At least I hope that is true.  To be honest with you I am feeling a bit scared.  I quit my job to commit myself to urbanmoms.ca full-time and to have some flexibility to spend more time with my kids.  My last day was on Thursday.  Today, Monday, is my first day at home.  I can't believe I don't have to get up and drive to work!  I won't miss the commute, that's for sure, but getting into a new routine, especially one that doesn't involve a regular paycheque, is a bit intimidating. For some reason I am feeling extremely... More »

  It is so important to have the chance to connect with other moms. The urbanmoms.ca team was lucky enough to have the opportunity to participate in the Today's Parent Baby and Toddler Show this past weekend at the Convention Centre in Toronto.  We met and chatted with some amazing women and are really excited about all of the new urbanmoms.ca members who have come on board.  Having the opportunity to connect with urban moms reinforced the premise of this site. The idea of connection and friendship really hit home with a lot of these moms, many of them... More »

I have been extremely busy as of late and have been fantasizing about who to hang out with when I finally get some kid-free, responsibility-free time.  I actually said to someone the other day, "Wouldn't it be great if we didn't need sleep?  We would have so much more time!" Yikes! Definitely time for a break. This got me thinking.  How would all of you spend your time if you had the chance to take a break? Take the survey below and see with whom you and other urban moms across Canada would spend their time.... More »

Your child is doing too much homework: School Boards across North America generally agree on the same standards for homework: 10 minutes per grade (10 minutes in grade one, 30 minutes in grade three, etc.)  If your child is doing significantly more homework than the recommended times there may be several different reasons.  Your child may be struggling with the work, or may have difficulty focusing and working productively.  Alternatively, the teacher may be assigning too much homework.  What to do? First, try to avoid schoolyard discussions about the issue.  Try to ascertain the reasons your child is spending... More »

Well, it has happened.  I have had that moment.  The moment that every mother knows is going to come.  It creeps up on us when we least expect it and hits us over the head or, over the heart really.  My six year old, sweet, empathetic little boy, my baby, my first, has moved on.  He has begun his own life.  Melodramatic?  Likely, but I think you will relate. Don't get me wrong, it's not like he got a job and an apartment or anything but it feels just as big.  What has happened is that he now has... More »

Q:  Last week when I was grocery shopping, my 2-year-old son grabbed a bag of Smarties off the shelf and put it in the shopping cart.  I am very strict about keeping junk food out of our diets and candies like this are not even offered to our children.  I told him “No, we don’t eat that kind of food.  Let’s put it back.”  However, he got really upset with me, burst into tears and started screaming at the top of his lungs.  I was horribly embarrassed, and tried to stop him from having this meltdown.  Nothing seemed to... More »

This week urbanmoms.ca is excited to be launching our Urbanmoms Job Board.  In this section we will post jobs that reflect the needs of our members and visitors and offer urban moms in Canada access to part-time, contract, or short-term positions.  Many of the organizations utilizing this service are urban mom based companies too! I think most of us would agree that the Superwoman complex of the '80s is a thing of the past.  We would also probably agree that relying on our employers or the government to help us achieve work/life balance has been proven to be unrealisitc.  That... More »

This post and the accompanying picture have been contributed by a fellow urban mom and urbanmoms.ca member. A friend commented recently that I seemed remarkably calm in the midst of what is now my hurricane-like family. Adding a new baby to our household, which already included very busy six- and four-year old boys, could have sent me over the edge, but it hasn’t. I’ve spent the last few days trying to figure out what has kept me calmer through this baby’s first few months of infancy, hoping that any insight gleaned might help other new moms. I think what... More »