Maple Leaf Mommy

A Canadian Mom's Life: Family, Food & Fun

10 Easy Steps to Decluttering Today!

by Leave a Comment

Spring has sprung and we feel the need to start opening windows and throwing out junk.  That’s the way most people start thinking when it’s time for a good spring cleaning but we always seem to get stuck.  We lose focus or lack motivation once we look at that spare room, the basement or the playroom. We become overwhelmed or we just don’t know where to start. So we start to … [Read more...]

I gave my mom a toothbrush for Mother’s Day and she’s still speaking to me…

by Leave a Comment

My mom just turned sixty-five last month, which pretty much makes her officially un-shoppable for. Truth be told, I've had a hard time for almost a decade now. Gone are the days when a box of Corelle dishes, a new toaster, or a gaudy knickknack would cut it as a gift. She has moved twice since my Dad passed away, paring down her belonging each time. I know, because she … [Read more...]

Quotes for a Blue Monday

by Leave a Comment

Blue Monday, the third Monday of the month of January, is considered by some to be, statistically speaking, the most depressing day of the year. It's cold and grey out, the holidays are long gone, the next official break seems, much like spring, to be approximately a million years away. Perhaps, like me, you feel in need of a little inspiration. So here are four quotes to … [Read more...]

Map Out When Your Brain is at It’s Best, Just By Playing Games

by 1 Comment

So I discovered something a little zany while playing one of my favourite time wasters. I think I've come up with a way to map out when your brain is at it's best, just by playing games. Yep, I am saying that you can play games on your cell phone to figure out when you're at your smartest. Wordament is one of my favourite game apps, one of the ones I play almost daily … [Read more...]

Mommy Brain vs The Hidden Christmas Gifts

by 26 Comments

When I was a kid I would get Christmas gifts pretty much year round. One morning in February I'd be getting ready for school when my mom would suddenly pop into my room holding a new pair of gloves or a package full of socks. One afternoon in July, she'd suddenly come around the corner with new colouring books or a building set. Each time she'd be muttering to herself about how … [Read more...]

Cool Contest Alert – Desjardins Insurance is offering a chance to WIN FREE GAS FOR A YEAR! #GetAQuoteAndWin

by 1 Comment

I have found that there are three unwavering certainties in this life as a mom thing. 1)The laundry is literally never-ending. Unless you institute nudist weekends at your place, you will never, ever, get to the bottom of Mount Laundry. Every day the entire family wears clothes, often multiple outfits in one day. Thus, the laundry is NEVER done. 2)You have to feed the … [Read more...]

IBD is just as common as Diabetes and other shocking facts. {In honour of Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Month}

by 4 Comments

November is Crohn’s and Colitis awareness month. Colitis awareness is a topic near and dear to my heart because my husband has Colitis and in the years since his original diagnosis, I've found it to be a disease which many people know absolutely nothing about. Since so many people seem to have never heard of it, I had fallen into thinking that Colitis is a relatively rare … [Read more...]

Here’s what I DON’T want you to give my kids for Halloween…

by 1 Comment

Ok people, friendly Halloween-candy-handing-out people, I want to ask you a favour. Could you please stop giving my kids so much candy? Like seriously, one piece is enough. This whole, "Oh my goodness. Look at you! You're so cute. Here let me drop two big handfuls of junk food into your pillowcase.", stuff has to stop. Please just give my kids one piece of candy, one … [Read more...]

Secret Confession: I Have Beach Guilt

by 8 Comments

I've brought my kids on a family vacation to Florida twice now. Twice we've visited Orlando as a family. And I'm finding that I feel oddly guilty about it. See, when I was a kid we would visit Florida and stay with relatives. We'd fly down, or drive (24 hours straight, my dad was hardcore) to Bradenton, or Sarasota, stay for a week or two and head home. We chilled. A lot. We … [Read more...]

That time my 2nd Grader brought Whiskey to school…

by 10 Comments

I let my kid bring Whiskey to school. It didn't go well. To be clear, Whiskey is a cat -- a stuffed cat. I had reservations about Gigi bringing Whiskey to school, but apparently not for any of the right reasons. I was worried that her favourite doll might get ruined, that her long soft orange fur would get dirty from playing outside during recess, and that if I had to … [Read more...]

No Wifi? Netflix to the Rescue!

by 2 Comments

A bit over a year ago now, Netflix unleashed this new download feature where instead of streaming as you watch you can preload shows into your device. Last summer, they pointed out how handy it would be for road trips or for stays in cottage country. You can download a show before you hit the road and you’ve got a handy distraction for the kids. At one point they even had these … [Read more...]

What Exactly Does an Optician Do? Let’s Meet an Optician…

by Leave a Comment

Okay, so I am totally guilty of this... for the longest time I thought that the people that helped me pick out frames and sold me a pair of prescription glasses were just sales clerks. At one point I actually thought an optician was another word for an optometrist or eye doctor. Nope. Wrong answer. So, who are those people working in the eyeglasses department? What … [Read more...]

Mama, Give Yourself Some Grace – Tips For Dealing With Serious Illness

by 2 Comments

A year ago I wrote about my experiences living through a bout of severe anaemia. I made it through to the other side, and I feel 210% better than I did a year ago. I think you probably have to have a debilitating experience like that to know just how absolutely fantastic it feels to NOT be ill, because, seriously, not having anaemia is pretty much the best thing ever. I'm … [Read more...]