This is our Thomas Train table, transformed from the Isle of Sodor into pirate islands. My favourite part of this set up is those two princesses standing at the top of the mountain. When I asked my six-year old daughter about it she had this to say, "If you manage to fight your way past all the pirates there are still the two princesses defending everything. They're like... … [Read more...]
Girls Can Follow Copyright Laws Too, “Borrowing” Content Is Never Okay
Back in 2012 there was a Kickstarter for this toy called GoldieBlox. I remember looking at it on Kickstarter with mixed feelings ("We want more girls to be engineers" is a great sentiment, but why is the answer always "Make it pink"?). I remember thinking the shipping prices were too high to Canada and that my daughter was a bit young for this building block/engineering … [Read more...]
Building Blocks & Bricks Are For EVERYONE
One night last week I was online chatting with some friends about how building bricks are NOT just for boys, and then I discovered that while this conversation was going on my daughter was in the other room building this: And then she asked if I would make a video. A video about her spare tire wielding, turbo charged, monster piloted, princess kidnapping, … [Read more...]
“The Talk”, My Mom’s Generation vs. Now, @Always #PGmom
While visiting the Always plant in Belleville I got to hear a bit about some of the cool charity initiatives Always takes part in, such as donating pads to girls in developing countries. I learnt how in these nations girls will often stay home from school when they are having their period, which means they are consistently missing several days of school each month. By donating … [Read more...]
On Equal Rights…
Here's a somewhat amusing quote on gender equality in honour of International Woman's Day (which took place last Friday, March 8th). Courtesy of Devil's Apricot Designs Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels. … [Read more...]
Girls Will Be… Pink?
I have this love/hate thing going with the colour pink. As in, I hate it and my daughter loves it. From the moment I first discovered that my child was going to be a girl, I had this crazy notion that I was going to protect her from pink. She wasn't going to be limited. She wasn't going to be labelled. I wasn't going to dress my baby by colour code, simply for the comfort … [Read more...]
My Daughter’s Perfect Smile {Baby-G’s Split Lip, A Year Later}
A year ago today Baby-G fell and cut her lip and we spent the evening in emergency getting her stitched up. This post is for those who have asked how her lip has healed. Here's what it looks like a year later. She has a scar, not a line, but more like a ball of scar tissue on her lip. I worry that someday my beautiful girl who smiles like sunshine, I worry someday she … [Read more...]
On turning Five…
The prime purpose of being four is to enjoy being four - of secondary importance is to prepare for being five. ~ Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook, 1985 Over a week ago now my Rainbow turned five years old. I found the fact that my wee babe is turning five a bit depressing somehow. I was feeling a bit glum in the week or so heading up to her big day. I guess it's because … [Read more...]
Maplelea Girls All-Canadian Vinyl Play Doll
A little over a year ago we received a Maplelea Girls catalogue with my daughter's Chirp magazine. These Canadian play dolls looked amazing. They captured my attention immediately, and that of my daughter as well. I knew that Rainbow was too young for Maplelea Girls at the moment, but I was definitely leaning towards getting her one once she was a bit older. My only hesitation … [Read more...]
Everyday Heroes and Role Models for our Daughters
This post is part of YummyMummyClub.ca's support of the Dove Celebrate Mom Contest. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors. When I was asked to write a piece for the Dove Celebrate Mom Contest, I was excited and immediately said "Yes!". The message that Dove is trying … [Read more...]
Did you know, Canadians can be Discovery Girls too?
I had a chance to look through the special 10th Anniversary edition of the Discovery Girls Magazine and I have to say that I was pretty impressed. How could I not be impressed, when they sifted through and reprinted the best from their first ten years of publication? (Some of which was pretty amusing, such as Gotta Have It tech gadgets from 2002). Along with collecting some of … [Read more...]
{ Review & Giveaway } Discovery Girls Magazine (Closed)
Discovery Girls is an American magazine aimed at girls between the ages of 8 and 13. What's cool about Discovery Girls is that they feature real normal girls. They travel across the U.S., each issue choosing twelve different girls from a particular state to be the cover models and to help write the magazine. My eldest daughter is almost four, a.k.a. my girls are nowhere near … [Read more...]
The Problem with PINK
I remember being in Grade Three and having the teacher tell us that pink is for girls, while blue is for boys. She then went around the class asking us what our favourite colour was. While the boys all picked different shades, from orange to green, as their favourite, the girls all dutifully chimed in with "Pink", until she got to me. I told her that my favourite colour was … [Read more...]
Zupers ~ Strong Leggings for Strong Girls {Review}
A while back I won a pair Zupers Leggings from a giveaway hosted on Natural Baby Goods. The idea behind Zupers is: functional leggings for active girls featuring removable knee pads, rip-resistant UV fabric and comfy fit. I let Rainbow pick out the style, and I was happy when she went with the plain chocolate brown ones. Though she currently takes a size 3T, I … [Read more...]
Princess Stinky Toes and the Brave Frog Robert {Book Review}
Princess Stinky-toes and the Brave Frog Robert by Leslie Elizabeth Watts (author/illustrator) My Rainbow just loves this book! She asks me to read it almost daily. As it is really meant for an older audience, it’s a bit on the longish side for her 3-year old attention span. So we tend to read it in two sittings. There are also many call backs to familiar fairy tales … [Read more...]