• Food - Health

    Three Simple Steps to #TreatsforToys #Christmas

    November 20, 2013 - By 

    There’s nothing we love more than baking together, but we haven’t done much of that lately. My kitchen renovation left things absolutely beautiful here, but because we are getting ready to sell I have been reluctant to touch too much, or break anything, or mess my pretty new backsplash up. So, we let the baking slide. Happily this week we jumped right back in with Kelloggs. Kelloggs is asking everyone to take three simple steps for kids this Christmas. Baking a simple Rice Krispies treat and sculpting it into a toy will give you the opportunity to help a child…

  • Health

    Support #WorldPrematurityDay #ohip4ivf #onpoli

    November 17, 2013 - By 

    Today several Canadian landmarks will turn purple to mark World Prematurity Day. Did you know: 1 in 10 babies are born premature? That’s 15 million a year. Today Canadian Premature Babies Foundation and its parent partners will light up many Canadian landmarks in honour of prematurely born babies and their health struggles. As community manager for Conceivable Dreams, Generations of Hope and IVF4BC, World Prematurity Day is a cause I can wholeheartedly support. Conceivable Dreams is the Ontario based advocacy group for patients seeking public funding for in vitro fertilization. Generations of Hope Fertility Assistance Fund helps Alberta couples who cannot…

  • beauty products - Health

    Winter Beauty Problems SoftLips #Giveaway

    November 14, 2013 - By 

    What is your number one skin care problem in the winter? I have a whole host of issues that are specific to the season. It’s super annoying and frustrating every year to have dry skin and hair the moment the heat comes on in my home. I also hate static. It ruins most every hairdo from November on until Spring. And dry lips? Don’t even get me started. My whole family has super dry lips starting now. Actually cold and flu season does a number on lips, doesn’t it? I received some Soft Lips products several months ago actually and…

  • Health - parenting

    A Male Perspective on Infertility #IVF4ON #onpoli

    November 13, 2013 - By 

    Meet Adam Bekhor, father of two, infertility advocate/ support person and owner of a successful business called WineWire.ca  Bekhor volunteers as a support person for couples struggling with infertility in Toronto area. His wife was diagnosed with stage four endometriosis. Subsequently, they were unable to conceive. Bekhor relates to the male partner’s journey through infertility and is clearly experienced in the realities of all the costs associated with this health care issue. Emotional. Financial. Relational. Social. Mental and Physical. Infertility leaves no area of your life untouched. Once you have journeyed through this complex health care issue you are quite simply changed.…

  • Health - infertility

    An Early Christmas Present to You – Top Three Reasons For Public Funding in Alberta #infertility #ABHC4IVF #ABPOLI

    November 7, 2013 - By 

    There are so many reasons to support funding for in vitro fertilization in every province of Canada. I outlined my five reasons why I personally think public funding makes sense for Alberta in a post on my blog before. But it gets even simpler when you pare it right down. I am an advocate. I have been for a long time. More years than I care to share. This year I will again drop everything and race off to Toronto when I am asked to speak up on behalf of adoptive families at public pre-budget hearings. I have learned a…

  • adoption_collage
    Health - infertility - Parenting

    November is National Adoption Awareness Month #Wordless Wednesday #onpoli

    November 5, 2013 - By 

    November is one of my favourite advocacy months here because it’s National Adoption Awareness Month. That means multiple opportunities to remind people there are 7, 500 kids available for adoption in Ontario right now. That’s down since the Liberal government implemented a few changes to legislation. I’ve been advocating for adoption and child welfare issues for a decade now and I am all too aware that a few short years ago, the number of children waiting for permanent homes was closer to 10,000 kids. That’s progress. But, even one child is far too many.  This is my Wordless Wednesday post…

  • Health - Parenting - special needs

    How to Write an All About Me Booklet for Your Special Needs Child

    October 29, 2013 - By 

    This All About Me Special Needs Book is one of my favourite tools for my daughter. I’ve had one for Ainsley for several years now and it is always well received by teachers, coaches and others who work with her regularly. These All About Me Special Needs Booklets work well when your child is young and unable to tell people what he or she needs. We used them often for Ainsley, especially at camp. The idea is that you can use them as a tool for helpers, teachers or support staff when dealing with a child who has medical needs…

  • Food - Health - parenting

    World Food Day #MeaningfulMeals Twitter Party RSVP

    October 13, 2013 - By 

    How many nights a week do you sit down together as a family to share dinner? 1? 2? 3? Between swimming lessons and my daughter’s acting rehearsals, my workouts, horseback riding, work and whew – martial arts too – it’s getting harder for our family to carve out dinner time together.  My kids lead busy lives and we do too. We used to be so good at this sitting down together as a family when the kids were tiny, as babies, toddlers and preschoolers, we managed 4-5 nights a week. I was a stay at home mom and my husband…

  • Health

    Gum Crayola Squeeze-A-Colour Toothpaste Review

    October 10, 2013 - By 

    Crayola Toothpaste? Well, that’s a kick in the pants. Why not have a bit of fun with something so tedious, right? GUM’s Squeeze-A-Color Crayola Toothpaste makes me want to be a kid again. That was my reaction this summer when I discovered Crayola had partnered with Gum to make Crayloa Squeeze-A-Color toothpaste. Squee! I was giddy and I felt like a child again. Had this kind of fun toothpaste been around when I was a child, I might not have needed so many dentist appointments over the years. Make Brushing Fun Again Every parent on the planet knows how difficult…

  • Giveaways - Health - homes

    Deep Relief Heat Therapy Yoga Gift Pack

    October 6, 2013 - By 

    In case you haven’t been around here for awhile, let me catch you up. We are in the process of renovating, painting and decluttering. We are packing lots of boxes and trying to live a regular semblance of family life. We now have a storage space and we are transferring clutter (toys, books, photos etc.) to a storage locker. This entails a fair amount of lifting. So to recap: boxes, renovations, regular fitness routines and Oh yeah pain in my back, and neck, and shoulders. Lifting is a pain literally. Then I got this Deep Relief Heat Therapy for review.…