Category Archives: Events

What I really want for mother’s day this year

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Mother's Day card

Mother’s Day card (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As a blogger, I’m always checking out a lot of other blogging sites and local mommy sites. The trending topic these days is “what is your ultimate mother’s day gift?” Most people have answered with something along the following lines: Hugs, snuggles and kisses from my kids. Or, spending the entire day with the kids. And while I generally agree that hugs and kisses from my son are amazing and spending time with both my husband and my son are my favourite days, it’s not what I want for a mother’s day gift.

I mean, I receive the hugs and kisses daily. I’m a stay at home mom and I sneak them in (wanted or not) at least 100 times a day if not more. I also love my husband to death, and I’m very fortunate that we get lots of time together either at night after Kyle’s asleep and on weekends.

What I REALLY WANT for mother’s day this year is: ALONE TIME!* Continue reading →

Why this year is the most important mother’s day for me

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Last year was probably the most special mother’s day for me.  It was my first!! But this year’s mother’s day might be the most important. Not so much for me, but for my mom. You see, it was almost 11 months ago that my mom had a stroke.
Luckily, it was just a warning sign. My mom’s recovery has been nothing short of remarkable considering what happened to her. When people see her, they’re shocked to learn that she ever went through that. Physically, she looks fine. However, her brain is still recovering, and may continue to heal for years to come. Continue reading →

My Best Friend Multiplied! – Guest Post

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I’ve known Wendy since junior-high and we’re now fellow residents of Riverdale, Toronto.  Wendy is smart, funny, witty and a very talented writer.  Her blog is www.sadinthecity.com and I’m constantly waiting for her next post to be published. I can’t get enough of her writing.  She also happens to be the inspiration behind me starting my own blog.  I often read her posts multiple times and then re-read them to my husband.  This is her most recent post and I just loved it so much, I had to have it on my blog too!

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Mothers love to compare labour and delivery stories in some zero-sum one-upmanship of who is really suffering the fallout of Eve’s disobedience. “You think  682 hours of labour is bad? When I gave birth, I walked ten miles to and from the hospital, uphill both ways. Barefoot. In the snow.”

I hope that Mcintosh tasted really good, Eve. Continue reading →

Our family is expanding!… We’re getting a fur child (and need your help with the name)

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Short version: We’re getting a dog, and we need name suggestions!!

Long version:John and I always knew that one day, we would get a dog.  We just didn’t know when.

At the dog park, moments before a dog came and ate those crackers

Since we both grow up with dogs, we knew the responsibilities that came along with dog ownership, and we just weren’t ready for it. We figured we’d at least wait until we had some kids since surely we’d have to be responsible by then!  Once Kyle was born, our plates were full enough and we just figured the timing wasn’t right.  And so, we dragged our heals a little longer.

When Kyle was about 8 or 9 months old, I took him to our local off-leash dog park.  He had the best time sitting and watching the dogs run around.  It became our daily routine and the smile stayed on Kyle’s face for hours after watching the dogs.  Continue reading →

What to do with Kids in Toronto! – Guest Post

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Talk about a one-stop shop for all things going on in the city.  Melanie, a mother of two, has created what I think is the best resource for all things parents and kids in Toronto.  Her blog, aptly named Melanie OTG (on the go), lists various places and activities that one can do with their kids on a daily basis.  She rates each location / activity on a scale of 5 by activities, amenities and value and than gives an overall score.  She has activities categorized by age, location and type.  She even lets others rate / review a place as part of her online Kids’ OTG Activity Directory.  Talk about making it easy for your average busy, stressed-out mom.  I can’t say enough good things about her site and I’m so glad she agreed to do a guest post with me.  We’re also running the Bizzy Bee Playcentre Giveaway together.  Check out the contest details on my site or on Melanie’s and enter to win.  The contest closes this Friday!

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I’m a mom with two children and as you may have guessed, I love taking my little monsters out for fun things to do and provide them with opportunities to learn and explore a variety of activities. My aim for this post is to give you a broad range of ideas for things to do with your kids, young and old, in Toronto and the surrounding area throughout the year.

Some I’ve been to and others I haven’t. If myself or others have reviewed the place already, you can read the reviews by clicking on the links below. And if you have a baby, check out my post here which is geared just for babies (toddler post coming soon!), and my Fun for the Month posts that feature my monthly activity picks!

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the places I’ve mentioned below and if you have suggestions for other fun things your kids like to do! Continue reading →

Getting Pregnant 101 – Guest Post

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My guest writer is Jenn, a loving wife and mother of two sweet boys.  She has written a beautiful post about the ups and downs of trying to conceive.  I’m so glad she is sharing her story with us, because I know there’s many people who have gone through this as and can relate.

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You know it’s coming…you just finished walking down the aisle and have yet to enjoy the real honeymoon, when countless inquiring minds ask “so when are you having a baby?!” My husband and I had always been upfront about our intentions of having children to our family and friends. Our plan was to purchase our first home, enjoy some time together as a married couple and then take the plunge! Nevertheless, any time my husband or I came close to a baby, or dare I say hold a baby, we’d set ourselves up for scrutiny!

Fast forward a few years later; the house is bought, we feel that we’ve gotten a handle on married life, and decide it’s about that time. Easy, right? We never would have thought it would be another two years before we actually got to hold that sweet baby we always dreamed of in our arms. Continue reading →

This too shall pass – Guest post!!!

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While I’m on vacation, my loving and wise cousin Jenny, has graciously offered to write a guest post for my blog.  It’s easy to see she’s been a great mother to Lily from this sweet post about stages, phases and the passing of time.  I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have.

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I know many of you that are reading Maya’s blog have younger children.  I am the mother of a “tween”.  I enjoy reading Maya’s blog, it brings back lovely memories.  You see, it’s true what they say, once you have kids, time seems to pass very quickly.  Maybe it is because you have specific stages with which to identify the passage of time; such as when Lily was taking naps, when Lily was in preschool, or when Lily was in grade school.  For me, there is a large block of time in my life, between college graduation and motherhood that seems to just meld together.

Continue reading →

Is it a boy or a girl? Only the cupcakes know! (the best baby gender reveal EVER!!)

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There are two very different views when it comes to finding out a baby’s gender*.  Some people can’t wait to find out as soon as possible (generally around 18 – 20 weeks), while others prefer to keep it as a “surprise” until they deliver.  John and I are in the camp of “can’t wait to find out” and we did as soon as possible.  My mom was also with us at the ultrasound, and we immediately called the rest of our family to share the news with them.  Later on in the day, we also posted the news that we’re having a BOY on Facebook (of course!).

However, our good friends Andrea and Mike wanted the best of both worlds.  They wanted to know their baby’s gender but also wanted the element of surprise.  And so, to make their special day even more amazing, they decided to throw an intimate (immediate family only) baby gender reveal party. Continue reading →

Clothes swap for a good cause

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Two months before the holidays, I was putting clothes away in my closet when I almost fell over. I was pushing and squeezing new sweaters on to the rack when I realized that my closet was full of clothes that I haven’t worn in over two years. Granted, I was pregnant for one of those years, but honestly, I probably wasn’t going to wear many of these clothes again anytime soon. And so, an idea popped into my head: I need to purge some of my clothes so why not do it via a clothes swap with my friends. I was so excited that I sent out the evite two months in advance. As I was thinking about the logistics of the clothes swap, another thought entered my head. Why not somehow incorporate doing something for a good cause while I’m at it. And so, I sent out the following evite: Continue reading →