Happy Halloween

We wish you a safe and happy Halloween!

Halloween Dog Costume

This might be the best dog costume I've seen in a long time. - Sara

Wish this was me...

Some Assembly Required

Who doesn't love Ikea?
There's something for just about everyone and it's budget friendly.
I remember walking through the winding real life catalogue for the first time. My older cousin kept telling everyone it's her ultimate favourite place and we'll be in heaven. And right before we walked though the giant blue and yellow sliding doors, she asked us if we were ready. For what I wasn't sure until I too fell in love with this do it yourself home store. I just loved the whole experience. I mean we're walking through 'real' decorated homes and getting inspired the entire time.
Tonight was a good Ikea night. There's been a handful of times that I've gone there looking for the perfect piece for my place and couldn't find what I was looking for. But today... today was a good Ikea day.
My mum helped me find the perfect piece for my office/closet/guest room. (Photos to follow after assembly.) I spent the majority of my night putting together the drawers to a dresser. Tomorrow I will tackle the rest and start the long process of organizing. My stuff is pretty much all over the place right now. I just don't have any place for them. And so they pile up to the point where I can't find anything. So I'm hoping this will be the end of the never ending mess on my desk.
I can't wait to get started organizing this room. I even bought drawer organizers! Call me crazy but I love the organization process but maybe not so much putting my new furniture together.

- Sara

Royal News

Hip hop royals, Beyonce and Jay Z have recently announced that they are expecting and have now revealed the sex of their baby! I can't be more excited about the news that it is a girl! This is very exciting. It got me thinking... I wonder what they will name her. Will they give her one of Hollywood's unique baby names, such as Apple, Coco and Milo? Or will they go with a more traditional name? I did some research and found what most Americans/Canadians have been naming their baby girls lately.

Here are the most popular baby names for girls for 2011

1 .Emma

2. Olivia

3. Sophia

4. Isabella

5. Ava

6. Madison

7. Abigail

8. Ella

9. Emily

10. Lily

A lot of these names have a nice ring to them when you add Jay Z or Beyonce's last name. Sophia Carter (Jay Z's last name) or Lily Knowles?

Sasha Fierce Jr is due in February of 2012. Only 3+ months till new member of the royal hip hop family is born. Plenty of time to pick a perfect name for what will be the most talked about baby of the year.

-Michelle

The Next Trend?

Tiny ways to boost happiness today!

This gloomy weather sure makes it hard to stay positive and be happy. But remember, there are always small ways to bring sunshine into your life and others. Take a look at these tiny ways to boost happiness today.

• *Log into facebook, chat with 3 people who are online whom you haven't spoke   to in a long time, reconnect!
• *Send a note of encouragement in your child's lunch box
• *Call your mother, just because
• *Hold a door open for someone (which you should already be doing)
• *Buy your co workers their coffee today (and a cookie?)
• *Compliment your man or woman on their physique (they love to hear it)
• *Remind your best friend why you love them
• *Make a donation to a local charity, even if it's only $10 or less. Every bit counts.
• *Declutter that closet, prepare a bag of clothing to give to goodwill
• *Stop by the pet food store on your way home and pick up one of those cute dog pastries for your fur baby.
• *Skip the cooking tonight, throw a frozen pizza in the oven and hang with your family while you wait.
• *Put on your comfiest sweater and take the gang for a walk, bring your doggies too!
• *Kiss your babies good night.

-Michelle 

Halloween Light Show

I wonder what the neighbours think?

5 Tips to Beating the "Homework Battle"

If you have or had a school aged child, you've obviously had the "homework battle" once or twice. My 7 year old boy's homework routine has been challenging for both of us this year. The constant battle to get started, finished has really had me thinking. I have come up with a few strategies to help the busy mom conquer the homework feud.

1. Designate a work station

The workstation should be the one and only spot your child does homework. Choose somewhere with no distractions. The dining room table, desk in the hallway or at the breakfast nook. Somewhere where your child can really concentrate and not be distracted by other family members or television. Have all supplies available. These supplies should be used only for homework, this way they will always be there when you need them. Extra things to add to the work station could be a dry erase board, extra paper, pencils cases with extra supplies, good lighting and maybe gentle music.

2. Start with an itinerary

Sit down with your child at the beginning of their homework session. Go through what needs to be done. This way the child's brain will be organized and they will know what is expected. If he has 3 separate activities to complete put them in order and go over the directions with him.

3. The timer

The timer, this is a new technique I am trying. I am doing this to teach my son that he does not have all the time in the world to stare up into space. There is a task at hand, and he has a certain amount of time to do it. I don't make it race by any means, but I do stress the fact that work needs to be done in a timely manner. How long to set the timer? That is up to you. You may even want to discuss this with your child's teacher. I go for 20 minutes. Once we go over the itinerary, and he understands what needs to be done, the timer is set and I walk away. At this point he knows what needs to be done.

4. Let the child focus on their own

As much as we'd all like to hover over our child and give them every answer, it is not helping them at all. The child needs to focus and use their own thought process. School work won't always be easy but the challenge will help them excel.

5. Review and discuss

After the timer has gone off, this is a good time to take any questions he has. Discuss what he did today. Go over all the work. Don't forget to encourage and be involved. Give compliments "This paragraph has lots of details", "Your sentence is great". Constructive criticism is good too "Tomorrow lets see you add more to this", "Lets remember 5 more words tomorrow". Make it a positive experience, because remember, they will come home tomorrow with homework again. (and for years after that :) )

These simple steps will create a nice routine for your child. It will also show your child that you care about what he does at school and that you are always there to help. Most importantly it teaches your child how to be independent and finish his work effectively. I'd love to hear more tips and tricks. Please share if you have any.

-Michelle