the spectacle than actually spending real time with my kids. My heart races as I just admitted that.
I hate mornings. And I’m not just saying that. I REAALY am not a morning person. See? I wrote that last sentence at 7am. That’s what happens. Give me 10pm. Midnight, and I will execute my tasks beautifully, exhibiting flawless grammar and grand ideas. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t operate based on my ideal time of day. The harsh 7am alarm means coffee, breakfast preparation and the crazy marathon that is getting two boys to school on time.
Chatting with Lacey Chabert, it was clear why she has been such a success. It has been said that her voice is like cotton candy – and chatting to her while her 6-month old baby cooed in the background, I had a hunch that Lacey could lull the little one to sleep with a few whispers. Saturday, April 8th marks the debut of Lacey’s latest Hallmark Channel film called “Moonlight in Vermont“. Playing a successful, driven realtor who gets dumped by her boyfriend, the character heads to Vermont for the weekend and discovers that her beau is already in a relationship. Panicking, she creates a make-believe relationship and the story gets complicated!
Chatting with Vanessa Marcil about her new film on the Lifetime Network airing April 8th, 2017, I was struck by her prowess in psychology. She explains that being dark-haired, she often plays the villain, and yet looks for the light in these characters in order to give them depth. This Saturday on the Lifetime Network, “The Wrong Mother” will debut. When a professional mom (Marcil) of twin toddlers has a mishap, she and her pilot husband must hire help in the house in order to keep things running smoothly. Unfortunately, their hire is not ideal. Vanessa confirmed that I may need a glass of wine before watching this movie! The plot sounds completely riveting and not to be missed on Saturday.