Nurture

I grew up in a religious and conservative household, the youngest of three daughters to a first-generation Ukrainian-Canadian mother and Macedonian immigrant father. Between my home and my community, I had no concept of queerness. I don’t have exact memories of homosexuality being discussed at my Catholic schools, and the omission was damaging; I felt

If missing birthday parties or not going to the movies really bugs you, remember that for parents of kids with disabilities, it’s always been this way. In the beginning of the pandemic, almost one year ago (!!) we were all ready to stay home, buckle down for a few months, and take it as an

“What would I do if I had an hour with no balloons making fart noises into my hair during an interview? I don’t know, it sounds dull.”—Catherine Reitman Catherine Reitman opted to show, not tell, and we can only imagine what ridiculous antics her sons came up with when she was running the Workin’ Moms writers

Rather than feel bad that there’s no dinner reservation on the cal or sexy lingerie in the mail (LOL), let’s make laughter our therapy this Valentine’s Day. Remember last Valentine’s Day, in the Before Times, when this new thing called “coronavirus” was a far-off concern and you might have even had energy to make your

Recently, I decided to reframe how I look at screen time, and tweaked the way we handle TV watching in four small but meaningful ways. It’s Saturday morning, and I’m watching TV with my kids when an error message pops up on the screen. “I know how to fix this,” my seven year old announces,

No, there’s no deduction for time spent yelling at kids. But the CRA has introduced a new temporary flat-rate method to accommodate people who worked from home. Here’s how it works. While employees who primarily worked from home have always been able to claim work expenses, for the 2020 taxation year, the Canada Revenue Agency

From a kid-friendly treatment for winter skin to blue light-blocking glasses that will help protect their eyes during all of that e-learning, parents will love these new baby and kid products coming to stores in 2021. Our inboxes are flooded with the latest and greatest in new parenting products every day. From exciting new toys

From sprouted-grain bread to superfood smoothies, these yummy breakfast staples get the day started right. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why not serve up something extra special? Help them rise and shine with these low-sugar, protein-rich packaged foods that you can add to the mix of whole foods

Having a kid doesn’t affect your taxes a ton, but there are some things you should know about benefits, credits and deductions. Congratulations, you had a baby during the 2020 tax year! Or perhaps you are expecting, and curious how having a kid will affect your taxes. The fact is, having a kid doesn’t affect

Purchases and adoptions of dogs have spiked since last March, when we were asked to stay home. And as I’ve said before, while this is great news for dogs—especially those who’ve been sprung from shelters—lots of families are discovering that dog ownership isn’t always a walk in the park. As a canine behaviour practitioner, I’ve

If the idea of buying life insurance seems like something old people do, think again—every parent needs it. Here’s why and how to get it. What is life insurance? In the unlikely but not implausible case that you or your partner dies, life insurance pays out a predetermined lump sum of money to the surviving

If you haven’t yet started an RESP, or if contributing $2,500 a year to your kid’s education seems completely unrealistic, that’s OK. It’s not too late, and it’s perfectly fine to start small. What is an RESP? A Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) helps parents save for their kid’s post-secondary education. You deposit money into

In major Canadian cities, especially Toronto and Vancouver, families are increasingly living in tight quarters. Some parents are choosing to prioritize being able to walk to work, cafés, cultural centres and sports facilities—perks that were especially enticing pre-pandemic. As Annely Zonena, a project manager in Strategic Initiatives in Toronto’s City Planning Division, describes it, “You

If you’re feeling meh about car shopping, you aren’t alone. A quarter of shoppers say they’d rather have a root canal than negotiate a car deal. Here are some pain-free tips for getting started. A car is one of the most expensive big-ticket items most of us will ever buy. A daunting task at any

You could call a plumber, but try these steps first if your toilet is clogged because your child has flushed something down there. With the kids at home more than ever, I’ve seen a big increase in kid-related plumbing incidents, usually involving toys and other assorted items being flushed down the toilet. If your toilet

1. Lay it all on the table Sit down and finally figure out all the money that’s coming in every month and everything that’s going out. Fixed expenses—the ones that don’t change month to month—typically include rent or a mortgage payment, hydro, cellphone bills and the like. Variable expenses, also called discretionary spending, vary a

Some dogs integrate into a family with kids seamlessly. Others not so much. If you’re wondering, “How can I make sure my dog likes my kids?” try these six strategies. If your family welcomed a dog into your family during the pandemic, you’re definitely not alone. There’s been a big spike in purchases and adoptions

When Tia Shkolnik’s baby was six months old, she put down a deposit of more than $2,000 to secure a spot in a brand-new child care centre—even though they weren’t planning on sending their daughter to daycare until she was 12 months old. “It’s very hard to find a daycare placement where we live,” explains

“This year we need to give ourselves space to mourn what we’re missing.” Are you wondering how to celebrate the holidays this year when COVID has made so much impossible?  As a parenting coach, I’ve been telling my clients that we all need to remember this mantra: This year we need to give ourselves space

It’s hard to be pregnant, dealing with the drawn-out uncertainty of COVID, and facing down a holiday season that looks totally different than years past. Put those together, and it’s an emotional shit storm. “For the first time during the pandemic, I view myself as high-risk,” says a rural Southern Ontario mom in this position,