Parenting

You Could Be a Playtex Mommyville Mom of the Month

December 17, 2012 by Kathryn 4 Comments

I really found that after I became a mother, my focus was on myself a lot less and on my children a lot more. They were the centre of my universe and no matter what I was doing, they were always in the back of my mind. That all-encompassing concern for a child is all part of the wonderful experience of being a parent, but too often us moms don’t really receive recognition for the many things we do for our children.

That’s why Playtex Mommyville introduced the Mom of the Month (MOM) program. Over the next year, Playtex Mommyville will feature one deserving mom each month on its Facebook page and share her wisdom with other mothers!

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Anna’s Budget Tips-Five Free Ways to Make Your Kids Smile

November 1, 2012 by Kathryn 5 Comments

Bringing a smile to your kids’ faces doesn’t have to cost a penny and will likely leave you with a big grin that lasts all day as well. Here are a few free ways to surprise, delight, and completely crack your kids up!

1) Do Something Silly!

Mom and Dad could swap clothes before coming down to breakfast one morning. Try to keep a straight face as the little ones take in Mom in a suit and tie or Dad squeezed into one of Mom’s dresses. Bonus points to Dad if he puts on makeup and jewellery!

2) Dessert For Dinner

Shock your kids by serving ice cream sundaes, cookies and milk or some other sweet treat for dinner! Then have dinner for dessert, but best to keep it something simple that kids are likely to gobble up such as cereal, grilled cheese, or peanut butter and jelly. It can make for a crazy night, but the kids will love it…and who hasn’t wanted to skip straight to that cupcake from time to time? [Read more…]

Share the Joy of Your Child’s First Cheerios Moment on the Life Made Delicious Facebook Page #FirstCheerios

September 29, 2012 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

There are so many “firsts” us parents get to enjoy as we raise our children. The first haircut, first tooth, first scrape…they’re all special moments in their own way and a sign that our babies are growing up. And one of the firsts that many Canadian families celebrate is that first moment of self-feeding with General Mills Cheerios, a food recommended by four out of five paediatricians as a first finger food.

first cheerios graphic

If you snapped a picture of your precious darling carefully picking up Cheerios between their thumb and forefinger, you’re not alone; it really is a moment worth capturing. That’s why Cheerios is honouring that important first with its special First Cheerios campaign! Just share a photo of your baby’s first Cheerios moment by clicking on the Cheerios Mosaic tab on the Life Made Delicious Facebook page and if you’re one of the first 1000 participants, you’ll receive a coupon for a free box of General Mills Cheerios! Everyone that submits a photo after the first 1000 will receive a $1.00 off coupon. [Read more…]

Nominate a Mother You Know for the Walmart Canada Mom of the Year Award #MOTY

June 19, 2012 by Kathryn 5 Comments

I don’t think there’s any more amazing job than being a mother. It’s both the most difficult and the most rewarding task that a woman can undertake. But there are some women that take motherhood to a whole new level of awesomeness and honouring those women is just why the Walmart Canada Mom of the Year Award was created.

I have to admit that when I first heard about this fabulous new annual award from Walmart Canada, I had a hard time figuring out whom I might want to nominate for this award. I’m honoured to know so many amazing mothers and I couldn’t imagine choosing just one for something so special. But then one day I realized that I knew the perfect woman for this award after all; a woman that has been a mother not just to one or two, but to dozens of kids that were all in need of care, special attention and, most of all, love.

walmart canada mom of the year graphic [Read more…]

Willow Wants To Know…Are YOU a Bad Mommy?

May 7, 2012 by Kathryn 7 Comments

In about a month, I’ll be featuring a review of Bad Mommy by Willow Yamauchi on my site. In the meantime, Willow wants to let you know about her own Bad Mommy revelation and encourage you to embrace your own inner badness:

I have a confession. I am a Bad Mommy. It’s OK, I’m good with it, it works for me, and it can work for you too. Claiming and owning your identity as a Bad Mommy is nothing short of liberating. We have all been fooled, you see. That Good Mommy thing – it’s a figment of our shared imagination. That “I love being a mommy more than anything” thing – a collective fantasy. In my 15 years of parenting I have slowly come to the realization that it’s all a conspiracy. There is no such thing as Good Mommy. This is the truth, and the truth shall set each of us free.

This epiphany first came to me when my daughter was a baby. Despite adhering to all the rules and regulations of the Mommy Mafia, things were not well. I know you know what I am talking about. She didn’t sleep, really…ever. The breastfeeding was a freaking nightmare. I was fat, I was miserable, all my friends abandoned me, and I was alone with my squalling infant and my shame. When I turned to other Mommies for solace, I was met with a strong wall of denial. Oh no! No one else was suffering, everything else was great for everyone else but me. It must be me. It must only be me, it was my fault.

In desperation I went to my grandmother for advice. She let me in on a little secret that I am now sharing with you. It’s all a lie. That’s right, all of it. The whole Good Mommy thing. The Mommies are lying to themselves, and the Mommies are lying to each other. Everyone is in denial, yet deep down, everyone knows the truth – that they are failing at being the Good Mommy they think they have to be (and can be) and that everyone else is making it work. That’s what the denial is all about: it’s the shame of failure.

And let me be clear, just because it’s right and normative and all that stuff to be a Bad Mommy that doesn’t give you a hall pass to be a b**ch. You still have to try your bloody hardest every day. You still have to suck it up and be a big girl every last day. You still have to take the last piece of cake, and fold that last piece of laundry. Understanding that you are a Bad Mommy does not give one license to abuse, rather it explains what is actually happening. We are trying, and we are failing. Collectively. So stand up sister, say it, say it with me, “I am a Bad Mommy, and I am proud.”

bad mommy cover Willow Yamauchi is a Vancouver-based author, freelance broadcaster, blogger, cheese lover and Bad Mommy to two terrific kids. Her book Bad Mommy, published by Insomniac Press, celebrates the parental line somewhere between June Cleaver and Joan Crawford. In Bad Mommy, Willow interviews 22 real women who confess their maternal shortcomings and together embrace the reality of parenting. Bad Mommy is a call to maternal subversion.