Raising My Boys

Nurture Photography Photo Challenge - Favourite Spring Photos

2013-05-18T22:06:00.002-04:00

This is the final week of the #NuturePhoto Spring Photo Challenge. The theme is a good culminating theme - Favourite Spring Photos. I'll try not to use ones I've shown you already in the challenge. Bleeding Hearts Pulmonaria Cherry Blossoms First Ice Cream Truck of the Season Sun, Shorts, Garden Dirt, Beer. Heaven. Flowering Crab This challenge has been hosted by

The Toronto Zoo's Newest Stars - Welcome Pandas!

2013-05-17T22:48:00.000-04:00

More long weekend fun for the family! Well, this fun will actually be lasting a lot longer than that. I'm sure you've heard about the coming of the Giant Pandas to Canada. These two gorgeous creatures, Er Shun and Da Mao, will spend the next 5 years at the Toronto Zoo, then will move on to the Calgary Zoo for the remaining 5 years of their 10 year stay. It is hoped that the pair will

CBC - Canada Lives Here

2013-05-16T23:38:00.002-04:00

CBC launches its large-scale, open house event featuring “The Canada Lives Here Experience “ open to the public May 16 to 19. Register for tours at canadaliveshere.ca Looking for something to do in Toronto this long weekend? Did you know that that CBC is hosting an open house, along with an amazing interactive exhibit "Canada Lives Here"? The event runs May 16-19, and includes displays and

Disney's Planes Takes Flight

2013-05-16T22:11:00.002-04:00

More family fun at the movies, coming August 9. Thought I'd share this montage with you all. From above the world of “Cars,” “Disney’s Planes” is an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure about Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane whose high-flying dream gives a spellbound world the inspiration to soar. I'm ready to be inspired!

WW - Flowering Crab w/linky

2013-05-14T20:54:00.001-04:00

Sadly this isn't my tree. It is a stunning riot of pink blooms on a neighbour's front lawn. It totally stopped me in my tracks as I was walking Maxi this morning.  document.write('<\/script>');

Mother's Day Recap

2013-05-14T20:31:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day has come and gone for another year. I hope all of my mom readers were treated to a wonderful day. I mean, it would be super if we were treated to more than one wonderful day each year, but we'll take what recognition we can get, right? My day was pretty awesome. I did get the two things I wanted most - gardening tools and the chance to sleep in. Yay! The sleep-in was extra special

Win with Shell and Air Miles Rewards

2013-05-13T17:51:00.000-04:00

Here’s a quick quiz: True or False? You can instantly redeem 95 AIR MILES reward miles in-store at Shell to enjoy $10 off a qualifying purchase? It’s True! Shell is a proud sponsor of the AIR MILES Cash program feature, which lets collectors instantly redeem AIR MILES reward miles when shopping at participating Sponsor locations. Until June 2, AIR MILES reward miles collectors just need to

Happy Mother's Day!

2013-05-12T20:54:00.001-04:00

Just a little Mother's Day cheer from the crew at Monster's University. Remember - Mom's always your biggest fan and supporter :) Monsters University opens June 21. Just over 5 weeks!! Not that I'm counting or anything.

I'm a Canuck Who Rocks!

2013-05-12T19:17:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the All Canadian Link Up! This weekend and every weekend, Canucks Rock! with an All Canadian Link Up and Candid Canuck feature interview. Brought to you by your hosts: Did you know Canada?, Tales of a Ranting Ginger and Maple Leaf Mommy! This week Raising My Boys has been featured as the Candid Canuck! Pretty cool, hey? Please visit the hosts - Tales of a Ranting Ginger,

Nurture Photography Photo Challenge - Pink/Home

2013-05-10T16:40:00.001-04:00

This week's #NurturePhoto prompt was Pink/Home. Until fairly recently I had a pretty strong dislike for the colour pink. Too girly and pretty for my tastes. I avoided it at all costs. But as I age and mellow, and perhaps as a reaction to all the boys around me, I've grown quite fond of pink. I'm actually wearing a bright pink hoodie right now as I write this. I may finally be embracing my

Mother's Day Movies from Netflix

2013-05-09T10:42:00.001-04:00

Mother's Day is right around the corner, and this is the day that is supposed to be all about MOM. Chances are good that she will want some time to relax, with or without her family. How about cuddling up on the couch with a good movie? Or maybe she'd like to sit in the sun on the back deck and watch a favourite film on her favourite hand-held device? Netflix has lots of great options for movies,

Would You Like A Mother's Day Home Spa Experience? #PGMom

2013-05-08T21:48:00.000-04:00

In my little house back home in St. John's, I had a little ensuite. It had a lovely tub and a window that opened. I made this space my little oasis. There were green plants, and scented candles, and muted colours of sage green and not-quite-white. At the end of a long day I loved nothing more than to retreat in there to pamper myself with lovely bubbles and shampoos and luxurious soaps. And of

Workin' At the Carwash ... #Giveaway

2013-05-08T10:08:00.002-04:00

As you know, I recently received an awesome early Mother's Day gift from Canadian Tire - the gift of a CLEAN car. My mom van has never looked or smelled so good. Just ask my friend Diana (Toronto Teacher Mom). First words out of her mouth when she got in my car last evening, "Wow, your car smells good!" I smiled knowingly. It's been almost a week now, and the detailing job is holding up well.

WW - Cherry Blossoms w/linky

2013-05-07T23:33:00.003-04:00

Our cherry tree. We lost the blossoms each of the past two years due to cold snaps. So no fruit. I am really hoping this year will be different! I also really wish I could share the gorgeous scent of these blossoms with you. My backyard smells awesome right now! Linking up with  document.write('<\/script>'); <!-- end InLinkz

Mother's Day from Mom's Perspective

2013-05-07T16:44:00.001-04:00

This year I decided to run a little poll over on my Facebook page, asking my mom readers what they'd most like to get from their kids for Mother's Day. The big day is coming up soon, and dads and kids are in the final days of preparing for this celebration of mom. For any of my dad readers out there, I hope the results of this highly unscientific poll might give you some ideas of what to

McHappy Day is Wednesday, May 8th #McHappyDay

2013-05-05T09:45:00.002-04:00

When Little Boo spent his first 15 days in the NICU, we were lucky. Since we live in Toronto our infant was able to be cared for close to home, and we were able to come home to sleep each night after spending our days with him in hospital. So many families are not so lucky, and their children have to travel far from home to attend a specialised hospital for their illnesses. For those families,

Unique Mother's Day Gift Idea from Canadian Tire

2013-05-04T11:01:00.002-04:00

With Mother's Day fast approaching, are you still looking for unique gift ideas for the special mom in your life? Or are you pondering what you'd like to receive for yourself? Have you ever considered how special a clean car can feel? Canadian Tire has. How about dad and the kids pitching in to give your vehicle a Mother's Day make-over so you can chauffeur in style? For me, some days it

Mabel Has A Deal For You!

2013-05-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's time to get a little geeky with Mabel's Labels. Today is of course International Star Wars Day. May the Fourth Be with You!! (Get it?! Ha!) We have a plan for a family movie Star Wars night this evening. The parents are pushing for one of episodes 4-6, but the wee one likes 1-3. Sigh. We're working on it. Regardless of whether or not you are a Star Wars fan (but you are, right?)

Nurture Photography Photo Challenge - Ivory/Dream

2013-05-03T20:17:00.001-04:00

This week's prompt is Ivory/Dream. My photos may not be exactly what you'd expect. IVORY Tusks on Plastic Elephant I DREAM of feasting off the fruits of my garden. This challenge is hosted by Project Alicia, Bumbles and Light, and Live and Love Out Loud. Join me next week to see what I come up with for the prompt Pink/Home.

WW - Aqua w/linky

2013-04-30T20:57:00.000-04:00

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Do You Want to See Splash 'n Boots on the CBC?

2013-04-30T18:45:00.001-04:00

Canadian Children's Group of the Year and new stars of Treehouse TV, Splash'N Boots, are vying to have their music video air on CBC through the Great Kids' CBC Viewer Voted Song Search. Public voting open now until May 8th at http://www.cbc.ca/parents/songsearch/. Not only can the performers win a national TV airing of their video, there's also many great prizes available to voters –

Hasbro Angry Birds Star Wars Fun - May the Fourth Be With You!

2013-04-30T17:06:00.001-04:00

Just in time for the weekend I received a great package from Hasbro for review. It contained an Angry Birds Star Wars Millennium Falcon Bounce game, as well as an Angry Birds Star Wars Foam Flyer (Luke Skywalker in our case). Considering the popularity of both properties in this house of boys, you can perhaps imagine how stoked Little Boo was! Remember we reviewed the AT-AT Attack Battle Game

Summer (Camp) Lovin' #MuskokaWoods2013

2013-04-30T12:24:00.001-04:00

I found this old postcard on the weekend. It's a souvenir from the camp I used to attend each summer, Mint Brook Camp. This was an Anglican Church camp in central Newfoundland, and I looked forward every year to my week-long stay. We had 10 cabins, housing 10 girls each. The counsellors slept in their own, much larger cabin across the field. At age 16 I graduated to that special place and was

Summer Fun - Then and Now

2013-04-28T22:56:00.000-04:00

Look at me and my brother. How cute were we? This was a common scene from our childhood. Our grandfather owned a speedboat and we had campers. Many a family vacation was spent with three generations at the lake, soaking in the great outdoors. You'll notice we don't have life jackets in this picture. Of course, we were still tied on at the shore. I don't remember if we wore life jackets or not,

Posterjack Update

2013-04-28T10:47:00.002-04:00

Last month I told you about my experience creating products with Posterjack, but I've been remiss in not showing you my final product, which arrived quite promptly just a few days after I placed my order. I ordered an 18x12 canvas wrap print of an image I took of our cherry tree, just starting to bud out. As I mentioned in the previous post, the whole order process was very straightforward. The