THE PRODUCT Mountain Warehouse‘s head strap for kids’ sunglasses, $4 on sale. THE GOOD The price is right. Once the head strap is on, it’s on. But… THE GAFFE Getting the damn thing onto the sunglasses — which I also purchased from Mountain Warehouse! — was enough to make me want to hurt a kitten….
Nintendo WiiU and Mario Party 10
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love video games and I think they can be beneficial to our kids. I’m not talking about late-night gaming that verges on dangerous obsession, but — like anything — in moderation. There are, I believe, healthy outcomes thanks to early video game use: problem solving,…
Falls Avenue Resort, Niagara Falls
I’ve been going to Niagara Falls for just about as long as I’ve been alive. And when you only live a couple of hours away, it’s a pretty blessed thing to be able to do so. Because The Falls are truly breathtaking. You kind of forget when it’s in your backyard how impressive it is…
Tangle Teezer
I’ve gone between super-long and super-short hair all my life. From a grade-two bowl cut to locks dangling dangerously close to my rear end in high school to a pixie cut in university. I’ve also had naturally stick straight hair and unco-operative wavy hair (the latter of which I blame on my offspring). So I know there…
Doodle Bike: let your kids personalize their bikes!
I’ll never forget the kind of bike I wanted as a little girl: one with a banana seat and those flashy streamers dangling from the handlebars. My parents did the best they could and I ended up with a shiny red bike that had the beginnings of a banana seat, but was streamer-free. But it…
FAQs for new parents
If you’re on Facebook and belong to even one parenting forum, you’ve seen it. The same questions — over and over and over — being asked every single day. Every. Single. Day. I get it. You’re new at this parenting thing. You’re freaked out. I’ve been there, too. Aside from writing the “please use the…
RAZOR scooters for kids
I never had a scooter as a kid. I’m not even sure I knew they existed. But one need only take a small look around any neighbourhood or skate park to see that scooter-mania has taken hold. I’ve even seen full-grown men on scooters! When RAZOR asked if my kids would like to help review a…
Strange Magic DVD
The movie: Strange Magic (Disney/Lucasfilm) When it’s available: May 19, 2015 What it’s about: In this very Epic-like movie, the forest is divided into good and evil and is inhabited by goblins and fairies. There’s a magic love potion that causes good and evil to come together — which obviously doesn’t start off very well. With big-name actors like…
Jungle JumpaRoo (mini review)
THE PRODUCT Jungle JumpaRoo kid jumper, US$360. THE GOOD The Jungle JumpaRoo is easy to assemble. Hours of fun for your kids and their friends. Seriously, it’s like a beacon…the kids just go right for it and jump forever. It’s kid-powered! There are no batteries, bells, whistles or motors of any kind. Love that. Space-saving…
Summer school: Oxford Learning’s R.E.A.D. Elite program
Let me just be upfront: I’m a nerd. Like, a really, really super-big N-E-R-D. I’ve always loved school — so much so, that when I was in high school, I went to both summer school and night school. Not because I had to, because I wanted to. I could have graduated more than a year earlier because…