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Self-Isolation Boredom Busters, Round Three

FAM, self By Jill Amery April 6, 2020 1 Comment

What day is it? How long have we been inside? As the days and weeks roll along with many families self-isolating, I give you boredom busters: round three. Thankfully, more and more institutions and artists are putting out insanely good content and educational opportunities. There’s never been a better time to grow! Who knows what might spark a new idea, a new tradition for the family, or a passion for something the kids didn’t know about before. My heartfelt thanks goes out to the educators and friends who keep sharing ideas for me to pass along!

The Zoom Background Ideas you NEED Right Now

GEAR, tech By Jill Amery April 6, 2020 No Comments

I had a therapy appointment yesterday and started to have fun with Zoom backgrounds. Cue: the Friends sofa!! As we all sit down for virtual drinks and dinner parties, some of my tech-savvy friends are going over the top on backgrounds. My humour is beginning to morph but it’s keeping me busy and amused during hard times. Here are the Zoom background ideas you need right now. Just make sure you know how to change them so you’re not like the executive who changed herself into a potato and couldn’t figure out how to switch back to herself while on a work call.

How to Make Your Kids Bedroom Healthier

LIVE, wash By Jill Amery April 5, 2020 Tags: healthy cleaning, kids bedrooms, non-toxic bedroom, non-toxic cleaners, playtime 1 Comment

Children of all ages treasure their bedrooms – it’s their refuge, their castle, their playroom, their private spot, whatever they want it to be. And they spend as much time there as they can. But is this space actually healthy for them? Kids’ rooms seem innocuous – a floor, four walls, a bed, desk, bookshelves and a closet. What’s unhealthy about any of that? You’d be surprised at the number of toxins and allergens that may be present and to which your child may unwittingly be exposed. We have some ideas how to make your kids’ bedroom healthier.

Roasted Spiral-Sliced Ham with Maple and Orange Marmalade Glaze

EAT, family meals By Jill Amery April 5, 2020 No Comments

This holiday table centrepiece, sweet on the outside and savoury on the inside, makes a memorable main course. Encourage guests to eat the sliced oranges along with the ham since the roasting makes their peels tender and sweet.

How to Hang Out With Friends Digitally

LIVE, play By Jill Amery March 25, 2020 No Comments

It’s a weird time. Kids are getting educated online. Video meetings are riddled with cats (or half-naked toddlers) running across the screen, and girlfriend wine dates and dinner parties happen in front of a computer. How do we navigate the expansive world of video hangouts and meetings? Which ones allow multiple people? Are they expensive? How do I teach my grandmother so she can see the kids? I’m pretty green too, so decided to dig into the world of video hangouts and meetings so I could connect with others digitally. We’re all going to need to connect virtually with others as we self-isolate or practice social distancing.

Living As if it’s the Great Depression

FAM, health By Jill Amery March 23, 2020 1 Comment

I grew up in Nova Scotia, and even though my parents were early baby boomers, born in 1945, they lived like it was 1930. My grandparents and great aunt had suffered and found no reason to change their frugal behaviour once the economy had turned around. As a little girl, I was baffled that my grandmother used each tea bag twice, and now I am so very glad for all of the lessons I was given. Frugality is also the same type of behaviour that reduces greenhouse gasses – reducing, reusing and recycling – so I have been doing a few of these things for years. Now, not knowing if the sugar supply could dry up or toilet paper is a past luxury, I’m wracking my brain to remember how my grandmother lived. Every day was about saving and making a little go a long way.

Digital Family Boredom Busters

grow, LIVE By Jill Amery March 22, 2020 2 Comments

As the world changes and we all stay at home to limit the transmission of the virus, we are all looking for things to do and ways to learn. If your family is like mine, it’s a bit easier to convince the kids to learn when there is some sort of screen in front of their faces. Here are ten digital family boredom busters to get you through the next days and weeks.

17 Things You can Do to Help Others Through the Covid-19 Pandemic

FAM, health By Jill Amery March 17, 2020 1 Comment

Every day, the news seems worse and worse. I know it will soon get better, though, and hopefully we can all thrive from lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Caremongering” is a new term that is now being thrown around and it makes my heart soar. Above all, working as a community and helping others could be the silver lining. Here are 17 things you can do to help others through the Covid-19 pandemic. (Washing hands and staying at home is assumed).

guide your family through self-quarantine.

How Not to Go Bananas During Self-Quarantine

FAM, health By Jill Amery March 13, 2020 3 Comments

It’s hard to write about or think of anything else besides Covid-19 right now. News flows in hourly, and at the moment, my family will have to self-quarantine for 14 days on return from Miami. The thought of this actually makes my heart soar. Time is a gift. Togetherness is an even bigger one. But avoiding the pitfalls of endless gaming in a dark basement will be imperative. Here is my plan to come out of Coronavirus avoidance with deeper connections and enhanced knowledge. This is my two cents on how to guide your family through self-quarantine.

Home Lead Testing Kits

FAM, health By Jill Amery February 22, 2020 Tags: health canada's product safety, lead testing kits, toy recalls No Comments

Recent recalls of toys containing excessive amounts of lead have resulted in an increase in the promotion and use of home lead testing kits. Health Canada’s Product Safety Laboratory has evaluated a number of home lead test kits available on the Canadian marketplace and found that the results they give are not fully reliable. Test results vary considerably from one brand of test kit to another and are also affected by the type of product or material being tested.

Unreliable Lead Testing Kits

Lead is a soft, heavy metal which is poisonous when absorbed into the body. It is a naturally occurring element that is found in trace amounts everywhere in the human environment. Lead is especially toxic to young children, and can cause serious learning and behavioural problems even at very low exposure levels. Regulations under Health Canada’s Hazardous Products Act restrict the amount of lead which can be used in children’s products, such as toys and children’s jewellery.

Since the test kits indicate the presence of lead by a colour change, the results may be affected by pigments present in the tested product. Also, the test kit may not detect lead in a product which has a protective or decorative coating. The test results are hard to interpret since a positive reading does not necessarily mean that there is enough lead in the product to create an exposure risk. The kits have a limited shelf life, and performance can be affected by the age of the kits.

Because of these concerns, Health Canada does not recommend the use of home lead test kits by consumers.

What You Can Do to Protect Children From Lead

If you suspect a toy, children’s jewellery item, or other product may contain lead, immediately remove it from the reach of children.

If the product is low cost, it can be thrown away in normal household waste.
If the product is not a low-cost item, contact the manufacturer or retailer regarding your lead content concerns.
Remove from children’s reach any product which has paint peeling off any of its surfaces. Children may eat peeling paint containing lead.
If you believe your child has swallowed an object containing lead, seek immediate medical attention. There is a serious risk of severe or fatal lead poisoning if an object containing high amounts of lead remains in the body.
If your child has sucked or chewed regularly on a product which you think may contain lead, ask your doctor to test your child’s blood for lead.
Check Health Canada’s website regularly for up-to-date product recall information. You can also check company Web sites for information on products they have recalled.

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