Okay, my 7 year old son Ross was supposed to attend a classmate's birthday party this weekend.  The party was from 12pm to 1:30pm.  At 12:45pm, as I am tidying up the basement (how desperate!) and Ross is at soccer, after already having had a play date, it dawns on me that he is missing … [Read more...]

Most parents are aware of the five strands of math that must be taught to all students in Ontario – Numeration and Number Sense, Patterning and Algebra, Data Management (Graphing) and Probability, Geometry and Measurement.   What you may not be as aware of, is that at the beginning of this … [Read more...]

A few weeks ago I received a phone call from a neighbourhood acquaintance.  Judi is one of those women who seems to always have it together.  She has three little girls, works as an aerobics instructor, and has a great network of friends in the neighbourhood.  She has been a great … [Read more...]

When I was a child, I strove for my Mom’s approval. If she smirked over something I did, I was off like a rocket, trying for more, and never understood why she hid that smirk behind her hand, or why I could only catch a quick glimpse of it as she was turning away.I always swore that when I had kids, … [Read more...]

What happens if I lose my mind?  Who’s going to parent my child?  There are days that I feel that the only good thing that I could do for my daughter is to let her have whatever she wants, eat whatever she likes, go wherever she desires and use my body as a prop in any of these … [Read more...]

A friend of mine emailed me a recent article from the Globe and Mail called Children's bed times getting later - and later.  The article claims that research has identified a major sleep crisis: later bed times and less sleep for kids which equals developmental and behavioural issues.  I … [Read more...]

I am constantly amazed and intrigued by the variety of childcare arrangements available and utilized by moms today.  When working full-time I always had a nanny as do many of my friends.  Some women I know have a nanny share arrangement but others have their kids in daycare or are lucky … [Read more...]

OK.  I admit it.  I was clueless.  I have spent lots of time with my kids over the years so I thought a whole weekend would be no problem.  I've put them to bed before.  I've fed them, changed diapers, gotten them dressed.  How hard could it be?  I found out.  … [Read more...]

I've been racking my brains trying to remember the last time I actually made out with my husband. I'm not talking about the perfunctory goodbye-and-have-a-nice-day kiss I get when he leaves for the day. Nor am I referring to the sleepy embrace we exchange before the lights go out at bedtime. I mean … [Read more...]

Nowadays, core training is the talk of the town. You see entire infomercials and products claiming to help you lose the flab and tone up by concentrating on your core. So what is the core and how can it help you look leaner and feel stronger? Well, you can start by picturing the cylinder around your … [Read more...]