• family - Parenting

    Schools of Thought On OverCrowding and Education #ldnont

    January 11, 2012 - By 

    Schoolhouse image from creative commons, copyright Caitlyn Willows There’s a school of thought out there that goes something like this: well, you make do with what you’ve got. And that should be good enough, right? Wrong. I don’t buy it. This is not a picture of our school, but it is a symbol of what that phrase stands for to me. If we all made do with what we’ve got there would never be any progress and our kids would all still be sitting in one room schoolhouses with no heating and doing math on tiny handheld slates. Guess what?…

  • family

    Crafts and Compassion: Nurturing Compassionate Little People

    January 3, 2012 - By 

    We started our day today with crafts – and compassion. It’s a strange combination perhaps, but it works for us. Because I am a Mom, I spend hours thinking about things like the future and how will my kids make a difference. And what are the values I want to leave them with, because if we are all being real, then let’s state it as it is: our children are tiny slingshots, arrows, we shoot forward into the world someday to land a target without us. Sad, but true, and also magical and wonderful and life. I want for my kids…

  • family - Technology

    Magic Keyhole World by Glass Puppy – App Review

    January 1, 2012 - By 

    Magic Keyhole World is an interactive and educational app designed for three to eight-year-olds and intended to nurture curiosity and imagination along with literacy skills. I took a peek at this new app over the Christmas holidays, with the help of my daughter, and was able to explore geography of ten different world habitats, from the Sahara to Egypt and the Arctic. The app is best on IPAD or on a desktop, laptop or notebook computer in Windows or Mac operating systems.It is also available on the Kindle. The pictures are vibrant and a simple click makes animals like jaguars, anacondas and Caribou…

  • family

    Happy Bittersweet New Year Closing Sales

    December 30, 2011 - By 

    Well now don’t get me wrong, I like a sale as much, or more than most of you. But these ones pain me slightly because they are closing sales and that, to my way of thinking, does not bode well as an indicator of 2012 economic outlook. At Masonville Mall:Clair de lune is closing and has FAB deals on home furnishings.Also at the mall, Eddie Bauer is closing.While Sears is not closing, if you can stand the mess of the warehouse sale, then you will be greatly rewarded with deals of 40 % off all clearance merchandise.Also in London on…

  • family

    Wordless Wednesday – My Nephew on Sugar

    December 29, 2011 - By 

    Wordless Wednesday this week. Featuring my nephew Taiga. He is three. We made a gingerbread tree together. His first time doing anything like that. He is Japanese-Canadian, full on adorable and a hoot and a half. So mischievous. Love that. I think this picture should be called Blackmail. Because I love how he unabashedly, without even contemplating gender stereotypes plunked a princess crown on his head. And there it stayed. Blackmail for his eventual wedding. The best part about this picture was what happened afterwards. When he ate the smallest bit of the green icing and sugar toppings he literally spun…

  • family

    Last Minute Sales

    December 23, 2011 - By 

    Well, if you are all still shopping there is some good news today. Deep discounts are happening at a lot of retailers right now. So you may still have time to snag some fabulous last minute presents. Hear that, husband?! My spouse is the best at last minute shopping deals actually. Every year I think really? Do you need to leave it to the day before Christmas? And yet somehow he pulls off a great gift and it is always a good price. We are all savvy and thrifty shoppers here. Sometimes procrastinating pays off. So SEARS right now is…

  • family

    Toshiba Shes Connected Holiday Heroes and HD 3D TV: Smarter TVS

    December 21, 2011 - By 

    Toshiba is for me one of those brands that consistently delivers great quality at good prices. So when I was asked if I wanted to take part in the Shes Connected Holiday Heroes, Toshiba Brand Ambassador program, well that was a no brainer for me. My very first laptop and the computer that is most reliable in this house is my Toshiba. So this is a brand I believe in and buy for our family. I don’t sing the praises of every product or brand that crosses my desk. My job as a brand ambassador for Toshiba was to pick…

  • family

    Shoe Love and a Super Holiday Weekend Deal

    December 19, 2011 - By 

    Adidas, New Balance, Skechers, Clarks and Nike…if you are a shoe lover, like I am a shoe lover, then you want to know about this great deal at Shoe Carnival. Shoe Carnival is an event really, if you live in the US, and chances are good many of my US readers have visited this fun discount shoe store. Deals are continuous throughout the day and announced by microphone. But you don’t have to be there to get the FAB deals today. For a brief time you can snag $10 off the already great prices. Just click on the link above…

  • Parenting - special needs

    My One of a Kind Wreath

    December 14, 2011 - By 

    This is my 2011 wreath, er um my kid. Well, you can see that it is clearly a wreath, right? A tiny bit unconventional perhaps. Just like my child. She has special needs and she does a regular therapeutic riding program, SARI, where they gave each child one of these craft sets to build. This is how ours came home. My brilliant husband, hung it immediately. He knew not to adjust any of it. We actually still had our Easter egg wreath up because I am lazy. No wait, because I have a child, two children with varying degrees of…

  • family

    John Labatt Centre Shows and Great Christmas Gifts

    December 13, 2011 - By 

    In January and February there are a whole slew of fabulous shows coming to town for families. So check here regularly to find out which ones are on next. Also sometimes organizers slip me special codes or discounts. There could even be a freebie or two in coming days. January 14 and 15th Monster Jam will once again take over the JLC with chrome crushing monster trucks stealing the show. Bring your ear protectors. That show is loud! And dramatic too. Right before that on January 8th there is Disney Live Three Classic Fairytales with all of the most beloved…