Every Saturday I host a meme called Secret Mommy-hood Confession Saturday. It's where us Mom's dish the real dirt on parenting. I would love it if you'd all like to join in!! Here is my entry for today:

I am really sickened by all the toys my child received over the holidays.

We are extremely blessed that Shawn and I were able to give Chunky a wonderful Christmas.

Our entire family and friends did too.

But there was a line that was crossed.

A line that separates being blessed to being grossly spoiled.

Chunky was spoiled.

He is the first grandchild in my family. The first nephew. The first child in our circle of friends.

All of them bought him something or a lot of somethings.

I can sit here right now and look at the toys scattered across my basement floor and spans throughout the entire house.

You can read more of this post at All Work ANd No Play Makes Mommy Go Something Something.

I hope to see you all there!

I'm super excited that Chunky finally realizes the seriousness of being naughty or nice this Christmas season.

And I'm using it to my parental advantage.

"Chunky, did you feed Champ your socks? Santa will be very upset with you if your Daddy has to pull another sock out of Champ's b-hole." 

"That's it, I'm calling Santa and telling him that you refuse to wear pants."

"Santa can hear you every time you fart and blame it on Mommy. He doesn't like liars."

"Chunky, I'm going to take a shower. An uninterrupted one. That means that you have to stay out of the bathroom and play in the living room. And don't you dare take the ornaments off the tree because Santa is watching you. If he sees that you're playing with the ornaments, he'll fly down from the North Pole and give you an ass that's redder than his suit."

"Santa is allergic to peanut butter. So you better get your hands and face out of the peanut butter jar and wash your hands before you paint the house with it. If Santa touches peanut butter he'll die. You don't want Santa to die do you?"

You can read more at All Work And No Play Makes Mommy Go Something Something

PS. This is a regular meme on my blog. If you'd like to participate, it is every Saturday beginning in the New Year. I look forward to seeing you link up!!!

During this holiday season use the most surprisingly versatile cooking ingredient: Rice Krispies.   Deck the season with holiday treats by trying out these delicious recipes!

Rice Krispies Holiday Treats

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LET'S BUY HANDMADE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!!

(I posted this article on my website yesterday, and thought I'd share it with all my Canadian Mom friends - please share on Facebook and twitter) (read full article)

This holiday season, I am trying to buy as many gifts as possible from local and independent handmade artists. So I was thinking, why would someone buy handmade?  Here are my Top 5 reasons why I will buy handmade this holiday season.

1. SUPPORT - Buying handmade shows your support for local handmade artists. Most of us (including artists) are struggling with the economy the way it is, and by purchasing handmade gifts you may help a struggling artists pay for life’s necessities. I would much rather buy a handmade gift rather than a supporting the big-box stores.

2. UNIQUE - Handmade artists make one-of-a-kind gifts, something truly unique. Just the other day I was wearing a necklace from a local artist, I got so many compliments, and people asking "Where did you find that?"

3. QUALITY - Handmade artists pride themselves in providing quality with every item that they sell. For example, if I make a card and it's not perfect, I often discard the piece and start again. Another example is a handmade knitted hat that I recently purchased, you can feel the quality. Many handmade artists will ensure that every stitch, clasp or whatever is perfect. When I buy handmade I know I am getting a quality piece of work.

4. CUSTOM - I have purchased so many customizes pieces over the years. How many time have you been shopping and seen the perfect item and though "if only it was in another colour". When you buy handmade it's as simple as 'can you make this in pink!".

5. ECONOMICAL - Buying handmade is affordable (which I know is surprising to many). I would much rather spend $20 on a piece of jewellery that will last many years, then $5 on a piece that will tarnish or break in months.

So before you buy something that is in mass production, stop and think. So with the holidays right around the corner, and all the rush and fuss, don't forget about the little "gal" or "guy", the shops that are owned by local small business owners. There are so many reasons to shop handmade, I hope I have opened your eyes to just a few.

I have a great list of over 150 quality handmade artists and artists on our website. Everything (art, baby, toys, body, candles, clothing, décor, jewellery, glass, pottery, fabric, food, knitting, paper goods, stain glass, wood and more).  Shop handmade with our vendors ...

I hope you will take a little time this holiday season and support handmade.

~ Jacqueline

(read full article)

Hello ladies! I hope your Christmas was full of love, laughter, peace, eating and magic!

The getting to know you question of the week is:

What was the best part of Christmas day?

We had a fabulous Christmas day! It was all fantastic and I wouldn't change a thing but the best part was the look on my children's faces when they came down the stairs and saw this:

  And the looks on their faces:

(Please excuse Sierra's appearance. She was half asleep and in the process of getting out of her pajamas when she heard Grandma's voice. There is no stopping her from getting to Grandma! LOL)

I awoke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and chatter coming from the kitchen. I kicked the warm covers away and began to stretch to waken my body when Champ let out an exhausted yawn. He placed his sleepy head on my lap and with his tail happily wagging. I reached my hands down to scratch the sweet spot behind his ears and in return, he planted a slobbering lick across my face. I chuckled trying to get him to stop and as if it were contagious, I could hear the laughter that roared from the kitchen. I couldn’t help but smile. 

What a blessed way to wake up on Christmas Eve morning. 

I made my way to the kitchen.  Shawn and Chunky looked up from their places at the table and greeted me with excited smiles. I could see that the tree was lit in the living room, ready for the night’s celebration. Christmas music softly played from the radio as Shawn and I discussed what needed to be cooked, baked, and cleaned in preparation for the night’s festivities. We both took in a breath before we left the table, knowing that it was going to be an extremely busy few days, but this time?

This time, I was ready.

You can read more of this post at All Work And No Play
 

It was 9:50 am when I stretched my way out of my bed. It was another rough night of tossing and turning and heating pads and pain medications and cursing before I was comfortable enough to fall asleep. Shawn had thankfully got up with Chunky.

I made my way to the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee. I could hear Chunky’s heavy feet stomping their way towards me.

“Momma! Momma! Momma!”

Even before the coffee hits my lips, I can handle this sort of excitement.

However, there isn’t enough coffee in the entire universe to handle this sort of excitement:

Shawn : Did you sleep enough?

Me: Not really but…

Shawn: Ken’s coming over to watch the Lions! Oh and so is John. Maybe Jeff.

Sigh.  Every Sunday is slated for some serious “bromance” bondage…

…or bonding…

…they can be interchangeable I’m sure…

…and I facken hate football.

There I said it. I hate it.

I hate it so much that I would much rather go to WalMart on the last Sunday afternoon before Christmas then watch football while 4 very hairy men gorge themselves on something really facken greasy and cheesy…

…and I know this because there are always man prints left on the remote control that are orange in colour… 

You can read more of this post at All Work And No Play Makes Mommy Go Something Something

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It is with absolute enthusiasm that I write about the Hallmark Recordable Storybook. This little gift brought a tear to my eye and I am so excited because Hallmark has given me four copies to share with City Mom readers. And just in time for Christmas!

Read More...

http://www.citymom.ca/2010/12/the-sweetest-christmas-giftgiveaway/

As I sit here looking around my living room, all decked in it's Christmas glory, I wondered to myself,

"In a few weeks, I'm going to have to put all this shit away."

I certainly didn't read the "Martha Stewart Christmas How To Manual To Create A Picture Perfect Home For The Holidays That Is So Perfect That You'd Be Afraid To Fart In The Comfort Of Your Own Home" manual when I started decorating.

There isn't a particular theme or colour scheme that I follow. Our living room is mostly a display of random trinkets and such, but each carry with it a memory. My home is like a diarrhea of nostalgia and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I can sit in my living room with a hot cup of coffee, staring at some of my most cherished ornaments. Like this one...

...and remember the time I was obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake. I had plates, underwear, comforters, dolls, you name it. I had it.

Oh and this one...

Our first ornament as husband and the bestest wife ever.

And my most favourite ornament of all isn't the fanciest....

But the story behind it is one that I hold tightly with all of my heart. For that story you're going to have to head over to Courtney's blog "Live Beautiful"

She was brave enough to let me run the show over there for a day.

So please come by and say hello. Pleeeeeaaaassse?! 

Have you ever found yourself in one of those uncomfortable situations where you were presented with a perfectly shaped, full-bodied but natural-looking display of beauty and you wanted to ask if what you were seeing was real or fake?