Grad Gifts For the Class of 2015 (From Hallmark)

Every year I have my Grade 3 students write their predictions for their Grade 8 year. Who will the teacher and principal be? What activities will they participate in? Where will they go for their year-end trip? And of course, they think about all the grad details, including the super important question: what will they wear?

Today I went into the Grade 8 classroom and shared the predictions they had written five years ago, when they were my students. Four kids had moved away, and fortunately I had enough information to send their work to them, but the rest were present and eager to try to guess whose piece of writing was whose.

No game is complete without prizes, and thanks to Hallmark, I had some awesome Class of 2015 swag to give away to the students who were the best guessers! (Top score, by the way, was 12 out of 19).

Here are the goodies:

Autograph Graduation Bear 

($16.95 or $12.95 with any purchase; there's also an Autograph Photo Poster)

Dated Mug with Designed Handle ($12.95)

Graduation Frame with Sentiment ($12.95, this is nice for parents of the grad)

Invites and Thank You Cards ($5.99/package)

As always, Hallmark has you covered for gift-giving! Congratulations to the class of 2015, which includes my beautiful and talented niece, off to high school, and two of my cousins (one who's also my godson) and our treasured babysitter who are heading to university. I can't believe how the time flies!

Teacher Gift Ideas (With Printable and Charitable Suggestion)

Let me be clear: teacher gifts are never expected or required, but this time of year I know there are some parents looking for ideas.

I wrote a magazine article a while back about Gifts For Teachers, and most of those ideas still apply - though it was Christmas-themed, and the ornament might be a bit out of place in June!

As I always say, the nicest thing to receive is a sincere compliment, whether from the child or the parents. SavvyMom.ca ran a great post recently with tips to help your child write a thank you note to the teacher, and I loved it so much that I turned the prompts into a simple fill-in-the-blanks template that my primary grade daughters have used to write to their teachers. They printed their answers by hand (much cuter than typed responses) and then decorated the sheets. (I'm sharing it here; feel free to use it!)

For those who are looking to spend a little bit of money to show appreciation, charitable gifts are a great idea, and can be any dollar value.

What about a SickKids Get Better gift for your child's teacher? Here's what SickKids suggests:

School is wrapping up for another year and summer is around the corner. What better way to thank your child’s teacher and caregiver, who help and support your child throughout the year, than with something from the SickKids Get Better Gifts program.

These meaningful gifts provide an alternative to traditional gift-giving and recognize many of the special ways these teachers and friends help children learn and grow, similar to the way the staff at SickKids seek to motivate, inspire and teach the patients in their care.

When you give a Get Better Gift, you are not only showing your appreciation, but also helping to brighten the lives of sick children and their families.

Gift ideas include:

·         Arts and Craft Supplies: This gift provides therapeutic opportunities for special arts and crafts programs that can help children cope with hospital stays and make sure they get to do some of the school activities they’re missing.

·         Books for the Children’s Library at the Family Centre: Story-time and book delivery service, where books are delivered right to the children in their hospital bed, are just a couple of the children’s favourite services you can help support.

·         An Opportunity to Clown Around: Happiness and laughter are important for the mind and body. At SickKids, specially-trained therapeutic clowns help to ease tension and offer relief by using spontaneous humour and gentle play to minimize stress during treatments and hospital stays.

I can tell you for sure I would love to have any of these gifts made in my name...though if your child absolutely positively wants to give me a material item all wrapped up, you'll never go wrong with a Kit Kat.

Father's Day Gift Ideas From Hallmark

Hallmark has some awesome gift ideas for Dads this Father's Day, and I particularly love the name of this line of products: "Life is good." Because it is.

Whether the Dad in your life is a golfer, BBQer, fisherman, handyman, or...um...beverage enthusiast, Hallmark has the gift for him!

Let's start with this "Coolest Dad Ever" frame...adorable! ($16.95)

Keep things clean and dry with golf or BBQ towels ($16.95 each). Golfers might also like the golf ball set, and for grillers Hallmark offers a cutting board and oven mitt as well.

Wrap it all up with these "cool" gift bags:

And when the work is done, sit back and relax with a special bottle opener ($14.95, other styles include an open shaped like a lawn mower and one like a fish):

You can also find neat leather items (wallet, key chain, can sleeve) and mugs (the one with a hammer for a handle would be perfect for my Dad) in store.

Stay tuned for great grad gifts from Hallmark - post coming soon!

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

Kate's Favourite Things: June 2015

"Disclosure" : only one of these items (as noted below) was free, in case anyone's wondering about bias before you start reading!

Next Issue

If somehow you've missed this, I am totally in love with the Next Issue app. I pay ten bucks a month for unlimited digital magazine subscriptions (I currently have 26, including 2 for my husband and 1 for the kids). New issues load automatically, and it seems like I'm never without something to read...which is awesome! I'm not really an iPad person, but I have totally embraced reading magazines this way. It's so convenient, and of course it's environmentally-friendly (though I'll admit that's not often as big a concern for me as it should be). I still have a handful of hard-copy subscriptions (I think I'm getting Today's Parent until February 2017) which can still be handy for reading in the tub or anywhere else I don't want to take my iPad (plus not every magazine is available through the app), but as they expire I'll add them to Next Issue as well.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunscreen

I've had the same bottle of sunscreen for my face for about three years, and just realized it has officially expired. I'm so picky when it comes to this sort of product, because I've always had oily skin and hate to put anything on it that makes it look greasy or shiny. I was in Walmart and walked by a display of Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Face and thought I'd give it a try - and so far so good (I bought SPF 60 because I am adamant about protecting my delicate facial skin. Vanity can be a great motivator!) The product absorbs so quickly that I feel like I have to move fast to work it in...and while my discerning eye can still tell something's there, it's definitely the most matte finish I've had in a sunscreen.

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

I have loved most of her books, and Jodi had me right until the end with this one...the story of a young girl hunting for her (runaway? dead? kidnapped?) mother. I was even pulled right into the elephant-sanctuary setting (I may not love pets, but African animals hold a certain appeal). The end, though, disappointed me a little bit. You can find spoilers elsewhere, and I won't tell you what movie plot it reminds me of...but it's been done, and I didn't totally buy it. But otherwise I was engrossed!

Kids Who Help Kids 

I mean, first of all, there were the girls at my school who donated their hair, but I also received a great email from Alex, an 11-year-old Canadian entrepreneur. She created ‘Ivy and Alex’ a line of kids dresses, to support causes she cares about. Each dress is reversible with a pattern side and a solid side,  and the dresses can change as you grow. So girls can wear it as a tunic (with cool tights) or a shirt once she’s outgrown it as a dress.

World Vision helped her find four projects to support: if you buy a blue dress, World Vision will help provide clean water, the green dress will help provide nutritious food, the pink dress will help provide a chance to go to school or medicine (health stuff) and the red dress will support Canadian programs and help kids right here! Check out the Ivy and Alex website for more details.

Rimmel Colour Rush Balm

When my friend Sarah and I hit Lainey Gossip's SMUT Soiree last year, we were given a little swag bag that included a Rimmel lip crayon (The Redder the Better). This was my go-to lipstick for months - creamy, long-lasting and a classic colour that went with almost everything...except pink. So I went out and bought Boom Chic a Boom. These two now stay in my little Kate Spade makeup bag inside my purse, and every other Tuesday when I arrive at the CHEX studio, I take a glance at my outfit and decide whether it's a red day or a pink day. (My Canada AM appearance was definitely a pink day - and the makeup artist there hadn't seen the Rimmel  before and was very impressed, as she usually bought something similar - and much more expensive - from a bigger brand name.) Next I'll be picking up more of a "neutral" shade to add to my collection.


Jamberry

The details: $17 for a set of nail wraps, and I can get two full manicures out of each set. (Don't want to do the math? $8.50 per manicure.) It takes me about 15 minutes to do, cutting the wraps, warming them under the hairdryer, applying them to my nails, trimming, and applying heat again. I get at least two (though I stretch it to three) weeks of wear, with tons of both trendy and classic styles to choose from. Tip: I prefer patterns to solids, because the tips tend to wear out a bit, which you don't notice at all when the wraps are patterned. My dealer consultant Lindsey can hook you up!

That's it for this month! I'd love to know what you think about any of my favourites!

Our Basement Family Room - The Big Reveal!

Yes, we used to have a beautiful red family room. After several coats of primer and paint and some new leather furniture, I found out I was pregnant (this was 10 years ago) and suddenly the room smelled so terrible to me that I didn't get to use it for several weeks! It took so much effort to get our room red that we swore we wouldn't be repainting it for a while...but one decade is my cutoff for living with the same wall colour.

Today I'm sharing my newly-redecorated family room, as well as a few tidbits about decorating choices and accessories. First off, the paint is Charcoal Slate by Dulux, and I love it. The carpet is a fresh Berber, similar to what we had before, but with more of a dark-flecked pattern to it. (I know, I know - my husband told me when we built the house 12 years ago that I wouldn't want a light carpet, but I insisted!)

Here's a shot of the main part of the room (and no, it's not even staged for your benefit - I have issues with clutter).

If you look off to the right, you can see the my very favourite accessory: our new canvas from Posterjack. I've received promotions from them in the past, but the timing was never quite right to feature them on the blog. When looking for something personalized for our new room, I realized a photo on canvas would be the perfect thing! Posterjack was kind enough to provide me with a code for a 20 x 28 canvas, so I went to their site, uploaded my photo, chose the edging (there are three different options), and that was it! It takes a few days to process and a few more to ship, and then our new piece of art was at our door:

Isn't it beautiful? My husband took this shot of the girls on his phone Thanksgiving weekend 2013 when we took them for a walk on a trail near our home. It was totally spontaneous, and we thought it was so sweet the way they had their arms around each other as they walked (with my childhood Cabbage Patch Doll peeking out from Frannie's arms - hello, Marcelle Iona...or, more accurately, Marcelle Iona Robin Amelia Tracy Theresa Anne Jennifer Leona Leahy. I didn't want to leave anyone out!)

I was very impressed with Posterjack's service and the quality of the canvas...and I think it's super special to have such a personalized piece of art on the wall. (It doesn't hurt that it's right beside the treadmill, for extra inspiration.)

My Uncle Bernard drew this picture of my late Grandpa Leahy, based on a photograph. I thought it was a neat mix to put it on the same shelf as these punctuation symbols from Bouclair.

I'm going through a grey-and-yellow-accents thing (as you know, if you saw my bathroom reno) 

and these cushions from Bouclair fit the bill perfectly.

A few shots of yellow, like these candle holders from Bouclair, brighten up the very neutral space.

I love this piece of art (Bouclair) not only because it's different, but also because it shares lines of scripture from one of the readings we had at our wedding.

My favourite place to be, in the whole house, is sitting in front of the fireplace. We kept the mirror we had above the mantel, as well as the candle holders and silver "stick stuff" (proper term, anyone?), and subbed in some more pops of yellow.

We always end up watching TV under the blankets, so it was my goal to find some to match the new colour scheme, so I wouldn't feel the obsessive need to fold them up and hide them away after every use. I got these two for $26 at JYSK - you get what you pay for, and the stitching isn't going to last forever, but they go with the new look, and birds are very in right now.

Have I ever told you how much I love my treadmill desk? I do so much blogging, social media work and reading while walking, and as a productivity-junkie, it really motivates me to be able to get things done while I'm exercising. (The treadmill also directly faces the TV - I get caught up on my PVR while I walk as well.) You can see Maggie down in the corner of this photo - under orders to tidy up the play corner so it could be photographed!

I finally found the perfect table tray at Home Outfitters. "Some people" can't understand why the remotes and tissue box can't just sit directly on the table, but it seems a lot more streamlined to me when they're corralled inside one accessory! And yes, I did write "yellow Kleenex box" on the grocery list.

Another pop of yellow at the bottom of the stairs (canvas from Bouclair)

Previously, the girls had a huge number of toy bins in the back half of the room. After the renovation, we decided that they could keep one thing out at a time, and right now it's the dolls, and they have a cute little corner set up for playing. (I find that Maggie is very into Barbies these days, and she's also at an age where she loves to be near me, so this is perfect, nice and close to the treadmill.) It seems like only yesterday she was strapped into her baby swing, watching me walk!

A few parting shots:

Disclosure: I was provided with the photo canvas from Posterjack for review purposes. Everything else was purchased with cold, hard cash. Okay, fine, Visa. Opinions are, as always, my own.

Rocky Mountain Reno: Trista and Ryan Sutter's New HGTV Show

{Warning to my Canadian friends: I hate to disappoint you, but Rocky Mountain Reno is not airing in Canada...yet!}

When Trista Sutter emailed me and asked if I'd be interested in sharing the details of her new HGTV pilot, Rocky Mountain Reno (premiering Sunday May 31st) I had to say yes! 

She and hubby Ryan (yes, they're one of the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise couples who really seems to be living happily ever after) are taking the opportunity to show why they love Colorado so much and helping families find and renovate their idyllic mountain homes in the process.

Trista promises lots of banter between a couple married for 11 years (when my husband of 14 years and I renovate together I wouldn't exactly call our conversation "banter", so let's hope they keep it clean!) as well as cameos from son Max and daughter Blakesley.

With Trista's love of interior design coupled with Ryan’s background in architecture and building, they bring a lot of expertise to the show, and I personally find the two of them just so darn likable - making them perfect HGTV stars, just like our Canadian faves such as Drew and Jonathan Scott, Sarah Richardson, and another former Bachelorette Jillian Harris.

The Rocky Mountain Reno pilot is airing Sunday, May 31st on HGTV (check your local listings for times). 

I couldn't let Trista get away without asking for her take on Bachelorette Kaitlyn's season so far, and here's what she had to say: 

"I try to be supportive of all Bachelorettes since I was in their shoes (a VERY long time ago!), but I don’t have to try very hard with Kaitlyn. I love her!!   I LOVE that she is a combination of beauty, brains, humor, charisma, and spunk!  She is fully committing to the process and I just hope that her commitment proves successful at the end and she finds her way to a happy ending!"

If you missed it, you can find my Happily Ever After momterview with Trista Sutter here, 

Adventures in Freelance Writing Volume V: Editors Share Pitching Tips

This post is dedicated to Tracy Chappell (1973-2015), the late senior editor of Today's Parent. It seems fitting as Tracy accepted several of my pitches - though admittedly not all! She was a very supportive editor, and I was lucky to have worked with her. It's hard to imagine the loss of a mother with girls the same ages as mine, and I join the Today's Parent team, along with her family and friends, in mourning her passing. 

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One of the biggest questions freelancers have is how to perfect the art of the pitch. While every editor is different, I thought it would be informative - and fun - to ask a few of my favourite editors for their best gem of advice for writers trying to break into their publications.

Here are their thoughtful contributions, in their own words:

Sandra Martin

Multiplatform Editorial Director, Canadian Living

@SandraEMartin

A mistake that I see rookies and longtime pro writers make over and over is to pitch a story that's been covered by the magazine within the past year. Take some time and read a year's worth of back issues (this is literally one of the first things you're taught in journalism school). It could be that a story merits updating with new information the freelancer has access to; if that's the case, then include that in your pitch, along with why the update is merited.

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Karine Ewart

Editor-in-Chief, Chatelaine

@karine_ewart

My number one recommendation for all freelancers is, if they are new to the publication they are pitching, contact someone closer to the bottom of the masthead. Going straight to the EIC may not be the most efficient way of getting your pitch the attention it deserves. Look for an assistant or associate editor to reach out to, as they are interested in growing their roster of fabulous writers, too. Finally, face-to-face meetings are much more effective than emails or random phone calls; take a junior editor out for a coffee and they will be much more willing to listen to you.

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Sasha Emmons

Editor-in-Chief, Today's Parent

@semmons

The most important thing I look for — and I rarely see — is to build a case for your pitch using digital metrics. Even for a story that originates in print, you can show there’s an audience for it by using analytics from free tools like Buzzsumo, Google Trends, and the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. So, for instance, if you can show that searches for “ADHD" spike at a certain time of year, or that searches for “ADHD medication” are on the rise, you’re proving that there’s an audience for your story. Add in a unique POV, and you’ve got an assignment!

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Janice Biehn

Editor-in-Chief, Parents Canada

@JaniceBiehn

• Do as much research as you can to determine whether the publication has recently covered the same topic
• I get a lot of pitches from bloggers. If you are a blogger, be sure to demonstrate that you understand the difference between a blog post and a piece of reporting and that you will do the reporting required for a magazine article
• If you are sending a link to writing samples, send the actual links, not a link to your website or blog. We don’t have time to parse through and look for your writing samples. We are also very lazy that way. : )

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Sydney Loney

Health Director, Chatelaine

Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Health and Lifestyle

@sydneyloney

I get so many pitches and often they start with long, rambling paragraphs that talk around the idea, or explain at length who the writer is. No one has time to read those kinds of pitches anymore. So, my advice is to "think sales." Basically, your job as a freelancer is to sell your idea to an editor – and if you can't write your idea in a quick and compelling single sentence (the elevator sales pitch), then you don't have a story. So, lead with that and then quickly and smartly substantiate your idea to show both that you've done your research (i.e. that you know the editor, the magazine, the audience and why your story is timely) and that you have a solid plan for executing the story.

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Amy Bielby

Managing Editor, Parents Canada

@BunOutOfTheOven

1: Get the name of the magazine right!!! We get so many pitches for Today’s Parent or Canadian Family—and that drives me nuts. I usually won’t respond.

2: In school, I learned how to write queries and they were quite long—typically a page in Word. Don’t do that. I like short, to-the-point queries. If you are pitching a 500-word article, the pitch itself should NOT be 500 words. Get to the point. Describe the main points of the article, the sources you have in mind, and in which section of the magazine it would appear.

3: Don’t suggest a column or a series of articles. Do you know how hard it is to land a column? And most magazines do not have the room for a regular column.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to share, ladies - and I hope your inboxes show the results!

Random observation: my husband always tells me that I need to smile with my teeth more on TV and in photos...and I noticed all of these ladies use gorgeous teeth-smile shots on social media. Not at all related to pitching, but no post of mine would be complete without one of my deep thoughts.

You can catch up on the entire Adventures in Freelancing series here:

Volume I - My Start, and Top 5 Tips For New Writers

Volume II - More Tips

Volume III - A Successful Query Letter, You Got the Job - Now What? 
and Make Your Blog Work for You

Volume IV - How To Thicken the Skin

My Faves From the Today's Parent List of Top 100 Canadian Kids' Books of All Time

When Today's Parent recently released a list of the Top 100 Canadian Kids' Books of All Time, (based on expert input from coast to coast) I thought it was a great idea...so great that I decided to chat about it with CHEX Daily hosts Teresa Kaszuba and Mike Judson in my latest Teacher, Teacher appearance.

In this segment, I share some of my favourite picks from the list at various age levels (the folks at Today's Parent have conveniently colour-coded the list by age group).



Remember, providing your kids with great literature doesn't have to break the bank. Your public library will have most of these titles (I love to search the online catalogue and put books on hold if they're not currently on the shelf) and your child's school librarian would be thrilled to help you out. Pick your must-reads and send a note to school with your child - free backpack delivery included!

Image courtesy of Today's Parent

The books I showed on-air were:

The Paper Bag Princess - Robert Munsch
The Party - Barbara Reid
Something From Nothing - Phoebe Gilman
The Hockey Sweater - Roch Carrier
Owls in the Family - Farley Mowat
This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall - Gordon Korman
Elijah of Buxton - Christopher Paul Curtis
The Breadwinner - Deborah Ellis
Silverwing - Kenneth Oppel

(Oh, and for those of you who have already asked: my nails are "Gilded Leopard" Jamberry wraps!)

By the way, if you're a new CHEX Daily viewer thinking perhaps I was a little diggy with host Mike Judson near the end, you should know that in almost every one of my segments he manages to mention how much he hated school as a child...so I really was happy to hear there was a book he liked. Off-air he clarified with me that he has always loved to read - as long as no one told him he had to!

If you don't have a copy of the June issue of Today's Parent, you can click here for a printable version of the full list, and don't miss the Chapters Indigo giveaway where you can win ALL 100 books! (Contest ends 6/12/15.)

I tried to think of a classic book missing from the list and I couldn't do it...can you?