just percolating...
This week, my hometown of Ottawa will be hosting its very first WordCamp (#WCOttawa)! I've mentioned in previous "School for Bloggers" posts that these kinds of events are a life bread for bloggers because it's the best way to learn -- from each other. There's no school for this crazy thing called blogging, so this is what we do instead. Here's how WordCamp Central describes these gatherings, which have taken place all over the … [Read more...]
When I heard that Oprah was coming to Ottawa, I just knew I had to get a ticket. Like people who still buy tickets to the Rollings Stones playing live, for me, Oprah is more about nostalgia and a deep respect for what she has accomplished in her life more than any kind of present-day fandom. She kicked off The Oprah Show in 1986, the same year I started high school. Despite it being a daytime show, I managed to see many episodes during my five … [Read more...]
Today is Earth Day. I remember first getting involved in Earth Day events when I was in high school. My girlfriend Penny was keen to go downtown and check it all out and asked me to come with her. This was met with eye ball rolls by the adults around us -- "You are DRIVING downtown to a save-the-earth event?" Okay, so we weren't really up on our research. But our hearts were in the right place. Now, though, as an adult whose time is … [Read more...]
I've told you about my Awesome Things List before. Over the years, as you grow up, you also start to develop a list of stuff that drives you insane. This is my list of not-so-awesome. #1: Clothes shopping: Mom: how about this shirt? Me: Too Sparkly. Mom: How about this one? Me: Too tight. Mom: What about this one? Me: That monkey is so hideous; it’s going to give me nightmares for years. Mom: you are so picky. Me: We could go to … [Read more...]
What would you guess is the one thing I have never traveled without … My cell phone? Well, no. I was a backpacking gal long before people carried cellphones. I have an addiction problem now, but it hasn't always been this way. My passport? Not always. It’s only recently that Canadians need to carry a passport to enter into the United States. A companion? Nope. I travel alone all the time. … [Read more...]
Lately, I've been thinking about this expression: "When One Door Closes, Another One Opens." The full saying actually goes like this: “When one door closes, another door opens; but we so often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.”~ Alexander Graham Bell I've also heard other variations, like "When one door closes, use the window," reinforcing the notion that there is more than one way … [Read more...]
Thankfully, I have not heard this uttered from the mouths of either of my children (yet?) but I can vouch for having spat them at my parents once or twice. To prepare myself for hearing these words one day, I picked up Kathy Buckworth's newly launched book I Am So The Boss of You. Okay, let me back up. I actually picked up the book so that I could have it in hand for when she arrived into Ottawa for her book launch celebration. You know ... … [Read more...]
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In the first part of my discussion with researcher and cyberbullying expert Lissa Albert, we discussed what a parent should do if they suspect their child is being bullied. Today, we’ll look at what schools can do. Q1. What do you believe is the most effective approach for tackling bullying in schools? As an educator, I believe that we must always begin with as much as we can learn about any topic before we make a plan to tackle the … [Read more...]
My last post on bullying sent the traffic to Coffee with Julie soaring. Clearly, I’d hit a nerve. I think that’s because the adults in our communities genuinely want to do something about bullying, but are just not sure what that is. One reader, Chantal, suggested that having access to a social worker or other experienced worker in the realm of bullying would be very helpful. So I reached out to my online community and received a number of … [Read more...]
I’m going to tell you right of the bat that I’m not exactly the best cook. Don’t get me wrong, I love to make food. So awhile ago I tried to make cheesy chick biscuits. I started by mixing all the ingredients in the bowl and the likes, but after that it all went down hill. I rolled the batter out and it stuck to the wax paper I was using. Then I realized that we didn't have any cookie cutters, so I just said “cookie cutters are like SO … [Read more...]
It's March 22nd. The snow is heavier than ever. It's getting me down. We Canadians get really quite desperate for Spring and I think I've hit that desperate phase. So I treated myself to 20 dollars worth of flowers from my local grocery store. They have a variety of blooms that go for 3 for $20. I picked some yellow tulips, pink tulips, and some pretty white flowers that I don't know the name of. I spread the flowers out so that I could … [Read more...]
I told you how I won a trip, but I also promised to tell you all about our upcoming trip to spectacular Northwest Territories. And you know me, I like to keep my promises! (You know, mostly.) All up, our Northwest Territory adventure will end up being 9 days in total. One day for travel there and one day for travel back via First Air, which is one of the only air carriers with regular connections to 30 northern communities. We'll be flying … [Read more...]
Yesterday, I told you I won a trip. So, it's true, people actually win these things! Today, I was going to tell you all about my trip to Northwest Territories. But since we (in Ottawa) just got a massive dump of snow, I thought you all might want to know about this contest as soon as possible! Remember how much I loved going to Beaches Boscobel in Jamaica? Well, Sandals is the cousin to Beaches. Where Beaches if ultra-family, Sandals is … [Read more...]
Seeing the Aurora Borealis up in Canada's Great North has always been a dream of mine. (And Hubby's ... but his also includes winter camping, whitewater canoeing, and a whole bunch of other adventurous deeds.) So when I received an invitation from MJW Communications to a kick-off event for the Spectacular Northwest Territories Days at Ottawa's Winterlude in February, I immediately accepted. Normally, I go to these travel-writing/blogging events … [Read more...]
Have you read The Book of Awesome? There are two of them now and I've read them both. They're great. So in the theme of "awesome," I present to you my 10 awesome things ... … [Read more...]
A loooonnng time back, I was dating a guy who proclaimed one day, "Stompin' Tom is playing this weekend. Let's go." I had no idea who Stompin' Tom was. But off we went to some little hole-in-the-wall bar in downtown Ottawa and we were treated to some of Tom's best songs. I had a fabulous time, and heard Tom perform a couple more times during the time I dated this boy. Now this boyfriend had unique tastes, so I just kind of figured that … [Read more...]
Sure, snow looks pretty. But that doesn't mean my skin likes it. Dry, winter skin is sort of a fact of life from December through to April in this area of the world. So I was definitely intrigued when I came across a Green Beaver line of lotion called "Apres-ski." I needed some new cream since I'd run out of my other stuff and our family has had a good experience with the Green Beaver Shampoo and Conditioner, so I thought I'd give this line a … [Read more...]
To catch up, you can read Part 1 and Part 2. The dragon hatchery was the third highest building but not quite the biggest tree house there. It was twelve feet by twelve feet. It was on the east side of the village and the girls were on the west side so it took them another ten minutes to get there. Liz and Vicky were very tired by the time they got there for they had to scale across a series of logs carved into stair cases, swinging ropes, … [Read more...]
Back in October, I wrote a guest post on the PhD in Parenting blog titled "Bullying is Bad. Don't be a Bully." It started like this: It's not politically correct, but I'll say it: I'm tired of hearing about bullying. I feel like we spend a great deal of time as a society these days talking about bullying and the importance of teaching children that bullying hurts. I think children already know that bullying hurts. That's why children -- and … [Read more...]
Tonight is the night! It's pajamas and tiaras, accompanied by yummy food and great gals. I did do my best to cram in as many of the nine films that were nominated for best picture this year. In the end, I saw: Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Lincoln, and Silver Linings Playbook. I also really wanted to catch Argo and Zero Dark Thirty, but that didn't happen. But just because I haven't seen most of the films and just because I haven't read … [Read more...]
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