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Health

SkirtsAfire #YEG – SAVE THE DATE

 SkirtsAfire Festival in Edmonton is self-described as “diverse, inclusive and daring”, guaranteeing there’s something for everyone at their 10th anniversary festival, running March 3-13 in Old Strathcona. With the ever-changing pandemic climate we’re all navigating, there is one thing for certain – SkirtsAfire will offer 10 days of engaging and entertaining performances and experiences!

We have taken in their MainStage Productions since 2017 as well as Opening Night Parties, and of course, the fantastic SkirtsAfire Skirt Design Competition. Featuring the work of women and non-binary folks in the arts in Edmonton – MARCH 3-13, 2022.  Check out SkirtsAfire, experiencing theatre, visual art, design, music, comedy, and more.

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Safely Enjoy Your Favourite Winter Activities

Living in North Edmonton for the majority of my life, the biggest stormwater facility that I knew of was Beaumaris Lake. I grew up walking around the paths, lived in the townhouses across the street from it, and genuinely love it.

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Try These Fun, Kid-friendly Activities to Change Your Mind About Winter!

Do you feel like it’s the same old thing every year? Quickly after the beauty of fall fades, the next season creeps in. A season that makes even some of the world’s most resilient animals say… yeah, no, gonna sleep through this one. 

I’m talking about winter. 

Winter makes us feel the need to bury ourselves under every blanket in the house, turn on the fireplace, and debate whether letting our kids watch TV for the next 5 months straight is reasonable. Anyone with me? I haven’t always been the biggest fan of winter and my fiance is even less impressed with this particular season. 

Unfortunately (but also, fortunately), our 5-year-old child tends to set the stage for our daily activities, so… OUTSIDE WE GO! He has truly helped warm my relationship with winter. Greatly. I’ve come to actually love it! So I’m going to spend the next little while trying to convince you, while winter isn’t the easiest season to tolerate, it can be one of the most fun! Believe me? 

Safety first! 

First, let’s quickly touch on safety. Safety in the outdoors is always important, but I would say it’s the most critical in the winter with all the ice, snow, and darkness (I know… I’m selling it. Please keep reading!). I’ll keep it short. I strongly suggest you check the forecast and overpack with many layers and backups if you’re heading out. If your kiddo is typically unimpressed with the cold weather, bringing hand and foot warmers can help keep them toasty and you happy! 

Winter Fun in the Backyard 

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Tips For Celebrating Halloween Safely This Year

Celebrating Halloween Safely This Year

Even though we’re eight months into dealing with a global pandemic, we’re still navigating many firsts and that includes Halloween. A few weeks ago, Dr. Hinshaw announced that Halloween is not cancelled but we still have to do our part to ensure a safe experience for all.

First things first, regardless of your current Halloween plans if you are isolating or feeling sick stay home, and do not hand out candy!

Celebrating Halloween Safely This Year

Masks & Costumes

 The great thing about face masks is that there are many different styles available that can complement or even be the focus of your Halloween costume. From plain colours, fun prints,  skeletons to animals, monsters to unicorns and more, the options are endless.

Regardless of if your costume incorporates a mask or not when social distancing is not possible your costume should allow for a mask to be worn safely and comfortably if needed.

Trick or Treating

This year we’ll be packing some quick snacks and of course hand sanitizer!

Generally, when we’re out trick or treating I’ll sneak myself and the kids a mini chocolate bar or two… but this year will look a lot different. To avoid the inevitable hangry, pack a granola bar or something equally easily accessible.

While it’s suggested that you avoid ringing doorbells and touching hard surfaces if it does happen the hand sanitizer will come in clutch.

And of course, once you get home before you dig into your candy, you’ll either need to disinfect it right away or leave it sitting for a few days…Who am I kidding? Go buy some Clorox wipes now.

Halloween at Home

If you’re skipping the trick or treating this year but still want to celebrate at home, there are still some great ways to celebrate Halloween which include:

  • Dress up in your Halloween best and host a cohort Halloween party!
  • Hide candy in your backyard and have a Halloween scavenger hunt.
  • Host a Zoom pumpkin carving night
  • Enjoy a Halloween movie marathon with your favourite movies!

Worried about having too much but still want your favourites? Visit the bulk areas of your local grocery or bulk barn to grab smaller amounts. This way you can still enjoy your favourites but won’t overindulge.

Handing Out Candy

It’s suggested that anyone handing out candy should do so while maintaining social distancing. If this is not an option, wearing a mask is a must!

This is also the year to get extra creative! Pre-packaging your candy a few days ahead of time, placing the candy on an outdoor table or another area that they can easily be grabbed from, using long salad tongs, and even the growing popular Candy Chute DIY are all great options.

Whatever you decide, the guidelines from the Alberta Government strongly discourages leaving out bulk bowls of candy for anyone to grab from.

Do you have other tips for celebrating Halloween safely this year? Leave a comment below so we can add it to our blog post!

HELPING EMPOWER A CHILD WITH PERFECTIONIST TENDENCIES – PART 2

By Ashley Anjlien Kumar, The Confidence Coach

In Part 1 of this 3-part series, I described some of the behaviours a child might exhibit if they have perfectionist tendencies. To refresh your memory, check out the post here. Not only will this help a child with perfectionism, but it can prevent it from developing in the first place.

PART 2: CELEBRATE MISTAKES

Sounds counter-intuitive doesn’t it? Aren’t we supposed to prevent our kids from making mistakes? As kids we were always cautioned against making mistakes, right? So why do I want to celebrate my kids mistakes?

I hear kids all the time, especially in a dance class or sports, “I hope I don’t make a mistake” or “I hope I don’t get it wrong.” They hope they don’t make a mistake because they view the mistake as a diminishment of who they are. That somehow, they aren’t good enough. Many kids, by age 5 or 6 years old, are already determining their self-worth by their mistakes.

In my family, similar to many conservative traditional families, making mistakes was not okay. You did not make mistakes. Mistakes meant punishments. 

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Ten Silver Linings to Self-Isolation

Negativity and fear seem to be a daily fixture in society right now.

I know I have had many sleepless nights and tumultuous days worrying about everything that is beyond my control.  In order to maintain sanity I have chosen to focus on what we still have, and some positive changes amongst all of this crazy Covid-19 chaos. Last night as my husband and I curled up with our glass of wine to watch the last episode of Tiger King, it dawned on me that this was the first Netflix series we had been able to watch in its entirety since the birth of our first daughter seven years ago! We have a million series we want to watch, but never the time to sit down and binge. This hiatus has allowed us the gift of trashy television viewing without guilt! So here are a few more silver linings I’ve been able to identify amongst one of the larger storm clouds of our lives.

#1 The excuse to wear crap clothing

For reasons unbeknownst to everyone, including myself, I have saved much of my childrens’ hole-y, ripped and slightly stained clothing. This is perfect, because now we can save our nicer and more socially acceptable wardrobes for the return to normalcy. As for now, its shredded leggings and mismatched socks all the way! 

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15 Ways for Mamas to Stay Sane During Covid-19

You are the glue keeping everything together right now. You set the tone for the ebb and flow of your family routines. You are constantly taking the emotional temperature of your child, children, and spouse. Now you are not only Mama but Mme. Mama, teacher as well as cook, nurse, maid, and your own person. And it is to this last point that I would like to touch on at this time. You. You must also rescue yourself right now, you must look after yourself, stimulate and nurture your spirit and mind at this moment that feels like we are trying to stay afloat swimming in a toxic soup of uncertainty.

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You Can Run, But You Can’t Hide.

I am not neurotypical. I have been diagnosed with ADHD, ED, LMNOP… Depression, anxiety and others I don’t know enough about to write about quite yet. Along with these letters, each one carries their own unique symptoms I deal with on a daily basis and while I try not to let diagnoses define who I am, it has been pretty clear that my diagnosis are something I can’t ignore. Also, LMNOP is not a real diagnoses, before we go any further.

When I was in my 20’s I played the game with myself where I decided I would not let my past effect my future. That I would not “dwell” in it and that anything I had gone through before was not going to shape who I was. This led me onto several unsavory paths that definitely shaped who I am if my diagnoses didn’t. Ignoring your symptoms is pretty impossible. While you think you are ignoring them, what you’re actually doing is pushing away anyone effected by your symptoms and bringing in people who have the same symptoms as you in the guise of “understanding” and “relating”. Let me tell you something, two unstable people does not a stable relationship make. In time, your life becomes chaos. The people in it are causing chaos by mirroring what you’re going through and dragging you down with them. The people you should have in your life that love you, you subconsciously push away in order to protect them. Or, you’re too afraid to hear the truth and be faced with the consequences of your own decisions. The decision that you were going to ignore your symptoms.

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I Have Health Anxiety And It’s A Struggle Every Single Day

I Have Health Anxiety And It's A Struggle Every Single Day

I have had anxiety for the majority of my life now that I look back and can reflect on it and health anxiety is a large part of it. My search history reflects a list of asking google about my symptoms. Google and I have a love-hate relationship because nothing good ever comes up with googling symptoms. EVER!!

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