I’m an optimist. Maybe you follow me on social media because my bubbly personality and glass-half-full outlook are just what you need to break up the monotony of your daily doomscroll. Or maybe you’ve blocked me because I’m not what you need right now. Either way, what matters is you’re here with me today to hear me declare that stupid … [Read More...]
Graco 4Ever Car Seat Review (Including Headrest Redesign)
Just a note if you are new here, I am a Child Passenger Safety Technician, certified through CPSAC. You can find me at Calgary Car Seat Cubs. The Graco 4Ever is an “all-in-one” car seat marketed as perhaps the only seat you’ll ever need to buy for your child. Is that too good to be true? How does it stack up in terms of fit to child, fit to … [Read More...]
Take a Peek at PEAKBWA: Kids’ Clothing that Lasts
As Canadian treasure Joni Mitchell would say, “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” Except in my case, it goes something like “you don’t know all the cool people living near you and you don’t realize the impact of affordable daycare till you move away.” But those lyrics wouldn’t fit in a Big Yellow Taxi. (There’s a reason I write blog … [Read More...]
Unique Slow Fashion Gifts from JORD {+ Giveaway}
In a world of fast fashion, JORD is a family-owned, high-end accessories brand that is striving to innovate with ethically made designs from reclaimed and natural materials. It would come as no surprise then that their name is not an homage to a favourite New Kid on the Block (mine was Joey, anyway) but rather a Norwegian word meaning “of the … [Read More...]
LPO Cloth Diapers Review: Now Available in the US of A, Eh!
As a kid, I remember being excessively jealous of American kids. Thanks to the domination of American media in the lives of Canadians, it seemed like American kids got all the cool stuff. All the fun contests were only open to US residents. Shipping from the Delia’s catalogue was so expensive. So many delicious looking chain restaurants only … [Read More...]
Book Recommendations from My 8-Year-Old
Alright, he’s not quite 8 yet, but by the time I get around to publishing this list, he will be very close. (Spoiler alert: He has, in fact, turned 8 since I wrote that intro.) My son reads two to four books a (non-school) day on average, so since the libraries opened up here, I’ve been a frequent visitor. Of all the books he’s taken out … [Read More...]
6 Activities for Minecraft Lovers
It’s hard to remember a time in my parenting life without Minecraft. It would’ve been around age 5 that my son requested we download it for him on the iPad because he’d seen older kids at his daycare playing it. Admittedly, I knew very little about the game, but moms with older kids had raved about it being educational and fueling their … [Read More...]
How Writing a YA Novel Helped Me Come Out at 39
Guest post by Dani Jansen Is it weird that I’m sometimes jealous of the main character in my own book? Don’t get me wrong! I do NOT want to go back to high school. Okay. You might argue I never left—I’m a high school teacher—but there is a big difference between watching the show and being in the show. Being a teenager is hard. I’m exhausted … [Read More...]
Graco Nautilus SnugLock LX Review
Car Seat Techs have a certain lingo that may be incomprehensible to the non-tech crowd, and this incudes nicknames for different car seats. The Graco Nautilus is a staple of tech-recommended lists in its category, and we affectionately refer to it as the “Nauti.” Cue the joke here about how I’m a Nauti girl. Because I am. I loved this car seat … [Read More...]
7 Educational & Fun Podcasts for Kids
When I rustled up an “old school” iPod touch for my son last summer, I started finding him podcasts to listen to and for us to listen to in the van together. Given current circumstances, we aren’t driving around much anymore, but when we do, we’ve been laughing and learning along the way. (Our primary destination is driving our foster cats … [Read More...]
5 Summer Sanity-Saving Activities for Kids and Parents
If you’re expecting me to propose this list of sanity-saving activities as a remedy to the excessive and toxic screen time you are irresponsibly allowing your children to consume … you don’t know me very well. Normally, the two months of summer break are the longest stretch of time when I have all four of my kids home with me 24/7. But, as … [Read More...]
18 Books That Shaped My Life
A guest post by Maman Loup's cousin, August Kirste-Yee I just graduated from high school, which, if I’m honest, still doesn’t feel real. What feels even less real is the fact that my 18th birthday is next month … yikes. With all these huge milestones plus these wacky pandemic times, I’ve been feeling pretty nostalgic. One thing that’s been … [Read More...]