Looking for birthday party ideas for kids in Ottawa? Here’s the lowdown on a party we hosted for our 12-year old daughter. (Plus a big giveaway!)

Something ridiculous happened today. Before I get to that, though, I’m’a set some ground rules, because this is the kind of discussion that gets out of hand really, really fast. 1) I’m not interested in any anti-religion comments. What follows did not happen because people believe in God. This isn’t a discussion about belief versus [...]

One of the more persistent “myths” about obesity is that overweight and obese kids are big largely because of their reduced levels of physical activity. As regular readers may recall, this was not borne out by previous surveys on physical activity, where the relationship between physical activity and body size have been rather inconsistent. Now [...]

While laying with Wee One in bed this morning he sings:”M, M, I love M because my mom starts with M”.I think Awwww and then:”P, P, I love P because Pee and Poop start with P”…oh, there’s the Wee One I know…

While laying with Wee One in bed this morning he sings:”M, M, I love M because my mom starts with M”.I think Awwww and then:”P, P, I love P because Pee and Poop start with P”…oh, there’s the Wee One I know…

While looking for tights for this girl several weeks back, I popped into a store I don’t normally frequent, desperate in my search. It’s a based-in-Quebec chain called Souris Mini (Mini Mouse). I confess that I find their stuff a…

Our kids have been obsessed with the movie "Annie" lately and it’s so adorable hearing them belt out, "Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, Tomorrow!" and "It’s a hard knock life for us!" all the live-long day. There are just some…

I have a post up at the MediaSmarts blog writing about kids and music this week. Sex, coarse language, gender stereotyping – it’s a fast-changing world we live in and I’d love to get your thoughts on this topic. I offered a few of my own tips but I’m s…

It started last year, my eldest daughter questioning where babies come from. Caught off guard, I mentioned something about "a special hug between a mommy and daddy" then changed the subject. It satisfied her curiosity at the time, but recently…

Earth Rangers is a conservation organization focused on getting kids engaged in protecting and learning about the environment. They have a program currently focused on having kids actively engage in protecting wildlife and their ecosystems. Earth Day happens later this month but there’s no reason why you can’t be thinking about the planet everyday. Get inspired by all the great kids making a difference!

In September 2010, Earth Rangers developed Bring Back the Wild, a national education and fundraising program that educates children about the importance of protecting animals by preserving their natural habitats, while raising funds to support the and restoration of endangered habitats across Canada. Since launching the program, over 200,000 kids have registered to become an Earth Ranger and over $1,000,000 has been raised for conservation projects.

For Earth Rangers, every day is Earth Day and Earth Month is the perfect time to showcase some kids . . . → Read More: Things Are Good: Earth Rangers Wants You to Bring Back the Wild

Easter was great. I ate too many mini eggs. The end. …

Kids. They do and say the darnedest things!

The latest little story from the annals of my boys cracks me up. Perhaps I should be worried, but it is something that I would have done.

Aidan, our oldest, treated Kris to Tim Horton’s on Friday.  He used his card to cover the expenses. Happy Easter Mom!

Turns out he was being very generous all right, but it was not his card!

Some of the children

When spring finally springs, it’s a glorious thing indeed, but we’re not ready for bare legs for several weeks yet. So bring on the tights. But indeed… where are all the tights? I’ve been having a hell of a time…

First, let me say I can’t believe he let me take his picture… it seems like such a rare event these days. I find dressing this boy fairly uncomplicated – give him some t-shirts he’s fond of and jeans that…

Spring break.Break. That’s funny.Three kids under seven home full-time and you tell me how restful that break is.I am not complaining…the change of pace has been nice and with the long-awaited sunshine we’ve been able to get outside and hit…

I’m addicted. Totally addicted. Just when I started to get uninspired by the thought of making lunches for the kids, my senses were awakened once again and reminded that something so simple can be so delicious.On a recent trip down…

A couple days ago Toronto-based blogger/writer/traveller Heather Greenwood Davis posted a link to a thought-provoking New York Times article that immediately sunk into my brain and has been percolating there ever since. It brings to mind something I often think about… and that’s my job as a parent and the Big Question that comes along [...]

Today was the first day of March Break in our area. Just like every school break that has come before, I started out imagining a relaxing break from our usual rush-rush-rush, and by noon I am hit by the realization that I better start planning some activities ASAP. Some of my usual go-to activities when [...]

The post Time to Play with DK: Kids Activity Books Review appeared first on A Lot of Loves.

A good friend of ours who is a high school teacher called us up last week and said, "This guy came and gave a two-hour presentation to the kids at the school today about internet safety and online protection and…

To those, who have been to any of my “Dr. Sharma Shows“, my interest in the topic of resilience should come as no surprise. If my work with obese clients has taught me anything, it is the simple fact that for those who use food as a coping strategy, the solution will not lie in [...]