I know I’m not the only one out there who is having trouble dealing with the growing crisis surrounding Syrian refugees, the Paris attacks, this recent massacre in Orlando, and the constant threats that ISIS seems to be dangling in front of the Western world. The tension builds every day, as new hate crimes arise, more misinformed politicians take close-minded stands against what they perceive to be threats to “national security,” and more propaganda from terrorist organizations surfaces. Personally, I waffle back and forth between wanting to stick my head in the sand and pretend that none of this is happening, and wanting to know All The Things, grinding my life to a halt to take in the horror of it all.
Three kids appears to be the magic number for many families today. Every time I meet a new mommy friend, she has (or is working towards) three kids and statistics show that there is a major increase of three-child households in North America. Why is three the new two? What’s up with the three kid trend? I talked with a group of moms of three to get some inside perspective and here are some of their most popular answers.
My 3-year-old daughter loves the Olivia books. You know, the free-spirited, slightly annoying piglet who has existential meltdowns and big opinions? Truth is: I love Olivia, too. Olivia is strong-willed, like my daughter. She’s independent, like my daughter. She does what she wants, when she wants, like my daughter [sigh]. Olivia lives with her mom, dad, and two brothers (and Edwin, the cat), but here’s where I start to have issues with this piggy roll model. Have you read the books? Have you ever noticed what Olivia’s dad is doing in most of them? He’s reading the paper or standing around. He’s always there, but not terribly involved and totally disengaged with his family. Not the fairest representation of fatherhood.
For part two of my great stain challenge, we headed to the kitchen to try and remove red wine, tomato and teriyaki stains. And after the arts and crafts stain cleanup last time, mommy needed a glass of wine. Because Tide Ultra Stain Release has challenged my family to a little game, we continued the fun with foodstuffs. After donning white t-shirts, we made tomato soup, a teriyaki stir fry and mommy had a glass of wine in order to put Tide Ultra Stain Release to the test.
I remember many shopping excursions to the United States with my mom—outlet stores filled with clothing and jewelry were thrilling, and buying unique back to school supplies made me feel like I was in a candy store. As I have aged, shopping is still a delight and yet my store preferences have evolved. As a new homeowner I would get excited about tools, and then after my kids were born I visited garden centres and kids’ gear shops more and more frequently. As a super busy Mom and business-owner, I now demand a ton from my shopping experiences. The stores must provide great value, include many items that I need, and allow me to research my purchases digitally. I have honed my passion for shopping and no longer trek south of the border to get my heart palpitating.
“Here should be a picture of my favorite apple.
It is also a nude & bottle.
It is also a landscape.
There are no such things as still lifes.” ~ Erica Jong
Dear Mr. Whitten,
You probably had no idea.
Still riding the feels from a wonderful Mother’s day, I am full swing into getting ready for Father’s day! Gifting Moms is a piece of cake compared to the monumental task of finding or *gasp* making something with the kids that their dad will actually, a) recognize as an actual thing, and b) like enough to actually put into circulation. This is no small endeavour, and should never be taken lightly because, come on, ladies, a super fab father’s day gift raises the bar for next year’s Mother’s Day, amirite?
When you have a child with a learning disability, it’s easy to start looking at the school system as the enemy. And while it’s true that the system isn’t perfect—leveraging the school staff as part of your team will help you all work together towards your child’s success. Here are some ways you can get everyone on board with the same program:
Spring is here, and with it the almost audible hum of energy that comes from children who have been cooped up inside too long. We all know the importance of limiting screen time, but did you know that letting a child experience nature can help alleviate anxiety, depression and attention disorders? The lure of laptops and tablets can make it hard to sell today’s children on the great outdoors. Sometimes they need a little help stimulating their imaginations. Here are seven books to do just that.
Though Disney has received criticism for some of their Disney princess characters of the past—exaggerated in dimension, with tiny waists and huge eyes, they didn’t represent “real women” in shape. Despite this talk, however, I never looked down on these characters or their stories. Then again, you can find me on any given day flipping through pages of numerous fashion magazines, feeling inspired and proud of my gender, not angered at the logistics of airbrushing.