I’m thrilled to say that I have two articles in the April issue of Parents Canada. The first is all about skin conditions that affect women who are expecting (e.g. stretch marks, acne, melasma), and what safe solutions they can turn to while they’re pregnant (with thanks to dermatologist Dr. Shannon Humphrey for her expertise!) […] Read more…
The Happiness Project: April (aka, Lighten Up, Kate!)
For the month of April, author Gretchen Rubin’s “Happiness Project” goals had a theme of “Lighten Up: Parenthood”. When it comes to life in general, in some ways “lighten up” SO applies to me, but in other ways it really doesn’t. I’m a serious person, but that doesn’t mean I’m not joyful. I think of […] Read more…
Disciplining Big Kids (No More Time Out): My Today’s Parent Article
For the April issue of Today’s Parent magazine, readers were asked to submit ideas for topics they’d like to see covered, and for the “Big Kid” page, one parent wondered about the best ways to adapt discipline strategies as their little kids get bigger, and the “time-outs” aren’t so effective anymore. I was happy to […] Read more…
Should Kids Be Allowed To Dye Their Hair? My Today’s Parent Article
This was a fun article to write, as parents have varying opinions on the matter, and even the medical experts don’t yet have definitive data one way or the other. There are studies involving rats ingesting huge amounts of the chemicals found in hair dye (which don’t look good), but those don’t exactly correlate perfectly […] Read more…
Look What I Found: The Public Speaking Edition
When going through old souvenirs, I came across my certificates from Royal Canadian Legion speaking competitions. While it seemed like a big deal at the time, I think I only ever made it as far as one step past our local Legion, which is a far cry from the provincial championships my niece and nephew have […] Read more…
Make Life Easier: Chores My Daughters Do – And Your Kids Can Too!
I think the title of this post is straightforward enough: I am a big fan of teaching kids independence (in my classroom as much as at home) and I thought I’d share which tasks we’ve assigned to our girls (ages five and seven) in the hopes that perhaps I can make your life easier too! […] Read more…
Looking For Input: Disciplining 9-11 year olds
Do you have a child between the ages of 9 and 11? I’d love to get some input for an article I’m working on about disciplining kids in this age group. What “little kid” discipline techniques don’t work anymore? What behaviour issues begin to crop up at this age? What strategies work well now? Do […] Read more…
Getting To 50/50: Book Explores Working Families, Marriage and Parenting
“The most important career decision you make is whom you marry.” Discuss. This gem of a quote, among many others, is found in the book Getting To 50/50: How Working Parents Can Have It All by Sharon Meers and Joanna Strober. The book not only argues that women can successfully work outside the home as […] Read more…
Mom/Daughter Bonding at Pretty In Pink Spa Studio, Oakville
I receive a LOT of press releases and information from PR reps every day, and the correspondence really has to stand out just to get me to read it, let alone respond with interest. When information on Pretty In Pink Spa Studio in Oakville hit my inbox, I was intrigued. It was titled “Spending time […] Read more…
Kids Colouring Their Hair: Need Parent Input For Article
I’m working on an article for a national magazine about kids roughly between the ages of 9 – 11 colouring their hair (girls or boys), and I’d love to speak to some parents about it. -Did you allow your child to get highlights/colour/bleach? -Does your child want to but you’re saying no? If either of […] Read more…