Tag Archives: Toronto

Paying it forward; one family at a time

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The other day, as I was getting the nursery room ready for my newborn son, I came across some unopened gifts that we received from our loving and generous family and friends.  Since he’s our second child and of the same gender, we didn’t need it all.  It took me only a second to know what I had to do with the stuff.  Instead of re-gifting or exchanging, I decided that I wanted to give it away to a deserving family.  To be honest, this idea was inspired by a fellow blogger who recently blogged about the “ding dong diaper ditch“. But also, lately, I realized how lucky and fortunate my husband and I are.  It was time to pay it forward, and I finally figured out a good way to do it!PayItForward Continue reading →

Complete home service for busy moms – Concierge Home Services {review}

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There’s no error in my title, I know all moms are busy.  Show me a mom that isn’t busy, and I’ll show you a liar.  Also, I’d like to debunk a myth about stay at home moms.  People assume that SAHMs have time to cook every meal from scratch, clean, run errands and spend attentive time with their children.  While some women are miracle workers and can pull this off, most SAHM can do one or two of the above things.  As a SAHM, I can attest to that.  My number one priority is spending quality time with my sons which doesn’t leave me much time as I would like for everything else.  I obviously ensure that my boys are fed well, so beyond the playing and feeding, there’s little time left for cleaning.

Sure, I can tidy up like no one’s business, taking a messy room to a “tidy” room in seconds (especially if we have unexpected company!), but it’s not technically clean… just tidy.  And in the evenings, when I do have some free time, I prefer to spend it with my husband, on my blog or reading in bed watching TV.  I think I’ve earned a little time to myself, and while I could clean my house, I often choose not too.  My husband and I have both agreed that house cleaning is something we’d love to outsource. Continue reading →

Toronto Family Day Event for a Great Cause; TheChill.ca #StoppingKidsCancerCold

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Family day was first introduced in Ontario in 2008.  Beyond another long-weekend to break up the looooooong winter, it’s a great way for a family to spend some much-needed time together.  While my husband and I enjoyed this long weekend even before we became a family of three, we love it even more now that we can celebrate it with our little one.

I was recently told about a new and exciting event that will be taking place in Yonge-Dundas Square Toronto this upcoming Family Weekend (February 17th & 18th).  The Sears Great Canadian Chill (www.TheChill.ca) is a nationwide series of Polar Bear Dips that will Stop Kids Cancer Cold!  It’s mission is to raise money for kids cancer.  Specifically in Toronto, the funds raised will go to support pediatric oncology research and treatment initiatives at the Hospital for Sick Children.  This is such a great initiative that I just had to spread the word.TheChill.ca

Continue reading →

Confessions of a stay at home mom (SAHM)

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I always imagined that being a stay at home mom would allow me to do some of the things that I didn’t get to do while I was in the workforce. I pictured myself visiting different neighbourhoods throughout Toronto, walking around, discovering new stores and enjoying the fresh air or a nice cup of coffee.  That was all fine and dandy, until reality sank in.  I had Kyle and hardly had time to get to know my own neighborhood let alone visit other ones in Toronto.  Well, here’s a couple of other things I didn’t really expect to experience either, but I’m laying it all out so there’s no confusion about the realities of a stay at home mom (mine anyways).SAHM3

  • I wear the same clothes two days in a row if I know I wont be seeing the same people both days (my husband and son are exempt from this rule)
  • I know the theme songs to 10 kid shows (and it’s not because I remember them from my childhood)
  • I spend more time in the washroom than I really need too
  • I let my 2-year-old get away with more than he should because I don’t want to have a bad day
  • Many of my child’s activities include shopping
  • I can’t DIY anything :(
  • I look forward to my phone blinking as it’s my way to communicate with the outside world
  • I enter several online contests as a way to “contribute financially” to my family
  • The iPad is my son’s best friend
  • My favorite book to read is “magazines”
  • My cleaning schedule depends on when we’re expecting guests
  • I know kids love repetition but if I have to read the same book more than 10 nights straight I start to shake (and quickly hide that book)
  • I don’t always make my son’s food from scratch
  • I don’t buy organic
  • I never wear sweatpants because I don’t want to fall into the stereotype
  • I don’t always compost because the garbage is more accessible
  • After 2 years as a SAHM, my cooking hasn’t improved
  • Obtaining my MBA was a cinch compared to being a SAHMSAHM2
  • Even thought I can’t always describe in detail what I do all day long, I promise you I’m busy and exhausted by the time I put my son to bed
  • I still prefer being a stay at home mom over working outside the home

SAHM

If you’re a stay at home mom, what are some of the things that surprised you the most that you weren’t expecting to feel or experience?

Delicious and sustainable Mexican food for the whole family. Chipotle review & Giveaway

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About five years ago when I was in New York city for work, a colleague of mine suggested that we go to an amazing Mexican restaurant near our office.  Not knowing the area we were in too well, I took him up on his offer.

I have never heard of Chipotle (www.chipotle.com) before, but I was excited to try it out the moment I set foot in the door.  All of the ingredients looked fresh and the aromas were amazing.  I loved that I could order a burrito in a bowl. I have to say, it was one of my favourite restaurants to eat at in New York.  Yes, I just said that, but it’s true.  It was love at first taste.  I was sooooo excited when they finally opened their doors in Toronto and I could take my family there.  To this day it’s one of our favourite restaurants when we want a special “treat”.

Here’s some awesome facts about Chipotle (as if you needed additional persuasion to go and eat there):

  • It’s committed to serving natural and (unprocessed) organic meat
  • Food is freshly prepared in front of the customers in an open kitchen
  • They serve dairy products that are rBGH (Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) free.

There are four Chipotle restaurants in Toronto so make it a Chipotle night or lunch with your family.  And to help you achieve that, Babylish Advice and Mayahood Blog are giving away FOUR Burrito bucks.  Each Burrito Buck is equivalent to one free meal good for a Burrito, Burrito bowl, Salad or order of Tacos.

To enter this contest, you need to do one of the followings.  The more you do, the more entries you will receive in the draw.  Kindly leave me a message at the end of this post to let me know which of the following activities you have completed.

1. Like Mayahood on Facebook

2. Like Babylish Advice on Facebook

3. Follow Mayahood blog on WordPress.  Click on the “follow” button and enter your e-mail address to receive my latest blog posts directly to your mailbox as soon as I publish them.

4. Sign up for Babylish Advice’s newsletter found on www.babylishadvice.com

5. Share this giveaway on your Facebook page.  Copy and Paste the following sentences on your personal timeline: Great giveaway from Chipotle Mexican Restaurant.  Enter here for your chance to win 4 free meals for your family to enjoy: http://wp.me/p248bN-os.

6. Let me know (by leaving me a message at the bottom of this post) what you would get from Chipotle if you won this giveaway.

7. Follow Mayahood Blog on Twitter (@fitzpatrickmaya).

Contest deadline is Thursday, December 6th.  Open to all residents in the GTA.  Good-luck!

Top 30 mom blogs in Toronto – Takes 2 seconds to vote for me!

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To my amazing blog readers and followers.  As some of you may already know, I made the top 30 mom bloggers in Toronto list on Toronto Mom Now (TMN).  An honour in itself considering how many mommy bloggers there are in Toronto.  If you like my blog, please vote for me :)   It doesn’t take more than 5 seconds.

http://www.torontomomnow.com/2012/vote-for-your-favourite-toronto-mom-blogs-of-2012/

There are some other amazing bloggers on the list as well, so check them out while you’re looking.  You can vote for up to 5 bloggers.

If you’re bored by this post, here’s an updated family picture with our cute new puppy that we got last weekend :)

 

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 →