just percolating...
Dear Parks Canada, Yesterday, I saw a news article circulating on social media that caught my attention. It claimed that to help celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary, a free annual Parks Canada admission pass would be made available. I thought this sounded rather nice. It would certainly help spur our family on to see a few more of them. (We regularly visit Provincial Parks, as my camping/roadtrip posts can attest to, but rarely make the … [Read more...]
I was flipping through an old newspaper before throwing it into the recycle bin when I came across an article about an upcoming event called "Prose in the Park." Since the paper happened to be old, the event happened to be taking place on that very day. Well, Stella and I were certainly going to need to visit this inaugural event! We drove down from our quiet suburb into the hustle and bustle of Ottawa's Westboro area, where the Parkdale … [Read more...]
Last weekend, the Hubby and I dusted off some fancy-pants clothes and headed out to Canada's National Arts Centre to attend the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. I had been invited as a member of the media last year, and was thrilled to be invited again this year because this event is just spec-tac-u-lar. In addition to the actual show, there are some pre- and post-show activities to book-end the experience. Before the show … [Read more...]
Attending blogging conferences has been one of the smartest things I've done as a blogger. They allow me to feel connected with people who "get" this crazy need to blog, to learn about a craft that is anything but traditional, and to keep up with technology that moves at break-neck speed. The very first blogging conference I attended was a biggie: BlogHer in 2010. When I'd heard about it, I emailed a local Ottawa blogger I didn't really know … [Read more...]
Yes, it's been a long hard winter. You may even feel that it's aged you a bit along the way. But did winter actually feel any easier when you were 29? Well, duh. Everything's easier when you're 29, right?!! A new movie hitting the screens soon is taking that concept to a whole new -- and thought-provoking -- level. (Granted, I think it could make a great comedy too.) Despite joking with our girlfriends that we're 29 years … [Read more...]
My kids tell me that *everyone* in their class is going on a trip to Florida for the March Break. Naturally, since I am typing this up while looking out at a ton of snow still on the ground, it goes without saying that we are not in this *everyone* crowd. But we're not crying in our hot chocolate (okay, maybe just a little ;)) ... we've got some fun things planned for the kids, including a night ski on Gatineau's cross-country ski trails. And … [Read more...]
A big shout-out to my fellow bloggers who have provided support and sent visitors my way over the past year! Top 10 Bloggers Who Sent Me Visitors 1. Finola.ca 2. Knitnut.net 3. 8footsix.com 4. quietfish.com 5. unmarketing.com 6. viewfromtheglen.blogspot.ca 7. curtainsareopen.com 8. ottawastart.com 9. contestgirl.com 10. bibliomama2.blogspot.ca … [Read more...]
Bloggers dig this stuff. So bear with me as I dig around in my blog's Google Anaytics for 2014 ... Top 5 Most Popular Posts of 2014 1. Hot Cars Kill: 5 Low-Tech Ways of Remembering Your Child in the Backseat of Your Car This post brought, by far, the greatest number of visitors to the blog this year (25,500+). It's intended to be an educational post. At its core, though, it comes from a place of sadness. I wrote it thinking of the grief … [Read more...]
Just in case you weren't aware, I wanted to let you know that I'm almost famous now. Yeah, that's right. You see, I had my first TV appearance yesterday and I'm certain Hollywood will be calling tomorrow. But seriously ... for a gal who has never been on a TV set, it was a really fun opportunity and I was excited to see how it would all work. Let me back up. Marilou from Twenty York Street, a fashion blog based in the heart of Ottawa's … [Read more...]
Monday's are always such a good day to give something back to my friends who come by and spend time here at Coffee with Julie! Especially when Ottawa is so grey and gloomy right now. Today, I have -- thanks to Sara at Allied Integrated Marketing -- two family passes (each pass admits two adults and two children) to the upcoming Ottawa premier of The Penguins of Madagascar movie. Here's the movie synopsis: “Super spy teams aren't … [Read more...]
Like most of us interested in film and feminism, we've heard of Lena Dunham. Her film Tiny Furniture, followed by the HBO series Girls has made waves. Waves large enough for critics to refer to Dunham as "the voice of a generation." Well, my "baby" sister is of this generation. So when Dunham's memoir started getting some buzz, I picked up a copy. Recently, though, the memoir has been getting far more than buzz. She's been accused of being a … [Read more...]
I really expected to read a book a week this summer -- at least. Most summers, I work and then maybe take a week or two off for a vacation with my family. But, as you might know, this summer was 6 weeks of no work. Almost 7 weeks actually. With a lot of wait time in airports and sit time on planes. So, I figured I'd be packing in one or two books a week with all that time. But, no. Three books. Three measly books. Okay, perhaps there might … [Read more...]
It's Monday. Let's do a giveaway, shall we? Remember how excited and captivated you were as a kid to see the movie ET for the first time? I can remember clearly that my neighbours had seen ET at drive-in show (oh, those were sooo cool!) and I was just bursting out of my skin for my parents to take me too. When we did go, I certainly wasn't disappointed! Now, in 2014, we'll be able to re-live that fun again ... and introduce it to our kids! … [Read more...]
Oops, they did it again! The WordCamp Ottawa organizers pulled off an amazing conference this past weekend. For the price of $30, attendees drank in a full day and a half of informative sessions AND were fed lunch and snacks as well. It's by far the best value for dollar of any conference I've ever been to. All up, 320 people registered for the 2014 edition of WordCamp Ottawa. As mentioned in my earlier post, I was going to be speaking. My … [Read more...]
And we know how much I love to go to blogging conferences (aka "School for Bloggers")!!! Some good friends of mine kicked off a great social media conference in Ottawa in 2011 called Social Capital Conference. Naturally, I attended it and I'm happy to see it still running and growing in numbers each year. This new conference is called BConnected and its focus is specifically on parent bloggers. As far as I'm aware, these are the only two … [Read more...]
NYC with kids? Yes, it's do-able and we did it! We are fortunate enough to have friends in NYC, so it makes taking a last minute trip a whole lot easier. Usually, however, it is either Hubby or I taking a solo trip. This time, we took the kids. With Max now 5 years old and Stella now 11, travel is also a whole lot easier. So we felt that the Christmas school holiday break was a window we couldn't resist. We left on December 30th and drove … [Read more...]
In 2013, I published 122 new posts. And that brings the number of posts I've published in total here on Coffee with Julie to 14,477. But what did you actually like on Coffee with Julie in 2013? In 2013, these were the 5 posts that had the most views: 1. Hot Cars Kill (published in July 2013) 2. Arbonne Makeup Primer (published in November 2012) 3. Favourite "Eco" Shampoos (published in January 2013) 4. Achray Campground (published … [Read more...]
I was at the mall today. So I can personally vouch that if you have yet to pick out a perfect gift for someone special, you are definitely not alone! It is a busy world out there. But thanks to Staples, I can recommend the ideal gift for that person who seems to have everything: Beat Studio headphones by Dr. Dre. Whether they're a music lover, business traveller, or public transport devotee, these headphones will make life just that much more … [Read more...]
Are you reading this post because you haven't finished your Christmas shopping yet? Eep -- I haven't either! But, hey, there are still SIX WHOLE DAYS before Christmas Eve. And you know what that means? Yep, anyone who has all their shopping done before Christmas Eve is a super-organized super-star! So if you have a young boy on your list, like I do (my son Max is 5 years old), I have some great gift ideas for you! Playmobil Puzzle For … [Read more...]
Thanks to the Ottawa International Writers Festival, I had the tremendous opportunity to meet Amanda Lindhout and hear her story in her own words. If Amanda's name does not ring familiar, let me explain who she is. She is a young Canadian woman who has published a memoir (A House in the Sky) of her experience as a hostage in Somalia for 460 days. Let that sink in for a moment: Four-hundred and sixty days. These were not 460 days in a … [Read more...]
Last night my mother and I went out for Thai and then saw two fabulous bands perform live. Our birthdays are very close together and instead of gifts, we now do an evening together. It started with a bit of random luck. Now, it's a bit of a tradition. One of the bands we saw last night was Chic Gamine. They're an a capeella group (ha! just kidding Sacha!) interesting collection of Winnipeggers and Montrealers. Hard to nail down what their … [Read more...]
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