Dear Beauty Industry,
Have you ever heard of a sh*t sandwich? It’s a way of giving crappy news to someone “sandwiched” between two nice statements. You butter people up, knock them down, and then give a second positive statement to take the sting out of things.
Society generally portrays dads as having it pretty easy. I am not going to lie – sometimes I think they do too. Raise your hand if you don’t think you occasionally do more than your partner, and I will personally nominate you for sainthood.
I am the default parent of our daughter in that I look after snack-day, what needs to be in her daily backpack, or when it’s time for her next shots. This is not because I am the mother, but because my partner has a memory like a sieve and the poor kids at daycare would never get their cupcakes.
Summer is quickly approaching and the daily SPH facial lotion and lip balm will no longer be enough to combat the sun’s rays. Short of dressing in long sleeves, pants, a large hat and sunglasses… it’s time to find the right sunscreen for your family. Which types are a good fit for your family? How much sunscreen should you apply to keep their skin protected?
Time to get messy!!! I love my job. Tide Ultra Stain Release has challenged my family to a little game. They sent along a few white t-shirts (hope it doesn’t rain…) and Tide Ultra Stain Release with a special ‘Zap Cap’ that has texture for you to scrub nasty stains with. After each activity, I throw the shirts in the wash to see how great this detergent really is. Such Fun!!! Each video shows how I removed the stain using the Zap Cap. My first task is for the kids and I to see how well Tide Ultra Stain Release can remove soil, crayon and jam stains!
Looking through Canadian Tire’s new WOW Guide I wanted to jump out of bed and start beautifying my home and space. I had no idea Canadian Tire had stylish rainboots, colour co-ordinated garden tools or cushions that would make top stylists get palpitations. There are two full pages devoted to water guns alone – along with a multi balloon that has me craving a water fight. (evil laugh). The backyard slides, pools and fun toys made me want to grow better grass.
My friends at MomBabble ran this love letter to my post baby body last year.
Dear Flesh and Bones and Heart that Sustains me,
We were first paired some 31 years ago. Neither of us had any idea what kind of journey we would be on together. I was so excited about you in the beginning. You were magical. You could do no wrong. You carried me everywhere with strong legs. We had adventures and everything was fresh and new.
I am THAT girl. You know – the one who, at 9 years old, crafted potpourri, took a keen interest in sewing Little House on the Prairie dresses and staged elaborate dinner parties that should have been playdates. Better than almost any playground or TV show, though, was laundry day. Yes, I am fully serious. Bright white linen napkins hung on a clothesline or the smell of fresh, wet laundry out of a machine still give me excited palpitations. My boys love helping to fold warm laundry. (They still need instruction on keeping clothes off the floor, however).
Whether you went the entire nine months or delivered prematurely—or, God forbid, late—your body is likely feeling beaten up after birth. It doesn’t matter if you had a c-section or a “normal” birth, the transition from pregnancy to baby-in-arms is a tough one. You probably feel like a ragdoll some over-enthusiastic toddler played too hard with. Here are some suggestions for getting past the humps and feeling like your old self again.
I had the opportunity to reflect upon my life choices – albeit one bad one after another – and seeing how each decision, each person I encountered ended up helping mold me into who I am today. Self-worth is sometimes measured against how our parents acted towards us, or how our siblings got more than us at Christmas. We measure it in how our significant others treat us, how our kids back talk, how our bosses see us as employees. Each and every person is helping mold you into who you want to be.
Visiting my closest friend in Hamilton, Ontario, our four boys played until exhaustion. And then some more. We were all starving and she whipped up the best vegetarian chili I’d ever had.