I've been racking my brains trying to remember the last time I actually made out with my husband. I'm not talking about the perfunctory goodbye-and-have-a-nice-day kiss I get when he leaves for the day. Nor am I referring to the sleepy embrace we exchange before the lights go out at bedtime. I mean closed eyes, locked lips and tongues intertwined for long, lingering minutes - the kissing that leaves you weak in the knees and begging for more. What has got me all hot and bothered? Well, my mind started to wander when I chaperoned my seven¬-year-old son and... More »

We know how powerful we moms are as consumers so we thought we would dig a little deeper.  We heard from you in a recent urbanmoms.ca survey that moms tell other moms about products and services we love.  So, how do we spread the word?  And, we also know that it doesn't stop there.  Once we tell a few friends, they tell a few friends, and so on, and so on...(OK, I'm dating myself now but you get the point!)  Anyway, we have our suspicions about just how powerful this recommendation from a friend can be but we wanted to... More »

As moms we all know the important role we play in our family.  We are the CEOs  of our collective lives and manage everything from finances to our children's extracurricular and social calendars.  We are involved in our communities, in our children's schools, and in almost every purchase made by every member of our household.  We influence other moms through word-of-mouth and are the most valuable consumer group in Canada.  We are also very hard to reach.  We are busy, intelligent, and well informed.  We are emotionally invested in the choices we make as consumers so tend to turn to... More »

Our children are our pride, joy and, sometimes, our greatest source of embarrassment!  In thinking back on some of the doozies my kids have presented me with, I was reminded of this funny (and embarrassing) event. About two years ago, my parents were visiting from out of town, and they brought along my nephew to play with my daughter.  The kids get along so well that often we grownups would have time to sit and chat over a cup of coffee.  My mom and I were doing just that in the basement while the kids were playing upstairs.  We... More »

My husband and I believe we are giving our boys an advantage in life that will help them in both their personal and professional endeavours.  No, it’s not a posh, private school education or even after school tuition in seven different languages.  It’s as simple as reinforcing the importance of manners. Now, before I start to sound like one of those smug mothers who melts you into inadequacy with stories of their perfect prodigies with angelic-like attitude, I just want to make it clear that we are not talking the Brady’s here.  My boys do not sit at the... More »

An important part of the urbanmoms.ca community is our Research Panel.  We work with our members, moms across the country, to provide valuable insight and feedback to innovative companies and brands.  We don't just work with any organization that approaches us.  These companies are selected for their relevance to Canadian women and must go through a screening process prior to being featured on urbanmoms.ca.  The screening process also includes member participation.  Panel members are contacted, given samples of the product and asked to test it and provide their feedback.  If the product passes the test, we proceed with a customized... More »

Three year olds don't like to be shushed.  They want to be heard even when you desperately want them to stop.  I learned this lesson the hard way the other day.  I was with my two kids at a busy video store treating them each to a movie of their choice.  As we stood in line waiting for our change, surrounded by people, my daughter eagerly exclaimed, "Who tooted...it stinks!"  She turned to her brother, "Did you toot?".  "No!", he answered back with embarrassment.  She then turned to me, "Mommy, you tooted and it stinks!".  Red faced, I turned... More »

By Lynn Roblin MSc. RD and Bev Callaghan BSc. RD  You’ve all heard the latest stats – about one-quarter of Canadian children are now overweight. Obesity rates among children and adults have increased substantially during the past 25 years, according to the most resent Canadian Community Health Survey conducted by Statistics Canada.  The proportion of children aged two to five who were either overweight or obese remained virtually unchanged from 1978 to 2004.  In contrast, the overweight/obesity rate of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years more than doubled from 14% to 29%, while obesity alone tripled from 3% to 9%. ... More »

When I was pregnant with my first child I was amazed at how flustered I felt.  I seemed to forget things easily and was often overwhelmed by emotions and stumped by the most simple of tasks.  Once I had my son I was introduced to thoughts and feelings previously unknown to me.  My world was boundless.  I was intimidated at times but also felt a renewed sense of purpose and a confidence I had never known.  It was like I had found my groove.  I had instincts and an intuition for motherhood that had an impact well beyond my family. ... More »