The Stay at Home Mother

Whether you have children who are newborn or in elementary school and beyond - sometimes it's so easy to get wrapped up in our children's lives that we forget about us.

Many moms I have spoken to on the topic of "Me-Time" have either dismissed it as though they don't need it, or that its selfish to even factor themselves in to the family equation. Some also claim that they just don't have the time to do the things they want to for themselves anymore and put it off to do "down the road".

Sound familiar? 

The fact is "Mommy time" is just as important for the sanity of you, as it is for the sanity of the entire family unit...

I have found since discovering Twitter, that my blogging hasn't been as frequent. What started off as a desperate move to avoid Twitter at every cost three months ago, has now become a daily ritual in my life desperate be a part of it.

Perhaps there are many reasons Twitter has become so popular in the last eight months - it allows you to communicate in short bites of information, you can stay in the loop with people and companies that you are really interested in - most most of all, it keeps you connected to people all over the world with various opinions, experiences and lifestyles....

For the next few days, I am on my own. My husband is on a business trip and I am finding it challenging to keep both my five year old son and my three year old daughter entertained.

Usually during the day, I am the one responsible for keeping them busy and getting them to their classes and playdates.

In the evenings, my husband takes over and plans some things for them - however, now that its just me this week, I'm finding it a bit challenging to keep them occupied....

Did you know that those air-fresheners you have been using for your home to sweeten unpleasant orders and leave your home smelling fresh - could be dangerous to your family's health?

I don't personally use them, as that was always my biggest fear - but studies now substantiate what has bothered me about them, and that is, that those chemicals in the spray are just plain bad for you....

Last week my son came down with a terrible cold/flu. Five days ago my mom came down with it, then my daughter, then my husband and now - yes, you guessed it - I have it.

The worst part is, I have been desperately trying to work through it - fight it. I kept working, I kept all my appointments with various things throughout the week - I never rested, protected myself and now I am stuck with laryngitis, a high fever and a terrible chest cold - now what happens?....

In November I will be teaching a course through Small Business BC. The course is called "The Entrepreneurial Mom - Running a Small Business". It is going to be taught at Small Business BC's Vancouver location and broadcast across the Province, by video conferencing.

I am very excited to be doing this as I have been such a strong supporter of Small Business BC, and all the resouces and classes they have available for entrepreneurs who are just getting started or are growing their business...

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dads out there! Today is your day to receive a bit of pampering and treated to a day that is just for you.

As women, we tend to be able to blog, email and chat about being moms, and our experiences with our children with one another with relative ease, while Dads tend to find it much harder to do.

And the truth of the matter is that Dads need to receive just as much credit for what they do for the family - and how much they mean to their children.....

So I returned to Survivor Boot camp last week - and yes, it was hard. And yes, I hurt this week. I could not believe how out of shape I am! It's only been two months since I was exercising, but can see how doing absolutely nothing in those two months can really catch up with a person - and fast.

So I have ten pounds to lose and my goal is to have them lost by the end of June...

Well, the day of love has finally arrived! Are you feeling the romance in the air? Did your husband or significant other remember to give you something nice? Or perhaps there was an extra kiss or lingering hug as they walked out the door?

Yesterday I visited the Mall to pick up my children some heart-shaped boxes of chocolates from Purdy's. And the lineup was unreal. To get a box wrapped would be a wait of half an hour, and when I was at the till and asked for a small Valentine's card to slip ontop, I was advised they were all sold out...Valentine's madness had already begun....

I recently wrote an article for Black Press on a very disturbing trend that is happening in BC. More and more children are working out in the workforce - because BC is one of  the five provinces that allow children between the ages of 12 -14 to work (with parental consent).

I noticed it a few weeks ago when I was in the grocery store - a boy walked by me and wasn't more than 12 or 13 years of age and he was an employee there. And then I saw another child there, and then another....