Marci Ien Welcomes Baby Number Two

Canada AM's Marci Ien tweeted on Sunday:

"Dash Joel Ien Exeter was born at 7:40 this morning. 6 pounds, 14 ounces. Thanks so much for all your support these past months."

Dash joins big sister, seven year old Blaize, who said: "Thanks for having my little brother, Mama. I've waited a long time."

A pic of Dash with Marci's niece, Melayna:




Congratulations, Marci! We are all so happy for you and your family!

For more on Marci, check out my first ever Momterview (for which she will always have a very special place in my heart), and follow her on Twitter!

Back To School Inspiration

"Education is not the filling of a pail,

but the lighting of a fire."

William Butler Yeats

Fellow teachers and parents...throw away those pails, and let's get ready to light some fires!

Quagmire Kids ColorFusion Clothing

Just in time for back-to-school, Frannie received a Quagmire Kids heat-sensitive color-changing ColorFusion shirt to try out...and if you're looking for a kid-pleasing item to spice up your child's fall wardrobe, look no further.

We were sent the purple/pink polo for review, which means the shirt is purple, but when activated by body or external heat, it turns pink.

When Frannie first tried it on, she thought it was cute before she even realized that there was a trick to it. As her body warmed (or when her sister planted a hand on her!) the shirt became spotted with pink. That morning she went for her back-to-school haircut and the heat of the hairdryer changed the item's color completely...no purple to be seen.

After laundering it for the first time, I realized the shirt had gone totally pink, and I freaked out, thinking that perhaps I wasn't supposed to wash it, but I realized that the heat from the dryer had worked its magic (and by the way, all items are indeed machine washable).

Boys' and girls' styles run from size 4 to 14 (I find they fit a bit slim, but you don't want to go too baggy or you'll lose some of the effect) and retail for a reasonable $25 - $39.

ColorFusion does come in adult sizes, but I'm pretty sure that's not for me. People don't need to know where my hot spots are!




You can purchase ColorFusion from http://www.quagmirekids.com/, http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/, or from The Bay (Queen St., Toronto.)

Disclosure: We were sent a shirt for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.

Winners: Pampered Chef, Scholastic, Skechers

Pampered Chef Large Stoneware Bar Pan:

Jessica of  Brantford, ON

Scholastic Back-To-School Books:

Kathleen of Windsor, ON

Skechers Shoes:

Pamela of Kitchener, ON

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Congratulations, ladies! Enjoy your prizes, and thanks to everyone for entering!

ET Canada's Cheryl Hickey: The Momterview

Update: Cheryl is now the mom of two! Daughter Nyla was born in April, 2013.

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My readers know very well that I am a huge entertainment junkie, and what better place to get all the news than Global TV's Entertainment Tonight Canada?

I recently had the opportunity to chat with ET Canada's gorgeous, talented (and most importantly, Ontario-born!) host, Cheryl Hickey.

This Mom: You're a busy mom like all of my readers, with one big difference being that you're on national television every day! Can you take us through what a typical workday is like for you?

Cheryl Hickey: Usually I wake up at about 7:00 to "mamamama"; that's my alarm clock. Lately it's been "mama backhoe", because that's his big word right now. Then I go in and see my son, and we have a bottle and cuddle time, and then off to shower.

Usually I'm at work by 8:30 in hair and makeup, or as I call it, "restoration", and I go into a morning line-up meeting where we talk about what's happening with the show, what stories have broken overnight, some of the local stories we're working on. Then back into hair and makeup and between 10 and 10:30 I go into my office and catch up on e-mails and phone calls and things like that that I need to do.

Next I go into the voice booth and start voice-overs for the show for probably 20 minutes, then I jump into wardrobe and throw on my clothes and we start the show at 11 and do that until usually 3:30. Right now my schedule is condensed and I'm working until about 1:00 and then I go home to my son.

Work has been really great in that I was working part-time for a little while. To everyone at home it looks like I'm working full-time, but we've managed to condense my day so I can be home with my son. My husband {Kevin Foley} works a very busy job and he's not around a lot, so this way works out much better.

TM: You're around fame on a daily basis, but are there any celebrities who still make you feel starstruck?

CH: I think after doing this for a little while you realize these guys are just people like all of us, and they get really nervous before big events, and you can see it in their faces when you're on the red carpet. But sure, there are still some stars you get excited to see, like your Julia Roberts and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, certainly. They're all pretty big.

TM: Is it common when interviewing a celeb for you to be told in advance that certain questions are off-limits, or are you generally open to ask whatever you want?

CH: Most of the time whatever you want to ask, but I would say that over the years, the number of publicists coming up to you saying "We don't want you to talk about this, we don't want you to talk about that," is definitely increasing, I think because their privacy is being taken away by all of the sites on the internet, the sort of 24 hours people watching, so there are certain things where they just don't want to talk about it.

TM: You always look amazing on the air. Do you have choice in your wardrobe?

CH: Oh yeah. I think Meg and I have developed a really fantastic relationship in that she knows what I feel I can wear and what I can't wear. Like any woman, you sort of know your body and you know what works and what doesn't. Every once in a while I'll wear something and think "Oh, jeez, why did I do that?" Meg will get a selection of clothes and I walk in and put on what I think works and then I'm out.

TM: What can we look forward to with ET Canada's coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival this year?

CH: We're going to be all over it, of course! We'll be at all the really big red carpets, and we have a really great room set up to do some one-on-one intimate interviews with everybody and we've got a couple of really good parties with a ton of celebrities coming, and we'll have our cameras rolling of course so we can show everyone the next day. And we'll show all of the prep that goes in to it, and the big swag rooms, and how people get ready for big events like this.

Cheryl rocks her baby bump with ET co-hosts Rosey Edeh and Kim D'Eon

at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival (just weeks before Jaxs was born)

TM: How old is Jaxson now?

CH: {You can hear the smile in her voice as she answers} He's going to be two in October!

TM: And what is he into these days?

CH: Everything to do with construction and trucks. One of his first words was backhoe. They're doing some construction on the street in front of our house, and have been doing it for quite a while, so every morning he wakes up and he's totally excited to look out the window. He says "backhoe", "dumptruck", "front loader", so that is all very big. Also Baby Einstein. The Rocket. Loves it.

Cheryl and Kevin, http://www.houseandhome.com/

TM: Do you foresee any siblings in his future?

CH: You know, if we're lucky enough, that would be great. Absolutely. It would be wonderful for him to have a brother or sister, but you know, you can't really plan those things. It's not really up to us.

TM: We might think it is, but someone else may know better! Speaking of kids, I've read that you're a big proponent of sleep, as am I. Some people seem to to be able to get by on very little. Why is it so important to you?

CH: I think you become delirious if you don't get it, quite frankly, and it's hard to function. I think anyone who has been sleep-deprived knows that you have to have it. You don't function nearly as well. And I had a colicky baby, and I realized relatively quickly that it's really difficult not sleeping. I also think I did things wrong by not napping when he was napping. Sleep is huge.

Cheryl shared this pic on Twitter when Jaxs was two months old

TM: What do you and your husband like to do for family time?

CH: We make sure our weekends are always family time, because we're so busy during the week. My husband runs his own company, a production company with Vernon Wells, and anybody who runs their own company knows that you work long hours. It's much different. A lot of the time he's not home for dinner, it's just Jaxson and I, so on the weekend it's family time. In the summer we go to every splash pad we can find! We have a really big backyard so we make sure to do lots of fun sports outside. We go to the beach. He's big into the beach and swimming, so anything with water.

TM: How would you complete the sentence "This Mom Loves..."?

CH: I have a steamer and blender that you use to make your own baby food, and I still use it to this day to steam all of his vegetables and things like that, so I love that! I got it at Williams Sonoma, and it's green. {The Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker, pictured below.} I also use a couple of really beautiful creams and oils that I love for my son because he has sensitive skin. We have a ladybug that shines moons and stars on the ceiling at night and that's a great way to soothe him, and he loves it. And I love his hands and feet!

Thanks, Cheryl!

To stay up-to-date with entertainment news, both worldwide and from here in Hollywood North, be sure to catch ET Canada weeknights on Global TV at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT.

You can also follow @ETCanada and @CherylHickeyETC on Twitter.

Our East Coast Vacation: Highlights and Lowlights

I bring you now the highlights and lowlights of our East Coast (i.e. Ontario to Quebec to New Brunswick to PEI and back) adventure:

Lowlights:

• We realized right before we left for the 16 hour journey that the in-van televisions were not in working order. Had to stop at Canadian Tire along the way to buy new ones. Tried to install new ones; they were defective. Went back in to return them, left receipt in van. Figured it all out, and discovered that we had left our DVD in the returned system. But believe me, it was ALL worth it. You just can't drive that far with kids without TV's. Other tips: Children's Gravol works for car sickness. We also kept a small cooler in the front of the van with cheese strings, granola bars, cut up strawberries, etc. to keep snack breaks to a minimum.

• French Mass in Shediac. Not because it was French, or Mass, but because the priest used the word "pouvoir" and Maggie very loudly demanded to know why he said "poo"! Other than that, it was actually a bit of a cultural highlight for me.

• Did I mention it was a 16 hour journey? We did it over two days, stopping in Quebec on the way down and the way back, but it's still a lot for two children, a driver daddy, and a not-so-patient mommy.

Highlights:

• The "cottage" was more of a "huge beach house". My parents had a room, the girls shared one, and we got a huge room with ensuite and jacuzzi tub! We woke up every morning to this view of our private beach:

• Crystal Palace: an indoor theme park for kids in Dieppe, New Brunswick with rides and games. Buy the wristbands and everyone rides all day.

• Shediac, New Brunswick: This is where we resided for the week, and it was a fantastic little town. We were there for the Acadian festival, so the girls and I got matching bracelets (which, despite my awareness of the Acadian culture and reasons for their symbolic colours still made me feel strangely Texan). Though the parade was brief and unremarkable, we did get a photo of Canadian Liberal leader Bob Rae and his wife with local MP Dominic Leblanc (below). This may not be a big deal to you, but my 78 year old grandmother has quite a crush on Leblanc.

Acadian flag

History lesson in a nutshell: "Acadia" refers to portions of Quebec, the Maritime provinces and Maine which were originally part of New France. In the 1700's, residents who refused to swear unconditional oaths of allegiance to the British Crown were deported. Many have since returned, but a large number settled as far south as Louisiana, where "Acadian" was eventually pronounced "Cajun". Learn something new every day, don't you?


• Avonlea Village in Cavendish, PEI: Anne of Green Gables fans would LOVE this authentic village, complete with buildings, wagon rides, and costumed actors. (Wristbands were good for two days, so if you get rained out, you can always come back.) Gift shop note: the large Anne dolls can cost more than $40 (and will likely just sit on a shelf). I talked Frannie into the $6.99 figures of Anne, Diana and Gilbert which have already been fodder for hours of interactive play. Check out our little girls-of-Green-Gables in the dressup building:

• Anne of Green Gables - The Musical in Charlottetown, PEI: Frannie was absolutely enthralled, and it even kept the attention of three year old Maggie (who had no shortage of - loud - questions throughout the performance. "Why did she do that? Where is he going? Who is that boy? Why is her last name Green Gables?")

• The World's Biggest Lobster photo op in Shediac. Just because it was cheesy.

• Quebec City. Arguably the most beautiful city in North America, it never fails to take my breath away. My girls and my brother's children were particularly captivated by the street performers. Though I cherished all of the family time, I wouldn't recommend trying to navigate the narrow European streets as a group of ten with a double stroller. It's more a "divide and conquer" kind of place. No historical reference intended.

• It was fantastic to spend so much quality time with family, including my parents, brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew. I mean, the girls coloured Grandpa's fingernails with markers and played Princess Yahtzee with Grandma...you can't get that every day. (Usually Grandpa does his own nails. Ha ha.) I am the type of person who has a very hard time slowing down (so the Internet access was an absolute must) but even I was proud of myself for just taking some time to stop and smell the seashells. (Though I don't recommend that particular olfactory sensation. There was a "mystery smell" in our van upon our return, and a couple of days later the same overwhelming smell was in Frannie's room. When I walked in one morning and gagged, she told me "It's just the seashells!" They have since found a new home.)

• Coming home. Or as Maggie put it: "Our real home!"



In Memory Of Luke Thomas: July 11, 2011 - July 12, 2011

Luke should have been born today.

Dear friends of ours, after a great deal of time spent hoping to be blessed with a child, found out they were finally expecting, and due August 23rd. The news was shared, and joyful preparations were made. An ultrasound confirmed that it was a boy, and Luke's name was chosen (though kept secret from even his parents' closest friends!)

On July 11th, six weeks before his due date, Luke's Mommy noticed that he wasn't as active as he had been, and subsequent testing showed that he was in distress. He was born via emergency C-section (at a fighting weight of 6 lbs, 3 oz), and whisked away for observations. Later in the day, his parents received the devastating news that Luke had suffered from a very rare, spontaneous in-utero condition where the blood flow reversed and went from baby to mom, with fatal consequences. This tragedy was not foreseeable, or preventable.

After blessing his grandparents and aunts and uncles with time to meet him, Luke passed away on July 12th, 2011.

It's not right, and it's not fair. Not that two warm, smart, generous, loving people, the best parents a child could ask for, don't get to bring home the baby they were expecting. Unfortunately, we are not granted the privilege of understanding why.

Luke's Mommy naturally struggles with the "what-ifs". I'm sure you can join me in reassuring her that, while we would all question ourselves just as she does (guilt is a requirement of joining the mommy club, of which my friend is now a member) we all know that she couldn't have handled things any differently. In fact, I feel that she was gifted with a special awareness of her own body that day which allowed her to meet her son, as doctors have told them that babies with this condition are usually stillborn, their problem rarely caught in time to bring them into the world alive.

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."  Psalm 30:5

I truly believe that prayers for Luke's perfect little soul are unnecessary, and that he saw heaven in the moment of his final breath. I do ask, though, that you pray for Luke's strong and brave Mommy and Daddy, that they may continue to forge ahead through the darkness of the night, and that the morning will bring them unimaginable joy.

Back To School Books From Scholastic: Giveaway

Giveaway open to Canadians for 7 days only!

I love Scholastic. When my PR contact asked me if I wanted to take a look at some back-to-school books, I was very specific: I'd be interested in some kindergarten-appropriate titles for my daughter, and an early chapter book that would appeal to my Grade 3 class. She certainly delivered! Here's what I have to say about these three picks...which, of course, you can enter to win below.

Eddie Gets Ready For School by David Milgrim



This one's a picture book, written in checklist form. Be forewarned that it's definitely not a real step-by-step for your kids, unless "drink root beer" and "put cat in backpack" are normal morning instructions around your house!

The illustrations are also funny, and kids can look to see how the pictures don't align with the words (e.g. "Get dressed" to Eddie means a pair of underwear on his head and a superhero cape!)

Bailey by Harry Bliss



This is another funny picture book, with speech and thought bubbles to spice up the story. As the jacket describes:

"Bailey is not your average dog. In fact, he's top dog at Champlain Elementary School. And with Bailey around, school has never been so unpredictable --- or so much fun! "

Although Bailey attends school with regular kids, he's certainly different...especially since he eats his own homework! It's actually a bit of a neat lesson about how the other students accept and love him anyway.

Marty McGuire by Kate Messner, illustrated by Brian Floca



This is an illustrated book with lots of short chapters, all about third grader Marty McGuire...who would rather spend recess catching frogs in the pond than playing dress-up with the other girls.

My daughters really enjoyed hearing this story, and it will be a read-aloud for my class in September.

I'm always looking for books about Grade 3 students...and I'll never forget when I bought one with "Third Grade" in the title, didn't preview it, and had to think on my feet to change the story as the main character spilled the beans about the Tooth Fairy! (Don't worry...my students had no idea!) Now that I've read "Marty McGuire", I know it's a safe bet! Plus, it's the first in a series, so maybe I can hook a few kids in. Click here to check out the author's website.

If you're interested in receiving these books for little school-goers in your life, just fill out the form below. Extra entries for following me through GFC, e-mail or Twitter (links in my sidebar) or following @scholasticCDA on Twitter.

This will be a quickie contest, and will close on Saturday, August 27th at 11:59 p.m. so the prize can be sent to the winner ASAP in order to celebrate back-to-school. Good luck!