The first day of school is nerve racking for everyone – students and teachers alike!  Even after almost ten years of teaching I still get butterflies in my stomach on that first Tuesday after Labour Day.  Here are some dos and don’ts to help you and your child have an easy transition back to school: Do have a good sized backpack – large enough to fit in two snacks and various sized art projects. Do send in requested supplies -- if none are requested just send in basics – if you are sending in a pencil sharpener make sure it... More »

...back, in my case. About 5 weeks ago I woke up with a sore lower back.  Not totally unheard of so I went about my business. I played two games of tennis, horsed around with my kids and by evening I was in quite a bit of pain.  I had trouble sleeping and my hips started to ache too. Oh well.  I'm not 18 anymore so I just blamed it on age. Nothing a few days of taking it easy won't cure. Fast forward one week of discomfort and a fateful trip to the park. It was innocent enough... More »

My background isn't one of a nutritionist or a medical doctor or a physical education teacher...and when I opened Bulldog Interactive Fitness I didn't even have a personal trainer background (I do now) -- I just love nutrition and reading anything I could get my hands on with regards to health and nutrition and physical activity in kids and adults.  I was a homemaker while my kids were young, and I worked part-time in retail.  When they were in school, I wanted to get out and do something for my own development, so, as I always do, I held... More »

Isn't it amazing how time changes everything? When I hear about kids who are bullied or consider suicide because they don't fit in I think about my High School reunion and wish they could see how little it all matters. I tried to be "popular" in High School. For some reason it mattered to me. I am not sure exactly why, but it did. I had a great group of friends and many of us still keep in touch and now, looking back, I am glad we were who we were. A bunch of years ago I went to... More »

It seems so strange to me that we live in a society in which we pay someone else to take care of our children because we often can't afford to stay at home. I am a working mom, partly from necessity and partly because I enjoy it, but I would have liked to have been given the choice. How can it be that taking care of our children is considered work when someone else does it but not when it is done by the child's parent? This really hit me a few years ago when a friend of mine hired... More »

We hear a lot about mother's guilt, but it's not often that we openly discuss mother's shame.  Let's face it - we all feel shame over some aspect of our parenting choices, and when we get to know other parents better, we find out that nearly all of us have some kind of parenting skeleton in the closet.  And, not surprisingly, most of our skeletons are related to one of two topics: sleep and feeding. To Sleep, Perchance to ShameA dear friend of mine just doesn't tell people anymore that her six year-old son still doesn't sleep through the... More »

One thing I never anticipated about having kids was the impact it would have on my marriage. My husband and I dated for 4 years before we were married and waited another 3 before having our first child.  We were the type of couple who had to always be touching. You know the type? If they are sitting side by side she has her leg over his. If they are watching a movie, he has his arm around her. Not total PDA but pretty close. We often talked about how weird it was that some couples actually had to... More »