This Contest is ClosedThis Season's Hot Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your List!Congratulations to our winners:Kris, Krista, Motherhubbard, Emily, Crystal, Harmony, Lisa, Kori, Lorie, Trish, Eileen, Colleen, Sheerie, Kelly, Sweet panda, Violet, Anthony, Diane and Nicole Time is tight and everyone's busy, and sometimes finding that "just right" gift among all the choices is just so difficult. Well, not to worry: the urbanmoms.ca Gift Guide has some great selections for even the most hard-to-buy-for people on your list. You'll find great suggestions for everyone on your list from the epicurean to the bibliophile, from the fashionista to the sports-addict. We've organized... More »

We all know that the life of a mama is a hectic one -- throw a holiday season into the mix and life can become downright insane. December often blurs into a marathon of office functions, school concerts, holiday recitals, parties, decorating, baking, shopping, entertaining and feeding people. In my household there are six little people, all with single digit ages. As a matter of necessity, I've devised a few tricks to get me through the fa-la-la without having to drown myself in egg nog. My general rule of thumb is to keep things simple and refuse to be pulled... More »

By Sarah Newcomb While I was pregnant with my son, I knew exactly how I was going to raise my baby, what he would be like, and how perfect I would be at everything. Then I had my baby boy...and everything I thought I knew went flying out the window. I was left with a little person who was nothing like I imagined. He barely slept, cried all the time, didn't feed properly, the list could go on forever. I needed help and advice and a shoulder to cry on daily. If I could somehow go back to those first... More »

As the mama of six children aged newborn to nine, I clearly run a busy household. With back-to-school season upon us, many mamas have been looking to me for advice on how to deal with the stress and anxiety of getting everyone ready and out the door on time in the morning. It's been an ongoing learning process for me - a process that hit its peak around the time the fifth baby arrived. My oldest son was six and attending school full days. His two younger sisters, ages three and four were in junior and senior kindergarten, respectively. It meant... More »

We are honoured to share this contribution from fellow urbanmoms.ca member, Annabelle. Annabelle wrote this letter to Kath, in response to her post A Word of Thanks (And a Few of Advice). It is with thanks to Annabelle that we share it with you now:My mom died nearly five years ago now.  It sucked. It was awful. It still sucks. It still is awful. Still, after five years, I am wishing my mom was alive, even in hospital, just so I can smell her skin.  So smell your mother's skin.  Hold her.  Close your eyes and inhale deeply.  I am... More »

This Mother's Day Week, we're pleased to bring you a submission written by Julie Cole, co-founder of Mabel's Labels Inc. and the proud mother of six. Mother's Day is the one day every year that we are all expected to take a few moments to appreciate the fine women who keep this world turning. Besides patting myself on the back, I'm one of the lucky mamas who can thank my own mother - whose positive attributes are too many to attempt listing. Have the rest of you noticed that once you have your own children, you learn to treasure your... More »

This contribution is by urbanmoms.ca member Andrea Joyce.No kidding being a mom can be a tad stressful.  Between changing diapers, negotiating tantrums, balancing schedules and saying "Honey, I'm really not in the mood" for the millionth time, it can all get a bit much.  So you can only imagine the added stress when things "down there" don't feel so good.  Maybe you start having little accidents when you sneeze or run?  Or what about wincing in pain when you finally find a moment to "do it"?  And then there's that uncomfortable feeling of heaviness "down there", like something is going... More »

This contribution is written by Rob Neves We don't leave learning most skills to chance anymore. When we see that something is essential for our kids' safety, growth and well being, many parents take the precaution of providing specific instruction to help them acquire that skill. Having your kids in swimming lessons, little league or Sunday School are all ways parents can be intentional about their kids' exposure to the skills that they feel are too important to leave to chance. Most of us wouldn't worry about letting our kids play with playdough without instruction, assistance and guidance (although it can... More »

Take those things out of your ears and tell me your biggest failure right this minute young lady!" That's me, parent extraordinaire, attempting a deep bonding moment with my pre-teen daughter. I was just following the advice of Stanford University professor Carol Dweck in her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. She makes the case that intelligence can be developed through effort and education. We parents can foster this by, among other things, sitting around the dinner table and talking about mistakes and what has been learned from them. So when last Sunday afternoon found me, my husband... More »

We tried our best. Our first night (Friday) was actually a lot of fun. We set up the site, had a lovely dinner with friends, the kids played joyfully in the forest, strolled to the beach to watch a gorgeous sunset, and wrapped things up with a campfire and marshmallows. A great start! The kids even went to sleep without too much muss and fuss! Ah, the outdoors are definitely for me. It was the next morning that things went sour. After awakening at 7:00 am (why don't children sleep late when they go to bed late?!) we noticed... More »