Nurture

The pandemic has been a time of stress and upheaval for most families, but some have found a way to transform that chaos into a fresh start. While many of the changes parents have been making are temporary, like working from home and scheduling online playdates, living in lockdown is driving some parents to embrace

This may be surprising to some, but raising kids on the rez during a pandemic has been a blessing for my family—and many others. When COVID-19 hit, my daughter, River-Jaxsen, wasn’t enrolled in public school yet—she was three, almost four. But we enrolled her in some online classes and began to expand her virtual learning experiences

My husband and I had no trouble coming up with hundreds of potential baby names. We struggled with what their last names should be. On paper, it might look like I have a blended family. My eldest daughter has my last name, and her younger sister has my husband’s. But I’m not divorced, I haven’t

Before the pandemic, I did school drop-offs with minimal fanfare: a quick hug for the kid, maybe a brief wave to the teacher, and I’d walk home with the family dog. After school, my daughter would beg for playground time and, after giving her 20 minutes to swing on the monkey bars or run amok

Not only did we hike, sled, skate and hit up playgrounds (endlessly) with our kids, we started to spend more time outdoors during the school-day, too—no matter the weather. Getting some fresh air was a much-needed break for kids doing virtual school on devices all day, and learning outside is safer than in poorly ventilated

“I will continue to hold you in my heart, not judge circumstances I know nothing about, decisions I never had to make, weight I never had to carry.” The first time someone made a negative comment to me about my son’s birth mother, I wasn’t at all surprised. I was actually expecting it at some

An affordable air purifier to the latest innovation from the makers of the SNOO, parents will love these new baby and kid products coming to stores this spring. Our inboxes are flooded with the latest and greatest in new parenting products every day. From exciting new toys and clever innovations for baby to tools that

With the promise of spring weather comes the opportunity for kids to spend some much-needed time out of the house. There are many benefits that come with outdoor play, from motor-skill development and stress reduction to skills traditionally learned in a classroom—not to mention endless fun! With official play partner Mastermind Toys It is undeniable

I grew up in a religious and conservative household, the youngest of three daughters to a first-generation Ukrainian-Canadian mother and Macedonian immigrant father. Between my home and my community, I had no concept of queerness. I don’t have exact memories of homosexuality being discussed at my Catholic schools, and the omission was damaging; I felt

If missing birthday parties or not going to the movies really bugs you, remember that for parents of kids with disabilities, it’s always been this way. In the beginning of the pandemic, almost one year ago (!!) we were all ready to stay home, buckle down for a few months, and take it as an

“What would I do if I had an hour with no balloons making fart noises into my hair during an interview? I don’t know, it sounds dull.”—Catherine Reitman Catherine Reitman opted to show, not tell, and we can only imagine what ridiculous antics her sons came up with when she was running the Workin’ Moms writers

Rather than feel bad that there’s no dinner reservation on the cal or sexy lingerie in the mail (LOL), let’s make laughter our therapy this Valentine’s Day. Remember last Valentine’s Day, in the Before Times, when this new thing called “coronavirus” was a far-off concern and you might have even had energy to make your

Recently, I decided to reframe how I look at screen time, and tweaked the way we handle TV watching in four small but meaningful ways. It’s Saturday morning, and I’m watching TV with my kids when an error message pops up on the screen. “I know how to fix this,” my seven year old announces,

No, there’s no deduction for time spent yelling at kids. But the CRA has introduced a new temporary flat-rate method to accommodate people who worked from home. Here’s how it works. While employees who primarily worked from home have always been able to claim work expenses, for the 2020 taxation year, the Canada Revenue Agency

From a kid-friendly treatment for winter skin to blue light-blocking glasses that will help protect their eyes during all of that e-learning, parents will love these new baby and kid products coming to stores in 2021. Our inboxes are flooded with the latest and greatest in new parenting products every day. From exciting new toys

From sprouted-grain bread to superfood smoothies, these yummy breakfast staples get the day started right. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why not serve up something extra special? Help them rise and shine with these low-sugar, protein-rich packaged foods that you can add to the mix of whole foods

Having a kid doesn’t affect your taxes a ton, but there are some things you should know about benefits, credits and deductions. Congratulations, you had a baby during the 2020 tax year! Or perhaps you are expecting, and curious how having a kid will affect your taxes. The fact is, having a kid doesn’t affect

Purchases and adoptions of dogs have spiked since last March, when we were asked to stay home. And as I’ve said before, while this is great news for dogs—especially those who’ve been sprung from shelters—lots of families are discovering that dog ownership isn’t always a walk in the park. As a canine behaviour practitioner, I’ve

If the idea of buying life insurance seems like something old people do, think again—every parent needs it. Here’s why and how to get it. What is life insurance? In the unlikely but not implausible case that you or your partner dies, life insurance pays out a predetermined lump sum of money to the surviving

If you haven’t yet started an RESP, or if contributing $2,500 a year to your kid’s education seems completely unrealistic, that’s OK. It’s not too late, and it’s perfectly fine to start small. What is an RESP? A Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) helps parents save for their kid’s post-secondary education. You deposit money into