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January 25, 2008

Calendar for this weekend



  • Wintercity Festival kicks off this weekend. Very family friendly activities. Fire art show, theatre performance, interactive art project of bringing a lonely mitten from home, pimp my sled event too (where you bring your old crazy carpet and give it a make-over). Runs weekends 'till Feb. 7

  • Robert Munsch will appear at Great Wolf Lodge for Family Literacy Day.

  • Hands on workshops at the Ontario Science Centre - Kidspark. This weekend its all about grossology...snot and why we poop - what kid wouldn't LOVE that!?

  • Have a brunch/playdate with some old friends

  • Go for a skate at the Natrel Habourfront rink

  • Remember we were too busy to clean the basement last week? Put it on the list for this weekend (but lets make a pack to be too busy this weekend too - ok?)

  • Bake something with your kids...let them stir

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January 24, 2008

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Finding time to work

I'm writing a new article on working parents (for another publication). When I wrote the writing query to the publication, the laptop was on my kitchen table so I could supervise after-school snack. When I did the initial brainstorming I was throwing in a load of laundry. I'm still thinking about what to write as I write this blog post (and simultaneously listening to High School Musical 2 as Child 2 is hobe frob schoolb wib a bab colb).

My question is - whether you are stay-at-home or work-outside -- when exactly are parents not working?...We are always doing something, supervising someone or commuting somewhere. It's the best life - no question. No doubt.

Working life though...it seems we are endlessly looking a life changing answer. The solution to our guilt. A friend once said mothers are never happy. They go to work - they are unhappy they can't spend more time with their families. They stay home - they are unhappy about the financial burden to the household. We are resentful of either choice (or non-choice).

Where does this leave my article?...I'll have to think about that while I cook dinner.

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January 23, 2008

Reader Comments


Today is a prime day to share some of the comments readers have sent in regarding some blog posts. Keep the feedback coming...names have been withheld for privacy.

Comment re. Birthday Party Season; I totally understand the dilemma of one child being invited and not the other. I have once asked if my non invited child could attend and it was fine. However my preference is not to take both of them. I think it is important for them to start to understand that they don't do everything together, it is hard walking out of the house with the birthday goer excited and happy and the stay home child clinging to the banister looking longingly out through the rails (almost like he is in jail) and wondering why he is not invited...but it is a chance to explain that not all his brothers friends know him and they only invite the children they know to the party...even if they know he exists it is not the same as being in the same class at school or daycare. It is hard but I believe it to be a very important learning opportunity for them. Also it can be a great opportunity for one parent to get to spend some one on one time with the non-invited...something that rarely happens in our family but always seems to work our very very well!

Parent Club note - Good point. It is a learning opportunity and a great experience in spending one-on-one time with the uninvited child. Thanks for commenting!

Comment re. Simply Sneaky; Are you "simply sore" (see Simply Sneaky Jan 21/08) because Jessica Seinfeld got her veggie-included recipes published in a book while yours showed up merely in a blog entry (see Three Cheers for Dirty Little Secrets Jan 11/08)?

Parent Club note - Yes, I am completely jealous. Any publishers out there...?!

Comment re. Where do runaway balloons go...? There is a great book by Jamie Lee Curtis called "Where do balloons go?" that perfectly explains where and why balloons go.

Parent Club note - Excellent tip. Thanks for sharing!

Did you know this is the 101 post to Parent Club?! Just like our families - Parent Club is growing everyday. Thanks for being part of the club!

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January 22, 2008

Birthday Party Season

There was no ringing bell to let me know that Birthday Party Season was a go. Don't they shoot a gun or something to let you know? It's the humane thing to do. Just kindly, but loudly, announce that Birthday Party Season is open and invitations will be pouring out of school bags soon.

The family calendar is scattered with two hour fete events across the next month. I do like my children invited to birthday parties, it makes me think that they do, in fact, have been socialized well enough to become a friend. What I like better is when both children are invited to the same party. This past weekend Child A was invited - Child B not invited. That's tough. What do you do with Child B? We went to the Dollarama to learn that buying a treat will make one feel better (isn't that a good education I'm providing for this pre-shopaholic?!).

It's hard to take one kid to a party and leave the other at home. Somehow, it just doesn't feel fair. On occasion, (when I know the parents and when the party is at a party place - not a home) I have asked a parent if I could bring both of my children to the celebration. I add that the uninvited child does not expect a loot bag (and I pick up something special for the tag along kid and give it to them as a treat for being the guest of the birthday gang). This usually works out. Kids don't need to be separated, I add a helping hand to the party (because I can't leave my littiest at parties just yet) and everyone has a good time. I have also, on occasion, paid admittance for the sibling to enter the play place. Fine with me as I understand that there is a party budget and I can certainly chip in a few dollars for my extra kid.

It just makes Birthday Party Season a little easier.

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January 21, 2008

Simply Sneaky


Jessica Seinfeld has published a book called "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food" available at Amazon (from where I grabbed the image clip). The premise of the book is to sneak vegetables into breakfast, lunch, dinner & dessert. I am the first to check-out creative ways of preventing scurvy so I jumped at the chance to glance through this book while at a neighbours dinner party.

While most of the simple secrets involve incorporating pureed butternut squash, zucchini and avocado to recipes I'm not completely convinced these foods would go undetected. What really stood out was the pureed cauliflower that goes into her brownie recipe. I'm just not sure of that. If anyone has tried it, I'd be interested to know how delicious cauliflower brownies could be...

While I was leafing through the book, the kids were eating raw carrots by the handful, pasta & butter and chicken. We decided (my lovely neighbour and I) that our children's' eating habits, though not entirely diverse, were admittedly healthy. Neither of us felt so compelled to try out any of the secret recipes of Jerry's wife.

We agreed this point over my egg-less buttermilk chocolate cake. And it was delicious!

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