Parenting 101: Practical practices
Question: I’ve heard you speak several times and one of the reasons I really like your style is that I find you so practical. I find as a single mother with three teens I just don’t have much time to
Music for the holidays
Leah Salomaa: Under a Winter Star — Toronto’s Salomaa specializes in recordings aimed at families, not just kids. I was able to test out her new holiday CD in the perfect setting: a weekend in a house overflowi
Choice books, great gifts
This is the season for splurging on wonderful books for the young readers in your family. Fortunately many new books in the stores rise to the occasion.
Jean Little’s newest picture book, The Sweetest One of All (No
Disneyland comes to Rogers Centre
A Disneyland Adventure (Disney on Ice/Rogers Centre) — Big gestures, big jumps and big fantasy always characterize a Disney on Ice show. In this story, the focus is on superhero family The Incredibles and th
Puppetmongers work their magic
Bed & Breakfast (Puppetmongers/Tarragon) — For 19 years, Ann Powell and brother David have brought their amazing puppeteering talents to the Tarragon over the holidays. This year, they’re reviving thei
Petty’s Cinderella cranks up the comedy
Cinderella The Sillylicious Family Musical — For 13 years, Ross Petty has been producing holiday pantomime-style shows for Toronto families. And the experience really shows: the entertaining moments keep coming a
Extreme clowning
AGA-BOOM (Bluma Appel) — This award-winning show has been around the world, and makes a Toronto stop this holiday season. Created by veterans of Cirque du Soleil, it combines European clowning, stunts and plenty of slapstick and physical
Powerful questions for parents to ponder
Ahhh December … full of winter festivities and celebrations … AND report cards! These too hopefully will provide your family a reason to celebrate. However, regardless of the marks and comments contained within, report cards do provide
Charity ornaments
An ideal gift for a teacher, hostess and many others on your list will do double duty as a charitable donation. The purchase of a $5 Christmas Ornament Duo will benefit the Breakfast Clubs of Canada and solve your gift-giving
Adjustable helmets have kid appeal
Did you know the majority of serious child injuries in Winter are to the head? Wearing a helmet is the most important and easiest way to increase safety in winter sports. Whether it be sledding or learning to ski or
Pregnant women, babies, and the flu shot
Here's what you need to know to protect yourself and your baby from influenza, an illness that can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia.
Making the Holiday’s Relaxing
Taking your baby to visit her grandparents over the holidays can be a wonderful experience, and seeing your toddler running around laughing and playing with his cousins after a holiday meal is always heartwarming. But changes in surrounding
Hooking up with a fitness challenge
I'm on the road to becoming more physically fit and am inviting readers to give me support, offer some tips and share experiences through our City Parent Mom Club online forum. You'll find a link at the end of this
Shoe museum puts the boots to cold with sock drive
Beginning on World Kindness Day, the Bata Shoe Museum will give everyone a chance to show their kindness by giving the gift of warmth. From November 13 to 30 the Bata Shoe Museum will be launching its first annual fundraiser,
Simply intriguing, non-fiction works
How can we encourage children who are able to read but are reluctant to pick up a book.? One way is to offer them information books that combine clear, simple text with a plethora of colourful and intriguing illustrations or
Seven steps to conquer clutter
If you're stepping over piles of junk on the floor, or being pummeled by haphazardly stacked belongings when you open closet doors, you just may be suffering from a clutter problem. Don't worry, you're certainly not alone
Putting the eco in economical
If you’re a stock-watcher, you likely have vertigo from all the ups and downs of the past year. And with the holidays looming, you might be wondering just where you’re going to get the “green” to purchase presents. However,&nb
Gift stress relief
The holiday season is often a roller coaster ride. Alongside the laughs and good times people have with friends and family, are the increased pressures placed on our time and the stress that can create. Much of that stress can
Sillylicious family musical
Cinderella, the Sillylicious Family Musical (Ross Petty Productions/Elgin Theatre) — Ross Petty takes no prisoners: at least when it comes to taking the fairytale classics, tossing in a little drama and drag, mus
A new, kinder, kind of divorce
In an interview in Alberta Venture magazine, Karen Stewart was asked what would be her “advice to anyone about to divorce”.