Father's Day Ideas? Look No Further!

The newest issue of Peterborough, Northumberland and Lakeridge Kids is available now, and in it my article:
"Make This Father's Day Special".

I conducted an informal poll to find out what Dads really want for Father's Day, and the results are in. Click on the link for ideas for gifts, celebrations, and outings...as well as some cute quotes about fatherhood.

Oh, and just to get you revved up for a special theme next week here at This Mom Loves, here's a Father's Day gift idea for your consideration:

Canada Grills! (recipes compiled and edited by Lisa Kahn)

I received a review copy of this book, which boasts incredibly mouth-watering colour photos of fresh-of-the-grill food (225 recipes in all). I could even put a meal together for myself with items from every category:

Appetizers: Smokin' Soon's Hobo Potato Skins, Patio Daddio BBQ's Pulled-Pork Pastries (2 ingredients)

Meat: CB's Slow-Grilled Rib Eyes, Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breasts With Artichokes and Italian Cheeses - hold the artichokes  (The book actually divides main dishes into separate sections for Beef, Pork, Lamb and Game, Poultry, and Seafood)

Sides: CB's Smoky, Cheesy Cornbread, Better-Than-Mom's Mac and Cheese

Desserts (yes, for the grill!): CB's Nutella and Marshmallow Quesadillas, Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies (not so sure about the bacon part...is that kind of weird?)

If you think the names even sound delicious, wait until you see these photos! As I write this, I am trying to cut back on eating unnecessarily in the evenings, and looking at these juicy dishes is not helping! I wonder what we have up in the fridge...

Anyway, silly me, when the box from the publishing company arrived I opened it right up in front of my husband...so it's too late to try to make this his Father's Day gift! But heck, if it in any way contributes to him grilling more and me cooking less, then we know who the gift is really for, don't we?

Winners

Congratulations to the latest This Mom Loves winners:

Piggy Paint Gift Code:

Tawny of Winnipeg, MB

Pirates of the Caribbean Prize Pack: 

Jackie of Langley, BC

Copy of "The Naked Mom" by Brooke Burke:

Jonnie of Edmonton, AB

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

By the way, I apologize to those of you who are having trouble leaving comments (and therefore entering giveaways). It's a problem with Blogger right now, and I'm looking in to switching to a different template for entries. Thanks for your patience!

Hyper Parents and Job-Seeking Kids

My earliest readers may remember that one of my first posts, way back in February 2010, was called "Are YOU a Hyper Parent?" (I'm sure you're not, but you might want to go back to that one just to be sure!)

As a followup, I just came across results of a recent Office Team survey which shed light on the blunders of some, shall we say, overzealous parents who are sabotaging their kids' job hunts. Some of these are too hilarious not to share...and read to the end if you want tips on what you actually can do to help your child find work.

From the press release ‘DO YOU MIND IF I BRING MY MOM TO THE INTERVIEW?’ - OfficeTeam Survey Reveals Most Surprising Behaviour From Job Seekers’ Parents:

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We’ve all heard of moms and dads who become too involved in a child’s science fair project, book report or college application. According to a new OfficeTeam survey, this type of hovering, also known as “helicopter parenting,” extends to the job search, too.

Executives interviewed were asked to recount the most unusual or surprising behaviour they had heard of or witnessed from the parent of a job seeker. Here are some of their responses:

“One parent wanted to sit in during the interview.”

“A parent called a politician to push me to hire his son.”

“A mother submitted her daughter’s resume on her behalf.”

“Someone stopped an employer at a grocery store to ask that person to hire her child.”

“A parent called to ask about a job applicant’s work schedule and salary.”

“A parent called during the interview to try to push me to hire her daughter.”

“I received a call from a father asking about the status of his son’s application.”

“A parent came by my desk and told me that he expected his daughter to get preference for a position since he was a manager at the company.”

“A mother called to ask how her child did in the job interview.”

“A parent called to find out why we did not hire her son and why we felt he was not qualified.”

The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,300 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees in the United States and Canada.

“Although most parents mean well, those who become overly involved in a child’s job search can derail their son or daughter’s prospects of being hired because companies may question the applicant’s level of independence and maturity,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “New graduates should steer their parents away from direct contact with potential employers and toward behind-the-scenes guidance and networking assistance.”
OfficeTeam identifies five ways for professionals to effectively leverage their parents’ help in the job search:

1. Branch out. Networking is still one of the best ways to find a job. A parent’s friends and colleagues can help set up introductory meetings with employers and alert you to opportunities.

2. Give it another look. Have parents review your resume and cover letter. They can spot typos and other errors and make sure the most valuable information is included.

3. Do a test run. Conduct mock interviews with parents to practice responses to common questions. Ask for constructive feedback on your answers and delivery.

4. Weigh your options. Use your parents as a sounding board about potential opportunities. They can provide a different perspective and bring up points to consider in your decision.

5. Get encouragement. Looking for a job can be difficult, and it’s important to remain positive. Seek parental advice and support throughout the process to keep on track.

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I'm sure that in my past, my parents have indirectly helped me get jobs. Aside from babysitting, my first paid employment was scooping Baskin Robbins ice cream, and the reason I was hired is because my Dad and I walked in for a cone only seconds after an employee had called in "sick"...again. Dad had coached the manager's son in hockey, and the first words out of her mouth to me were "Do you want a job?"

Next came my work at a convent (a post in itself) and my university summers working at an insurance company, a job which I got strictly on my own merits.

As for my teaching position...the fact that my parents were both well-respected teachers in our School Board when I was hired certainly couldn't have hurt me, but I'm pretty sure that my French qualifications sealed the deal on that one.

My own girls are 5 and 3, so their job-hunting years are far ahead of them, but I will try to internalize these tips so that I'll know my place when the time comes. Though since I get nervous making such phone calls on my own behalf, I can't imagine feeling too compelled to do it for my daughters. Good luck, kids!

About OfficeTeam: OfficeTeam is a leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled office and administrative support professionals. The company has more than 300 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.officeteam.com.

My New Coach Bag and Me: A Love Story

Okay, I must start by saying that I am really not a brand-name person. My kids wear few labels, and I shop for myself at chain stores in the mall. (This leads me to end up at school wearing the same outfits as the Grade 8 girls, but I digress.)

When it comes to handbags though, I have always wanted to own something with a nice, well-known label. To me, "Coach" seemed like the best bet. Classic and classy, (which I'd like to think suits me) but with a price tag manageable outside NY and LA. I also knew I wanted a shoulder bag, in black.

I had been checking Ebay for a while, and had my eye on a few possibilities, but as a non-regular Ebayer, I missed some opportunities because I forgot they were there. (Sure, I wanted a Coach bag, but it certainly didn't rank ahead of real priorities, like keeping up with my PVR.) I finally figured out the whole "watchlist" thing, and got a reminder one evening that bidding on one of my favourites was ending in 15 minutes. Sitting in front of Desperate Housewives, I quickly checked to see that the seller looked reputable (and was vehement enough - but not too vehement - about only selling authentic purses, and that purchasing fakes helps to fund terrorism, etc.) With three minutes left, I placed my bid.

The result?

Meet my very first designer bag:

The purse (NWT, in Ebay speak) arrived from the States within a couple of weeks, and I couldn't have been more pleased. It was exactly as pictured and described.

Until this, I don't believe I have ever in my life paid more than $40 for a purse...yet for this one, I went in to the three digits. (Barely three digits. I may be a teacher, but I'm only a teacher. That sentence will mean something different to you depending on whether you live in Canada or the US.)

I immediately moved all of my handbag contents into my beautiful new acquisition (I won't be one of those saving-it-for-a-special-occasion designer purse owners) and have been carrying it around ever since. Never before have I hesitated when setting my bag down on the ground, and I even took an injury to avoid having it soiled! We were sitting in a booth at a restaurant (an oh-so-rare occasion), preparing to leave, and Maggie decided to stand up on the bench and walk towards me. With her shoe poised to come down on the bag, my instincts kicked in and I threw my hand down to absorb the impact...and the dirt. I still have the bruise to prove it!

I would be the first to tell you that name brands don't define you, and in fact are a waste of money. However, I am embarrassed to say that I have been brainwashed enough to make sure that I walk with the cute little Coach carriage logo facing out..in case anyone doesn't realize that the textured letter C's on the bag prove that in fact I own "the real thing". (Though less than 10% of the people I come into contact with on a regular basis would notice or care. Which is probably good.)

And if you're wondering "What does one wear with a Coach handbag?", to you I say: Does it ever go nicely with my $30 Smart Set jeans and $15 Suzy Shier top...and you should see it with my new Zellers track suit!

Love Your Weekends Again!

This is a special guest post brought to you by the editors of Prevention magazine. (As soon as I read it, I knew I had to share it!)

Come Friday, we’re ready to relax and recharge—but too many of us sabotage our weekends by cramming in a month of chores or going zombie in front of the TV. Either way, the weekend is a bust.

If you want to feel truly refreshed by Monday morning, take to heart the findings from one study showing that in addition to eating, relaxing and sex, women enjoy themselves MOST when they’re socializing, engaging in spiritual activities and exercising. In the June issue of Prevention magazine (on newsstands now), Editors worked together to create the “Rule of Three” to help make the most of your weekend by mapping out activities, leaving you recharged and ready to face that manic Monday.

Outlined below is each rule and how to incorporate them into your lives, as well as, tips to help your weekends go from hectic to happy!

Rule 1: Use Your Social Network

· Even if you cherish “just for me” time, organize at least one weekend endeavor where you can bring along a friend. Feeling connected and loved are among the biggest predictors of happiness.

· Socializing encourages us to spend our time and money on experiences, which research shows makes us happier than material objects.

· So plan a Saturday-night outing to a play you’ve read about, or sign up for a cooking class with a pal. You’ll enjoy the advantages for weeks or months to come.

Rule 2: Try Soul Food

· The more frequently that people attend religious services, the more content they are.

· Faith and prayer regardless of religion, satisfy a basic need to feel part of something bigger than ourselves.

· It turns out that volunteering can have a similar effect. People derive a lot of pleasure from helping others.

· Also try meditation or a restorative yoga class instead. Research shows that spiritual practices, such as regular mindfulness exercises, can actually change brain structure in a way that promotes a sense of well-being.

Rule 3: Break a Sweat

· Exercise sparks the release of feel-good endorphins, but it also satisfies something more profound: the human need to perform and excel.

· Although any fitness activity you enjoy is good you’ll enhance its benefits even more by taking it outdoors.

· Studies find that people who exercised outside felt more energetic and were more inclined to keep at it.

Power Up Your Pleasure

Compress your chores. To avoid having your to-do list take over, carve out 2- to 3- hour blocks for errands. Also consider whether there are things you can outsource—or ignore.

Unplug. After a week of making decisions, channel surfing can seem like just what the doctor ordered, but TV is less enjoyable then we think. One study found that unhappy people watch 30% more TV than very happy people. Limit your web surfing too, since it comes with the added peril of checking work e-mail, which may invite stress into your time off.

Rethink Sunday night. A new study shows we remember unpleasant experiences as significantly worse if we expect them to recur, which may explain why so many of us ruin Sunday evening by dreading the week ahead. Instead, plan one of your Rule of Three activities for Sunday night: You’ll fall asleep with a fond new memory, not a crash of nerves.

I can totally relate to this piece, and "that Sunday feeling" is a frequently used expression with my family and friends. What advice will I take to heart? Well, I'm not so good at the unplugging thing, but this weekend I will try to "use my social network" (considering I'll have more than 20 people at Maggie's birthday party Saturday night, I think I have that one covered), and attend a religious service (as I do almost every Sunday).

I can't guarantee a relaxed beginning to the work week this time around, though. One acronym sums it up: EQAO. (In a nutshell: my class begins their provincial standardized testing on Monday, and when the results come out in September, the world can decide if I am a good teacher or not. No pressure. Okay, maybe "the world" is stretching it, but still. Don't get me started.)

For more, check out the latest issue of Prevention magazine, on stands now.

Wednesday Words

This week's "Wednesday Words" come from my book club's latest selection: Little Bee by Chris Cleave

The first words that struck me were actually on the book jacket: 

"We don't want to tell you too much about this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this: This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice. Two years later, they meet again. The story starts there. Once you have read it, you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how it unfolds."

Tell me that doesn't hook you!

By page nine, I had already found a passage that I knew I had to share:

"...I ask you right here to please agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty, okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived."

As of writing this post, I'm only a third of the way into the book, but unless it goes downhill fast, I'd suggest you add it to your must-read list.

Pirates of the Caribbean Giveaway Reminder

Don't forget to enter to win the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides gift pack! The contest ends tomorrow (May 26th) at midnight, and entries are extremely low!

http://thismomloves.blogspot.com/2011/05/pirates-of-caribbean-on-stranger-tides.html

What I Learned From Brooke Burke's "The Naked Mom" - And a Giveaway!

Giveaway open to Canada and U.S.

Part of me didn't want to like "The Naked Mom". I knew Brooke Burke as the host of Dancing With the Stars, as well as a media mogul with a website - ModernMom - and a ridiculously high number of Twitter followers (1,775,785 as of this writing, though she is still uninterested in selling her tweets as some celebs do.)

Soon after cracking open her new book, I realized that despite the glamour and the fame, moms really do have a lot in common, whether we're attempting to balance parenting with a classroom or a ballroom.

Some of my favourite points:

Brooke asserts that there is no such thing as "balance", which I totally agree with (and have heard from several of my Momterview subjects). No parts of your life can get your attention equally, all the time, so don't even try.

She makes no attempt to maintain an illusion of perfection. If she did, she wouldn't use phrases like "setting out to stitch together a family from the tatters of my failed marriage" or "I'm convinced every Brady in the Bunch had to be smoking crack." In fact, she speaks candidly about her first marriage and subsequent divorce, shared custody, and the effects on her family.

From "The Naked Mom", I learned that performing on Dancing With The Stars is more physically and emotionally challenging than I ever would have thought. Sure, sure, no one is forcing these Stars to participate, and yes, they are getting paid, but the determination to push through challenge and pain is an important lesson, even if it is for the sake of entertainment. Brooke shares lots of behind-the-scenes stories and trials, both as a competitor and now as cohost of the show. (Though the woman's instincts aren't exactly bang on. When Dancing With The Stars was first in development, her response was "Hell, no, this will never work in America!" In case you live under a rock, DWTS is consistently the number one show in the U.S.)

DWTS Cohosts Brooke Burke and Tom Bergeron

I enjoyed the chapter on "Beauty, Deconstructed", where Brooke takes the reader step-by-step through all of the people and products that get her to look the way we think she appears all the time. ("Does anyone have real hair or real boobs or real teeth anymore? Not on my patch of the planet, babe.") Though unfortunately, she shies away from calling out any A-Listers, focusing only on her personal beauty regime. Style doesn't always come at a huge cost, I was pleased to note, as Brooke was once overwhelmed by gushing compliments at a party over her $15.99 choker. Now that, I can afford.

There are some stories which are a bit hard to relate to. Most of the "inner b---h" moments Brooke shares are a little out of the league of us normal gals, as they deal with the paparazzi, a manicurist, and an airport while waiting to board a plane to London. My "inner b---h" comes out more often at the grocery store. (Though it is frustrating when the paparazzi trails me to my rural Catholic school every day. I'm sure you've seen those crazy shots in the tabloids.)

I also found it amusing that Brooke's so-called diet "cheat" days sound pretty much like a regular day for me (a bagel WITH butter...a burger...AND a treat from Cinnabon! Wild!)

Despite a couple of these "yeah, we're not really the same" anecdotes, there are other times when Brooke really does "bare all", so to speak, like when she shares her worst mommy moment (forgetting her daughter in the car after running in to Starbucks and sitting down to enjoy a coffee with friends). You'll have to read the book to see how horribly embarrassing the situation turned out to be. Don't we all have one of "those" moments, the recollection of which still makes us cringe?

Brooke with her four (yes, FOUR!) children

Brooke's kids are older than mine, and I did take away a few great parenting tips, such as the reassurance that you can't be your child's friend (Brooke came about this realization in therapy; now you know for much less than $150 an hour) and she also has a beautiful tradition of writing back and forth with one child in a special Mother-Daughter journal. When Frannie gets old enough, I think I'll actually try that one.

She talks a lot about the importance of the connection between husband and wife, and goes so far as to share a fantasy that she and hubby David Charvet play out, where they are museum-goers admiring pictures at an exhibition. I found it such a coincidence, because my husband and I like to...just kidding. (If you seriously thought I was going to finish that sentence, you must be new here.)

David and Brooke

"The Naked Mom" is a warm and entertaining read, offering the behind-the-scenes-and-at-home-with-a-star details that many of us enjoy, as we get to know a mom who is both so totally unlike and exactly the same as "regular" moms like us.

Want to read it? I'm giving away a copy of Brooke Burke's "The Naked Mom" to one lucky This Mom Loves reader. All you have to do is let me know you want to win! (Make sure to leave your email address, if it's not on your profile. If I can't contact you, you can't win.)

For additional entries, leave a separate comment letting me know that:

• You follow This Mom Loves publicly through Google Friend Connect
• You subscribe to This Mom Loves through email
• You follow @thismomloves on Twitter (I'm planning to catch up to Brooke by the time my blog changes to This Grandma Loves)
• You follow @brookeburke on Twitter (she really needs your support!)

The contest will run until Sunday, June 5th at 11:59 p.m., after which time a winner will be chosen through random number generation. Good luck!