Looking to support the LGBTQIA2+ community beyond Pride season? Check out this list of 12 queer Canadian businesses, designers, and artists who deserve your support all year long ..read more

My husband is (and I say this with immense love) a big nerd. My marriage vows should have included, “For better or for worse, or Lord of The Rings marathons,”. When he shared his love of board games with me, I naively assumed he meant classic, family-friendly games like Clue or Boggle. I had no idea what I was in for. To give his obsession more context: Our living room is home to his collection of 86 games - and that’s not including expansions (he counted, there are 38). We had to add a new shelving unit to better organize them all, and it still isn’t enough. He is partial to strategy games ..read more

Shopping for presents is one of my favourite pastimes. I've got this knack for remembering every time a loved one drops a casual "I love that!" and squirreling it away for later. Coming up with the perfect present may be easy for me, but finding it can be a journey in itself! The thrill of the chase, the art of surprise, and the sheer satisfaction of making someone's day with a thoughtful gift is SO satisfying to me. Though I know many others feel a ‘needle in a haystack’ type of stress at the mere thought of this treasure hunt. Lucky for you, I also have a knack for knowing where to find rea ..read more

Every year, parents make a mad dash to the mall so they can get their hands on the hottest new toy. It’s a tale as old as time. I lived through Beanie Baby mania and the Furby fad. I read all about how folks were clamoring for Cabbage Patch Kids. I’ve also watched the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic, Jingle All The Way. If you don't turn up empty-handed and emotionally drained, there's another dilemma at stake. What’s popular today could be ancient history by tomorrow. It's like staying in sync with the latest TikTok trend, only with way more plush toys involved. The last thing you want your ki ..read more

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year, because I get to shine a spotlight on so many incredible events across Ottawa! Shopping local, small businesses is something I try to prioritize in my day-to-day life, and especially around the holiday season. It’s not just so I can find unique gifts for my long-distance loved ones, either. Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to make lasting connections with local makers from every corner of this city, and it’s brought me so much joy to be able to spread the word about their creations. Yet since the pandemic began, I have seen so many of ..read more

You would think that after living in Canada my entire life, I’d be used to the long winter seasons by now. Yet without fail; as soon as Daylight Savings ends, the blue feelings begin. I’ve dealt with depression on and off for a number of years, but it wasn’t until I was in my late twenties that I finally had a name for my annual wintertime sadness. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as ‘the winter blues’ (or ‘blahs’, depending on how it manifests) is a very common type of depression. In fact, 2-3% of Canadians will be faced with it at some point. While SAD often passes with the sea ..read more

"Mama, can you draw rainbows with me?" I didn't expect to weep after hearing my son utter these words, but it happened to be on the eve of a mass anti-2SLGBTQIA+ protest across Canada. He didn't know such an event was happening, but he told me lots of people wearing rainbows at school that day. So we talked about it. My son is almost 5 years old, but has long understood that rainbows are a symbol of love and acceptance. He recognizes that some families look different than our own, and knows what it means to be trans or non-binary. He also knows it's wrong to be mean to someone just because the ..read more

Back to school season is an exciting and exhausting time of year for parents and caregivers. While picking out the first day outfit can be a lot of fun, there are some tasks that are stress-inducing just to think about. Things like sorting out new schedules, packing lunches, and frantically signing up for after-school activities. We’re all just hanging on by a thread by the end of the first week. My kiddo is about to start his second year of school, which is wild because I swear he was still an infant yesterday. Now that we both have one year of kindergarten under our belts, I’ve gained a few ..read more

Y’all loved my last lineup of Canadian Online Thrift Stores, and thankfully I have even more to share! This time is for the kiddos, because vintage clothing is infinitely cuter when it’s pint-sized. I’ve been shopping secondhand for my son ever since I saw the plus sign on my pregnancy test. It wasn’t even a question, as the majority of my own closet is thrifted. For the amount of time kids wear clothes, it just doesn’t make sense to buy brand new (the exception being a really good sale at Old Navy or GAP). This is especially true for babies; I distinctly remember one morning where Elliott w ..read more

Glossier is now at Sephora, cue the collection screams. Making this brand more accessible to the masses means the excitement is palpable. At its peak, Glossier was an innovative brand that was truly disrupting the way we look at makeup. Playful products that enhanced but did not dare cover up your natural beauty. It was minimalistic perfection wrapped up in a chic bubble-wrap Ziploc bag. Though since it’s original launch into Canada, many diehard fans have simply drifted away from the millennial pink beauty cult. This comeback into mainstream retail almost feels like we’re all wearing millen ..read more