Loulou's views

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... well, not quite yet. There is still no snow . There was, for a couple of days, but it melted with our warm temperatures. However, this lack of snow doesn't make me feel any less festive. (Which makes me wonder... maybe Christmas in Florida wouldn't be so bad, after all?) After a fabulous giveaway with one of my favourite toy stores, Tag Along Toys , it's time for my second holiday giveaway ! This time, with Mastermind Toys . Mastermind Toys has been selling toys for children for over 26 years, and with 13 years selling online, they know a thing or two about what the hottest toys of the season are! I lost track of time when I was looking through their online store, because there are so many items to choose from. Mastermind Toys also has 11 stores in and around Toronto, so if you prefer shopping in-store rather than online, you can do that, too. Two of their most popular items this holiday season? The SmartLab Weird and W

If I could go back in time to give younger me some advice, it would be something like this: "It gets so much better. You'll get braces. And your hair will be awesome one day." Followed by: "What are you thinking?" I came across pictures in my mom's closet where I was looking for Christmas presents last week. It was sort of like opening pandora's box. Well, maybe not that bad, but almost. I have mostly happy memories of my childhood, mixed with a very awkward stage that a lot of us went through. Those God-awful middle school years. I'm convinced this had everything to do with bad hair, pre-waxed eyebrows, shoulder pads, and acid-washed, high-waisted jeans that were always too short. And awful purple Bonne Bell lip gloss. I was the queen of bad hair. Having naturally curly hair can be a blessing and a curse, depending on if you know what to do with it. I did not. Clearly, my parents didn't know how to deal with it, either, so when I was 9 years

It's official. I'm feeling festive. Despite the lack of snow and the unseasonably warm weather, I am so excited that the holidays are almost here. Seriously. Only one month left! It seems we went from trick-or-treating to deck-the-halls in no time at all. I start feeling a little festive the day I see the red cups at Starbucks. They make me so excited... and anxious! The panic is slowly setting in. The calendar is filling up quickly with holiday parties and events, Christmas lists are being made, shopping is about to get started, baking will soon commence, (God help me) and presents will need to get wrapped. (My area of expertise!) Well, I'm here to offer you some relief, at least in the shopping department. I'm like Santa's little helper, red hat and all. Every week until mid-December, I'll be having a holiday giveaway with some of my favorite stores, just for you... just for your children! Last year, I was fortunate enough to work with Tag Along Toys on a

"SANTA! OH MY GOD! SANTA'S COMING! I KNOW HIM! I KNOW HIM!" Buddy the Elf "Mommy, does Santa ever die?" my six year old was full of questions on our drive home tonight. Yes, the best conversations always happen when I'm driving with my boys. I ask my children about their day, who they played with, what they learned, if they ate all their lunch, and so on. Conversations, back-and-forth, between my boys and I. Moments I cherish. Until the hard questions are asked. And I'm um, sometimes left wondering what to say. "No, sweetie... Santa doesn't die," I reply, accepting the fact that I'm lying to my own child. "Well, how come? Why doesn't he die?" the questions I don't want to answer have finally arrived. My baby is at that age. Six years old, and he's already figured out I'm the magical tooth fairy that leaves him money and a personal letter with every lost tooth. He's wise beyond his years, and he's figu

Parenthood is messy . I realized this the day I was peed on when I was changing my baby's diaper days after I had given birth. I'm reminded of the messiness when I clean vomit from the car or from my bed. Children can be messy. Two days ago, I found my three year old in the bath-tub, covered in an entire bottle of Zincofax, mixed together with an entire bottle of Johnson's baby lotion. It took a long time to get him clean, and his skin is still softer than it was the day he was born. Yup. Parenthood is messy. But messes? I can handle. Something I can't handle, though? Something that makes me break out into a cold sweat, gasping for air? Public bathrooms . See, I suffer from Mysophobia. The fear of germs. (I have a lot of other fears , too.) Of course, because I have this fear, my children will always, always have to go the bathroom when we're in the mall, at a restaurant, in the grocery store, or on a road trip. Gone are the days when I could walk into Banana Repub

Last Thursday, I was in a taxi at 4:30 a.m., on my way to the airport. I was heading to New York City—one of my most favourite cities ever— for a Tommee Tippee event, for the day. Nothing can get me out of bed with a smile at 4:30 a.m., unless of course, it's to spend the day in NYC. Also on the agenda: lunch with Marinka and Ali in Saks Fifth Avenue , on the 8th floor. The shoe floor. Seriously. It was an awesome day. New York City with fabulous people, attending an event about a great baby company, and lunching with some of my favourite people on the shoe floor of Saks... sigh. All in a day's work. My taxi driver was nice enough to have a coffee waiting for me in the car, however, being the paranoid person I am, I wasn't sure I should drink it. What if his intentions were to poison me, and months later an innocent jogger were to discover my body in some random forest? After some back-and-forth conversation, which is always so.much.fun at 4:30 a.m., I decide