I cleaned out my toaster the other day. It wasn’t out of boredom – in fact, I had a long list of other things I needed to do. But a rogue scrap of bread had become stuck in the inner metallic grid, which presented a fire hazard. After unplugging the toaster, turning it upside down and unleashing an avalanche of crumbs, I noticed that the outside surface was incredibly grungy. I scrubbed it until it gleamed.
Sunscreen should be a key ingredient of your family’s sun protection plan this summer. The lotions, sticks and sprays on the market today do an impressive job of shielding our skin – that is, when they’re used correctly. Before your family heads out for some fun in the sun, make sure you’re avoiding these sunscreen slip-ups:
Motherhood can do a number on a woman’s hair. Sure, it starts out great with the hormone boost during pregnancy – it’s thicker, fuller and shinier. Once baby arrives, though, it can change significantly in its texture, curl and volume. You might remember some post-baby showers when your once-glorious hair came out in handfuls and went down the drain (along with your hopes of a Pantene endorsement deal).
Mother’s Day is advertised as a day of relaxing and pampering, but what if you get stuck with (um, I mean, “receive the honour of”) hosting the gathering to celebrate it? Naturally, you’ll want to make the experience extra nice for the assembled moms, which may include your mom, mother-in-law, grandma, sister or sister-in-law, among others.
While stuck in an airport due to a delayed flight, I found myself feeling things I hadn’t felt in a while. To my surprise, I realized they were the same emotions I had experienced during the early days when my kids were infants. Inspired by this, here is a list of similarities between caring for a new baby and having a long airport layover:
My kids have many strengths, but speed is not one of them. Particularly when it comes to putting on snow pants and boots, along with a jacket, hat and mittens. They… are… slow.
For my first five years of motherhood, I managed to avoid getting seriously sick. Sure, I got colds and coughs, but nothing I couldn’t soldier through. Then, when my kids were ages two and five, I got the flu. The full-on, real-deal, knock-you-out flu. We’re talking achiness, chills, fever, coughing, sneezing, headache, and congestion. If “soaking several sets of pyjamas in my own sweat” had been on my bucket list, I’d have earned a big checkmark. Any effort to get up and do anything was completely flu-tile.
The start of a new year is a fitting time to take a bird’s-eye view of how we’re doing in life. It’s a chance to celebrate our accomplishments while also being honest with ourselves about things we can improve. For example, there may be areas of our lives where we’re not being as efficient as we could be, or we’re making choices that compromise our chances of attaining true fulfilment.
After some deeply personal soul-searching, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is something that has been holding me back and draining away my energy.
I admit it: I’m a Star Wars nerd. The franchise and I were born in the same year, so I’ve never known a world without Star Wars. The opening fanfare music gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. I had a Hoth System play set as a kid. I own a Yoda key chain.
Back in the day, being a girl and a Star Wars fan was fairly rare, since it was mostly boys playing with Luke Skywalker and Han Solo action figures. Today, it’s a different story – literally. Star Wars returned to the big screen in 2015 and 2016 with