• family

    Christmas Comes Early at Shes Connected

    October 22, 2010 - By 

    Christmas came early for many of us who attended the first ever shesconnected conference in Toronto yesterday. First we earned a spot on a list of the top 100 most connected digital women in Canada. Then we headed out to a giant conference that looked a lot like a giant tweetup at times. (#sccto hash tag was on fire and trended for a bit in Ottawa.) And Oh, she said blushing, did I mention the swag? Unbelievable. See below. Kobo, Calvin Klein, The Kit, Kraft Foods, Smashbox, Egg Farmers of Ontario, Booty Camp Fitness, Shoppers Drug Mart Look Good Feel Better,…

  • family

    My favourite children’s movies of the year

    October 16, 2010 - By 

    My favourite children’s movies of the year are two wildly different stories: one animated and one based upon a best-selling children’s author from the time I was little. These ones are out just in time to buy for Christmas and if I had to choose two to give as gifts these would be the ones. Toy Story 3 was fine as far as movies go, but I found there to be some scary parts for my children and some toys were much too mean-spirited for me. Also a children’s movie with humour that is more aimed at adults than children…

  • family

    Do You Know Who I Am?: Blogging and Entitlement

    October 5, 2010 - By 

    In a digital world, bloggers have become a strange new breed of celebrity. Many are Moms, forging and shaping opinion, writing the future of media. They are on line columnists, brand ambassadors, reviewers, multi-media managers, content providers, publishers, SEO experts, social media strategists and tech experts. They are explorers, pure and simple. Some powerful females have carved out a home and grown an almost cult-like following through their blogs. The Bloggess has 67,000 followers on Twitter alone, not to mention the legions who read her on various other sites. Dooce got a book deal and became a legend. Type A Mom Kelby…

  • family

    Type A Mom: A Top Ten List of Hopes

    September 22, 2010 - By 

    Well I have about 35 hours left before I escape – I mean fly to Asheville, North Carolina for the Type A Mom conference. (Husband laughed at me when I told him what it was called, as if to say Ha! You Type A. Hysterical!) Well, Type A doesn’t mean I am not domestically challenged. Silly man! P-Shawww!Anyways I am in the mood to make lists so here is my top ten list of what I really really hope to get out of my very first blogging/ social media conference. (Did I really just say that?!) While reading please sing the…

  • family

    Snow in September – mini review

    September 21, 2010 - By 

    Well the last day of summer is upon us and le premiere jour de-l’automne is here, so naturally my kids are making snow. Say what? Well Mama found this fun product several months ago and kept it for a rainy or sunny afternoon as needed. Supersnow is a powder product by http://www.dunecraft.com/ a company from Cleveland, Ohio. The snow is non toxic and recommended for aged four an up. Add water to the powder and stir. Instructions indicate that warm water makes it fluff up even faster. See picture here. My daughter, nine, who is clearly headed for a life…

  • Parenting

    Monday Mingle: Pictures of Adoption

    September 20, 2010 - By 

    Hello and Happy Monday all. So here we are again with a Monday Mingle and don’t forget to head on over to Eighty MPH Mom to visit Jennifer and the other Minglers. Don’t know how this one led me to an adoption vlog today, but there it is – maybe it is September. For my kids and for me September is a back to school transition month and for those who are adopted it can easily also be a trigger for memories – good, bad and otherwise. I think this vlog in some ways illustrates that. http://eightymphmom.com/category/monday-mingle-vlogs

  • advocacy
    family - Parenting

    Advocacy – WIN THEN BUILD Philosophy

    September 13, 2010 - By 

    This is something I share when I do workshops throughout North America on advocacy. But because I know so many friends with children who can use this information I thought I would post a tipsheet on the topic. I call it the WIN then Build philosophy of advocacy. I run a non profit (Canadian Coalition of Adoptive Families http://www.canadiancoalitionofadoptivefamilies.ca/) in which I often use these tactics and I am a Mom and I have a child with special needs. This is what works my experience. Of course there’s more than one way to make things happen but this worked well…

  • school_lunches
    family

    SIX Questions and Answers about School Lunches

    September 8, 2010 - By 

    So your baby is about to start school and she or he is staying for lunch. That opens up a whole new world of school lunches. I have a bit of experience with thousands of school lunches over the years and I wanted to pull together some questions and tips that I often get asked by friends whose kids are just starting kindergarten. A friend of mine prompted this post as she found it helpful last week when I emailed her in response to a question she had about school lunches and leftovers.   Six Questions about School Lunches Q1: What lunch…

  • family - parenting

    Activity Tax Credits, Mommies and What About Seniors too?

    September 8, 2010 - By 

    I am all for activity tax credits and fitness tax credits and anything that keeps kids active and fit and healthy. I can back that any day and, in fact, I would. I spend well over the $500 a year allowed by the federal fitness tax credit each year – $1,000 for a disabled child. I have some extremely active children and they need a lot of martial arts/ basketball/ swimming/ skating/ music/ drama etc. I claim every year the maximum I can and I tell every new parent I know to take advantage of the federal credit. It makes…