Positano Pom Pom Pumpkin

Ghoul-orious Painted Pumpkins for Halloween

EAT, holidays By October 24, 2019 1 Comment

The past couple of years I have worked hard in my studio to create painted pumpkins for Halloween to feature on morning TV. And I never compiled them all into one post! There are so many ways to paint, and new products in art and dollar stores make the job pretty simple, albeit sometimes messy! (You can just be a painter as a costume). Whether you are going for stylish painted pumpkins or using the activity to help your toddler express their creativity, I like painting pumpkins much better than carving. (Though you don’t get to roast the seeds afterwards). Be careful, also, not to throw your painted pumpkins into the compost or recycling bin, depending on what products you use on them. 

Share:
Seniors Photo Collage

Raising Awareness for National Seniors Day

FAM, health By October 24, 2019 No Comments

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending an event hosted by Sanofi Pasteur for National Seniors Day at the Richmond-Adelaide Centre in Toronto. As I entered, all I saw were the beaming faces of seniors being celebrated – and not just those personally present. A giant photo exhibit was erected, depicting images that had been sent in by the public specifically to show us all how seniors are incredible pillars of strength in our society. Inspiring quotes describing the positive impacts our senior loved ones have on society were interspersed throughout.

Share:

Top Eight Ways to Make your House Memorable on Halloween

EAT, holidays By October 24, 2019 1 Comment

You remember when you were young. Ok, younger. Trick or treating was the highlight of your year and during all of the other seasons you walked by certain neighbourhood houses and smiled. The man in the tudor house made you tell a story before being given candy. And there was the dentist who handed out toothbrushes. You were certain the yellow house was haunted. Why your dad always wanted to linger at that place that gave him a hot drink is still a mystery… As a child you build relationships and memories with neighbours, and when you make your house memorable on Halloween it creates a perfect opportunity to reach out to your community.

Share:

The Tribe in My Backyard

FAM, self By October 18, 2019 Tags: , , No Comments

Life is hard – beautiful, sweet, precious, amazing, thrilling even; but so very hard. It never becomes more apparent as to just how hard it is until you are a mother; responsible in every way for the well-being of another tiny human.

Even before becoming mothers, women wear so many different hats. We are cooks, maids, friends, daughters, therapists, employees, managers, etc. We tend to stick together, to find our tribe and to be there for one another through thick and thin. Which is never more important that when we do become parents.

Share:

Halloween Safety Tips

holidays, kids By October 14, 2019 56 Comments

I remember as a little girl – saving all of the ‘used-almost-to-the-bottom’ candles for the whole year to use for Hallowe’en. Our jack o’ lanterns would house a cornucopia of bright red and gold Christmas candles and a few yellow Easter ones. I would be a bit rattled that my beautiful pumpkin was getting red wax dripped all over, and then completely dejected that whenever I passed my own house (as I was doing the neighborhood candy marathon) the pumpkin would be dark. A gust of wind had just spoiled a child’s excitement at boasting artistic achievements to her friends. I’d quickly apologize and run up to grab a lighter or matches. And I can’t remember being anything other than a princess in chiffon so that + matches was clearly a bad idea… 

Share:
National Seniors Day

Helping Elderly Parents Thrive

FAM, health By October 9, 2019 No Comments

I wish it were 2018. If this were last fall and I had known more about the flu vaccine for seniors, I would have done things differently. When my mom died unexpectedly on Christmas morning, the reasons why were unclear. What was 100% evident is that I thought of her as living for years to come. She was the master of her home. Vibrant. Feisty. Perhaps it was child-like denial, but I didn’t know how unwell she was. Sadly, I hadn’t yet researched the myriad of special solutions for seniors that can help maintain good health.

Share:
tween ready for a cell phone

Is My Tween Ready For A Cell Phone?

FAM, kids By October 7, 2019 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments

My tween wants a cell phone.  Correction, she wants a cell phone that allows her to text, play games online, send emails and lastly, make phone calls. Yesterday, she told me that more and more of the girls in her class (We’re talking 4th grade folks!) are getting cell phones for their 10th birthdays.  She doesn’t want to wait a year.  She wants one now. The question is, is my tween ready for a cell phone?

Share:
how to make your house scary for halloween

How to make your home super scary for Halloween

LIVE, play By October 4, 2019 76 Comments

Quirkiness can be a great thing – especially at Hallowe’en. The best part of living in a true quirky community with lots of kids is that we all go overboard on October 31st. As part of a neighbourhood of film directors and actors, kids flock to our area to experience the wonder of the holiday. Bouncers control the crowds lining up to enter haunted mansions and adults stay in character all night. My favourite night of the year, giggles and screams can be heard for miles. The only downfall to being the scariest, quirkiest neighbourhood? We all run out of candy. But it’s worth it! Here are a few tips and tricks (he he) or making your home super scary for Halloween.

Share:
Yo-Kai Watch

My Son is Obsessed with a Video Game. So I am Too.

GEAR, tech By October 4, 2019 1 Comment

People talk about how kids obsessed with a video game are robbed of their childhoods. There are countless articles out there about how terrible technology is for children. This isn’t one of them. We’re a tech forward family. My husband and I both have jobs that rely on technology in some way and I’ve always been a gadget geek.

My son learned about Yo-Kai Watch last year. Grade 1 was rough for him. He felt isolated in school, made few friends and was picked on. He really connected to the story of the Yo-Kai and their friend Nate and we got the game for his Nintendo 3DS.

Share: