My name is Gillie. I am a 30-year-old Canadian mumma living in Vietnam. I met my incredible Kiwi husband in London, England, seven years ago and he has been my life and travel partner ever since. Our remarkable son was born seven months ago in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam — our home for the…
Sleeping Beauty on Ice at the Sony Centre
Let’s start by just wrapping our brains around the fact that the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts is not an ice rink. So dumping four tonnes of ice — FOUR TONNES! — is only the beginning of the incredible transformation that artistic director Tony Mercer needs for his creative vision. Because then there’s the…
DIY kids’ chore chart
You’ve begged. Pleaded. “Please just let Mommy sleep until there’s a 7 on the clock.” “Why don’t we get off the floor and stop crying about our shoes and put them on so we don’t miss the bus?” “For the last time, dirty underwear belongs in the laundry room!” And there have been threats. But,…
R.E.A.D. Elite at Oxford Learning
You’ve heard me pontificate about the wonders of Oxford Learning before. And that’s because we’ve had such positive experiences there during the past two years. Feel free to go back in time and read more about The K Man’s struggles with early reading and how Oxford Learning’s Beyond Tutoring program helped him excel. Now that…
FALL in love with Wheat Canada (because it’s hard to “autumn in love”)
OK. Now that kids across the country are firmly in school and your brain is no longer racing with all of the things you needed to get them out of your house, let’s talk shopping. Because if you’re like me and you remember back-to-school shopping, it was always for fall clothes. But, let’s be honest,…
Bjorn Bouncer Mini (guest review)
Guest reviewer Zack Sandor-Kerr has never, ever written an honest-to-goodness product review before. This may seem surprising, given that he has no shortage of opinions on the products he chooses and the lengths he goes to learn about them. Zack works in the communications biz, with fellow word nerd, Andrea [editor’s note: that’s moi]. Living…
Lazy-Life Paris XL bean bag chair
My kids ask for bean bag chairs like they ask for pets: eagerly and often. And I always wanted to get them their own chairs — really I did — but it’s hard to know whether paying for the really pricey ones is worthwhile, and if you get the $20 job from your neighbourhood big…
Mini Me Yoga: helping you bring yoga to your children
Over the last 10 years, yoga has made quite the impression on the western world. Whether you prefer the hot, fast-paced flow of power yoga, or take a more spiritual approach, the end result is always healing. Kids’ yoga is not a new idea, although it’s surprisingly rare. Yoga, in general, promotes physical health, self-awareness, balance,…