As I rolled my enormous suitcase along the corridor of the conference centre, a security guard stopped me. "Can I help you?" "No, I'm fine. I think the room I'm looking for is just down this way." "You're with the knitting group, then?" he asked. Knitting? Hah. Imagine a group of middle-aged women spending an entire weekend congregated together. And knitting. Sounds like a wild and crazy weekend of glam times, doesn't it? I turned … [Read more...]
Disney on Ice (4-pack ticket giveaway)
November 12, 2009 by 9 Comments
Do you have a daughter? Did you look into her face as a newborn babe and imagine all the things you would share together in the future ... chick flicks, shopping, perhaps even doing each other's hair? A lot of my friends have daughters. I see their girls wearing pink, experimenting with makeup and nail polish, enjoying dress-up games and taking an interest in toys like dolls, ponies or classic Disney movies that involve a princess or … [Read more...]
Toys for all ages
November 5, 2009 by 2 Comments
As my daughter started to grow out of her toys, I would give them to friends or donate them to charities. I only kept a few toys -- ones that were of high quality or particularly popular -- on the chance that we'd have another child. Now we have a 7-year-old girl and a 16-month-old boy. With a six-year age gap, you would think that these two would never share the same toys. And yet, when I recently dug out Stella's old Word Whammer and put it … [Read more...]
4 Ingredients — episode 5
November 3, 2009 by 4 Comments
Looking for an easy recipe that requires hardly any ingredients and prep time? Look no further than my 4 Ingredients episodes*! Looking to see how Julie expands her cooking repertoire and amazes her family with new tastes? Er, uh ... I have to admit that this is a bit of a cheater episode. For a few reasons. One of which is that this recipe has more than 4 ingredients. I thought the ingredients looked pretty basic, and the prep time was … [Read more...]
Used bed sheets
October 28, 2009 by 4 Comments
I never thought I'd see the day where I would buy used bed sheets. Yes, you read that right -- used, as in second-hand. I'm trying to rationalize this act right now. I mean, any time I sleep in a hotel room, I'm sleeping on used sheets, right? I know what you're thinking. That in this day and age of Zellers, Winners and Walmart, there is really no reason for resorting to buying used sheets. A fancy designer stroller, sure. But sheets, … [Read more...]
What to do about the flu?
October 25, 2009 by 12 Comments
I've largely been deaf to all the media frenzy surrounding H1N1. But this week, the vaccines will be available to the public. This means I need to make a decision. Ugh, I don't like decisions. And there are just so many darn decisions related to H1N1. To school or not to school? The school has repeatedly asked parents not to send their children to school if they are sick. But how sick is sick? The most common symptoms of H1N1, according to … [Read more...]
Grown-up girls get to have sleepovers too
October 24, 2009 by Leave a Comment
"When I first attended a slumber party some 25 years ago, we prided ourselves on avoiding sleep. Sprawled out on the floor of a friend's basement with pillows and sleeping bags, my companions and I would heartily fight any drooping eyelids by ingesting sugar and cola. Fast-forward to this morning, and slumber -- in lush, high-end bedding no less -- resumes its rightful place in the term "slumber party." Tip-toeing down the stairs to join me in … [Read more...]
4 Ingredients — episode 4
October 23, 2009 by 2 Comments
It's been a while since my last "cooking with Julie" episode, but I wanted to assure you that your advice and counsel have not got to waste. So, without further adieu, I shall present to you a (drum roll please ....) Oh, okay, I admit it! I did yet anotherchicken recipe! Yep, go ahead, call me a chicken in the kitchen! (That's right Ken, the self-proclaimed 'kitchen-bitch,' I can take it.) Bock. Booock. Cluckity cluck. Now that we got that … [Read more...]
How do you feel about Sigg now?
October 21, 2009 by 4 Comments
About a month and a half ago, I wrote this post "Sigg: not so super, after all?" I don't get attached to brands much, but somehow I had developed an affection for my Sigg. The news that Sigg's original liners had been made with BPA felt like a sneaky little trick had been played on me. Sure, I understand that the company says it never claimed its liners were not made of BPA, but rather that its liners didn't leach BPA. (I wanted to provide you … [Read more...]
Caffeinated MacGyver to the Rescue!
October 19, 2009 by 1 Comment
If you're of my vintage, you'll likely remember the MacGyver television series. If you've never heard of him or if your memory would simply like a little jog, each episode went like this: Cute-guy lead character (i.e. MacGyver) would face a huge crisis without breaking a sweat. He'd calmly concoct a solution such as a bomb de-fuser from a paperclip and a piece of gum stuck on the bottom of his shoe. In our family, we like to refer to my … [Read more...]
Spreading the joy
October 16, 2009 by 3 Comments
We're all sick here. Yucky, nose-dripping, achy-type annoying sick. Not the real serious, barfy, feverish, gonna-die sick. And as much I would like to wallow in it, there are deadlines, lunches to be made, and heads to be shampooed. In other words, life goes on. But it gets tricky when you really want to see a friend. Do I risk spreading my contagion to them? For instance, I haven't seen my best friend for weeks and we're scheduled to spend … [Read more...]
A passive aggressive package arrives
October 14, 2009 by 4 Comments
The mail doesn't actually come to our house. We need to go to our local post office and look in our box for mail. It's a quaint-little-village kind of thing to do, isn't it? I like going to check my mail, but for some reason I don't get around to doing it much. Kind of like my exercise regime, I guess. Anyhow, when I finally get there, it's overflowing and often jammed to the hilt. (I would imagine that our family's box is a pet peeve of the … [Read more...]
Spare me the “stranger danger”
October 13, 2009 by 11 Comments
I'm tired of hearing about "stranger danger," and I don't like the idea of teaching children the concept of "stranger danger." I mean, really. Is it really necessary to instill a fear in children about their fellow community members when the facts show that child abduction is an extremely rare occurence? My child already has her own self-instilled fear of aliens, does she need this one too? So please, spare me the fear-mongering. Why? … [Read more...]
A Gobbly-good Thanksgiving giveaway!
October 12, 2009 by Leave a Comment
![A646-printer-and-bag[1]](http://d3826520.u488.hspheredns.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/A646-printer-and-bag1-150x84.jpg)
I just saw that my bloggy friend Dani is having an awesome giveaway and I thought you might not want to miss out! It's for an HP Photosmart A646 Compact Photo Printer. I'm sure it's an awesome printer, but I'm all about that cute little bag that comes with it. To enter the contest, click here. … [Read more...]
Looking for a good children’s book?
October 6, 2009 by 4 Comments
I like it when friends or family take the time to pick out a special book for one of my kids as a gift (and inscribe it with a personal note). And I like to do the same for my friends. Recently, I've come across three great resources that make finding good books a lot easier. (So no, I'm not going to give up on my daughter who is reading 4-inch Pokemon gamer guides and nothing else these days!) #1: A Diamond in the Window My friend Brenda … [Read more...]
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Fairies
September 26, 2009 by 6 Comments
My daughter's tastes are what many refer to as "tomboy." She has never taken to playing with dolls of any sort, never cared for the colour pink and couldn't care less what she's wearing as long as she's allowed to play in the mud with it. My husband and I have always chosen to just go with the flow, and let her play with whatever she likes, however she likes. So it's never been an issue at home. And socially, it's never been an issue either … [Read more...]
4 Ingredients — episode 3
September 19, 2009 by 7 Comments
Ah, wondering why I've tried another recipe so soon after the last one? I know, it's out of character but hubby's away. And while hubby's away, this wife must cook. Well, okay, not really -- he did leave two meals for me in the freezer. And I admit to ordering in pizza last night. But tonight, those chicken breasts sitting in the fridge gave me the guilts. As in, "if you don't cook me tonight, you're throwing good money into the garbage!" So, … [Read more...]
This was our 'dirty'
September 14, 2009 by 11 Comments
![Dirty-Dancing-movie-08[1]](http://d3826520.u488.hspheredns.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dirty-dancing-movie-081.jpg)
Looking back, I can see why my parents continued to fork over what was a considerable sum of money so that I could keep up with my dance classes. I still have no idea how they managed to afford it since I find two children's activities costly, and they had four. But they did. Somehow. Sure, they knew I loved it. And I begged to take as many classes as could humanly be squeezed into a highschooler's schedule. Only now, as a parent myself, do I … [Read more...]
4 Ingredients — episode 2
September 14, 2009 by 11 Comments
It's okay, you're forgiven for thinking that I'd given up (again!) on the idea of teaching myself how to not suck at cooking. My first post on this topic sparked comments from readers that reassured me that I am not the only female lacking in such talent. Instead of mocking me, these lovely folks were sympathetic and encouraging. This propped me back up because despite it being an age of so-called gender equality, people do tend to go on and on … [Read more...]
According to plan
September 11, 2009 by 4 Comments
I had a great day planned out for yesterday. It's been 7 months since I've returned to Canada from Australia and in all that time, I still haven't had a playdate with just me, my 14-month-old son, my sister-in-law and her 17-month-old son. While we were in separate countries, we both gave birth to boys -- cousins! -- just a few months apart. This kind of playdate is exactly what I pined for during moments of homesickness in Australia. Somehow … [Read more...]
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