just percolating...
Last week, I treated myself to two magazines (oh, how I still love my printed magazines!). One of these was Real Simple. In it, there was an article "50 books that will change your life." It had been mentioned on the cover, and was one of the reasons I chose this magazine over the many other beckoning covers. Once I got home, I flipped right to that article. I felt oddly disappointed. As an avid reader, I had expected that many of my favourite … [Read more...]
As part of a social shopper insights study, I was compensated to write this post. Yes, that means I got paid to go shopping. It's tough work if you can get it, but I'm definitely grateful for the opportunity to pick up some outdoor sports gear for my family. Thanks Collective Bias! My daughter is a book worm. My daughter is the smallest kid in her class. And my daughter wants to play football. Hubby and I aren't sure where the interest in … [Read more...]
This will be our third summer in our new home, and each year we (er, correction: the "royal we") put in a small veggie and herb garden into a bed that's on the side of the house. The kids love the entire process -- planting, watering, watching the growth, and then picking their own food from their own garden. Here's how ours is looking so far. We've got red peppers, cabbage, tomatoes, green onions, beans and all sorts of herbs … [Read more...]
Last Saturday, Stella and I ran in the 2K Family Run at Ottawa Race Weekend. It's an inclusive race where strollers, wheelchairs, walkers, and toddlers are all welcome. Have you heard of "chickenpox parties"? It's when a group of parents hold a party and intentionally invite a child with chickenpox to hang out with their children in the hope that their kids will catch it. Well, this is sort of how I imagine I might be able to catch … [Read more...]
There's a whole lot of talk lately about kids and their low fitness levels in Canada. This week, as example, Healthy Active Kids Canada just released their annual report and gave Canadian kids a grade of "D minus" (yikes!) for overall fitness activity levels. I've been working with a client who focuses on this, so I've had the opportunity to read into some of the research investigating the roots of this issue and, needless to say, it's a complex, … [Read more...]
As I mentioned in my post on henna hair colouring, one of the most difficult things (for me, at least) has been trying to transition from mainstream deodorant to more "green" options. Over the past few months, I've tried quite a number of different alternatives and none of them worked for me. It was during this period when I was feeling a tad, er, concerned about body odor that I was offered samples of Lady Speed Stick to review (as well as … [Read more...]
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is just so darn cool that he has my kids shooting for the stars. I love it because it gives me an excuse to remind them to study hard in their maths and sciences if they want to be an astronaut. p.s. Is it just me or are you secretly developing a crush on him too? … [Read more...]
So far, my "cosmetics quest" (an effort to minimize the number of toxins I willingly apply onto my hair and skin each morning) has been a combination of hits and misses. The two most challenging items I've been trying to source to date are deodorant and hair dye. As you can see in my blog photo, I like to keep my hair red. But not long ago, I liked to keep my hair blonde. And before that ... well, you get the picture. I've liked changing up my … [Read more...]
First things first, I don't enjoy games. I think it's because I'm too impatient ... I don't like the time involved in reading through all the rules, nor do I like it when a game drags on and never ends (I've been known to lose on purpose just so a game would end!). My daughter, who is almost 11 years old now, has a mild interest in games. And since this interest is mild, I only feel mildly like a bad mother for not engaging her more in … [Read more...]
This is crazy. But apparently Britney Spears and I have something in common. Unfortunately, it's not her insane wealth, nor her bikini-worthy body. (Although fortunately it's not her bad taste in men or suppliers of hair extensions.) What I've noticed lately is that when it comes to Britney, what people are talking about is this: That she makes funny faces. I never thought that much of them. But if you google "Britney Spears + … [Read more...]
This week, France legalized gay marriage. Last week, it was New Zealand. The week before that, it was Uruguay. Marriage equality. It's Time. Julie xo … [Read more...]
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...]
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...]
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