Nurture

Spending on big splurges to improve our quality of life during lockdown is (apparently) one way to deal with chronic stress. I recently downloaded a budget tracking app on my phone, but it didn’t take long before I was internally screaming and tossing the phone across the room. My daughter was sitting at the kitchen

Like many working parents, I spent the months before my baby’s birth agonizing over what I would do for childcare. There was no doubt in my mind—or my bank account—that I would return to the office when my maternity leave ended after only seven short weeks. (Sadly, as an American, that is a generous amount

With Halloween fast approaching, I realized I’m more than a little behind on the kids’ costume prep. I’m terrible at Halloween. This is supposed to be the fun part, right? Spooky decorations, cool costumes, and candy overload. How could any parent fail at Halloween? I always start out with the best of intentions. This year,

After enduring every adoptive parent’s nightmare, Tom Motyka and his wife, Michelle, finally got a happy ending. After trying for a year to conceive, undergoing a heartbreakingly unsuccessful round of in vitro fertilization and waiting two long years after our initial application to adopt, our two-day-old baby arrived at our home on Christmas Eve. Brought

Although I never managed to master traditional sitting meditation, walking meditation has done amazing things for my mental health. Like everyone, COVID-19 turned our worlds upside down last March. My husband, Brent, started working remotely from the home office and the kids tackled online school. Quite suddenly, the house felt crowded and noisy. As a

At some point in late spring, I looked at my kitchen table and realized that between the crafts, laptops, leftovers (and at some point even a Tupperware of tadpoles) this space had become the centre of my family’s life. It no longer gets cleaned for potlucks or wine dates with friends—it’s become an intensely communal

“You know,” I said to my husband this summer as we sat on a friend’s dock,  stealing some much-needed time away together. “If I don’t make it—” “Hold on,” he tried to interrupt.  “No, Mark, please, just let me say this. If I end up not making it, and you eventually move on—which I’m OK

“The idea of learning complex math equations at this point in my life is daunting.” Math-haters of the parenting world rejoice! According to this study, parents who struggled with math should take a step back and not assist with their kid’s homework. Isn’t that great news? I was a terrible math student. I dreaded it,

Making a sign, showing up and taking a stand for your beliefs is one way to show your kids and your community what anti-racism work looks like. When George Floyd’s senseless murder was broadcast around the world, Tara Watts, a Toronto-area single mother of three, was watching. With a 10-year-old daughter and two sons, ages

To raise an anti-racist kid, you need to learn how to talk to your whole family—grandparents and aunts and uncles included—about being anti-racist. When you’re non-racist, it doesn’t do much to move the needle on building a more equitable and free society. Being anti-racist, however, means you don’t engage in racist behaviour, and you also

My son Ziphion’s high school graduation last summer was a very emotional day for me. It felt like time stopped when I heard his name called, as I remembered everything he had to overcome to get there. Then the moment ended, and Ziphion walked across the stage with his diploma, a certificate in French and

Here’s everything we know so far about the end of CERB and the proposed alternative— including details about each of the three programs, who is eligible, and how to apply. As summer 2020 comes to an end (feel that fall chill yet?) and we inch closer to September, that also means the end of CERB—Canada’s Emergency Response Benefit

It may take a little digging, but there are serious savings to be had at this discount superstore. Oh, Dollarama. The store with long aisles, bright lighting and jam-packed (but perfectly organized) shelves may seem overwhelming at first glance, but there are serious bargains to be had. Think of shopping at Dollarama as you would

If our custody schedules align and all of us are at home, I wake up with the kids and make smoothies for breakfast. Into the blender go frozen strawberries, yogourt, a fresh banana and some juice; my beloved Vitamix blends it all into a unified whole.  My household, on the other hand, is far from

Living within your means, budgeting, and saving for important goals should be discussed openly — and they should be discussed often. In many households, money is a taboo topic. Some parents would rather talk to their kids about sex than money! Many parents say they avoid talking about money with their kids because they don’t

I reach my arms into a pile of damp clothes and groan. Yet again, our ventless condensation dryer has failed to do its job. The clothes will have to hang to dry. The problem is, our laundry room also serves as a shared bedroom for my two daughters, the only closet and storage space for

Schools around Canada are debating how to reopen in the fall, and it’s brought up what feels like a string of unanswerable questions, for parents, teachers and school boards alike. How can we keep kids safe? How would physical distancing work in classes of 25 or 30 kids? Should students do half days or full days?

Meat-free doesn’t have to be a Monday thing. These ready-made proteins taste great and make plant-based eating a no-brainer. With the refresh of Canada’s Food Guide in early 2019, more and more families are now embracing plant-based meat alternatives—and why not? These vegetarian meats taste great and are kinder on the environment. While cooking without

Men need to be out in the world demanding childcare and support for working parents with the same fervour as mothers. “Sorry, I can’t do that meeting this afternoon,” the nation’s big bankers and lawyers have started saying to their bosses, months after their wives began saying similar things to their own. “I’ve got to

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 help make raising kids just a little bit easier, our editors have selected some of their favourite launches this month. 1. Bugaboo by Gray Malin Photo courtesy of