How I Will Keep My Daughter Beautiful

FAM, health By March 27, 2016 Tags: , , , 3 Comments

I remember that I was carrying my infant daughter, wrapped tightly to me as I wandered through a church bazaar when a voice said, “What a beautiful baby!”

I thought so, of course, but it was nice to hear it from a stranger, so I turned and thanked the person behind the voice. I don’t remember what she looked like, but I want to judge her, in retrospect – in my mind, her perfectly coiffed, single-hue dye job was oversprayed, her skin showed the damage from too many tanning booths and she wore too much expensive, cloying cologne – but I really don’t know. She looked into my baby’s beautiful eyes and returned her bright, cheerful smile – and then looked at me and said “You’re going to keep her thin and pretty, right?”

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Why I Send My Kids to Summer Day Camp

FAM, kids, LIVE, play By March 26, 2016 No Comments

Do you want to go to frontier camp this year? I texted my son. My son, who has a cell phone and rides the bus and comes home to an empty house. Who towers over his twelve-year old buddies and can look me straight in the eye.

No! Frontier camp is for little kids and it’s stupid. I want to go to engineering camp, he texts back and I have to sit down for a minute. Engineering Camp? Who wants to go Engineering Camp?

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Going Too Far on April Fool’s Day?

FAM, kids By March 24, 2016 Tags: , , , 1 Comment

How far is too far for an April Fool’s Day joke? It’s all supposed to be a day filled with practical jokes and hoaxes and silliness. Until, it’s not.

Years ago, on April Fool’s Day, I told my mom I was getting engaged to someone I had recently started dating. My acting must have been pretty good because she actually bought it and, worse yet, I let the prank go on ALL day. Boy was she furious when I told her it was a joke at the end of the night.

Funny, right? Wrong! I’ve vowed never to go that far again.

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How to Make a Beautiful Weed Bouquet Centerpiece

grow, LIVE By March 22, 2016 Tags: , , , , 1 Comment

The arrival of spring means that a lot of beautiful things are about to bloom. It also means that some not-so-beautiful things are about to arrive as well… I’m talking about every lawn’s enemy: weeds. We have have a cringe-worthy abundance of these, but I’ve figured out how to make the best of the situation and how you can to. What I’m suggesting is a weed bouquet. Sound hideous? Maybe! But as far as decorative experiments go, this is quite cost-effective. In fact…completely free.

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Top 12 Family Things To Do in Victoria

Canada, ROAM By March 21, 2016 Tags: , , , , , , 14 Comments

Victoria, BC is a city some call the “Barbados of Canada” due to its mild temperatures and low rainfall relative to the rest of BC and Canada. It’s also a great city in which to raise a family. Because one of Victoria’s major industries is tourism, there are lots of great family-friendly attractions for children, including the natural wonders of Vancouver Island which are practically at your doorstep. Whether you’re a resident or a tourist yourself, here are the top 12 Family Things To Do in Victoria:

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Why I Don’t Go To Church But Celebrate Easter

EAT, holidays By March 21, 2016 Tags: , No Comments

Spring is almost here and I’m excited not just because winter is coming to an end. I’m ready to put away my Christmas wreath and pull out the ceramic bunnies that will decorate my living room for the next month. Yes, Easter is coming soon! My shopping list ready for Easter-themed craft for the kids (paints, wax, eggs, yes, I’m that mom!), and on top of that list are as many chocolate eggs and bunnies as I can get away with without setting a bad example. In fact a few years ago when we lived in a condo building in downtown Calgary I found the kids were missing out on back yard fun but I still managed to organize an indoor Easter egg hunt. Not as fun or challenging as one outdoors would have been but it was the tradition that mattered.

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