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.
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.
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.
Raise your hand if you’re a Star Wars fan, married to a Star Wars fan or raising a Star Wars fan. If your hand is up, you probably know that Force Friday is the day when all the new Star Wars toys, gadgets, and gizmos are released for the holiday season.
Last year, Sphero took the world by storm with their BB-8 droid. This little robot toy rolled it’s way into the hearts of kids, leading tech writers and regular old Star Wars-loving moms like me. This year, it’s even better. I had the chance to attend a special sneak peek of Sphero’s lineup for Force Friday and it does not disappoint.
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.
Today I have driven nearly 68 kilometres, taking children to and from playdates, practices, and tryouts. School starts soon and they’re all antsy. My youngest is going into middle school and she’s anxious about everything—the new building, having a locker, going to different rooms for each class. On top of worrying about school, she’s also my one and only picky eater, and this week our primary chef (aka. Daddy) is away for work. So the last thing I want to do tonight is cook. I’m set on the last days of our summer together being warm and fuzzy, not a battle about what she tries to feed the dog when I’m not looking.
Enter Boston Pizza. She will be happy. I will be happy. And the best part is that we’re helping other kids.
Being tied down is always horrible. Especially is if costs a ton of money and you can’t get our of contracts. That’s why carrying an unlocked smartphone is a smart move. The new Huawei Honor 8 unlocked smartphone is now available in an exclusive Sapphire Blue colorway only at Best Buy (online and in store), and will be the perfect accessory to carry you into fall.
“What do you think about yellow for the walls?”
“I like green.”
“But yellow is invigorating.”
“So is green.”
“Yellow would make the room seem bigger.”
“Maybe we can find a yellowish green.”
“Maybe you should keep your opinions to yourself.”
Well. Home repairs and renovations can be stressful. Twelve percent of people in one survey actually said they’d considered separation or divorce during a remodeling project. Fixing up your home doesn’t have to be that scary, though. You might even find it brings you and your spouse closer. “You and me against the house…” Here’s how to do it right.
My daughter just started preschool and all I can think about is how fast time flies. As parents, I guess we don’t really see the time passing us by until the day we watch our babies walk…out the door for their first day of university.
But enough projecting, sometimes it’s all we can do to keep up with their learning pace, so when my three and a half year old started correcting me in our dialogue, I realized that it might be time to get her into preschool.
So much has changed in the school system since my time, and (as a writer and a self-proclaimed anglophile/English history fanatic) I was really sad to hear about the phasing out of cursive writing in schools. Handwriting is an art, perhaps, but it also serves a very basic and necessary function: communication. Once cursive is gone, it won’t be long before the almighty type will begin to chip away at all the options for putting pen to paper. But I will be here to set the example for my child—when she’s ready, she’ll learn it from me.
Advertisers prove again and again that one thing in life is certain: Kids like gimmicks. And maybe moms can learn something from the people whose research proves that every new tickle-me-product or beany-whatsit has million dollar potential in the “mommy I need this” department.
It’s back to school time and our little fuss-monsters are already secretly gearing up to object to/trade/outright discard their lunches and snacks. But this year we’ll one up them, by getting creative and making healthy lunches fun. (We’re also going to make them easy and time-saving because come September, moms have enough on our plates.) So here are some quick ideas, tips, and snack hacks for our favourite moms as you prepare to head back into the kitchen.
