Maple Leaf Mommy

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

Comfort and Convenience with Douglas Mattress {Plus Mattress GIVEAWAY!!}

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There is definitely something to be said for the convenience of ordering a mattress online and having it show up at your house. Poof. Magic. It arrived on our front porch in a box which was both somehow smaller and larger than I thought it would be. As I stood there eyeing it my 10 year old came up next to me,"Wow, that's a big box." she said. "It's bigger than Gigi. Both of … [Read more...]

Shhhh… A Little Sneaking is Good For Your (Mental) Health….

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The kids are home for the summer. My mother-in-law just moved in with us last month. Time to myself? Ha. The very idea is ludicrous. It's non-stop go-go-GO over here. Like every mom (or at least every mom that is still holding on to that last shred of sanity), I get creative with finding ways to fit in slivers of me-time. My current trick is to wake up late. Yeah, you … [Read more...]

Mom Guilt and the Magic of Childhood — Little is Enough

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With Summer Break just starting I've been thinking back on how much I hated March Break this year. For about six years now, ever since my eldest first started school, I've watched on social media as other parents complained about summer break (or March break, or Christmas break, or whatever), saying how it drove them bats to have their kids home for x many days... but I just … [Read more...]

The Secret Society of Blogging, What Our Readers Never See

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There is a secret underside to blogging, one that our readers never see. A secret virtual room where we all meet and sit around the water cooler and chat.   From the outside, there's a lot going on that you as a reader may not notice. We make blogging friends and connections. We meet in person at conferences. We email each other back and forth. We have private Facebook … [Read more...]

Let Those Good Thoughts SHINE

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"A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” Roald Dahl, The Twits … [Read more...]

Moms Don’t Do Sick Days, #NoSickDays

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Waking up with sore throat pain, cough, nasal and chest congestion, aches and pains or a fever? I don't have time for that. Back in the B.C. days (a.k.a. Before Children) it wasn't that big of a deal if a cold or the flu laid me low for a day or two. I'd call in sick, sleep a bunch, read a book, and order some take in. But now? No way. Life doesn’t stop just because I'm feeling … [Read more...]

Can I cheat and not raise a cheater?

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I tell my children they are not allowed to cheat. I tell them that it's not good to lie. That it's not good to try and hide things from mom. And then I turn around and I do all the things I tell them not to do. I cheat, I lie, and I hide things from them. I'm trying to decide if I should feel guilty over this or not.   It started with snacks. When they were younger I … [Read more...]

Knitwear Care Tips from the Experts, #FabricConditioner

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We Are Knitters sells DIY knitting and crochet kits that they design and create themselves (there are some super awesome kits on their website that I've got my eye on, like check out this Beginner Level Chewing Gum Sweater). They are one of the leaders of the handknit revolution, that is seeing people's perceptions of knitting change from something you think of your granny … [Read more...]

Saving Sweaters with Science, or When Kids, Laundry and Experiments Mix

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I washed my daughter's favourite sweater dress twelve times in the past two weeks. I did it for you guys. I did it to test a theory. I did it for SCIENCE! You see, knitwear is the bane of my existence. Oh don't get me wrong, I love a cozy sweater as much as the next gal. But, as a general rule, knitted things don't wash up well. They ball up, wrinkle up, stretch out, and … [Read more...]