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Stop Searching Online: Go Ask Dad

beauty, GEAR By Jill Amery June 13, 2016 Tags: fathers day, Gilette, Go Ask Dad, PGMom, razor No Comments

In a world where screen-time often outweighs actual face time, the internet has become the go-to source of information – and as we all know, websites don’t always give you the most unbiased and truthful advice… It’s quick and easy to search the internet for videos and how-to articles in seconds, but do the results truly give the answers teens really need? This Father’s Day, Gillette is reminding people everywhere to “Go Ask Dad” for answers to their everyday questions. While your Dad will certainly appreciate a card (or a new razor) for Father’s Day, taking a moment to ask his advice will mean more to him than you might guess.

Busy Mom/Chill Mom: Finding Your Inner Calm

FAM, LIVE, nourish, self By Scarlett Ballantyne June 13, 2016 Tags: balance for moms, coping with busy, creating calm, health, moms No Comments

Whether you have little ones running rampant, or teenagers getting social all on their own—most moms will tell you that their household is running a busy schedule. Between carpooling and household duties, combined with working outside the home, or the never-ending battle that is being a stay-at-home-mom—coordinating a family’s activities is something that many women are balancing very, very carefully. It’s easy to forget to enjoy the journey, there’s often not enough time, but there are some easy ways to avoid succumbing to the ongoing state of ‘being busy’ and find your inner calm. Here are five simple ways to help bring the joy back to the chaos.

Mom’s Away: How to be a Better Mom by Travelling Solo

eat, grow, LIVE, nourish, play, rest By Lonelle Selbo June 11, 2016 3 Comments

It happens at some point for every mom and it was happening for me today, one and a half months before he would turn the big oh-two: the first trip away from my baby.

I’m a journalist and editor, so it’s been easy to find reasons to work from home over the past few years, scrambling to squeeze every workable second out of naps, evenings, and weekends—but when a press trip came up for Ann Arbor and my first choice writer couldn’t make the dates, I considered whether it was perhaps time to get back into the game and go myself—a mom’s getaway.

Musical Theatre on Netflix (for the Preschool Set)

grow, LIVE, nourish By Jill Amery June 10, 2016 No Comments

I am positively giddy!!! Many readers know that I trained as an actor, singer and dancer before falling into my current career. I can sing most songs from most Broadway shows, and have studied choreography from Jerome Robbins by watching films and live performances over and over again until I memorized the moves.

Even before ‘Frozen’ fame, Idina Menzel was an extreme girl-crush of mine. And Julie Andrews? I can’t even bear to sing along to the Sound of Music because I may drown out her beautiful voice. Think of it: Musical Theatre on Netflix. The streaming company has announced that Ms. Andrews will star in ‘Julie’s Greenroom‘, a new preschool show from The Jim Henson Company that features an all-new puppet cast of kids learning about the performing arts. The series will be available exclusively to Netflix members globally in early 2017.

36 Family Dinner Questions

EAT, family meals By Jill Amery June 9, 2016 Tags: breakfast, brunch, conversation starters, dinner table, divorce, ettique, family dinner, only child, questions 6 Comments

As part of a video recording, I was asked how I encouraged the boys (henceforth known as the little weasels) to come to the dinner table. Without missing a beat, the 10 year-old piped up that ‘Mommy just puts it on a plate and brings it down to us in front of the TV.” ^Mortified. But also… kind of true. We try to have at least three meals a week around the table but sometimes that path of least resistance reigns. Everyone always praises family dinners, but as I grew up an only child with parents who would quickly divorce, the ‘family dinner’ was often laboured, strained and uncomfortable. Maybe my childhood angst is now being brought to my own table. From that moment, I decided to develop 36 questions to ask your family at dinner.

The Summer Breakfast Table

EAT, family meals By Jill Amery June 9, 2016 Tags: breakfast, brunch, conversation, dinner table, flowers, pipe cleaners, questions, Sally's Cereal, summer, walmart 3 Comments

Anyone else’s roses in bloom? It’s spring, and as days get longer we experience the perfect time for al fresco meals—and that idea needn’t just extend to grand family dinners where your kids must exhibit perfect manners. Family dinners have actually always been slightly intimidating to me, and I’ve always slinked away from the judgmental moms who ask with disdain why we are at the park eating takeout and NOT HAVING A FAMILY DINNER at the table. So, if dinners are difficult, you can imagine how breakfast suffers.

Stay-at-Home Moms Need Nannies Too

grow, LIVE, nourish, play, rest, Unpopular Mom By Guest June 8, 2016 4 Comments

Stay-at-home mothers are lucky. We get to be with our babies full-time and witness all of the coveted milestones that make parenthood so special in those early days. We have unlimited time to spend with these tiny creatures who hold our hearts so tightly, and we are free from the guilt and anguish that so many mothers feel for sending their little ones to daycare. We don’t have to put on a suit and drag our tired asses to an office, tearfully kissing our little ones goodbye. And we don’t answer to anyone but our own children, who, in reality, are the worst bosses anyone could ever have. As temping as it is, we must not fall prey to the idea that staying at home with children is a leisurely endeavour—it is work, and yet, somehow, this job that nobody really considers a job, has been placed on the bottom of the totem pole. Yes, we are lucky, but this shit is hard and asking for support shouldn’t be anything to be ashamed of.

But, it is.

Dads Like It Hot…and Spicy!

eat, EAT, family meals, holidays By JoyHedding June 7, 2016 Tags: cooking, dads, dads are hot, food, spciy 20 Comments

Dads are hot. Yes, you read that right.

DADS. ARE. HOT!

And they also like hot things. And cool things, because they’re also kind of cool.

It’s pretty commonly accepted around town that husbands and dads aren’t the bomb-diggity anymore and single guys have all the game. But, a man who can be an amazing life partner, help his little girls play softball, teach his son how to drive, and cook us all an amazing dinner—I’m telling you, that is the real definition of hot.

Best Father’s Day Gift: Tie, Socks…or a Drone?

FAM, holidays, play By Jennifer Pitt June 6, 2016 Tags: drones, fathers day, gifts, minidrones, parrot, robots, technology 1 Comment

That time of year is upon us again, ladies, when we ask ourselves the age-old question: tie or socks? I usually like to go rogue and get him both but this Father’s Day, I want to think outside of the ‘workwear accessories’ box. My partner is a great dad and an incredibly thoughtful man; he does the things that I don’t even realize need doing, like restocking the fridge with cream for my coffee and making sure our toddler treat cupboard is well-stocked. And he is always ready when he knows I need a break, a few minutes to decompress. I keep these things close to my heart when I come home to his dirty socks on my living room table: because marriage, right?

Chronic Pain, How to Support Your Friend

health, LIVE, Uncategorized By Guest May 30, 2016 No Comments

While travelling this bumpy road on my journey with CRPS and chronic pain, I’ve had a lot of time to think about stuff. It’s not a huge stretch to imagine that it’s difficult and uncomfortable to have someone in your life who has to deal with chronic pain or illness—especially if you’ve never dealt with this kind of thing yourself. It can be hard to know how to act around them or even support them if you wanted to. So, I figured that since I’ve been ‘lucky’ enough to have acquired this knowledge over the past few years, perhaps it would help to share what I’ve learned with anyone who wants to know how to support a friend that’s in chronic pain.

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