Digital Dating & The Single Mom

Editor’s Note: Esther Kane is back today to talk about digital dating for single moms and I have a quick digital dating success story to share – mine.
Ken and I had moved to Seattle within two weeks of each other eight years ago, and both of us for just about all the reasons Esther points [...]

Green-e-ology – Save Money, Unplugged

Not so long ago I was searching online for power saving ideas (no gigantic bill this time, just pure curiosity).
I came across information about power usage for electronic devises that are not in use and was amazed to learn that many electronic devices continue to use power when switched off, or in stand-by mode.
This continuous [...]

Kids In The Arts – Get Them Dancing

Dance in the Comox Valley is absolutely on fire.  Given a population of less than 70,000 people, you would assume one or two choices for your tyke would be the maximum a community of this size could sustain.
When I was approached to take over leadership of Pantuso Dance I looked at the fact that there [...]

Preschool Crafts – Salad Spinner Painting

Editor’s Note: It’s no news flash that we are big fans of art around our house. But, I have to admit that I’ve been finding myself in serious need of inspiration and a little artistic freedom that the dining room table just isn’t currently capable of offering.
So, our daughter and I have been hitting Becky [...]

Mom Review – Eco-Friendly Bedroom Paint

About 18 months ago, I took it upon myself to paint our daughter’s room. Yellow with red trim – bright and cheery yet not overly girlie. At 2, she could have cared less, excited only to be out of her crib and happy to have access to most of her toys long after she should [...]

Mom’s Office – Must-Have Organizational Tools!

Editor’s note: Good Morning! As part of our ongoing commitment to fostering the entrepreneurial spirit of moms everywhere, we are launching our Mom-P-Inc Small Business Consultation column on OBE this morning.
This is a space where moms with ideas brewing, new businesses on the launch, a position in a larger company or solid businesses in [...]

Stories for you Ears with Odds Bodkin

There once was a little, orange record player. You know, the kind that had it’s own case that you could close up, tucking the electric cord inside and would play LPs or 45s if you hadn’t lost the little insert that made the tiny records fit on the turn table.
It followed me everywhere – on [...]

Fit Pregnancy is Possible (and fun!)

How are your New Year’s resolutions going?  Did you manage to start eating healthy, exercise daily, be good to your family, and meditate all while living in the NOW?
We all know how hard it is to keep promises to ourselves.  It can be even more difficult to set goals and achieve them while you are [...]

Parent Wellness – Trading Tots for Time

Editor’s Note: Happy Thursday. I am so excited to introduce Comox mama of two Marcie Dumais and her wise parenting ways as she shares her take on parenting and taking care of ourselves.
I am legendary in the “can’t ask for help” universe – some weird mental health issue that I apparently need to take some [...]

Family Eats – Getting Your Kids In The Kitchen

Editor’s Note: Good Morning and welcome to our first installment of Family Eats – a journey in getting kids back into the kitchen – with lovely local mama Sarah Stromquist and her family.
Sarah lets us peek inside the food-friendly evolution of her family and the family-friendly evolution of her kitchen, offering insight, tips, recipes and [...]

Crafts for Boys – Recycled Space Robot

Need I say more? The Dad in our house is here to share. He’s all imagination, goofiness, a love of recess and the reality that Star Wars will never die.
Have fun with our first project…
…and take the Craftizmos ROBOT CHALLENGE! Make your own version of this creature from the Planet Recycle and win the Clone [...]

Monday Morning Mom Poll – Wet Gear

We are back at the kitchen table talking shop today about what outdoor kids gear has proven out as most necessary, and most fantastic, as we take this sunny, balmy February week and pretend like it will last until October.:)
Moms, take it away:

I’ll chime in first with our deep and abiding love of Kidorable rain [...]

Making of a Mom Entrepreneur – How OBE Began

NOTE: Robin will be writing about the evolution of Our Big Earth – offering insight on how everyday moms can create the life’s work they envision – every month here on OBE. Check back in for tools, tips, tricks, ideas and inspiration. Plus, take a peek inside the Our Big Earth machine and get a [...]

KidSports – Big Fun, Build Skills with New T-Ball

Editor’s Note: Good Morning! It may be still be Winter, but all signs point to sunshine and outside fun – including T-BALL REGISTRATION, which begins Monday morning (Feb. 16) at the Lewis Centre, Comox Rec and Happy ’s Source for Sports (on Sixth in Courtenay).
That also means there couldn’t be a better time to [...]

Healing Childhood Eczema Naturally

Our skin is an amazing thing. The largest detoxifying organ of our body, our skin functions as a protective barrier from the outside world while providing a route of elimination for waste products within.
As kids, our skin takes a beating.
Learning to walk results in tumbles and bruises. Bike riding spills end up with [...]

Preserving the Comox Valley, One Bite at a Time

When Karen Pattison bottles up local crops using the age-old tradition of preserving fruits and vegetables, she’s also preserving fond memories of her childhood in Willow Point near Campbell River.
Now the owner of Bite Size Specialty Foods, she grew up eating tasty veggies from her grandparents’ garden in their neighbouring property. And after a lifetime [...]

Family Craft – Keepsake Flower Petal Valentines

M and Ken wandered into the recovery room after my surgery nearly three Fridays ago with piles of flowers and a Tim Horton’s Boston cream doughnut.
The doughnut lasted about 30 seconds. The flowers, a fair bit longer.
When it came time to empty out the vases, I couldn’t bring myself to just ditch them. To me, [...]

Monday Morning Mom Poll – Green Laundry Soap

Welcome to Monday. If yours is anything like our house, one of the biggest challenges we have with being more eco-minded is the constant din of the washer and/or dryer. We hang clothes year-around and try like heck to keep the laundry low. But, it seems like someone is always down in the basement throwing [...]

Mom-P-Inc. – Rhonda Parker of Well-Balanced Fitness & Bodywork

Motherhood, it changes you.
While there’s a whole list that involves sagging and wrinkled, exhausted and emotional that can be wrapped in there, for many women becoming a Mom takes life to a whole other level.
It brings out our genuine loves, forces them into places creatively and personally that reveal talents and ingenuity unrealized until that [...]

Magic Tales of Unicorns, Dwarves & Discovery

Our house seems to draw a huge crowd of the mystical and magical lately. Every since we discovered Forest Fairies with the help of our friend Maureen (of Strong Start fame) and The Last Unicorn showed up in the DVD player, our house transformed into a fairytale land that pretty much skips the prince and [...]

SPROUTS – Plan Your Family Garden

I’m getting excited! The odd peek at sunshine and warmer afternoons means Spring is on its way!
I may have a few months to go before I can even plant outside, but I can already taste the sweet harvest… that means its time for me and the kids to start planning our family garden
After [...]

Homeschooling – Child-Guided Learning

Editor’s note: Today, homeschooling mom Susan Spyker joins us with her first homeschooling column. Susan has spent years educating her children at home – exploring a huge variety of learning paths including Waldorf, Montessori and more.
Her insight into giving children the space to discover how they learn best is a great first step for [...]

Restaurant Review – Lunch Time Crown Isle Style

When someone mentions heading to Crown Isle for the afternoon – where golf and getaways are the style – it generally doesn’t evoke that family-friendly vibe. In fact, the first time my mother-in-law suggested that she and I head up to the Silverado Steak House for lunch with the tiny person, I thought she had [...]

Family Craft – Paper Tulip Garden

One of my major small successes during the doldrums of any dark and rainy February is to brighten up the house with signs of Spring in any way humanly possible.
If I could paint sunshine and blue skies on all of the windows and not know that if I went outside the sky would be five [...]

Product Review – ELC Travel Felts

Welcome to our first official Monday Product Reviews post. Mondays, they pretty much leave us all needing a bit of therapy. So, why not the savvy retail kind? This is a place where you’ll get the chance to talk shop about all kinds of kids, household and outdoor gems that make your life healthier, greener, [...]

Our Big Earth – Now with 35% More Content

Good morning! February has started off with its usual gray and rainy patina outside. But, it kicks off with a bright, lively celebration here at Our Big Earth.
Today, we unveil a new tab structure to make it easier to find the features you are looking for as well as some fantastic new features, columnists and [...]