Loulou's views

Money doesn't grow on trees! It's a phrase I often tell my kids (and myself) as a reminder to not spend as much as we do, and to try to teach my children the importance of saving, and not spending. Teaching children the importance of saving money and the value of a dollar are lessons that are best learned from an early age. I have a bad habit of shopping without a budget, and that's not a good thing. I'm a spender, and a shopaholic—it's one of the things I do best, which is sadly, not the most amazing quality to have. Since I've become a mom, though, I've learned that saving money isn't as painful as I once thought, especially because I'm saving for my children and their education. Starting an RESP is not that painful or difficult. I started working part-time when I was 15 years old, and although I saved some of what I made, I'm very fortunate that my family paid for me to go to university—without their help, I wouldn't have been able...

As a family, we love to travel—a lot. Getting to our destination can be a lot of fun, whether it's a car ride to Great Wolf Lodge or a plane ride to Florida. However, when you take into account airport delays and tired children, the travelling part can sometimes be tiresome. Thank goodness for iPads, because they can be a lifesaver on trips. Now that my boys are older, they love watching their favourite shows on their iPads. I'm very glad they no longer watch some of the shows that used to annoy me, like Caillou, but with full access to the internet, sometimes I worry about what they are viewing.  They are pros at navigating around their iPads and searching YouTube for Minecraft videos. Sometimes I'll hear a very bad word and I'll have to tell them to turn it off. I wish iPads came with parental controls! Thankfully I discovered Kidoodle.TV —an online streaming video service for children 12 and under. Thanks to Mom Central Canada, I was offered a free two-month s...

I consider myself a shopping expert, and through my many years of experience I've learned a few tricks about not getting totally burned out when holiday shopping in a busy mall. Searching for the perfect gift for everyone on your list in a crowded mall with long line-ups can be draining for everyone— even the most seasoned shoppers. Wouldn't it be perfect if there was a place—in the mall—you could go to,  to re-charge your batteries? A place where you could enjoy a cup of coffee, drop off your coat, and even get your gifts wrapped... free of charge? No, seriously, I'm not dreaming! A place like this does exist, my friends. And it's called the Avion Holiday Boutique . The Avion Holiday Boutique is a special place (a place of zen, if you will) where tired and overwhelmed shoppers (especially those shopping with young children!) can get a break from the hustle and bustle of the mall. The Avion Holiday Boutique runs until December 31st, so you have plenty of time to tak...

I have many amazing memories of spending summers in Greece when I was a child. Of course, one of the best things about vacationing in Greece—besides spending time with family and friends, swimming in the sea, and just having the best time ever—was the food! Greek food is my favourite, but to experience it in Greece is even better. Every breakfast was nothing more than fresh Greek yogurt with a touch of honey, which I enjoyed on my grandparent's balcony. It was perfection. I'm so glad to see that the Greek yogurt craze has hit close to home, because I love that everyone can get a taste of how good Greek yogurt is without having to fly eight hours to try it! The newest Greek yogurt I love is YOPA because it tastes as good as the yogurt I used to enjoy on my summer vacations in Greece, and there are a variety of delicious flavours One of the best things about being Greek is how we include food in all of festivities. We have tons of OPA! moments to celebrate, from birthday...

You guys, children are messy. I don't know what it is exactly, but as soon as you put a clean shirt on a child, it'll be ready to be washed within the hour. Especially if you're brave enough to put a white shirt on your child. It seems like no matter what your children get their hands on, it'll end up on their shirt. Ice cream, popsicle, salad dressing, cream cheese, strawberries, mud, sand... the list goes on and on.  Sometimes, their clothes get so dirty it'll leave you in awe... and you'll run to take a picture before you try to figure out just how exactly you're going to get those nasty stains out. For example: Of course this indicates a child had a very awesome day, but oh my gosh. I couldn't believe my eyes when my child walked in, huge smile on his face, as if he knew he was wearing a shirt with the world's most terrible/awesome stains! Sometimes even after I wash my children's clothes, the stains don't come out. I'm ...

It's almost (wait... it is!) back-to-school time. With only a couple of weeks left to enjoy all that summer has to offer, we are all getting a little excited to start a new school year. One of the things I loved about back-to-school time when I was younger was the shopping—for things like new boots, new sweaters, new dresses and skirts... it was pretty much my favourite time of year. Although my school days are behind me, I get to enjoy it all over again with my two children. It can sometimes be challenging to get my boys excited to go shopping, (seriously, what's not to love about shopping?!)  but once we're in the mall, they're troopers. It helps that I know what they like, and what size they are—I'm a pretty efficient shopper! I'm thrilled to be part of the Sears Back-To-School Blogger Campaign with Mom Central Canada , because, well, I love to shop and my children are constantly growing—so we need to fully stock up: running shoes, pants, sweaters,...

It was a dark and stormy night and Ottawa was under a tornado warning. It was the perfect night to stay safe and dry indoors. By five o'clock, my boys were in their pj's and cuddled on the couch with their cousins, ready to eat popcorn and watch a movie. After all, what goes better with a stormy night than a great movie to watch in the comfort of your own home? The movie of choice?  A Turtle's Tale 2—Sammy's Escape From Paradise.   Thanks to Mom Central Canada, we were given the chance to preview the movie before it even hit store shelves. The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever that we had a DVD in our hands before it was available in stores! We received A Turtle's Tale 2—Sammy's Escape From Paradise  before we left for vacation, and didn't have a chance to watch it until today. (If you're interested in purchasing the movie, you now can.) We got right into the movie (after we had our popcorn in our hands, of course!) and the kid...

Doesn't it seem that lately, everything old is new again? From hairstyles (side low ponytail, anyone?) to movies (sigh... The Great Gatsby!)  the things I loved are coming back better than before. With certain exceptions (there can never be a re-make of Dirty Dancing!) taking a much-loved classic and making it new again is a very good thing. This just happened to one of my favourite cereals—Honey Nut Cheerios! Honey Nut Cheerios has gone where they haven't gone before, and switched things up a little, while keeping what made us love them, all those years ago. What's new, you ask? Now, you can have Honey Nut Cheerios Hearty Oat Crunch for breakfast! Along with what you already loved about this cereal, it now comes with crispy oat flakes and nut clusters for a taste that so good , you'll want  breakfast for lunch and dinner, too. (I think I just invented my new diet!) I received a box and within two days, my boys and I had finished it. They very, very enthusiasti...

As a mom, I find reasons to celebrate every single day. I'm a v ery enthusiastic person, to say the least. I started doing a happy dance complete with jazz hands the first time my oldest son wrote his name by himself. I'm the loudest cheerleader at my children's swimming lessons, or when I'm watching my son play soccer. "YOU KICKED THE BALL! IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION! GOOOOOO CHRISTOS!" Yeah, you could say I'm overly enthusiastic and always in the mood to celebrate my children's little—and big—victories. I am always proud of my children. Well, except when they say bad words in public, really loudly, or throw epic temper-tantrums in the grocery store. At times like those, I don't feel much like celebrating. At times like those , I want to to disappear into a black hole. But I digress... We're talking about celebrating, right? Here's a reason to celebrate: I've been selected to work with Mom Central Canada as part of t...