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...]
What Exactly Does an Optician Do? Let’s Meet an Optician…
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...]
FREE Eyeglasses for kids ages 4 to 10, with Loblaw KIDS SEE FREE Program
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Loblaw. As always, my words and opinions are all my own. EDIT: I originally published this post in 2017. At that time all of the information was current and correct. As of January 2019, the Kids See Free program appears to have been put on hold. Calling and speaking to my local Theodore & Pringle optical centre I was told that the … [Read more...]
Mama, Give Yourself Some Grace – Tips For Dealing With Serious Illness
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...]
When It Comes To Vitamins, Mothers (and Daughters) Know Best
My mom has been hounding me to take vitamins. Vitamin D in particular. Family genetics seem to indicate that taking a Vitamin D supplement would be a good idea. That plus the fact that I spend 90% of my time indoors. I've been taking an iron supplement for my anemia (which is getting much better, thanks for asking). Then, because iron can block calcium absorption, my … [Read more...]
That Time My Kid’s Eyes Scared The Heck Out of Me…
Did I ever tell you guys about the time my daughter's vision went from 20/20 to needing glasses in under half a year? She followed up that amazing feat with needing a new pair of prescription lenses a mere six months later. When her eyes starts changing that quickly it freaked me right out. I was scared at first, but then I discovered.... Well, if you want to know … [Read more...]
Do Cold Medications Help, Or Do They Make You Sick(er)?
How do you feel about cold medications? Do you start popping tablets at the first sign of a sniffle, or do you try and avoid taking them all together? I remember sitting with my husband, at the time my boyfriend, in our apartment, watching this news expose on cold tablets. Feels like it was last month, but I'm doing the math and it was more like fifteen years ago. At the … [Read more...]
Tips on How to Survive a Cold {Plus GIVEAWAY}
"I'm going to stop at Shopper's on the way home, do you need me to grab anything?" My spidey-sense went off. I knew something was up as soon as my husband told me he was going to stop at Shopper's on his way home from work. See, he has a compromised immune system. It's one of the many not so lovely side effects of living with colitis, and it means that he catches … [Read more...]
At the Sleep Clinic, an Overnight Sleep Apnea Test
Sleep Apnea, is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. You may have sleep apnea if you snore loudly and you feel tired even after a full night's sleep. ~ Mayo Clinic Many years ago my mother was diagnosed with sleep apnea and then about six years back my husband also was diagnosed. For several years now I've suspected that I might … [Read more...]
Take Five + Measure Your Heart’s Age
I'm going to level with you guys. My father was 59 years old when he died. His heart just stopped. As sudden and unexpected as his death was looking back I know that my dad did not take good care of his heart. And I do not want to follow in his footsteps. Heart Disease is one of the leading causes of death in Canada. I know that a family history of diabetes and heart … [Read more...]
Cold and Flu Season Has Arrived, Fight Back with Shoppers Drug Mart
You ever look at your kid and think, "Time bomb"? I spent last week in Toronto attending two blogging conferences, and of course what do I come back home to but a sick, runny nosed three year old. It's sort of like that moment when you're watching something horrible happen in slow motion, right? Because you just know that it's going to hit the rest of the family. You just know … [Read more...]
On Oral Care Routines with Preschoolers
One of the surprising things I learned when Dentist Dr Janet Tamo spoke during the daylong P&G Mom event, was that we should be brushing our kids teeth FOR THEM until they are 7 or 8 years old. Little Miss Five Years Old has begun brushing her own teeth, under supervision. What we do is we alternate, one time mom brushes her teeth, one time Rainbow does it while I watch, … [Read more...]
Free Online Tools for Healthy Lifestyle Resolutions and Why Some of Them Suck if You’re Overweight
Happy New Year! It's resolution time again! I know what you're thinking, "Wait, it's almost April, why the heck is she talking about new year's resolutions?" but my birthday is in March, so for me I always mark March as the start of a new year. Another notch in the birthday belt seems somehow more inspiring to me then the start of a new calendar year. And speaking of belts … [Read more...]
Charmin’s Sit or Squat App, Must Have Tool for Moms on the Go #PGmom
Back in November I was sitting at the P&G Mom event and they had just hit the first scheduled break when they announced they had a surprise for us, they had "charminized" the washrooms for us. Charmin Ultra Soft toilet paper in ever stall, and baskets on the counter with ever P&G product a gal might need from tampons to air-freshener. They invited us to … [Read more...]
Someone Kicked Me in the Words: The Surreality of Life with a Concussion
Feeling nervous about my lack of practice and my upcoming driving lesson, I found the best way to get out of a lesson ever.... I banged my head, hard, and gave myself a concussion. Unintentionally, of course. Lets be clear, I'm not a sadist. We have an over the range microwave. I was heating up lunch for Baby-G, took it out, forgot to shut the door. A few minutes later I was … [Read more...]