Mama Pie
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Eat That… Or Go To Bed Hungry
Parentals and guardians, we’ve all been there before. You spent the last hour sweating, slicing, stirring and sautéing (not to mention the time you spent shopping and thoughtfully planning every locally-sourced organic ingredient), just to have the kids whine about how it tastes yucky or it’s too saucy, or it looks weird, and they’d really prefer nuggets. So what do you do when your kid just refuses to finish (or even start) their food? Do you serve up more options for those picky little shits and cater to the divergent array of palettes in your household? Do you force them to suffer while they reluctantly ingest every nutritional morsel? Do…
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Issa Mitzvah – Drake Bar Mitzvah Remix
Last month we celebrated Chase, my eldest son’s Bar Mitzvah downtown Toronto at Airship 37. I promised Chase that I wasn’t going to embarrass him with any naked bathtub pictures or videos during the slideshow (these days I’m considered the Queen of cringey, aka. typical embarrassing Jewish mom). That being said, I did not promise not to rap in front of all his friends in an epic (in my humble opinion), live, Drake rock cover. Whoops?!? (Seriously though… he should know me by now). Of course, Chase (and every other 13 year old in Toronto, or anywhere) is a HUUUGE Drizzy fan (and especially so being Blewish himself and hailing…
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Why you should let your kids play Fortnite
This isn’t what it looks like. I’m not about to sit here and try to convince you to let your kids play the latest video game craze that no one can shut up about. It’s probably too late anyways. Be honest, how many ‘skins’ (characters) have they talked you into buying already? I’m actually embarrassed to answer that myself. But on the brighter side, my kids have never been so motivated to do chores and earn an allowance (silver linings amirite?!). So no, I’m not here to try and convince you that Fortnite is the greatest, because that would definitely go against the mom code (I’m pretty sure we’re expected…
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Beaches Negril: The Ultimate Family Retreat
I’ll admit, this vacation wasn’t even my idea. My mom’s 65th birthday was approaching, and she declared that she wanted to take her kids and all her ayniklah (Yiddish for grandchildren) on an unforgettable family vacay over March break (aka. Canadian spring break), with just a few stipulations: a breathtaking sandy beach, great amenities for the kids (the youngest being 1 and the oldest being 11), and no stress allowed (safety, cleanliness, and amazing food to boot). It seemed obvious that an all-inclusive resort was the way to go, since we could all be together with the flexibility of splitting up and trying different things, and without ever worrying about…
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New And Improved Mom Group Acronyms, AF!
If you’re already a mom or a mommy to be, we’re willing to bet you’ve spent some time on a mommy forum, reading mommy blogs, or joining one of the millions of Facebook mom groups and meet-ups. If so, you’ve surely noticed by now that there’s an entire language out there of mom-related terminology, that has been carefully crafted into acronyms, and you’ve probably spent some time googling, guessing, and asking yourself, seriously, WTF?!? We have no clue who came up with most of them (or when, or why) but we’re sick of seeing them, because (IMHO) they’re lame and, well, we thought we could do better. So before you…
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Do Our Kids Have An ADHD Problem, Or Is It The Teachers?
Long before the ferocious rise of the fidget spinner as of late, the ADHD debate has been a hot topic bubbling in the mommy community for decades, where it’s central controversy prevails … to medicate, or not to medicate? Statistics suggest that approximately 11% of school-age kids are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which is characterized by lack of focus, impulsivity, and difficulty regulating executive functions. ADHD is most commonly diagnosed using empirical methods; practical and standardized testing, puzzles, interviews, and feedback from the parents or teacher. In most cases (roughly 75%), the teacher suggests to the parents that their child should be tested, because he or she…
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We The Fentons: Views From The Family Vlog
Like many kids these days, my 10 year old son Chase is addicted to Youtube. He’s only allowed to use the iPad on weekends, in common spaces of the house (ie. not alone in his bedroom), and with strict filtering mode enabled (of course), and if it were up to him, he’d do it all day. Sometimes it’s to watch a shark fighting an octopus (you’d be surprised who wins), sometimes it’s America’s Funniest Home Video –esque bloopers, but the majority of the time he’s either looking up game cheats, or literally watching someone else playing a video game… weird right? In fact, sometimes I think he enjoys watching gaming videos even more than…
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How We Made A DIY Chalkboard
For years I’ve held onto this stunning old gold wooden frame that once housed a beautiful landscape oil painting over my grandparent’s mantel. I always loved the frame, but given its size, I could never find the right piece of art to fit it, so it just sat collecting dust in our basement, until one day recently it finally hit me… we should just make our own art. And thus – a fun family project was born. I picked up all the supplies we needed at our local Home Depot, and we were ready to transform our main kitchen wall into a blank canvas for silly doodles, sweet notes, grocery…
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It’s no small world: How to do Disney like a pro
It’s the happiest place on earth, but it’s no small world (after all). Amassing 27,258 acres, Walt Disney World, Orlando, is basically a small city. With 4 Major theme parks, 2 water parks, 34 resorts, over 300 restaurants, 5 golf courses, and world class shopping, entertainment and nightlife, it’s easy to get caught up in all the magic. Growing up I was blessed with a dad who just loved everything Disney, and stayed authentic to his inner Peter Pan mantra, “I won’t grow up”, by taking us on repeat family adventures, and is now reliving the joy all over again with his grandkids. So if you’re planning that trip to Orlando, and you’re not…
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Make the time to play – A Poem to your child by Fisher Price
Recently, I had the honor of being chosen for a Fisher Price video with my one year old, Alonzo. As our first mama + baby commercial appearance, naturally, the experience was fun and exciting… but it was also nothing I could have expected. When it was our turn on set, we were asked to just sit and play and enjoy each other with the toys they provided. Simple enough. Zozo’s fave was the timeless stacking tower that we all grew up on, and he instantly recognized from his own collection at home. But then, I was asked to read him a poem, and that is when the emotions started to…
