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How to Keep Your Cool When an Adult Bullies Your Child

Bullying, Losing your cool

Today's post is a topic that's been broached here on Coffee with Julie before: Bullying. I'm really happy to share this post right now, because I think it's really important to discuss  bullying not just for the two weeks following a tragedy, as is the tendency with media cycles. Today, Nicole from Our Family World shares some tips on how to keep your cool. I don't think I can agree with her more that despite our initial desires to go "mama bear … [Read more...]

Hot Cars Kill: 5 Low-Tech Ways to Remember a Child in the Backseat

Baby in back seat car seat

  Hot cars kill. Today, a Canadian child died in a parked car in Edmonton's heat. Last week, it was a Toronto-area boy. Stress, scheduling changes, sleep deprivation ... these all affect our ability to function at full capacity and this includes our memory. Parents with young children know that these can be a dangerous combination. But most of us escape through our children's young years without disaster striking. Unfortunately for … [Read more...]

Can Gadgets Help Kids Be More Active Or Are They Just Gimmicks?

Front and Side View of a Pokewalker

There's a whole lot of talk lately about kids and their low fitness levels in Canada. This week, as example, Healthy Active Kids Canada just released their annual report and gave Canadian kids a grade of "D minus" (yikes!) for overall fitness activity levels. I've been working with a client who focuses on this, so I've had the opportunity to read into some of the research investigating the roots of this issue and, needless to say, it's a complex, … [Read more...]

It’s Friday, Friends. Let’s Shoot for the Stars!

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is just so darn cool that he has my kids shooting for the stars. I love it because it gives me an excuse to remind them to study hard in their maths and sciences if they want to be an astronaut. p.s. Is it just me or are you secretly developing a crush on him too? … [Read more...]

It’s Friday, Friends. It’s About Time!

This week, France legalized gay marriage. Last week, it was New Zealand. The week before that, it was Uruguay. Marriage equality. It's Time. Julie xo … [Read more...]

Oprah in Ottawa: A Re-Cap

Jacqueline and Julie

When I heard that Oprah was coming to Ottawa, I just knew I had to get a ticket. Like people who still buy tickets to the Rollings Stones playing live, for me, Oprah is more about nostalgia and a deep respect for what she has accomplished in her life more than any kind of present-day fandom. She kicked off The Oprah Show in 1986, the same year I started high school. Despite it being a daytime show, I managed to see many episodes during my five … [Read more...]

What Should Schools Do About Bullying? A Q&A with Lissa Albert

Lissa Albert, M.A., Educational Technology

In the first part of my discussion with researcher and cyberbullying expert Lissa Albert, we discussed what a parent should do if they suspect their child is being bullied. Today, we’ll look at what schools can do. Q1.  What do you believe is the most effective approach for tackling bullying in schools? As an educator, I believe that we must always begin with as much as we can learn about any topic before we make a plan to tackle the … [Read more...]

Christmas Cheer: From the Archives

wallcoo_com_christmas_66-550x412-440x329

Everyone has been hugging their children just a little bit tighter since Friday's horrific shooting in Connecticut. Hubby and I haven't been actively following the media reports. For a number of reasons, but mostly because we don't want to expose our kids to the 24-hour news cycle. In an effort to avoid co-opting the grief of these parents as my own, I will step away from blogging about it. But this doesn't mean any words are flowing for me, … [Read more...]

Bullying and Rhetoric

Worried Young Woman Using Laptop At Home

Today, I'm a guest blogger over on Annie Urban's PhD in Parenting. Annie and I like each a lot despite butting heads on a number of issues. But that's precisely the point -- we both understand (and have a strong respect for) the importance of debate and discussion. Otherwise, we end up in rhetoric territory. … [Read more...]

Meet the Superhumans

Have you been caught up in the Olympic spirit yet? Although our family doesn't really follow sports and you won't find us watching any "big game," the Olympics draw us right in! And the advertising and marketing is no different. I've shared this one on Olympics and mothers already, but have you seen this one on The Super Humans yet? I've watched this video over and over again. I love how it's gritty, and not sunshine-y. Forget Everything You … [Read more...]

Are High School Graduates Special?

An English teacher by the name of David McCullough Jr. stood up and told a high school graduating class that they're not special. It was a commencement speech. And he told them nine times, "you're not special." Naturally, like most things these days, it was recorded and then uploaded to the internet. Yes, you guessed it -- it's gone completely viral. Everyone from traditional media to new media is weighing in. One the one hand, you have the … [Read more...]

Dear Grammys: What message are you sending?

grammys

Dear Grammys, I'm not sure what message you're trying to send. But I can tell you what message I received from your show last night. For all the young and impressionable young people watching the Grammy's yesterday, one thing was made clear: If you can dance and sing, we're willing to turn a blind eye. Well, at least if you're a man. Dancing and singing trumps all, people. Chris Brown, who in 2009, was brought in on criminal charges (and … [Read more...]

Cancer Sucks. And so does Pink-Washing.

Back in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I shared my thoughts on pink-washing in a post called "Don't Drink the Pink Kool-Aid." In it, I questioned all the pink ribbons being slapped on everything from cell phones to chocolate bars; and wondered out loud about corporate profit-teering from an illness that is hurting so many of us. I didn't have any easy answers, and instead decided that rather than promote one of the many pink … [Read more...]

When Men were Men

Yesterday, I did something unusual. I went to see a movie that was filled with frightening scenes and macho bravado. And I drank it up all. Liam Neeson in the film The Grey. Photo credit. It’s old fashioned and sexist to believe that men should all be strong and brave, just as it would be to believe that all women should be nurturing and gentle. But the news has been filled with stories of weak, dishonourable men as of late. And it is … [Read more...]

Ottawa’s New Ikea: Bigger Isn’t Always Better

People go on and on about how much they hate Walmart and how evil it is. But you rarely hear the same people talk about Ikea with the same vehemence. I even checked: Google results for "I hate Ikea" are 13 million, where as "I hate Walmart" delivers more than 58 million results. And we all know that Google knows everything. After making my first visit to the largest Ikea in Canada, I find this rather perplexing since I would much rather shop … [Read more...]

The Normal Heart

He was practically sputtering, he was so frustrated. I looked at his tear-filled eyes with confusion. With stupid, naive confusion. He wasn't talking to me, and I didn't know him. We were a group of strangers exiting the warm, transcending world of the theatre before departing on our own separate ways. But I heard him. And I thought he was wrong. That he was transposing his own experience as a young gay man in the 1980s to that of today's … [Read more...]

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Don’t Drink the Pink Kool-Aid

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is not something that I have to remember -- the pink products everywhere tell me that it is. Cancer is a terrible disease, and I've always thought pink was a terrible colour, so I guess the two things go together. Like most women my age, I have friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances who've had to face this diagnosis and live through it the best way they can. Some have been more fortunate … [Read more...]

On the topic of new year’s resolutions

In yesterday's National Post, an article titled "America is losing the war with itself" spun out a number of topics we've been discussing here related to the obesity problem that Canada is facing (I first wrote about this here, then again two days later here, and then because the comments gave me so much food for thought, a third time here.) Of particular interest to me is the connection that the author, George F. Will, makes between North … [Read more...]

Consumption to the point of destruction

Okay, so I've spent two posts complaining (first that the "obesity epidemic" in Canada was not really an epidemic, and second, that if it is really an epidemic, it's downright embarrassing when you put it in perspective to other epidemics around the world) and now I think it is probably time to do something helpful. Your comments on my post have been particularly insightful and have given me lots of food for thought (pardon the pun!). Many of … [Read more...]

The obesity epidemic: Maybe I’m just embarrassed

In my last rant post, I belittled the obesity problems that we are facing in Canada. I can certainly acknowledge that the prevalence of processed foods in Canadian diets, with ever-growing package sizes and salt and sugar quantities, is concerning. I can also acknowledge that most of the children I know likely do less physical activity that what is considered the healthy norm. But throwing the term "obesity epidemic" about just feels wrong to … [Read more...]

Canada’s has an obesity epidemic on its hands!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! If you believe the headlines, Canada is in the middle of a serious epidemic. One of such enormous proportions that 1 in 4 Canadians is already affected – and the number is rising! *yawn* Yeah, that’s right, I’m tired of hearing about our so-called “obesity epidemic.” From public service announcements, to newspaper headlines to CBC’s latest “Live Right Now” series … please! Sure, we might be a little … [Read more...]