Recycling car seats
By Christine Davis Since the use of child car safety seats became law in the mid-1980s, they’ve been filling landfills as they become damaged, expired, or no longer needed. In 2017, not-for-profit organization Green Propeller Recycling Limited conducted research showing that car
Taking Care of Your Child’s Teeth: An Age-by-Age Guide
By Meagan Ruffing February is National Dental Hygiene month which means it’s a great time to get your kids on board with learning how to brush their teeth and actually enjoying it. No more battling your kids to take responsibility for
Words of affirmation
So much of parenting involves direction, instruction, and discipline. Depending on the age and stage of the children, it can feel like half your time is spent telling them what needs to happen next, reminding them when they’ve forgotten, and
Parenting differently
I love all my kids just as much. I don’t love them all the same, because different people need to be loved differently, but I love them all just as much. It’s not something that I need to work particularly
Parental Displays of Affection
A few years ago (I don’t remember exactly how many now, but it was after our second child and before our third, so I’ll say something like six), another parent in the park told me that her three-year-old kid had
Cutting Class as a Family
The kids all cut class today, you know, for no reason really. It had nothing to do with the fact that today is the opening day of a massively popular sci-fi franchise movie that shall remain nameless – total coincidence.
Finding birth parents
We just yesterday got in contact with my youngest son’s birth parents, a process that has taken us something like six years. We started looking almost immediately, using the official channels of Family and Children’s Services. In theory they’ve had the
What did you get for Christmas
Remember when you were a kid, how on Christmas afternoon (or maybe the next day or maybe when you got home from your Grandparents’ house) you’d head over to see your friends and bring along your most impressive Christmas presents,
Knowing what you know you know
By Jane Muller Goal setting and self-improvement are popular New Year themes. Resolutions often backfire and instead of motivating us, they emphasize yet another failure. Instead of thinking about all that we need to do, why not think about what we have
Head to ROM for the holidays
By Christine Davis When the holiday weather is as bitterly cold as it’s been, caregivers look more than ever for fun indoor entertainment for the kids. All that can be found at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). Until Sunday, Jan. 7, the
Just a Few More Sleeps
We’re just days away from the Christmas holidays. The anticipation is killing my kids, and by extension it’s also killing me. They couldn’t be more jacked up if I filled them full of energy drinks and gave them packing bubbles
Snowman Cookies
These colourful snowmen will brighten up a dreary winter day and are a fun addition to any Christmas gathering. Get as creative as you like with the expressions and hat styles! Ingredients 1 quantity Vanilla Cookie dough confectioners’ (icing) sugar, for dusting 14 oz.
Bad Parents Anonymous
There’s something that needs to be said about parenting that too few people are willing to say – “It’s normal to feel bad at this.” It’s normal to be unsure about how to deal with a particular situation. It’s normal to
Rewriting the Christmas list
By Kinjal Dagli-Shah Lee-Ann Satari and her husband Ali made a meaningful change to their Christmas tradition last year. The family decided to quit buying gifts for each other and told their children that Santa isn’t real but his spirit is.
Fermented foods during pregnancy –Yes, or No?
By Carol J. Alexander Did your grandma make sauerkraut and store it in a large crock down cellar? Well, for her generation, that is something homemakers did to survive the winter. Today, folks are jumping back on the fermentation band wagon
Go West Young Family
The weather colder these days, and the Santa Claus parade has come and gone, so we decided to go for a little trip with the kids to somewhere a little warmer – Edmonton, obviously. Actually, our choice of destination was determined
How to Talk to Girls
As a father of three sons, one of the things I worry about is teaching them to treat women with respect. Now, when I say this to people (especially to men), I often get a sort of wide-eyed, all-too-naive response. “Don’t
Dad Stuff December 2017
By Christine Davis Paul coat This best selling coat by Lutha features a longer length and synthetic down insulation for extra warmth. An adjustable and removable hood can also help keep Dad dry. Available at Corbett’s Skis & Snowboards and Skiis &
Cool Stuff Gift Guide December 2017
By Christine Davis Rainbow Heart Bear Care Bears celebrate their 35th anniversary with this exclusive new bear. Rainbow Heart Bear is a limited edition, and give its nostalgia, won’t last long. Available at Toys R Us. $39.99 Night Walkie Talkies The perfect sibling gift,
Putting the brakes on the Christmas train
By Jane Muller It may seem hypocritical that a magazine filled with a Santa’s sack worth of gift ideas would also include a feature about a family that has stepped away from abundant gift giving. The reality is that most of us