When You've Got Some Free Time...

Okay, the free time thing was a joke (you're here because you're a mom, right?), but today I'm sharing three sites that I like to visit just for fun. Obviously, if you only have a little bit of time you should stay right here, but if you happen to be on bedrest, or your boss is out today and you don't have to worry about the quick-minimize-move, here are some suggestions:

Lil' Sugar: This online magazine is a new Canadian startup, and there you'll find quick info bytes, fashions for you and the kids, contests (you still have time to get in on the free laundry service giveaway!), celebrity scoop, crafts and recipes. PLUS, right now they're featuring this amazing blogger named Kate Winn...

People Magazine's Celebrity Baby Blog: It's light and fluffy, and the go-to place if you just have to know what Suri's been wearing. (Suri and Shiloh were born the same Spring as Frannie, so I feel a real connection.) This site has all the news about expectant celebs and famous offspring, but there are also product reviews, parenting tips and giveaways. Consider it a guilty indulgence.

I'm An Organizing Junkie: I know, I know, sounds so totally fun, right?? This site is for my soulmates out there who could see themselves getting excited over titles like "Bathroom Storage", "The Laundry System That Saved My Life", and "My Peter Walsh Interview". If you don't know who Peter Walsh is, this is not the site for you. Though it probably should be. Plus, there are lots of menu plans for those of you who actually cook. (You people are so not my soulmates.)

There you have it: on days when I have no new content (and you have read through and commented on all archived posts, as well as checked out links to my published articles) you have my blessing to pop over and check out one of these spots.

And you? What's your guilty online pleasure? (Keep it clean, ladies, keep it clean!)

Mother's Day Moments

So I like gifts. Is that a bad thing to say? My husband is an excellent shopper (he strikes the perfect balance of responding to hints and using his own good taste) and it's nice to open something new and special and just for me. So while I will soon switch gears to the whole 'my-children-are-the-best-gifts-of-all' spiel, I would like to say that I was thrilled when Frannie and Maggie presented me yesterday morning with three little jewelery-store boxes containing the following additions for my Pandora bracelet:

The first one seems especially sweet because it's like four hearts gathered together...just like the four of us in our little family! Get it? (I said sweet, not deep and thought-provoking. No reading-between-the-lines for that one.) But wait a sec...the second one is actually comprised of five hearts. Uh oh!

I've been trying to remember what I have received other years for Mother's Day, but sometimes the Valentine's Day/Mother's Day/My Birthday succession blends enough that I can't distinguish one from the other. I can remember last year, when Mom asked Frannie if she had helped Daddy pick out a Mother's Day gift for me (seeking only a yes or no answer) she announced, too quickly to be silenced, "Yep! An angel for the garden!" And that's exactly what it was.

I have no recollection of gifts two years ago, but I vividly remember the four-generation photo taken of my Grandma, Mom, me, and Frannie. I had two weeks left before Maggie's due date and I thought I was lookin' good. I'm sure we all have that moment during pregnancy where we think "wow...the numbers on the scale are going up, but I still look pretty great!" And then we make the mistake of using a store dressing room, a poorly lit restroom, or in my case, looking at one of the most horrible photos in the history of time. I only have one thing to say: those of you who told me I was "all baby" were LYING!!! (At least my mother was always honest. Just the other day she was talking about an expectant mom who "is really wide from behind. You know, the way Kate gets when she's pregnant.")

My girls were excited to present me with a Mother's Day breakfast, but they're a little young for anything too culinary. (Plus I knew we were having a real brunch at my parents'.)  When asked what I wanted, I simply suggested that they pop the last Tim Horton's chocolate chip muffin from the day before (a leftover from the bribe we use to get fearful Frannie to take some risks during Saturday morning swimming lessons) on a plate. Mind you, it was cut open, buttered and warmed, so it was still more exciting than my usual morning fare.


This was my fifth Mother's Day, so I think my mindset has finally shifted into the mom-identity (mom and daugher and granddaughter at the same time!) but for the first couple of years I kept thinking about what I could do to honour Mom and Grandma, forgetting that I should be soaking up some of the mom-attention myself. Since we celebrated my husband's birthday throughout April (as in "Can you please take the recycling out?" "What? Me? But it's my birthday month!") I think I'll try to milk this holiday for another few days at least.

Oh, right, I almost forgot: having my daughters is truly the greatest gift of all. No, really, it is. We are so blessed that it has become all too easy to take our real gifts for granted. I am grateful for our health, our extended family and friends, our home, and our jobs, in this day and age when those things are not guaranteed. But while I am well aware that a charm bracelet pales in comparison to two beautiful little girls who want nothing more in life right now than to be close to their mommy, I will openly admit that it was kind of nice to unwrap a present too.

How did you spend your Mother's Day? Are there any other gift-lovers out there willing to out themselves? You can go by "anonymous"; it's okay. Come on - how many of you would rank some time alone as the greatest gift of all? I'd love to hear your Mother's Day stories, both the material and the memorable. And no one here is judging you if your ideal celebration wasn't all about your offspring. I'm sure we've all used the same line with our children: "Kids' day? Kids' day is every day!"

Win a Family Emergency Kit - And Get Prepared!

Did you know that this week was Emergency Preparedness Week? Neither did I, until a couple of days ago! Read on for more information, and to find out how you can win a Red Cross Emergency Kit for your family.

Okay, so I consider myself a pretty organized person. Some people have other words for it, but to spin it positively, I am definitely a "well-prepared planner". You would think that emergency preparedness would be a priority for me, but for some reason I haven't spent much time worrying about it.

A few years ago, one of our Christmas gifts from my parents was an Emergency Kit, complete with items like a first aid kit, flashlight, AM/FM radio, and batteries, with instructions to add non-perishable food, water, and essential personal items. "Terrific idea!" we said, and then brought it home and stashed it in the basement between the punch bowl and the breadmaker. We'd have some warning before we actually needed it, right?

Thanks to a representative from Public Safety Canada who recently contacted me to let me know that May 2nd - 8th is Emergency Preparedness Week, I have decided it's time to get my household on board with the initiative. The organization has launched a web video, available here, which outlines in simple terms why having an emergency plan is important.

It's ironic that we spend a great deal of time at school on fire drills and lockdown procedures (my students know exactly which corner of the room to crouch in to hide from the hypothetical bad guys) but my husband and I have given little thought to our home plan.

Of course, I occasionally wake up in the middle of the night wondering if it would be safe to toss my daughters from their bedroom windows, or how I would get from the spare room in the basement to the stairs safely in case of a fire, but I wake up the next morning with something else on my mind, and never actually formulate a plan. Although Maggie is too young to get it, Frannie is certainly ready for some non-panic-inducing instructions...and besides, a little bit of worry now (e.g. "Can I take my dolls if we have a fire?") is worth it if it saves her life later.

I encourage you to check out their video, as well as other areas of their website. They take you step-by-step through creating your emergency plan online, and they also have a section providing tips about such topics as how to prepare if you or a family member has special needs, what you should do about your pets, and a very valuable section on how to talk to your kids about emergencies. This page includes info for teaching your children about 911, as well as some sample emergency scenarios and responses. (I might even use these in class.)

So...are you a step ahead of this self-proclaimed organizational guru? Do you already have a well laid out emergency plan for your family? Or have you ever been confronted with a sudden situation and wished you were better prepared? Share your stories...and then check out the website!

Oh, right, and about the contest: Enter to win a Canadian Red Cross Emergency Kit courtesy of Public Safety Canada! For a chance to win this deluxe kit, which contains nearly 20 different safety items including waterproof matches, multi-function knife, windup flashlight/radio/alarm, emergency rescue blanket, water purification tablets and whistle, simply leave a comment below. Make sure to include contact info such as a your email address or website, or email your info to me (katewinn77ATyahooDOTca) AFTER commenting. You can also check back on Sunday, May 30th when I will choose a winner by random number generation and make an announcement right here at This Mom Loves. Good luck, and happy preparing!

Contest open to residents of Canada. Contest closes at 12:00 noon Eastern Time, Sunday May 30th 2010.

Our Little Banker: Frannie's Moonjar Moneybox

Is it ever too early to learn how to manage your money?

One of Frannie's favourite birthday gifts this year was her Moonjar Moneybox, purchased at a local retailer for $29.99 (less expensive versions are also available.) There are three compartments in this savvy-kids' piggybank are labelled "save", "spend", and "share".

At first I thought the easiest route was to teach her to divide by three, so I gave her three of the same coins at a time, and she distributed them equally. I have to be honest, though: in real life, my charitable donations, while existent, do not equal my savings. And they certainly do not come close to the amount I need (choose?) to spend each month. I'm thinking of giving her an allowance of $1.50 - the loonie for spending, and the quarters for the "save" and "share" compartments.

Check out Moonjar's website for more information on their products or for great ideas about teaching money-sense to your children. They also have great classroom programs, which I will be exploring in the future as well.

Frannie certainly recognizes the importance of money. We donate to our church each week, and Frannie loves to drop the envelope in the basket as it goes by, but we never realized that she was unaware of the contents of the envelope. That is, until one week we forgot the envelope and just got her to deposit the cash in the basket. As soon as the collector was past the pew, she shouted "Hey! I want my money back!" I guess we need to work on the "share" thing.

So, what's your stand on allowances? My brother and I always got a standard, no-questions-asked amount of money, dependent on our ages, and we were expected to make all of our own non-essential purchases. As I got older, I earned additional money by doing extra housework or bigger jobs, but the basic allowance was not related to our daily chores, which were just expected of all family members.

And how much is the right amount? Some of you might think giving a four year-old an allowance is ridiculous, but she is still at the phase where she asks for something in every store we visit, (even though I use the standard "Put it on your Christmas/birthday list" line, and have absolutely never given in and purchased anything more expensive than a bag of cheesies.) I think having some of her own money to spend would be good for her, and I love the share/save components of her moneybox as well.

Thoughts?

See It: Date Night

For those of you wondering what happened to all of my movie reviews, here's the issue: My blogging goal, lofty as it may be, is to focus on the positive and share experiences which I would recommend. For the last month, I have been sorely disappointed with movies. This Mom does not love wasting her time. We rent at least a couple of new releases each week, and usually make it to the theatre once a month, but I honestly haven't seen anything worth writing about.

Last Tuesday, however, I hit cheap night at the cinema with my husband's three sisters (my favourite girls'-night-out companions) to see Date Night. It was more than worth the $5.25 ticket price. My guess is that the vast majority of married couples could relate to the routine and comfort of the Fosters' family life, and although that is the undercurrent of the film, the plot is actually a funny case of mistaken-identity, try to outsmart the bad guys, completely implausible storyline. Sorry -- I hope you weren't expecting a Steve Carrell/Tina Fey picture to be a moving drama.

The only downfall of "Date Night" was the absolutely senseless nudity. I mean, really, how many viewers want to see Marky Mark with his shirt off? Several times? Showing off an extremely muscular physique? Tsk, tsk. Just terrible.

Where was I? Oh right. This movie would be a great choice for your next "date night", although I suppose it's kind of ironic that I went to it with the girls. I think I'll drag my husband to Sex and the City 2 to balance things out!

You've Got Mail: Subscribe To "This Mom Loves"

I've recently added a new feature to This Mom Loves: an email subscription link.

If you want to save time and not have to keep coming back to the site to check for new posts, you can submit your email address and be automatically notified of new material. In fact, each new post will be waiting in your Inbox!

The link can be found at the top of the sidebar on the right. You will be asked for your email address, and then a message will be sent to your account to confirm. After that, all new material will be sent directly to you. You will still be able to link to the post within your email to access comments, or navigate to other pages of the blog.

Plus, I love getting new subscribers, so just think of it as a gift for your favourite blogger in the whole world. Or Canada. Ontario? Still too much? How about 'one of your favourite'? A blogger you visit often? A blogger you've visited at least once, since you're reading this right now?  Okay, I'll stop. Now go sign up!

Red Paint: Not For The Faint of Heart

Just to shake things up a bit, today's post is on the topic of decorating. I take after my mother and my aunt who love to decorate, accessorize, and redecorate. (My aunt is infamous for repainting her bathroom every season. My uncle is always thrilled.)

When we built our house seven years ago, we had the foresight to have a large room in the basement finished, which has turned out to be an incredible blessing. At the time, we assumed it would be a typical dark, depressing basement (underestimating the impact of the four large windows) and therefore we went with a pale yellow paint, to brighten it up a little.

Big mistake. The room always seemed cold, impersonal, and (believe it or not) too big. I know, I know, cry me a river. This was, of course, before kids' stuff filled it up. Anyway, check out the "before" pictures:

Now, to be honest, the too-country plaid slipcovers didn't contribute to the look I was going for, but the yellow walls were the main problem. After a great deal of research, I decided that red would be the perfect colour to achieve the warm atmosphere we wanted. Many friends and family members thought I was crazy to make such a dramatic change, and that part I have never regretted, but others warned us about the technical issues with red paint. Those people, I should have listened to. On the advice of the Home Depot lady (who also questioned my sanity, and stressed the difficulty we would be facing) we bought a pink primer to start things off.

Although we enlisted a couple of family members to help, painting an 800 square foot room full of windows, doors and a staircase is no quick job. Once the primer was on, my husband (only semi-jokingly) asked me if I wanted to just stick with the light rose colour and wrap things up. But no, I persisted, and we forged ahead with coat number one of  Behr's "Ruby Ring." Then coat number two. Then three. And we still weren't done.

All in all, it took four coats of paint on top of the tinted primer; a long and painful process. To spruce up the rest of the room, we got new black leather couches and loveseat, pared down the accessories, and eventually got a second bookshelf and painted them both black.

Some after photos: (the bottom one is the Christmas look. Red works really well with that!)

Ironically, right after we finished the room, I found out I was pregnant with Frannie and the nausea kept me from enjoying it. Between the new paint and the new leather, I wasn't able to go down the stairs for over a month!

Since that summer, we have upgraded to a flatscreen and new entertainment unit, and have added countless toys, games and books (a Barbie house, mini-kitchen, easel and basketball net fill a room quickly), but I am proud to say that the well-used treadmill has remained constant.

We absolutely love our dramatic room and receive compliments whenever we have new visitors, but if your heart is not completely set on red, I recommend you run go in another direction.

Take This To The Library: Our Book Club Reading List

By popular demand (okay, my sister-in-law asked for it), here is a comprehensive list of the titles read by my fabulous book club over the past two years.

I have ranked them in order of my preference, and linked to their Chapters/Indigo description. We began with the goal of reading more Canadian female writers, but obviously have branched out here and there. (Note: This list was updated after one of my fellow members refreshed my memory about a couple of titles I missed.)

1. The Stone Diaries - Carol Shields
2. The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood
3. The Convict Lover -  Merilyn Simonds (any Kingstonites will be especially interested in this based-on-a-true-story)
4. Good To A Fault - Marina Endicott
5. My Friend Leonard - James Frey (sequel to his controversial as-seen-on-Oprah embellished autobiography A Million Little Pieces)
6. Where We Have To Go - Lauren Kirschner (based in Toronto)
7. From East To West - Antonina Demyczyna
8. For One More Day - Mitch Albom
9. The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story - Diane Ackerman
10. The Shack - William P. Young
11. Three Day Road - Joseph Boyden
12. Late Nights on Air - Elizabeth Hay

One title which is not included on the list is "Man Who Forgot How To Read" by Howard Engel. I didn't read that one, knowing that I would be unable to attend the meeting. (It was on October 30th, and we had to take the girls pre-trick-or-treating at my parents' house.)

Have you read any of these books? I'd love to hear what you thought of them, and if you agree or disagree with my rankings. It would also be interesting to hear from my book club members -- what would be your top choice from the material we've read so far? Also, please let me know if I have forgotten any titles!

By the way, be sure to check out the "Bookshelf" in my sidebar, where I share other recommended reading.