Hearts For Hearts Girls: Gifts That Give Back

Last fall, I wrote about the Hearts For Hearts dolls (Changing The World One Heart At A Time) that my girls would be receiving for Christmas, and predicted that they would be a hit...and they sure were! (A sign of successful Christmas gifts is when the kids are still playing with them in October.)

When I found out that two new dolls were available for this Christmas season, I quickly accepted the offer to check them out.

Let's start with the best parts: a portion of the purchase price of every Hearts For Hearts doll goes to World Vision to help children worldwide...and the dolls themselves help educate our girls about the lives of children in other countries.

This year's additions are Zelia from Brazil and Lauryce from New Orleans, USA. (Last year my girls got Lillian from Belarus and Consuelo from Mexico - especially neat since we had been to Mexico on March Break that year.) Other represented countries include Laos, Ethiopia, and India...no Canadian doll yet.

The dolls are authentically dressed, and come with a storybook, friendship bracelet and comb.

Lauryce:

Zelia:

I rarely let the kids keep packaging from anything, but these boxes kicked around for quite a while because of their educational value: photographs and tons of information about the represented girls.

Since receiving her doll, Frannie, my seven year old, has spent countless hours on www.hearts4heartsgirls.com  playing games and learning all about children all over the world - so great, especially when one of my goals for the girls is that they'll take an active role in charity and social justice.

Recently Frannie mentioned wanting a different brand of doll for Christmas, one that a friend has, and was very quickly redirected when I told her that there were new Hearts For Hearts girls available. She was on the computer immediately checking them out...though I had to do some quick mommy-mind-messing to convince them that they both shouldn't ask for Lauryce (I'm hoping it's not the blonde thing)...because wouldn't it be better if one of them asked for Zelia so they could play with both?

The dolls retail for $29.99- 34.99, and can be found at Walmart, Target and ToysRUs.

If you're looking for a very special gift for a little girl in your life, I would highly recommend Hearts For Hearts girls.

Disclosure: I was provided with the above-named dolls for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.

School Roundup: September 2013

I'm making it a goal this year to share a monthly roundup of all of the great things that have been happening at school, partly as a way for me to record what has gone well so I can attempt to repeat it again in the future, but also because I figure that I should try to get some blog mileage out of my day job!

Whether you're a fellow teacher, a curious parent, or a kind reader who who is willing to humor me and at least scroll through all of my posts, here you go, the highlights of Mrs. Winn's Grade 3 class from September 2013.

Art: "Despicable Me" Minions

I got this idea from Pinterest, and since we're a rural school it wasn't too hard for kids to bring in appropriate rocks for this task. As they waited for each coat of paint to dry, I showed a little Minions video from Youtube. The students were very excited to show these to their parents and guardians at our Meet The Teacher BBQ.

The pin that inspired me: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/175288610469770786/

Writing: The Best Part of Me

Of course it's from Pinterest too! This is a great way to start working with my kids on paragraph format (introduction, supporting details, conclusion) and printing the photos out in sepia and putting them on a brown background gives a nice effect. (I had permission from this parent to share the work, in case any of you think I wouldn't be thorough enough to remember that!)

The inspirational pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/175288610467315720/

Read-Aloud: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo and A Light In The Attic by Shel Silverstein

Based on an internet recommendation, I'm starting the year with Winn-Dixie. Funny and moving, I've already had a particularly important teachable moment when one of the characters uses the word "retarded". (Even more important than when Willy Wonka says "ass" in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. That will come later in the year.) And if there just happens to be a feature film to go along with the book, then so be it.

I also like to incorporate poetry all through the year, not just as a distinct unit, and Shel Silverstein's work is very engaging for kids. If you're looking for something to read at bedtime, his anthologies are excellent and very funny.

Other picture books that have great themes for the start of the year are "Jeremiah Learns To Read" by Jo Bogart and "Beautiful Oops" by Barney Saltzberg.

Meet the Teacher Night: Thank You For "Popping" In!

One might argue that this little take-home gift is "cheesy", but I think "buttery" would be a more accurate term! (In fact, I think I went with "Super Buttery"!) I put a package on each desk, and it was easy to see as the evening went on which parents had not yet been in to visit. By the end of the night, I was 21 for 21 in terms of meeting parents, which is fantastic.

Thanks to Jodi from Fun in First Grade  for providing the free "Thank you for popping in!" printable here: http://fun-in-first.blogspot.ca/2011/07/thanks-for-popping-in.html

Terry Fox Run

I decided to head up our school's "Leaders Today" and "Student Government" groups this year, in part because I was looking for a way to give back without taking more time away from my own daughters (I'll explain more in a future post). Our first major endeavor of the year was our "Toonies For Terry" collection for the Terry Fox Foundation. We kicked it off with an assembly featuring a couple of videos and our challenge: if we could raise $362 - a toonie per student - the principal would allow us to have a movie morning on the day of the run. If we exceeded that goal and reached $500, he would dye his hair green and allow students to throw whipped cream pies at him. (The things that will motivate kids!)

Our final tally was an incredible $1000, and on Friday September 27th the principal made good on his word, and we enjoyed a fantastic day of movies, hair dyeing, whipped cream pie throwing, and running/walking for Terry.

Parent Involvement: Offer Prizes!

Another goal of mine for the year is to engage parents in a way that doesn't stress them - or me - out. In my September newsletter, I included a secret word for parents to write in their child's planner, and randomly chose one to receive a small Tim Hortons gift card. I did something similar with the first Assessment For Learning update I sent home, putting a very short optional quiz for the grownups at the bottom of the page to be returned and entered into a draw. Neither of these were mandatory, but I truly believe this sort of thing encourages more reluctant parents to get involved.

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Of course, that's only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what's been read, written, studied and explored in the Grade 3 classroom this month, but those are a few highlights...with lots more to come in October!

Second Pregnancies: My Article For Today's Parent Magazine

I'm very excited to share my first byline for Today's Parent magazine: an article on the physical differences between first and second pregnancies.

The October issue of Today's Parent arrived in my mailbox just over a week ago, and I quickly flipped through the magazine until I found it...and yep, there it is, "Kate Winn" right there at the end!

The article is now available on their website here: http://www.todaysparent.com/pregnancy/second-pregnancy-what-you-need-to-know/ in case any of you are interested in checking it out!

Coincidentally, my next national magazine piece is also on a pregnancy-related topic...watch for that one is 2014.

Hallmark Halloween 2013

As a member of Hallmark's Press Pause panel, I am lucky enough to receive regular shipments of their latest offerings. If you've been reading This Mom Loves for a while, you know I'm a sucker for holiday-themed decor, and here are my favourites from Hallmark's 2013 Halloween collection:

All The Goodies:

Alive and Talking Pumpkin ($19.95)

This pumpkin is motion-activated, and lights up with changing expressions and phrases. A fun idea for the porch on Halloween night...though I'm thinking I could have some fun with this in the classroom too!

Witchiest of Witches Shadowcaster ($14.95)

This is my favourite - just place it near a wall and turn it on, and it will project spooky, flickering shadows.

Whoo's Watching Me? Singing Owl Techno Plush ($15.95 with the purchase of 1 card)

When you turn this cute little guy on, his eyes move side-to-side and he sings a parody of "Somebody's Watching Me". The kids love this one - there's something about adding plush to an item that just attracts children, and when you add in a funny song...you may need extra batteries!

Pics 'n' Props Halloween Party Activity Kit ($19.95)

These Pics 'n' Props kits are neat, as you can have a little photo shoot in advance of a holiday, or use them to spice up a party. Hallmark sent me one with a graduation theme, and the Grade 8's at school used it to set up a fun photo booth corner at graduation. This one would be neat for a spooky gathering, with photo props, masks, backdrop and a 4 x 6 album to hold all of the memories.

Fortune-telling Magic Mirror ($19.95)

Another motion-activated item, this one lights up and shares fortunes with passersby. The fortunes are for general audiences (example: I predict something dark in your future. I think it must be, yes it is, chocolate), which I think my students will enjoy if I bring this in as a classroom decoration as well.

And of course, Hallmark has Halloween cards too, if you feel you need to mark the occasion in that manner. Don't bother sending me a card...I'll just take the chocolate!

Disclosure: I was provided with the above products for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.

My First TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival)!

Attending the Toronto International Film Festival has been a lifelong dream of mine, but I never thought I could make the early September dates jive with a back-to-school teaching schedule.

This year, I made an effort to get on the website and really figure things out...and realized that I could get tickets just for weekend movies, and try to make it work.

"Real people" can definitely get tickets, and I was waiting by my laptop on September 1st at 9 am when the single tickets went on sale. As recommended on TIFF Talk (a great independent blog), I opened the Virtual Waiting Room in a few different browsers, and I was actually let in using a browser that I opened over an hour after my first one. While I didn't get my first choices for movies (they were all "off sale") I did get a couple I wanted, one movie for each Sunday of the show.

Now, let me be very honest and clear with you:  I am not a high brow movie connoisseur, interested in artsy, independent and foreign films. I want big movies with big names, as do a lot of other TIFF-goers, which is why it was very hard to get my top choices. (I wanted the August Osage County premiere - Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts -  so badly that I was planning to work around the 6:30 pm Monday showtime if necessary. Any principal would understand a teacher missing a staff meeting for TIFF, right? Alas, that one was also "off sale".)

In the days before our TIFF adventure, I learned online that extra tickets do go on sale each day at 7 am (even for previously "off sale" films, as package holders might have traded them in) and on the day we were heading to Toronto, I was on the laptop first thing and scored tickets to two Saturday movies as well, which made the trip much more worthwhile.

After meeting my parents to take the girls (thanks Mom and Dad!) we headed straight down to Princess of Wales to pick up all of the tickets I had ordered. Of course, once we arrived, I learned that they aren't a pickup venue, so I had to cross King Street and wait in a very, very lengthy pick-up line. My husband went back to the theatre to stand in line for the movie - TIFF lines snake around the block at every venue, one for ticket holders and one for those hoping to "rush", and get in at the last minute if any seats are left empty - and I made it back just as he was approaching the doors. (Note that the orange t-shirted volunteers are very helpful if you're not sure what line to be in.)

We grabbed seats on the main floor of theatre for the second showing (i.e. not the premiere) of "Prisoners", with Hugh Jackman, Terrence Howard, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maria Bello, and the scene-stealer, Melissa Leo. We were provided with Jelly Belly samples from E!, but the only other food options for the 12:00 movie were popcorn and water (which is the same fare at most other venues, so try to eat before you go). Canadian director Denis Villeneuve introduced the movie, which was excellent (you should see it when it comes to theatres, which I believe is this week) though a bit long, and its 2:30 end time was slightly stressful, seeing as we had to be up at the Ryerson Theatre for our next movie at 3:00!

We grabbed a cab, and arrived right on time for "You Are Here", as star Amy Poehler was just walking the red carpet and the ticket holders' line was beginning to move. Once inside, I headed straight for the front, as this one was an actual premiere (first showing), and therefore you're pretty much guaranteed to see some of the talent. Director Matthew Weiner (of much-deserved Mad Men fame) was in attendance, as well as Poehler and costar Laura Ramsay. Zach Galifianakis was a no-show, but when I learned the next morning that it was because his wife had gone into labor I forgave him. Not sure what kept Owen Wilson away... maybe he avoided it because it's not at all a good movie? Sorry...especially to Amy, whom I adore and who did everything she could with what she was given...but we so did not enjoy the film

Matthew, Amy and Laura (and their "people") sat in the theatre and watched the movie along with the rest of us, and hit the stage afterwards for a Q and A, which I only semi-heard, so desperate I was to try to get some good photos. (Impossible with poor lighting and an average camera. Note to self: before the next TIFF, invest in a really good camera.)

Leaving Ryerson Theatre was just as fun as being there, since we were very close to the red carpet as the arrivals for the next movie - Labor Day - were taking place. We saw Jason Reitman, James Van Der Beek, Josh Brolin (whom, coincidentally, we photographed the first time I was ever close to a red carpet, for the Julia Roberts' film Eat, Pray, Love) and Kate Winslet, who was very obliging of fans waiting for autographs.

Josh Brolin arriving

Jason Reitman and Josh Brolin

Kate Winslet arriving

Our vehicle was waiting for us where we left it at the Princess of Wales, and after walking back to get it we headed up to Yorkville to check into our hotel. Next was a quick walk up Bloor for dinner at Morton's The Steakhouse at the Park Hyatt, which was easily the most expensive meal we've ever had, but incredibly delicious. (I would recommend it only for a very special occasion, particularly one where you're not picking up the cheque.)

While I had desperately wanted tickets to Saturday night's 10 pm premiere of Dallas Buyers Club (Matthew McConnaughey and Jennifer Garner), and in fact seriously considered offering Kijiji scalpers the 500% marked up tickets they were quickly selling, I was actually drifting off at that time, after a very busy first week of school and crazy day of running around the city, and was glad not to be at a late movie.

After waking up refreshed, we checked out of the hotel and headed down Yonge to the Winter Garden Theatre (which was worth getting into just to check out the architecture and ambiance - situated right above the Elgin Theatre, they are the last surviving Edwardian stacked theatres in the world. Just a little piece of trivia for you.) Our final movie of the weekend was Parkland, the story behind the story of JFK's assassination, from the points of view of those who were working at the hospital where both JFK and Lee Harvey Oswald were treated, as well as FBI agents and Abraham Zapruder, the man who shot the footage of the motorcade and fatal shot.

This film was fantastic, and definitely a must see - for everyone from the teenage girls who just want to swoon over Zac Efron to those who can actually remember that day in November 1963.

As per usual the director (and in this case also the writer) Peter Landesman introduced the movie, but we were also lucky enough to get a very smart and interesting Q and A with him afterwards, even though that's not the norm for regular screenings.

Though none of the stars were in attendance, Jason Bateman just happened to be in the audience with all of us regular people, and I got a nice photo of the back of his head which I won't subject you to here.

Now, to answer some of the burning questions that I'm sure you have right now:

What does one wear to TIFF? Photos of my first weekend outfits are below - they were more than appropriate for regular screenings, and even for the You Are Here premiere, I was as dressy as Amy Poehler. I imagine the evening premieres are fancier, especially if you're attending an event after the movie, but I didn't see a reason for formalwear for the screenings we attended, and the couple of ballgowns I saw looked quite out of place. (Really.)

How to navigate around the city: In addition to taking advantage of OnStar while driving, I had a map printout that I used to the plan the weekend, writing in all of the locations we would need, and it came in very handy throughout TIFF: http://www.seetorontonow.com/content/pdf/downtown-detail-outline-2012.pdf

What would I do differently next time? In terms of accommodations, I would try to stay in the entertainment district instead of Yorkville. While it's always been seen as a ritzy area and a place to stargaze, Yorkville is a fair distance from where most of the screenings are taking place, and many of the celebs now stay closer to the movie action as well. That said, I would try to allow some time for Yorkville window shopping, just in case any of the TIFF stars need to make a quick run in to the Toronto locations of Prada, Dolce and Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, etc. (Holt Renfrew is another popular A-list shopping destination.)

When it comes to the actual movies, I would definitely tackle the ticket purchases differently in the future.
It does seem a bit silly to pay $22 for the regular screenings, when I could wait a couple of months (or even weeks) to see it at a local theatre for half the price. I'm a real movie lover, but when there's also a commute and possibly accommodations involved, it seems pretty extravagant for regular screenings. What I would do: buy a Premium Flex Pack in advance (for 6 or 12 tickets), which would grant me earlier choice of movies for the premieres and gala screenings. At about $45 a ticket, these are worth it for me for the star-power and bragging rights alone. (Shallow, but honest. You appreciate that, right?)

Even if you don't have tickets, keep in mind that it can be fun to stand across the street from a red-carpet event, getting butterflies each time a big black SUV pulls up and anticipating who may be inside. (People kept getting so excited over my Equinox!)

Speaking of the red-carpets, I will leave you with my TIFF backdrop shot. No, I'm not wearing orange makeup and I don't have a bad tan - it's the lighting, I swear. Most likely because of all of the other flashbulbs going off at the same time, with people shouting "Kate! Kate! Over here!" and "Kate! Who are you wearing?" (Suzy Shier is going to be BIG this year. You're welcome.)

Epilogue: To end my first TIFF experience, I returned to Toronto (the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema) with my sister-in-law on the last day of the Festival for the repeat screening of the closing night movie, Life of Crime (starring Jennifer Aniston, Tim Robbins and Isla Fisher) - another great film. However, as I have learned - it's probably not worth it to drive 90 minutes each way and pay double for a regular screening of a movie that I can see locally in a matter of weeks. Unless for some reason I relocate to the big city, I will be a premium screening girl from now on.

Wednesday Words On...Well, You Figure Out The Theme

I love all three of these quotes, and for me they link together in a common theme. I hope they'll mean something to you today.

"Your diamonds are not in far distant mountains or in yonder seas; they are in your own backyard, if you but dig for them."

Russell H. Conwell

"To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition."

Samuel Johnson

"Bloom where you're planted."

Mary Engelbreit

Marci Ien's Remarkable Teacher: My Hot off the Press Article for Professionally Speaking

If you're a regular here at This Mom Loves, you know how much this mom loves Marci Ien, cohost of CTV's Canada AM.

She was my very first Momterview, and even let me go behind the scenes at Canada AM last summer which was a very exciting experience for me.

I thought Marci would be a perfect fit for the "Remarkable Teacher" feature in Professionally Speaking, the magazine of the Ontario College of Teachers, and when I pitched the idea to the editors they went for it!

Not only did I have a wonderful conversation with Marci about the remarkable teacher in her life (Mrs. Kathy Cuffe, then Miss Kerr, who taught Marci in Grade 2 at Silver Springs Public School in Scarborough) but I also got to speak to Kathy all about her fond memories of Marci.

The final product of those interviews is in the September issue of Professionally Speaking, available online here: http://professionallyspeaking.oct.ca/september_2013/departments/remarkable.html

Or a quick couple of snapshots here, just because I always love to see what something looks like in print, especially when I wrote it! (The photography is pretty impressive too, and I posted about the photo shoot here. I wasn't there, but saw it on Twitter!)

Last week I received a beautiful (read: tear-jerking) letter from Kathy thanking me for this story, which really meant a lot to me. What a great way to celebrate back-to-school!

My sincere thanks to Kathy and Marci, as well as Jackie and Leata, the fantastic editors at Professionally Speaking!

Why I'm Switching To The BlackBerry Q5

Ever since I got my first BlackBerry (a Torch, over two years ago) I've been hooked. Sure, I was a little bit behind the original CrackBerry crowd, but being able to access email and internet on my phone? Awesome.

The time was approaching for me to look at an upgrade (as most of us do, whether we "need" it or not), and when I was contacted about testing out a brand-new BlackBerry Q5, I jumped at the chance. Some of my friends were surprised by my brand loyalty, but I think people can be a bit too focused on company stocks, trades and sales and lose perspective of the fact that what you really want is the best possible tool to last you for a few years, max. I'm not buying the company, I'm buying a smartphone. And as you'll read, BlackBerry certainly continues to suit my purposes nicely.

The appearance of the Q5 would put you slightly in mind of the Curve, with a screen and Qwerty keyboard both on the front of the single piece, only this screen is touch, and twice the size. (I actually quite like the look of it.) The touch screen and Qwerty are both must-haves for me now, after using them on the Torch, which automatically rules out many other brands.




BlackBerry calls the Q5 "gesture based", but in my own layperson's terms I think of it more as "swipey". Swipe your finger up to wake up the phone, and down for settings, etc. To the right: your message hub, to the left: all of your programs and apps. It's very comfortable to hold, and while I didn't exactly weigh them both, it feels lighter than my current Torch. Getting set up was an absolute breeze (especially the email accounts - just enter your username and password and you're hooked up). I found in the beginning that my Yahoo email notifications were delayed, but tech support helped me adjust a setting and now it's much better - almost real-time.

Some of my favourite features of the Q5: the "Remember" app - it replaces the Memo Pad and Tasks, and is also where I can record my voice notes (I use that feature quite a lot for Momterviews, or when interviewing sources for magazine articles - quite an upgrade from the old Califone cassette player that I brought home from work to use in the past!)

Storymaker is another cool feature that I plan to explore more. You can select any pictures, videos and music from your phone that you wish, and combine them into a video that can be edited with titles and effects like filters to polish it off.

Another amazing upgrade is the Time Shift feature that comes with the camera. You know how some cameras now will take a few rapid shots in a row, just in case someone blinks? Well, this goes one step farther. You can actually look at the shots that were taken with the Time Shift feature, and choose each person's best "face" to combine (e.g. Frannie looks best in shot one, Maggie looks best in shot two) and combine the faces together to create a photo that did not even exist before. Is that cool or what? There are also tons of editing tools, including the one I use the most, which is filtering pics (to sepia, etc.) Plus, this phone has both front and rear cameras...so look forward to a lot more selfies from This Mom! (You can relax: there will be no selfies.)

I also plan to check out the new BlackBerry Travel app, which can keep trip information all in one place - it might come in quite handy for an exciting fall trip I have planned!

I can honestly say that there is only one thing that I don't like about the Q5, and it's pretty minor: the free Twitter app doesn't currently include a "Lists" feature...and you know how important my Twitter lists are to me! Now, I could easily download a cheap app (like Blaq, which I believe is only a couple of bucks) but I'm all about the free apps, especially when just reviewing. (Speaking of free, the games that my 5 and 7 year old girls are loving: Bubble Buster, Jeweled, Word Search Blitz and...wait for it...Angry Birds Star Wars, of course!)

Music is something else I'll be figuring out shortly, but it's good to know that there is a way to put your iTunes music - or other music files from your computer - onto your BlackBerry as well, just in case you didn't realize that.

Something I learned from the experience of reviewing the phone is that actually reading the user guide is fairly helpful. I always figured that I just need my BB for basic functions, which I can pretty much figure out on my own, but in the blogging world it's good to know random tidbits, like the fact that I can capture and save a screenshot by pressing both volume keys simultaneously. Who knew?

I would highly recommend the BlackBerry Q5 for anyone looking to use a smartphone for the same functions as me (a mom, teacher, writer, blogger): phone, texting, email, web browsing, Twitter/Facebook, camera/video, keeping track of information, games (for the kids, of course)....what else do you need? In fact, I like it so much that I'm going to head to Bell asap to make the switch. If there's anyone out there who wants a two year old BlackBerry Torch, in excellent used condition, make me an offer!

Disclosure: I was provided with a BlackBerry Q5 for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.