Fashion forward!

After a long and generally miserable winter, spring is officially here.

We no longer have to dress ourselves—and our children—in layers upon layers of winter clothes for short five minute outdoor excursions.

We no longer have to step in snowy wetness as soon as we take off our boots.

We no longer have to hold three coats, three hats, three scarves, and three pairs of mittens while we're chasing the children through the aisles of the grocery store.

We no longer have to re-apply hand moisturiser a dozen times a day to heal our damaged skin.

Yes, spring is here and we can kiss the snow good riddance good-bye.

Spring means warmer, brighter, happier days. A few days ago, I opened up the shed doors in the backyard, and I watched my children discover their favourite summer toys again—the ride-on cars, the shovels and pails, and the sidewalk chalk. They were so happy on their play structure, swinging on the swings, and going down the slide over and over again. I served my boys their lunch in the tree house, and sat down to watch them play.

Spring is awesome for many reasons:

Sunshine lasting past 4 p.m.
The sound of motorcycles revving their engines in the distance.
Windows open more than a crack, all day long.
Flip flops and little dresses.
Bike rides around the neighbourhood.
Clean cars, flowers in bloom and trees blowing in the wind.
Soccer games and street hockey.
Sitting on the front porch watching the sunset.
Drinks with friends on patios, and pool parties.
Planning summer family vacations.

My favourite thing about spring, though? It is the perfect time to go shopping. That's right— it's out with the SAD, in with a new LBD! Last year's must-haves are so... well.... last year!

Before I hit the stores, I make a mental note of the things I need, and the places I'll be wearing them. I picture family vacations, summer days lounging by the pool, work days, patio nights, summer weddings, and BlogHer, of course.

Right away, I know I'm going to be needing a few new party dresses. In Style magazine says that this season, it's all about the LBD—little blue dress. A few months ago, I saw the most beautiful cobalt dress in Holt Renfrew, but when I went back to buy it, it was was no longer there. Lesson learned—if you see something you love, buy it right away! Now, I'm a woman on a mission, determined to get what my heart desires. I'm not giving up on my quest to find the perfect blue dress!



Before you go shopping, make sure you have your staple pieces already—for me, that's a great pair of sunglasses, my Speedy Louis Vuitton, a few great pairs of jeans (I love the sexy boot from GAP) a classic trench coat, and my Tory Burch Reva flats—they're comfortable and cute!

I'm also loving my new skinny jeans from Banana Republic and my classic black heels from Nine West.





What's next on my must-have list? COLOUR! Although I love the swim wear from J.Crew and even Victoria's Secret, you can buy a different bikini top and bottom for every day of the week from Old Navy, and still have money left over in your wallet.

I'm all over this adorable peach ruffled bikini top and hot pink bottom—I love the colours! I'm also adding a few new tank tops in bright colours to my wardrobe—a few new tops paired with your favourite pair of jeans or skirt is almost all you need!



In the shoe department this season, it's all about the wedge heel. These wedge heels are by Gucci, and a little out of my price range, but you can find similar shoes almost anywhere you look—Michael Kors has some gorgeous and totally affordable wedge heels, too.

Dresses from Old Navy are perfect to wear during the day, on weekends, and to throw over your bathing suit while on vacation. And they come in all sorts of fun colours! I recently bought one in black and one in orange to bring to Florida with me.



I'm also loving this adorable romper from Old Navy, and this 1950's style dress from Anthropologie. The best part? Totally within my price range!



Next? A few fun t-shirts to throw over your capris (I love this bright Florida tshirt from Old Navy)and, yes, more shoes! I'm in love with this strappy pair from DKNY and these classic wedge heels from Tory Burch. (And don't forget that blue dress!)



I love to shop at J.Crew, Club Monaco, Banana Republic, Anthropologie, Gap and Old Navy. I could also spend an eternity in Nordstrom, too. If you need more style inspiration, just flip through your latest fashion magazine or head to the nearest mall—but make sure you're wearing your comfortable shopping shoes!

What is your favourite part about spring? What's on your must-have list this season?

Keep your nuts where they belong

As a mom, I do everything I can to protect my children from danger. Helmets, seat belts, and of course, hovering over them when they're out in public. If either one of my children are out of my sight for even one nanosecond, I panic. I tend to be on the extreme side of things, but that's not the point.

I do the best I can to make sure my children stay healthy, too. Of course, certain things are out of my control. When my oldest son was three years old he got sick with a severe case of pneumonia and was hospitalised for over two weeks. He had surgery in his lung to drain fluid, and a chest tube, among other things, like IV's and countless numbers of x-rays. It was a nightmare, and something I never imagined my child would have to go through.

As a parent, I'm aware. And I'm alert. I know the dangers that lurk among our children. When you become a mom, you are instantly exposed to a whole new world of love and worry for your own child, and for other children as well. Your level of empathy grows. You feel for other parents in bad situations. You will cry when you hear of another child getting sick, or injured.

Wouldn't you take any steps possible if you could prevent your child - or another child - from being put in life-threatening danger?

When I was a child, I would eat a peanut butter sandwich almost every day at school. For a parent, a peanut butter sandwich is quick to make, and nutritious. What's not to love about that?

In recent years, however, peanut allergies have increased exponentially in children. And peanut products—including peanut butter—are banned from (most) schools. Although my children do not suffer from allergies, when it comes to preparing snacks for my children that will be brought to school, I make sure they're safe and peanut-free. I make sure that the packages I buy are clearly marked with the peanut-free sign. From granola bars to crackers, there is a wide selection of healthy snacks available that are peanut-free.

If my son has a play date at home with a friend who suffers from a peanut allergy, I make sure my house is safe. I ask the mom questions like "Is it okay if we have Nutella in our home?"

If a child's life is at stake, and we can prevent something bad from happening, that's what we have to do. Period.

Today I read about a young child in Florida who suffers from a life-threatening peanut allergy. Since her allergy is so severe, her classmates have been asked to wash their hands (and face) before entering the classroom, and after lunch. I see nothing wrong with this.

Some parents, however, are protesting—insisting that their children also have rights. These parents are arguing that the hand washing is taking away from their children's learning time. One mother said the hand washing was "taking a good 30 minutes out of the day."

(Insert eye-roll here.)

The parents who are protesting these measures—which, in my opinion, aren't even remotely extreme—are being very unreasonable.

One father said: "If I had a daughter who had a problem, I would not ask everyone else to change their lives to fit my life." How is hand-washing changing a child's life? I wish all schools would implement a twice-a-day hand-washing rule!

Some parents are even requesting this girl be home-schooled. I feel terrible for the parents of this child, and I feel even worse for the little girl who is caught in the middle of all this ridiculousness.

What example are these parents showing their children, anyway?

Doesn't it just make sense to do what we can to keep our children safe? Even if it means our children have to wash their hands twice a day?

Solid Gold

One of the greatest joys of motherhood is watching your children develop into little people, with their very own personalities. I find it fascinating to see the differences—and similarities—between my two boys. I love watching them interact, and play with one another, too.

My youngest son is active, determined, smart, funny and absolutely adorable. He always knows how to get his way with his big brown eyes and killer smile.

My oldest son is my gentle bookworm. Never-ending questions about science, geography, and the history of the world, he is the inquisitive kid. His latest fascination? Money. And gold. He has started a coin collection, and has learned how to count money; he knows the value of a dollar way more than I do. He also (and this is kind of scary) knows the periodic table of elements. One look at the elements when I was in grade 11 Chemistry, and I was in the guidance office begging to taking another English class.

So what does my little Alex P. Keaton five year old ask for on his birthday? A solid bar of gold, of course.

At first, I laughed. But then I figured a bar of gold is totally a great investment. And will probably increase in value, unlike another LEGO set. And thanks to very generous grandparents, my son got his birthday wish.

In other news, I recently attending Ottawa Fashion Week at the stunning National Gallery of Canada. I wrote all about it for Ottawa At Home Magazine, and you can read what I thought here!

Food challenges

After I graduated from university, I moved to Washington D.C. and completed an internship at CBS TV. I was independent and loving life in the most powerful city in the USA.

I'd take the subway to work and hang out at the coolest places with my best friend in the evenings. Living essentially alone, I'd have to cook for myself, too, which was new territory for me since this was the first time I was 'on my own'. I know, I lived a pretty sheltered life!

As you know, cooking is not my forte. One night in D.C., I was baking cookies and I set off the fire alarm. Moments later, the fire trucks arrived—sirens wailing and all. In walked three cute firemen, and I admitted that I was baking cookies and somehow set off the alarm. Of course, everyone laughed along with me. Or at me? Anyway.

That was my cue to exit the kitchen and eat out as much as possible until I moved back home.

Lucky for me, I got married shortly after and super lucky for me, my husband is an excellent cook.

Now that I'm a mom, I try to cook more often. The five things I do know how to cook, I cook well, and we haven't had any run-ins with with local fire department, so yay!

This year, I have started to challenge myself more in the kitchen, and I've even forked over money to buy a few cookbooks.

When I was asked (along with four other Canadian bloggers) to take part in a five minute food challenge with Clover Leaf, I had to agree to take part. The challenge? Take five ingredients and make a meal in under five minutes. Oh, boy. I guess they didn't know who they were dealing with!

After I received my basket filled with Clover Leaf products and a few other goodies they sent to help me with the challenge, I decided to make the salsa tuna roll-ups. I thought it was a pretty simple recipe to follow.

First step: open the can.

After I opened the can of tuna, I proceeded to cut myself, which seems to be the norm (cut, burn, whatever) when I am in the kitchen.

Due to a bleeding finger that I had to take care of, my challenge went over the five minute mark. But I didn't give up. I made a salsa tuna roll-up, and offered it to my son who was in the middle of doing his homework. He didn't want to eat it, so I had to. And it was tasty! It was actually really easy to make, since there was no actual 'cooking' involved.

The part of the challenge I loved best, though? Finding out that Clover Leaf is donating 555 cans of tuna to local food banks.

Clover Leaf is giving a basket of goodies to one of my readers, too.




To enter, just leave me a comment before April 11 telling me which five minute challenge you'd love to try!

Good Luck - I hope your 5 minute challenge goes better than mine did!

Disclosure: Baskets provided by Clover Leaf Seafoods.

A learning experience

When I heard that the Marilyn Denis show was looking for moms who can't say 'no' to be on a parenting segment last week, I jumped at the chance. I am that mom - the mom who too easily gives in to her children and the mom who has a hard time saying no. The producer let me know that a camera crew would be at my house the next day, to shoot me and my boys 'in action'.

A day after the shoot, I took the train to Toronto and was put up at the InterContinental Hotel. My hotel room was gorgeous, with ceiling to floor windows and amazing views of downtown Toronto, a city I love more and more each time I'm there.

Erica and Cora met me for drinks at the hotel bar, and we had a great time chatting it up before I went to bed at 1 am. (My usual bedtime. God, I lack sleep.) Sleeping all by myself in a king-sized bed was heavenly, although I did miss my little one's toes in my face when I woke up at 6 in the morning!

I enjoyed a delicious room service breakfast, (thanks again, CTV!) then met my driver downstairs and was whisked away to the station. I could totally get used to having my own driver.

When I got to the station, all I could think about was how much I missed working in television and radio. It's a really exciting place to be, with so much going on at the same time. Never a moment to get bored!

After getting my make-up done, I went over the parenting segment with the producer, and then the show started.

The parenting expert on the show was Dr. Michele Borba. She's an educational psychologist, parenting expert, TODAY show contributor and author of 22 books. My segment was about eight minutes in length, and Michele offered some great tips for mom who need to 'de-program' their children and learn to say no.

First of all, she said, you have to decide to change your ways. Next? Dethrone your child. (Yikes. That's going to be very hard for me!)

She also talked about using the right praise—for earned and specific things. (This is something I need to work on, since I praise my children to no end if they even put their own socks on!)

She told me moms need to set clear limits. (Gulp.) For example, before I enter the toy store, or the grocery store, I should tell my son that we aren't going to buy anything extra, and stick to it. If my child has a meltdown, I should pick him up and leave.

She also told me to stretch my child's ability to wait. This was my favourite piece of advice, and one that I've been practicing at home. Children by nature are used to instant gratification, and I think that for the most part, if you can give your child what they want, (if it's not harming anyone) why not just give it to them? I do understand the importance of learning patience, though, so this is an area I'm focused on changing at home.

If my boys are asking for a snack NOW, and I know they're not hungry because they've just had dinner, I will tell them to wait five minutes, or tell them that they can have a snack when I finish washing the dishes. I'm actually doing good at this!

The last piece of advice she gave was to move from ME to WE. I must say, though, that although my children are spoiled with love and getting their way most of the time, they are the most kind-hearted boys you'll ever meet. They are empathetic, caring, and they love to share. They're the best kids. They just have a mom who doesn't like saying a certain word! Let's see if I can be a bit more firm with them and learn how to use 'no' as part of my everyday vocabulary, now.

Of course, no trip to Toronto is complete for me without heading to Bloor Street for some shopping. I was a woman on a mission—I needed new Chanel sunglasses and I wasn't getting on my train back home without a new pair! I walked into Holt Renfrew, inhaled the fabulousness, wished I lived in Toronto, grumbled under my breath about why Ottawa's Holt Renfrew is so small, called my mom to ask her why we didn't live in Toronto, and saw the perfect pair of shades.

Happy with my purchase, I left to go buy something for my boys. Walking into Indigo, I once again grumbled under my breath about why we don't live in Toronto, bought my boys some Lego, and headed back to the hotel to get some work down in the business lounge, where once again, I grumbled under my breath about why we didn't live in Toronto, a city that is full of wonderful career opportunities, a bustling downtown core, and amazing shopping. Not to mention the fact that most of my best friends live there, too.

The best part of going away without my children (the maximum number of nights I've been away from my kids has been two nights, and that's only happened twice before) is seeing them when I get home. That part alone—those hugs and kisses and smiles—are worth leaving for a couple of days!

A little bit of everything

There are quite a few things that I'm good at. For instance, I'm good at spending money, shopping, loving my children, and I am the queen of procrastination. I'm also good at getting my way, most of the time.

Of course, there are some things I'm not good at, too. I'm not good at cooking, or baking. I'm not good at not worrying. And I'm terrible at saying 'no' to my boys. I've written about this before, and many of you commented that I should start becoming more firm with my children. I appreciated all your comments, truly. However, almost one year later, I'm still not able to really say 'no' to my boys. I do try, it's just... they don't listen, and I give in to their every demand.

It's not that my children are really misbehaving - they're wonderful, most of the time - it's me, not being able to say no, and letting them get away with whatever they want. For instance, if we go to Chapters, my youngest son runs straight to the Godiva chocolate, and I end up spending 10 dollars before we're even in the book section! My inability to say no and to actually put my foot down is costing me a fortune.

I've often wished that Supernanny could come to my rescue, and it seems like my prayers have been answered!

This Friday morning, I'm going to be on the Marilyn Denis show in Toronto talking to and getting advice from a famous parenting expert, someone with a lot of experience under her belt. I am SO excited!

Yesterday, I had a camera crew in my home filming me and my boys for a few hours, and I'm happy to report we did capture a few um, episodes on film, so you'll be able to see that on the show, too. I'm going to be sitting in the audience, talking to the parenting expert, and I hope to come back home with some new knowledge on how to discipline my children. Make sure to watch, okay?

In other news...

Tonight I will co-hosting a party on Twitter with Mom Central Canada! But not just any party... an IKEA kitchen party! IKEA's kitchen event is going on right now, and I am so ready for a brand-new kitchen. Every time I'm in IKEA, I start picking out my new countertops and pull-out drawers. I'm not kidding, if I had an IKEA kitchen, I would never leave my kitchen and in turn, I'd finally become a good cook!

Anyway, at 8:30 EST, please join in the fun on Twitter. We will be giving away six $100 IKEA gift cards in one hour, and your chances of winning are excellent. Make sure to be following me (@MrsLoulou) @IKEACanada, @MC_Canada and @AndreaMillsTO. Use the hashtag #IKEAKitchen. For more information, click here! See you on the Twitter!

One more thing, before I go...

You all know how much I love fashion and shopping and shoes and designer purses, right? Yes, shopping is my therapy, and I get such a high from finding a new LBD dress or the perfect pair of stiletto's. My Louis Vuitton is like my third baby, sort of.

I've been invited to cover Ottawa Fashion Week at the National Gallery of Canada, AND I have been give two guest passes to give to two of readers! How awesome is that?

I have also been given an extra pass to the by-invitation-only OFW Launch Party, hosted in the newly renovated lounge, Lobby. It's going to be the ultimate party with gravity-defying Cirque du Soleil like performers, champagne waterfalls, and hors d'oeuvres. Slated to the be the 'party of the year', you'll be rubbing elbows with Ottawa's VIP, from foreign delgates, to politicians and socialites. Oh, my gosh! What will I wear? I'll be giving away the passes in a few days.

Ottawa Fashion Week will be closing on a charitable note with "Walk the Truth", a Fashion Show Fundraiser and Charity Gala dedicated to spreading awareness about NGO Africa's Children - Africa's Future.

Phew, okay!

I'm off to Toronto for a night of luxurious sleep in a king size bed all to myself. I'm even going to sleep in past 6:30 am! It's the little things that excite me, friends!

Hope you're able to watch The Marilyn Denis show on Friday - if not for me, at least to see the always hilarious Nicole Sullivan from MAD TV and The King of Queens (my mom used to tell me I reminded her of Nicole... hmm?) and Lynda Reeves, Canadian House and Home magazine president and publisher. So excited to see these ladies!

Of course, no trip to Toronto is complete without a little shopping on Bloor Street, right? That's where I'll be after the show!

Waiting for spring

I'm so ready for spring and summer. I am in a perpetual state of depression in the winter. I'm actually ready for spring on January 2nd, right after the holidays. One week of swimming in the ocean in sunny Florida, as wonderful as it is, is just not enough for someone like me, someone who loves wearing summer dresses and feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin.

While I'm ecstatic that March is here, just looking at the fresh pile of snow outside makes me want to cry. I'm not motivated to work out like I am once the weather starts improving, but I drag myself, knowing that warmer days are ahead.

This past week I've been taking care of my children. They've had fevers that lasted almost an entire week, runny noses, and bad coughs.

When my children are sick, I operate on autopilot.

I worry more than I should, make frequent visits to the doctors office, and turn my bedroom into a nurse's station. I have survived on very little sleep these last few days, and had an extra busy week on top of it all, with work, and home, and all my other obligations.

I totally understand why pilots are not allowed to fly planes unless they've slept at least eight hours in a 24 hour period. I can't even remember what more than six hours of sleep feels like. It must be nice, to just lay your head down on your pillow, and let yourself drift off into a blissful state of sleep, to wake with your own internal alarm clock. Imagine that luxury?

After my children to go bed, I always have a million things to do in the house, and even more to do when my children are sick. I change the sheets every couple of days, (as opposed to once a week) open the windows for fresh air, despite the minus 30 degrees weather outside, and clean every surface my boys have come into contact with throughout the day. Which is basically the entire house.

On my night table in my bedroom right now you will find:

4 glasses of water,
10 novels,
1 wet face towel,
2 boxes of Kleenex,
1 thermometer,
20 soothers,
1 bottle of Children's Advil,
and a partridge in a pear tree.

Now that my boys are healthy again, I had to make sure all the germs were killed once and for all, because the last thing I want is for them to get sick again.

First, I rounded up all the germ infested soothers.

Then, I boiled the living daylights out of them.


Finally, I lined them up in a row to dry. Healthy soothers = healthy children!


Now, if only I could find time to read one of the novels stacked on my night table and sleep for more than four hours a night, that would be great. In fact, I wouldn't mind sleeping until all the snow has gone away.

I can't wait to leave home with only a sweater on, leaving the winter gear behind.
I can't wait until I see the tulips bloom.
I can't wait to sit on a patio on a Saturday night with friends.
I can't wait for warm days, bike rides, and afternoon visits to the park with my boys.
I can't wait for backyard BBQ parties and swimming all day long.
I can't wait until my skin has that sun-kissed look again.

Counting down the days...

Are you so over winter, too?

What have you done for yourself today?

Thanks to Crystal Light for sponsoring this post. To learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors, visit facebook.com/crystallight.

Being a mom is a 24 hours a day job. Add a full-time 9 to 5 career into the equation, and you're left with almost no time for anything else.

Going out with friends, hitting the gym, shopping, taking the children to their after-school activities, cooking and staying on top of the housework are all things we have juggle. I don't know about you, but I sure could use a few extra hours every day.

I spend as much time as I can with my family when I'm not working, because my family is always priority number one for me. However, I always try to take time for myself, too. It's so important to put yourself first sometimes, don't you agree?

It's the little things that you can do ahead of time that will give you a few extra minutes for yourself, allowing you that extra moment just for you, so you can actually sit down to drink your coffee, or go through your emails without having your little one tugging on your pants to get off the computer.

Things like:

Getting the diaper bag ready the night before.

Picking out your outfit—and your children's—the night before, too. This way, you won't be staring at your closest mindlessly in the morning!

Eating a quick breakfast—cereal, toast, juice and some fruit—every morning with your children. Don't forget the coffee!

Here are some things I always do for myself that always put me in a good mood:

Take a vacation! There is nothing a little ocean air can't cure. And building sand castles with your children is a great way to have fun!


I always find time to go to the hair salon once a week for a blow-dry. A good hair day can do wonders to a girl! If I can, I do my hair over my lunch hour, or if I need to do my hair on the weekends, I make sure to have something fun planned for my children while I'm gone.


I visit my beloved Starbucks every morning for my Grande Skinny Caramel Macchiato.

I am really relaxed with my children's bedtimes. We don't have a specific time for our children to go bed; this gives me more time with my children at night so we can read books, do crafts, and just enjoy each other's company after a busy day.

After the children go to bed, that's my time to put my feet up! Of course, after a little tidying up—that is pretty much unavoidable!

Read a book, watch mindless television (The Bachelor, anyone?) or take a long warm bath.

Whatever it is, you deserve it! Make sure to take some time for yourself everyday. I swear, it'll keep you young.


Remember, visit facebook.com/crystallight to learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors. I was selected and paid for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

The End of the Innocence

Remember when the days were long
And rolled beneath a deep blue sky
Didn't have a care in the world
With mommy and daddy standing by
When "happily ever after" fails
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales...
Don Henley

When you're looking for clues as to why you turned out the way you did, all you have to do is look to your childhood to get the answers you're trying to find. Almost everything can be traced back to your childhood.

I can pinpoint the start of my anxiety attacks to a specific day—a specific event—from when I was only six years old. What was supposed to be a nice afternoon out with my father turned out to be a traumatic day, one that left me in tears and filled with sadness.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was dressed appropriately in a yellow dress, white sweater, and brand-new white sandals. I kissed my mom good-bye as she headed off to work, and I left with my father. A father-daughter day. Just perfect!

We were about to see a really fun and cute movie about a little deer and all his friends.

We were about to see Bambi.

The movie started, and of course, I loved it at first. Bambi was born to two lovely parents, and as Bambi started to grow, his mother would take him out, exploring the world around them, loving him, playing with him, and explaning to him about the dangers of the world.

Suddenly...

Bang. Bang.

Bambi's mommy was killed. By hunters.

"Your mother can't be with us anymore," Bambi's father tells him, gently taking him back home after the tragedy.

I remember staring at the screen with my mouth wide open, then bursting into tears.

"Bambi's mommy died? Bambi's mommy died?" I was sobbing. I was so crying hard, in fact, my father and I had to leave the theatre, so I could run to the nearest pay phone and call my mom to make sure she was still alive.

And so it began. My complete paranoia that at any given day, one of my parents were going to die and leave me alone. Whenever they went out at night, I would stay awake, praying in my room for their safe return. If my mother was ever late to pick me up from school, I thought she was dead in some terrible car accident. Or maybe shot by some hunters. These are thoughts no six year old should have.

After I saw Bambi, I lost a huge part of my otherwise innocent childhood.

I wonder how many children end up in therapy because of Disney?

Although I consider Bambi to be one the saddest movies I've ever seen, (I've since watched the entire movie, and although it has a happy ending, I'm still scarred for life over the fact that Bambi's.... mommy... dies.... sniff, sniff...) almost all Disney movies like to pull at your heart strings.

Sure, I wanted to be a princess when I was a little girl, but not really a Disney princess. After all, these girls had it rough growing up! In the end, they all live happily ever after (of course, only after their prince comes to save them) but still—I didn't really want to be Cinderella. All that cleaning and scrubbing she had to do for her evil step-sisters? No thanks.

And poor Snow White! Her mom just wanted a baby, a daughter with skin as white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair as black as ebony. Of course, once her beautiful baby was born, she dies. When Snow White becomes a teenager, her evil step-mother, who is not the fairest of them all, sends her to the forest to be killed. Luckily, her life was spared, but she spent years living alone in the forest, where she ate mushrooms all day long and hung out with dwarfs.

And The Lion King? When poor little Simba is nuzzling up to his dead father? How heartbreaking was that movie? Sure, it was funny and happy during certain scenes, but I coudn't get over the fact that little Simba had to come to the realization that his daddy was dead. Why, Disney, why?

What about Finding Nemo? That movie crushed me. Poor clownfish Marlin had to watch his wife and their 400 eggs get eaten by a barracuda! Only one little egg survived, and Marlin becomes a great (and very over-protective) dad to little Nemo. Then, of course, Nemo disappears, and Marlin has to spend his days and night searching for his only son. Sob!

Parents are always missing or killed in Disney movies. Like in The Little Mermaid, The Fox and the Hound, and Lilo and Stitch. Or children are tragically taken from their parents, like in Tangled.

Even if parents aren't dying, Disney will get you in other ways. Just try watching the first ten minutes of UP without breaking down. The opening scene in that movie destroyed me!

I still haven't seen Toy Story 3, but I have been warned that I'll cry like a baby.

Although Disney movies are amazing, and although I do love them all, they also make me very depressed. Ever since my world was shattered after watching Bambi, I'm always thinking 'worst case' scenario.

Now as a mom of two, I get anxious when my boys watch certain Disney movies, because I worry about how sad they'll be. I couldn't stop talking to my five year old during Tangled, when Rapunzel was kidnapped. I kept explaining to him that eventually, everything would be okay, but I could tell he was still a little upset.

Did Disney traumatize you when you were a child, too?