Birthday parties can be no fun for busy overextended parents. I'm excited to bring you my $100 Birthday Party Series with great ideas for themes, ...

Ah, yes, kids' birthday party etiquette. What a slippery slope it can be!  When the bean was turning 1, then 2, and even 3, it was relativ...

Teachers have big jobs. HUGE jobs. I volunteer every day in my son's school and I am constantly in awe of how much they take on. Most of them have...

Another school year is upon us and I always like going into a new phase prepared. Otherwise, it's just way too stressful for me. And I think my li...

You know what's exhausting? Summer. Summer with kids. The constant snacks. The wet towels and umpteen wardrobe changes. The little toys e...

I played within my imagination for years... I was always coming up with games of make-believe, with characters and storylines and wild tales. Obviousl...

I've blogged before about our annual adults-only weekend getaways, and this weekend marked another glorious three-day trip, sans childre...

I have a lot of readers who ask for more ideas on crafts to do with their kids. My bean and I love discovering new crafts, and these are our most re...

Anyone who knows me knows that I love my crafts (my home office doubles as a craft room). Since my bean was old enough to hold a paintbrush or crayo...

I love when I discover an exciting new craft on Pinterest, let alone one that is a resounding success with my toddler as well as with mommy. These a...

My work-from-home schedule affords me lots of time with my bean, but with my husband doing shift work, he's not so lucky. So my boys took on a pro...

My New Year's resolution for 2019 was to cut down on our household waste. While it's true we recycled and composted a bit, we weren't supe...

I've learned, in my six years of being a mom, that my purse, or what's inside my purse, that can really be a lifeline in a tricky or...

I said it during my entire pregnancy, but don't we all: "I'm never doing this again." But when I said never, I actually growled...

When they told you it takes a village to raise a child, they weren't entirely right. You can raise a child without the village backing you. But wh...

Spring has sprung, and our home is teeming with fun little crafts to welcome the warmer season. Here are a few spring crafts we love. Birdfeeders. ...

We absolutely love travelling to Toronto - a super family-friendly city, there's lots to do and plenty to see, loads of great restaurants, many tr...

I never worried about things like "how do I know when a baby is hungry" or "how do I change a diaper." I worried more about the qu...

We looove decorating Easter eggs. And we like experimenting with egg decorating methods even more. There are so many ways to pretty up those little eg...

I'm tired. Like, really, really tired.  The bean celebrated his 6th birthday party with his best friend (with whom he also sh...

I don't know why, but it feels like this is birthday party season - not only did the bean just turn 6 (HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMERON!!) but almost every ...

I'm at the stage with my almost 6-year-old that we are LEGO OBSESSED. We have countless constructed vehicles overwhelming my son's bedroom (go...

There was one thing my husband and I vowed when we had our son almost six years ago: no sleeping in our bed. And he never did. Not even once. Until he...

There's nothing scarier as a parent than the thought of your child going missing. I find it hard to protect my son, given he's only 5 - h...

I look forward to March Break probably as much as my 5-year-old son. I volunteer at the school more than 10 hours a week, and it's a much-needed b...

Hooray for Valentine's Day! OK... I'm not into the whole commercial, charge me $100 for a bouquet of roses, kind of V-Day, but I do love it fo...

I live in the best community, like, ever.  Every morning, my 5-year-old son and I volunteer at our school's Breakfast Club where...

Let's face it: we have pretty good lives. Our children have great lives. And it was really important to my husband and I that we teach our son gra...

Growing up, I was a pretty good kid. I never wanted to rock the boat or break the rules, because I liked being the "good kid." My brother, h...

Yep, I make New Year's resolutions, but not just because it's the New Year... because it's a good time to work on some goals. I do this no...

I'm happy to say we had a busy, craft-filled year, to say the least. In addition to seasonal/holiday-related activities, plus a huge superhero bir...

We love advent calendars in our house. My love for advent calendars began with my mom, who always got my little brother and I the chocolate ones with ...

I was lucky enough to spend my school years growing up in South Florida, and I'd always promised to return for my 20-year high school reunion. And...

I don't know who is more excited about Halloween arriving - me or the bean? I love holidays. I love holidays so much more since becoming a mom. I ...

When you have a younger child (under the age of 2 or 3), it can be really difficult to find activities that cater to smaller kids. So, as the colder w...

It's so cliche, I know, but in the blink of an eye, I had this chubby-faced toddler who is suddenly starting kindergarten. I'm buying school s...

Ahhh, Fredericton, New Brunswick - it's one of the prettiest, most friendly places you'll ever visit! We love going to Fredericton, and try to...

Summer... it's startin' to drag a bit, no? Don't get me wrong: I love having my bean home with me. But by the end of a week, whe...

We've got quite a few roadtrips planned this summer, and it's always a challenge to keep my 5-year-old bean occupied and distracted during the...

A family move is a big ordeal – there’s lot of planning and prepwork involved, and the whole process can be a bit daunting to a little o...

Working from home, especially when you have kids, definitely comes with major perks. However, when I enrolled my son in Pre-K, I hadn't totally th...

I don't know who is more excited about it being the last day of school - me or my bean! Here's where the perks of working from home really pay...

As a writer, and a mom, I've always hoped that my blogs would inspire or help another fellow parent. You want to know that when you write somethin...

Photo courtesy of BloomDesignsOnline The end of the school year is something that should be celebrated! So we're hosting a Popsicle party after...

My little guy loooooves science. And now that the weather is better, we've been exploring outside a lot. We're finding worms, snails, butterfl...

My bean is an only child, which means he's not used to the typical sibling arguing... when brothers come over to play at our house, and they ...

As you all know, we love us some crafts! And lately we've been experimenting with projects both indoors and out (even though it's still pretty...

Last Thursday was a heartbreaking day for our little family... we had to put our 7-year-old pupster Theo down. He was being plagued with lung infectio...

We're in the midst of planning our bean's fifth birthday (how is he 5 years old already?!), and along the way, I've picked up a few tricks...

Roadtrips are no easy feat with a toddler. The bean, who is almost 5, is a dream kid, but long car rides can get boring and tiresome (as can the "...

Got March Break fever? Looking for something fun to keep the kiddos entertained? My bean and I have done probably hundreds of crafts, a lot of which I...

What is rest? What does "well rested" feel like? Because I've completely forgotten. I remember when I got pregnant, people would tell...

Photo: Crafts-For-All-Seasons As the mom of a growing little boy, I find myself cherishing his little hand and footprints that we've made over ...

I love planning surprises for my bean. It's my favourite part of being a parent. But it's funny how sometimes those surprises can flop. Like, ...

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Valentine's Day has a whole different meaning now that I'm a parent... in the past, it was all romance a...

Looking for some quick, fun, and downright trendy holiday gifts to appease everyone on your list? Look no further! K'NEX Thrill Rides Web W...

As a busy work-from-home mom, I have to pick my battles around the holidays. There are certain projects I venture to do, and others I completely skimp...

This is a blog for myself... but for all the fellow parents out there too.  I'm tired. I'm exhausted. With Christmas around the corner...

Mom-life is hectic. And busy. And over-scheduled. Which is why I needed some time away. Nothing too expensive or too "involved," but some gi...

I am so excited about the Halloween party we're hosting this weekend. Fifteen little pumpkins will come bouncing into my house, and I planned all ...

We attended Kidcon last year and had a fantastic time - why did it take so long for someone to create an event just for kids and families?! And this y...

It's apple picking season, and I've been prepping my jars as well as restocking my brown sugar and cinnamon in preparation of the cooking and ...

We got through the first full day of school, and on day two, my little guy, who just started pre-kingergarten, came running out at the end of the day ...

I'm an empty-nester... and he's only 4. My little guy is off to full-time pre-kindergarten and this work-from-home mom is left to, well, wo...

“Hey guys, wanna go camping?” our friends, who are avid campers and have three kids, suggested a few weeks ago. Of course, my 4-year-ol...

We were camping a few weekends ago, and the bean and I were walking back from the beach along the main road that loops around the campsite. I spotted ...

Yep, at my house, we like to have fun with food. Playing with food can be a great way to introduce new things (like our snacks on a stick), and it can...

We experiment with a lot of crafts in our household, especially the messy ones in summertime (the backyard becomes our craft room). So this year, inst...

I don't know why, but some kids are reeeeally not into brushing their teeth. They fight their parents on it and seem adverse to anything that has&...

When I got pregnant four years ago, I suddenly found myself reevaluating everything about my lifestyle- what I ate, what I drank, and how I cleaned ...

Journal courtesy of Chronicle Books It's that time of year again where we start preparing our kids for summer camp! So what are some camp essen...

When my husband and I bought our house five years ago, we had all these lofty plans to paint and create accent walls and really give our house a look ...

Yep, you read that headline correctly: it's good to be a bad parent sometimes.  Here's why... You need to have down days or you wou...

Four years old (the age of my bean) is the perfect age to get into board games, card games, and the like. They're better than screen time, they...

I don't think I realized how difficult it is to be a mom until I became a mom myself. How could I? Plus, I had a mom who made it look super easy. ...

I'm so tired. It's been such a long day, with work, and dinner, and cleaning and tidying, and OH MY LAWD it's only 6:30pm. There's sti...

We're getting a bit stir-crazy waiting on summer, but we've been lucky enough to get quite a few passes to attractions in and around Montreal ...

It's hard not to judge others. Like, really hard. We do it in our heads all day long, at work, at school, and even in our own circles of friends...

Yep, the bean is 4 years old. FOUR! So cliche, I know, but wow, time flies! We survived three, count em' THREE, birthday celebrations - one i...

Oh my goodness, aren't kids funny? Like, seriously funny? My husband and I are amused all day long by our bean. From the time he was born and ma...

Hooray for Sugar Shack season in Quebec! Ahh, yes, the copious amounts of maple syrup, the sleigh rides through the tapped trees, the animals, the m...

This mommy loves any excuse to try out new crafts, and St. Patrick's Day is no exception. With lots of fun ideas for activities, food, and so mu...

Anyone who knows me knows that I wasn't that thrilled being pregnant. No, it wasn't because I had a difficult pregnancy - in fact, it was qu...

Winter is getting a little tiresome at this point... I'm over the snowsuits and boots and puddles on my floor, the layers and layers (meaning th...

I'm good at "executing" crafts and activities, but I rely on Pinterest as well as books to help me think up new things we can see and ...

It seemed obvious, when the bean started to learn how to talk, to avoid certain “cuss” words in our everyday conversation (that, truthfu...

I don't know why dinnertime has become such a challenge (read: torture) with my 3-year-old bean. It's like a never-ending saga of "take...

I grew up in South Florida. Getting ready for "winter" entailed putting on socks. Maaaybe you'd need a hoodie for the morning, but by ...

So the cold months have finally set in, the holidays are over, and us parents are left with energetic, stir-crazy, cabin-fevered kids. I hear ya! So...

I love the start of a New Year - it's such a fantastic time to set some new goals, have a fresh start, and vow to try and improve, learn, etc. ...

The holidays are an overwhelming time for everyone, especially kids - the influx of toys, visitors, and sweet treats can lead to a fussy, ungrateful k...

So we’ve had a fun week… the bean has been in daycare just two days a week for only three weeks and Mommy (me) woke up with gastro last w...

This year, because all of our kids get so many gifts around the holidays, me and my friends made a "no purchased presents" rule this year. B...

Every year, I make cookies. Lots and lots and lots of cookies. I started the tradition almost 20 years ago in my first apartment, which was tiny, me...

One of the best things about having a little one is making holiday crafts with them to give to grandparents, teachers, etc. The bean and I have quite ...

I don't miss the baby stage. Don't get me wrong: I loved my baby bean. But we're past it. And I'm honestly glad. While they'r...

Kids are funny... inquisitive... hilarious... I love watching the little gears in my bean's head turning as he questions the world around him...

What do we do with old boxes? We turn them into something fun! My Amazon orders have started coming in for Christmas, and their boxes are always ...

Yep, this was the first baby bump pic I posted on social media when I was pregnant for the first time... and the only time. By this point of 12 week...

My son has discovered "imagination" games - activities like playing school, restaurant, and the like, and these have ushered in some valua...

This weekend a close friend, who lives in the States, turned 40, and he and his wife decided to rent a chalet (ahem, mansion) for a kid-free weekend...

Hooray - the holidays are coming (Thanksgiving and Halloween), plus it's a new season, and that means NEW CRAFTS! The bean and I have been busy ...

Every now and then, mommy needs a project all her own. It was my birthday recently and I booked three glorious days off of work to make it a looong ...

As a modern-day mom, I'd like to think that I'm pretty savvy to what things cost nowadays... I know that dinner and drinks downtown is going...

My little guy is fascinated by dinosaurs. We had checked out this awesome dinosaur exhibit at the Montreal Science Centre when he was a bit younger,...

As a parent, we all know that we end up with slews of toys, and only a few seem to be long-lasting. Some just aren't durable, and others get for...

My husband and I have a loooong history together - we met while in high school, and I was living in South Florida and he was in Montreal. For our la...

Parties and other social gatherings present a unique situation once you have children - while you're in control of how you discipline your own k...

I am grateful. I am soooo grateful. I have a warm and wonderful home, and a partner to share my life with, and I have a beautiful and healthy little...

We want our kids to have every opportunity available to them, and for my husband and I, it started from the get-go with our son. Any time he showed ...

I grew up in Florida, meaning other than very specific produce (like strawberries and oranges), there weren't a lot of opportunities to go and p...

I've been cooking with my bean since he was nine months old and I handed him a ball of sugar cookie dough to play with around the holidays. Since ...

Being in the media, I am afforded with lots of perks, especially getting passes to check out some of the coolest family-friendly activities going on i...

There were two rules my husband and I made while I was still pregnant about parenting decisions we would stick to: 1. No pacifier (which we succeede...

AHHHHHHH witching hour!!!!!!! You know, that horrendous hour before bedtime where you've exhausted all of your energy and "vroom vroom"...

"Mommy... daddy... come play with me." When you have a toddler/preschooler, you might hear this, oh, 443 times a day. And despite the f...

Hooray for spring and warm weather and being outside (and, when it's raining, crafting like we're outside)! My bean and I have been busy doi...

Creating a baby registry, especially when you're a first-time parent, can be extremely daunting - there are just so many products out there, and...

The crib is gone, and for my three-year-old’s birthday, he got a “big boy room.” Not only did that mean trading rooms with him (no...

There’s nothing quite like it. Their beautiful baby blues and batting lashes suddenly flicker and, like a switch, you see the change. Like a h...

The volunteer association of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, with the support of CN, is presenting the third A Night at the Museum event on May 14, ...

Let me begin this blog by saying that I was that little girl who had 11 Cabbage Kids and three My Child dolls, a play kitchen, and imagined that one...

If there's one thing that I've discovered as a parent of a rambunctious preschool boy, it's this: little ones looks up to big ones. I...

I love living "through" my toddler - all the exploring and the firsts. But it quickly struck me as a parent how often I would build things...

Tweens are at a tricky age... sometimes, they want mom and dad, and other times, they're completely wrapped up in their own little worlds. And tha...

So, my bean is no longer in a crib... his big-boy bed arrived a few weeks ago, and luckily, we've had a seamless transition to his new bed. Howeve...

Every so often, a kid needs a timeout... yes, that dedicated spot where they're told to go when they misbehave. In my household, it started in my ...

I've been reading to the bean since he was in utero (yes, I read to my belly). Given I'm a writer, books and the written word are like the hol...

I’m always hunting for new crafts that I can do with my 2-year-old bean, and these are a few fun twists on traditional colouring, painting, and ...

Want the best piece of parenting advice? Don’t get comfortable. In parenthood, I mean. As soon as you get one thing figured out (a bedtime...

Photo: deucee_/thinkstock When it came to potty training my son, I had a lot of things working in my favour. I had a curious kid (who often followe...

We’re a Playmobil/Marvel superheroes household – our 2-year-old son (and his mum and dad) love adding to his Playmobil City Life collectio...

From the ages of 2-3, I found that my toddler learned to do for himself a lot. Not to mention his favourite phrase is “let me do it by myself.&r...

December is a busy time, with all of the holiday parties and more, but that doesn't mean there isn't time to check out some of the fun local a...