Tag: Our Big Earth Media Co.
A Word To The OBE Community
I feel like some Facebook meme, “Change, the only thing in life you can guarantee.” But, it’s true. Life is about transition. It’s about adaptation. It’s about understanding when something has run its course or needs a kick in the pants. Sometimes, you get to change whether you like it or not. Other moments show [...]
The Family Hibernation Syndrome
I love mornings. They are peaceful and cozy and the time when my brain is ferociously at its finest. I get twice the amount of things done between 5 and 8 a.m. that I do the rest of the day. But, lately, something has changed. This change pretty much happens every year right after Thanksgiving. [...]
Pumpkin Pie That Isn’t Just for Thanksgiving
I whisper it very quietly because most people would wonder if I was born on another planet – I’ve never really liked pumpkin pie. (gasp) It’s not that I have a hate-on for pumpkin. In fact, I totally crave pumpkin squares, pumpkin soup, freshly roasted pumpkin seeds. But, me and pumpkin pie just don’t have [...]
Understanding a Parent’s Grief: How to Support Family and Friends Who Face Child Loss
Editor’s Note: Losing a child is painful for a family and the people around them. Today, Avril Nagel is here to talk with us about the grieving process. Avril is a bereaved parent and the coauthor of When Your Child Dies: Tools for Mending Parents’ Broken Hearts. The book is a comprehensive step-by-step guide for grief-stricken [...]
Vancouver Islanders Are Swapping Costumes This Weekend
It’s the day after Thanksgiving, which means one thing to kids all across Canada – time to get cracking on the coolest Halloween costumes EVER! For mom and dad, it is bittersweet. We dig into those old boxes in the basement, hoping something from last year or an old tickle trunk goodie will be the [...]
Inspired By Gratitude – The Family Tree of Thanks
This Thanksgiving, we have so very much to be grateful for in our little family, with friends and our extended family from coast to coast. Our lives are filled with irresistible and sweet daily bits of joy mixed in with challenges brought our way to teach us how to navigate the wavy waters that are [...]
The $6 Time Machine
We made bets on how long before Billy Idol blasted through the speakers and made us spit Leprechauns out our noses. It seemed inevitable. I mean, hell, we paid the cover for what we thought was a hot band, instead found ourselves lost in 80′s technoville watching 55-year-old women paired with 20-something drunk law students [...]
Postcards From Nova Scotia – Open Farms Day in the Annapolis Valley
I love fall. When the sticky heat of summer finally breaks and the sky turns a magically bright shade of blue against the golden fields my heart soars to a bit of a magical place. This year we have traded many of our favorite traditions like watching the salmon run along Morrison Creek near downtown [...]
Sweet Moments of Mom – A Collage
For the last couple of weeks, life at our house has been what I deem full-on nut balls. Getting the big kid settled into her new school, the wee one at preschool and me cramming a national project launch into the time that someone else is logging with them has proven life changing. One of [...]
Host A Costume Swap for National Costume Swap Day 2012
The kids are back in school. Your schedule is almost all yours for at least a few hours every day. Coffees are sipped while still hot. Life is good. Then, you have visions of Halloween. Before you gulp hard thinking up ways to distract your 7-year-old long enough to keep her away from the Monster [...]
Kids at School. House Is Empty. Now, It’s About Mom.
I‘m sitting here in my makeshift office, big kid shamelessly sitting on the couch watching Looney Tunes on this gorgeous late-August day in The Maritimes and we are both daydreaming a bit about what the world is going to look like next Wednesday. It’s been an insane amount of change that she and I (and [...]
Summer Crafts – Felt Ice Cream Cones
Since our big move across the country, I have been at a loss with how to keep the kids otherwise engaged. My craft bins either got donated to the Brooklyn Elementary StrongStart or locked away in our storage unit. Either way, all of my years of thrifting and picking up bits and bobbles that made [...]
Summer Eats – Hearty Middle Eastern Supper Salad
The blazing heat of August, all we can think about when it comes to making dinner is what will be healthy and something the kids will eat that we don’t have to turn the stove on to make. While the grill is a decent option, even that seems to hot to handle when it’s 40 [...]
How To Find The Perfect Child Care (for everyone in your family)
If there is one thing that can unnerve a parent about moving to a new town or even just moving into a new stage of life with their kids, it’s figuring out who is best to care for your sweet kiddos. Those moments as mat leave ends or you simply know that your family life [...]
Getting Your Life Organized For Back To School
Editor’s Note: Whether we like it or not, school days are about three weeks away and before we can get our kid’s head wrapped around getting back into the classroom, we have to start by reconnecting ourselves with the school-days universe. Loosey goosey days of random summer goodness are morphing into the sweet organization of [...]
Kids Crafts – Eye Dropper Painting
Summer on either coast of Canada means you are guaranteed of the need to fill more than a few rain-out days. When plans for the beach or the park or the trail get nixed thanks to Mother Nature, coming up with a project that is messy enough to keep kids interested and sane enough to [...]
Ten Ways To Help Kids Feel Grounded In A New Place
As summer moves into August and all of us start thinking about how to get our kids slowly but surely moving back into a school-year pace, lots of families across Canada have also packed up their houses and moved across town, the province or even across the country. Summer is the season of relocation. With [...]
Summer Treats – Coconut Carob Pops
Editor’s Note: My pal Tree Haverner has been hanging out with me on the Internets for one heck of a long time and she has also been sharing her foodie goodness for that long too. In fact, that’s how we first met – FLICKR and food that lead me to her blog, Tiny Morsels. We first [...]
Lonely Newcomer Syndrome
Driving along the South Shore of Nova Scotia yesterday near Lunenberg, I stared out at the cars filling the highway at rush hour and my oldest blurted out that she loved our life. “We have a great adventure every day mom. Nova Scotia is the best place ever.” It seemed like the appropriate moment for [...]
A Good Nights Rest – Bust Out The Lavender
Summertime sunshine, excitement and energy has made the regular bedtime routine at our house something right out of crazy town lately. It doesn’t seem to matter whether I start the routine at 6 or 7:55 p.m., it’s always well past 9 p.m. before sleep sets in and Ken and I can break from very long [...]
Keep Your Home Safe This Summer – Don’t Advertise Vacation on Facebook
Editor’s Note: Today, the folks from Toronto-based Weiser Lock are here with some great reminders on how to keep your home safe while you are out and about enjoying vacation, road tripping or just a day at the beach this summer. 6 Tips for protecting your home on social media With Summer here, people are [...]
Adventures In Family Eats
When I think back to childhood summers spent almost in their entirety at my grandparents and aunt’s house in Niagara Falls, the things I remember most involve food. From the loaves of fresh Italian bread that we would sit on the kitchen floor, buttering and eating for breakfast to stealing pizza from my uncle’s bakery, [...]
Don’t Be The Grumpy Museum Lady This Summer
We here at OBE like to think of ourselves as pretty darn adventurous parents when it comes to the whole process of kids making art. Whether it be spinning paint, watercolors, sticky glue or paper mache, the fun of making anything is in getting all gooey in the process – right? Well, not so much [...]
The Lost Art of the Pen Pal
Many of us, when we were little, wrote letters. I know my mother sat me down on a regular basis and watched over my shoulder as I penned thank you notes and sentimental hellos to my grandparents, aunts and cousins. They were gently requested, but pretty much mandatory. Letters were courteous and proper. They meant [...]
The Scoop On Sun Exposure, Sunscreens & Summer
Vancouver Island may be a bit wet and chilly right now. But, as soon as the Canada Day parade is over, you know it will be 30 and sunny in less than 10 minutes.:) On the other side of the country in Nova Scotia, the heat and sun have already got us out hitting the [...]
Mud, Strawberries and How My Family Stopped Screaming At Each Other
Standing in the blazing Nova Scotia sun making our way toward a place a bit less natural and much cooler, we heard a woman’s voice from a few rows over. Holding Quinn’s hand with my right and balancing 15 pounds of strawberries we just picked with my left hand, I wasn’t sure that chatting would [...]
Family Movie Review – Disney Pixar’s Brave
When our oldest daughter first saw the trailer for Disney Pixar’s new movie Brave, she couldn’t wait to wrap her head around a movie that was all about Scotland and magic and an amazing girl for whom adventure and following her own path were second nature. So, it seemed only natural that she and I [...]
Animal Encounters – What To Do When Nature & Family Collide
When it comes to getting outside this summer, one of the big things that most parents worry about with their kids is what to do if everyone is on the trail and along comes a large animal of the wild kind. It’s not common. But, on Vancouver Island, the opportunity to run into a cougar [...]
Eating Out With Kids – 5 Tips For Toddler Restaurant Dining
You know exactly what we’re talking about. It’s 5 p.m. and the kids are hungry. A home-cooked meal isn’t on the agenda and rolling through the drive-thru nixed off the list. You want a nice meal – whipped up by someone else, with actual silverware and a nice glass of wine to boot. But, the [...]
Happy Father’s Day From OBE
We here at Our Big Earth want to wish you the happiest of Father’s Days from our families to yours. May all of you amazing dads, step dads, grandpas and great guys have a fantastic day sleeping in, eating a great meal with your kids, cracking open a cool one, hanging out at the lake, [...]
Ten Things I Learned on A 4,000-mile Family Road Trip
When Ken and I sat down and imagined what 4,000 miles of the majesty of Canada via the Trans Canada Highway would be like, rose-colored glasses played a significant role. We made up road songs and games in our head that kept us all laughing and bonding from sea to sea. Planned stops made for [...]
Digging In The Dirt: Helping Kids Grow Their Own Garden
“ Might I,” quavered Mary, “might I have a bit of earth? Fans of “The Secret Garden” will recall orphaned Mary Lennox’s timid request of her uncle for space “to plant seeds in – to make things grow” on his huge English estate. What started with an ivy-covered door, revealed by a friendly robin to [...]
Across Canada in 10 Days, Day 10 (A Little Late) – Feels Like Home
Editor’s Note: Thanks for waiting for this one. Once we got to Halifax, we found ourselves without many services and getting this last post done took more time than I’d hoped. This trip was amazing and we loved having you along for the ride. Now, for the arrival at our new home. We knew the [...]
Across Canada in 10 Days, Day 9 – Congestion in Quebec
Exhaustion – it’s official. Quarter after 9 in New Brunswick and everyone’s eyes seem sealed shut. I ordered breakfast for 8 a.m. and the warm, understanding gal from room service scared the hell out of me when she knocked on the door to make the delivery of eggs and newly-fallen-in-love-with croissants. I figured by 8 [...]
Across Canada in 10 Days, Day 8 – Digging Deep
Someone’s alarm in the room next to us went off at 5 a.m. this morning. Either they are serious hard sleepers or the last guests in that room left the neighbors a gift. Kids have made me a princess pea sleeper. I sat straight up in bed and knew I was up for the day. [...]
Across Canada in 10 Days, Day 7 – The Tao of Pooh
Chilled to the bone, both from the air conditioning left on too long and the reality that White River, Ontario in the morning is just plain cold, we shivered our way into our jeans and sweatshirts yesterday knowing we were headed for a classic piece of the story of Canada. In this no-Tim-Horton’s town (did [...]
Across Canada in 10 Day, Day 6 – Natural Disasters
If there’s one thing that you cannot anticipate, plan ahead for or build contingencies in for, Mother Nature has cornered the market. Despite our personal rationale that June is the perfect month to travel anywhere in Canada – no snow, not too hot, rainy season drying up, on and on – the lack of control [...]
Across Canada in 10 Days, Day 5 – A Bug’s Life & Lake Country
When we finally got out to the truck after a sleep-in at the lovely Lakeview Inn and Suites in Brandon, Manitoba on Monday, the four of us spent a long while admiring the new look the Xterra earned during the night. No graffiti or break-ins (thankfully), but more of a Mother Nature moment. We had [...]
Across Canada in 10 Days, Day 4 – Saskatchewan, The Land Where No One Rests
Crossing over into Manitoba at about 11:30 p.m. last night, it was as if the heavens had opened up and delivered us to the porcelain gates. There it was, glimmering in the not-so-far off distance, bustling with life. That is where we saw, for the first time in a day where we logged more than [...]
Across Canada in 10 Days, Day 2 – A Magic Carpet Ride in the Rocky Mountains
As I ran out to the Xterra on Friday morning to collect some clothes for the kids, the rain beating against the ground in Chilliwack matched with the smell of working farms reminded me of late Spring days in my mid-20s when I worked as a reporter in a small Illinois town. That was the [...]
Across Canada in 10 Days, Day 1 – Getting Off The Rock
When we finally rolled in to the Chilliwack Travelodge at about 1:15 a.m. this morning, we knew we had done the right thing. A stopover so close to Vancouver definitely hadn’t made it into the planning book. But, then, neither did leaving Comox at 7 p.m. yesterday either. I tend to think of myself as [...]
20 Boxes and The Ancient UHaul – Packing The Shack
If there is one thing that everyone can agree on when it comes to moving, it’s that packing pretty much sucks. Just the mere act of having to sort through the junk drawer(s) and clear out the basement are enough to make any human wish for the moving box fairy. When two kids are making [...]
No Crying Allowed, Not Even Over Spilled Milk
It is not unusual for me to cry. In fact, it may be one of those things that people always mention about me. “Yep, she’s a crier.” There was water pouring from my eyes from the second my dad started walking me down the aisle, I sobbed uncontrollably the first time I saw both of [...]
May Long Weekend Adventures – Family Gardening
Editor’s Note: While going through old posts this morning, I found this sweet gem about gardening with kids. What better time to get out into the back yard and get digging with the tiny people in tow? This was originally posted on Comox Valley Kids in May, 2007. Enjoy. While I watched the tiny person [...]
The Summer To-Dos – What’s On Your Bucket List?
It’s the first Beach Days of the season with my wee kids and the effects on me and mine were wonderful. With all three of us at the tail end of a sniffly/sneezy bug, the salt air and sea breeze were just what we needed. My 5 year old is pumped following his morning soccer game and although my [...]
Say What? Be Brite!
Mhari Rhiverson is back today with her latest kid-spiration, just in time for the sunshine and the warm weather. Be Brite – M Rhiverson Mhari’s creations are so popular she now even has her own store with t-shirts, buttons, mugs and other goodies with any of her inspirational illustrations. You can score Be Brite gear [...]
Happy Mother’s Day!
From all of us here at OBE to all of you amazing mommas out there. Happy Mother’s Day! Lots of love, Robin, Sue and the OBE Crew
5 Easy Yoga Poses for Moms
Editor’s Note: Moms have a pretty sound reputation for being last on their own list. But, what if you could take 10 or 15 minutes out of your day, even when the kids are around, to do a little something for your own zen. Danielle Mika Nagel is the studio director for the world’s first [...]
Best Mother’s Day Gifts List – Sleep, Food, Quiet
Over one hundred years have passed since Anna Jarvis decided to host a private gathering in West Virginia in memory of her dear departed mama. A year later, in 1908, she took it one step further by organizing a church service that saw over four hundred mothers and their children in attendance. By 1912 the Mother’s Day International Association was up and [...]
Say What? Be Yourself
Editor’s Note: If there’s one thing we love around here, it’s creative kids. That’s why it makes us way more than a little giddy to introduce to you budding writer and illustrator Mhari Rhiverson. At nearly 7 years old, she spends a whole lot of her time crafting other worlds and a little kid-created fun. [...]
Take An Early Bird Peek at Books For Treats™ Canada
While making the leap all the way to Halloween may not seem quite possible in the middle of May for most folks, the crew here at Our Big Earth has made 2012 the year of goblins and ghouls (and Alphie The Bat, see our new pal below). In fact you can pretty well bet that [...]
Cupcakes: You Know You Want One!
I arrived at kindergarten a few minutes earlier than usual so I sat in my car leafing through the newest Avon book dropped off the day before. I’ve found the odd nifty gift through Avon though not to mention their catalog fits in my bag. Perfect for when I get that sacred minute for myself. Avon’s [...]
Prom Night 101: Getting Mom Geared Up For Grad
At just under two months to go until my son’s high school prom I was itchin’ to get him fitted for his tuxedo. A few of my chick pals with two or three graduated kids recently had given me the go ahead to get on it. With the grad parade and prom to follow scheduled for the first [...]
Toddler-Friendly Crafts – TP Roll Painting
Crafts and the toddler crowd aren’t always a very positive combination. Add in an older sibling and the thought of putting them in the same room with things that don’t come out of the carpet is – well – daunting. Thankfully, the Comox Valley has folks like Maureen Wagner – who runs the Brooklyn Elementary [...]
Family Recipes to LOVE – Cheddar Zucchini Bread
We keep meaning to post this delicious recipe for pretty much the best zucchini bread EVER. But, about the time one of us has made a batch, it has disappeared before being properly photographed. This weekend, a tiny slab made it to the 24-hour mark. So, we are able to share how pretty it looks [...]
Teens Do Stupid, Dangerous & Sometimes Illegal Things – Is Mom To Blame?
With a heavy heart I placed my husband’s Canucks jersey on a hanger and tucked it away in the back closet for another year. As a die-hard Canucks fan I felt sadness and relief when that game winning overtime goal hit the back of Cory Schneider’s net last Sunday. Sadness that my favorite team had finished the regular season with the President’s Cup but [...]
Earth Day – Top 10 Reasons to Eat Local
Editor’s Note: As we celebrate the Earth today, I have to admit that I am ALWAYS thinking about food. With 7 billion people on the planet, keeping everyone fed and healthy is a big issue that I often find myself trying to wrap my head around. That’s a lot to take in. But, what goes [...]
Earth Day in the Bag – When Reusable Bags Aren’t So Green
Recently my son’s Kindergarten teacher asked parents if we had any plastic grocery bags we could bring to the class. Art projects were having a hard time surviving the trip from the classroom to the car. A recent soggy, wind-blown, tissue-paper flower garden project came to mind as he spoke. “And my wife and I only [...]
5 Earth Day Crafts That Show Mother Nature Some Love
This Earth Day getting creative is more than finding another use for that empty egg carton. There are so many ways to make some serious art goodness in honor of Mother Nature. Let’s honor some of those goodies: We totally love this globe made out of a tuna can and glitter glue from Planetpals.com These [...]
Earth Day Books – Picture A Tree by Barbara Reid
This time of year is one of our favorites around OBE HQ for so many reasons. The flowers are blooming, buds everywhere and the smells of Spring make us want to run around in shorts and flipflops 24-7. It’s also the time when we get to give it up for Mother Nature as Earth Day [...]
Speak Your Teen’s Language – Text Them
“So….what’s your plan tonite?” I said to my big son a few days into Spring Break. He had spent most of the break at a friend’s place, coming home for a change of clothes and a quick check-in before heading back out into the throes of his Grade 12 spring break. “I’m stayin’ here again [...]
Our Big Earth’s Robin Rivers to Lead National Initiatives in 2012
Her love of books and creativity drove her five years ago to launch ourbigearth.com. Now, Our Big Earth’s Robin Rivers has been tapped to take that passion to the national stage as she leads two projects that will roll out across Canada this fall. Rivers has inked the papers to head up the development teams [...]
Don’t Let The Bedbugs Bite
Editor’s Note: While just the mere mention of them makes just about anyone’s skin crawl, bedbugs are one of those health concerns that we as parents should be very aware of. Today, Dr. Dianne Saxe and Jackie Campbell of Canada’s Envirolaw are here to breech this touchy topic and give us all the scoop on [...]
Earth Hour 2012 – It’s More Than 60 Minutes In The Dark
When I ask friends if they will be participating in Earth Hour this years, the response is often a mix of “maybe” and “my kids would hate me for that.” Turning the power off at home from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. tomorrow night may seem, in the scheme of everyday life, to be a shallow [...]
Spring Kids Books – Eggs & Rainbows
When it comes to books that celebrate certain seasons, it has to be those beauties that are all about Spring with their sweet shades of yellow, purple and green, sparkly wonderment and of course a hefty does of Easter eggs that long live on our shelves because they are so darn – well – they’re [...]
Easter Crafts – Simple No-Sew Felt Finger Puppet Bunnies
We here at OBE HQ have been in a bit of a crafty slump. As parents, we all go through those super uninspired stages where a coloring book and crayons is looking as Monet as it’s going to get. The slump here, other than being attached to a life in which time not currently a [...]
The Aliens Have Invaded & Stolen My Willpower
On any given day if you launched into a random conversation with me about video games I would be unusually smug. Not a fan of hours lost in the land of light saber duels, evil sorcerers and mindless killing, video games are as far down on my to-do list as cleaning other people’s toilets. Yes, [...]
Learn More About Socially Responsible Investing This Week
You care about the world around you. You recycle, you try to drive a little less, you shop with a conscience…but what about investing? Wouldn’t it be great if your investments were making a difference too? If you’re looking for a way to ensure that your money is invested ethically, Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is [...]
Kids & Birthday Parties, Have They Gone Too Far?
Not so long ago in a town that you live in there was a 5-year-old dressed like a Monster High character. She picked out the dancing XBox games and the make up her friends would carry home in stylish cases that day. There was a custom cake, sit-down meal and hundreds of balloons decorating the [...]
Family Breakfasts – Cranberry & Coconut Scones
Breakfast is one of those meals that, during the week, pretty much gets forgotten about. In between lunches and getting dressed, last-minute homework and the inevitable butt-dragging that constitutes the life of any school-aged kid, the prospect of spending the time to whip up a hot breakfast comes in dead last. But, the morning meal [...]
Spring Break Plans – Get Out and Go Geocaching
Editor’s Note: Today, Martin and Lisa Pedersen from familynavigation.com are here to inspire us all to get outside and spend some time on a treasure hunting adventure. Geocaching is one seriously popular pastime and there are tons of geocaches all over Vancouver Island. I’ll let them share their adventures and get you excited about this [...]
Let Them Love Mud – Empowering Our Daughters
In a forest not so far away you’ll find puddles of mud, fallen trees, small Spring sprouts, an owl’s roost, even a few tracks left behind by the creatures that call it home. It’s the domain of the boy, where roughhousing and stomping through the bush, king of the mountain and coming back soaked from [...]
Think Spring, Think Veg Delivery, Think Faires Farms
With all of this gorgeous Spring-like sunshine here on Vancouver Island it’s no wonder that many of us have gotten our kitchen mojo back after a long Winter’s nap. The urge to whip up some new and wonderful culinary delights makes Spring so much fun. It also makes us long for a regular fresh veg [...]
Why BC Teachers Will Walk Off The Job on Monday
B.C.’s 41,000 teachers announced Thursday that they will exercise their right to strike and walk off the job for three days starting Monday, March 5 as contract negotiations with the province remain at a stalemate. While many parents may be waving their fists at the prospect of having to scramble to find three days of [...]
Healthy Bites – Caprese Salad Sandwiches
If there’s one food that most families can agree on, it’s sandwiches. There’s nothing like those two slabs of fresh bread, bagels or even a tortilla filled with deliciousness to win the heart of even the pickiest of eaters. Now salad, that’s a different story. Kids are legendarily tough sells in the veggie department. But, [...]
Sex, Teens & Porn in the Mobile Age
Your daughters, right now, right this very minute without you even knowing it, are sexual pawns. Your sons learn a majority of their sex education from the xxx world of the internet. Every time you send them off to school even the youngest of kids whom you thought would at worst be exposed to pop [...]
Facebook & The Case of The Stepford Mother
It’s 6 a.m. and you have tiptoed out of bed to make sure you get to log that hour of quiet time before the kids pop their heads up and all hell breaks loose. For that roughly 60 minutes you have no urge to shout at someone, to wonder why no one else packs lunches, [...]
Have A Safe Flight – Tips for Flying While Pregnant
Editor’s Note: Spring Break planning is in full swing and logging some travel time is on every family’s mind. But, when you are pregnant there are a few extra considerations if a flight to a fun destination is planned. I was chatting with the team at Cheapflights.ca about that very thing. They wrote a great [...]
Valentines Crafts – Printable Valentines for Kids
Walk into any grade school classroom right now and the patina is rather striking in the pink and red department. There are little heart-shaped folders taped to desks just waiting to be filled with the anticipated cache of love notes that will come tomorrow. Most parents can see it now, four Disney princess valentines, three [...]
Rediscovering Our Neighbourhoods – Natural Neighbours
Along the pathways through local neighbourhoods you can stand and watch for a moment as young kids wander by. Their eyes are fixed on things adults don’t even realize have joined them on the walk. They spot the tiniest of hops, the most faint of a buzz and a change in the direction of a [...]
Rediscovering Our Neighbourhoods – Safety In Knowing
Albert Einstein once said that “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” Turning a blind eye is the pandemic of a disconnected society. It is so easy to move from the safety of our house to the safety of [...]
Rediscovering Our Neighbourhoods – A Foot’s Eye View
We’ve driven to school a thousand times. It’s fast. We get past things that would cause us to linger. We get to where we are going without distraction and our busy lives can progress without a hitch. Then, this past January, we made a commitment – rain or shine – to walk to and from [...]
Rediscovering Our Neighbourhoods – Making Maps
Giving our kids a sense of direction begins with helping them connect to the world around them. It sounds like a huge undertaking, showing them the world. But, for the tiny feet of tiny people the world around them is simply the people they know and the places that become safe, fun and familiar routines [...]
Rediscovering Our Neighbourhoods – The Shop Around The Corner
There we were, so long ago, me and my sweet 18-month-old who had the charm of a movie star. Her delight with just about anyone made people we saw on the street stop and comment. Her smile ran from ear to ear and beyond. Mine was a bit less pronounced. Still struggling with being the [...]
Rediscovering Our Neighbourhoods – Getting To Know You
When it comes to being all about local, there’s no one better to turn to than young children. They are all about the here and now, living in the moment in ways that adults day dream about bringing back into their lives. Thankfully, we have those sweet tiny souls to show us all how to [...]
Independent Stores Need Your Support
As I sit here this morning, third cup of coffee in hand after a long night, I made the choice to skip my scheduled hour’s worth of answering work e-mails to shamelessly surf Facebook and catch up with friends. Then, I saw a post – another in a long line of ones just like it [...]
On Motherhood – An Ode to Weaning
It’s 3:30 a.m. and while the rest of the house is warm and quiet, we linger in a state of night-time half sleep. For just about the last year and a half, those nearly-dawn wakings meant I pulled our sweet baby in close and she nursed her way back to dreamland with me contently dozing [...]
CV Literacy Week – Literacy In The Kitchen
When it comes to spending time with your family in the kitchen, reading and writing isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But, making bread and even whipping up some mac n’ cheese isn’t always as easy as it may seem. Getting kids into the kitchen with you at any age is a great [...]
CV Literacy Week – Fun Ways to Get Literate With Art
Happy Monday and welcome to Comox Valley Family Literacy Week. Folks all over the Comox Valley will be hosting events at schools, clubs and organizations throughout the week with everything culminating in a bit of a literary extravaganza on Family Literacy Day this Friday. Here at Our Big Earth, we are big fans of getting [...]
Women, Why Are We Bullies?
Let’s face it, more than likely we’ve all done it – excluded another woman for whatever reason, abandoned a friend because she didn’t fit what we thought she should be, turn on someone because the group turned on her too. We may not want to hear it. But, women are vicious and cruel to each [...]
Cozy Family Recipes – Honey Buns
Lots of moms go through phases with cooking for their family. Sometimes you are wowed by the wonder and can’t stop yourself from spending every extra second in the kitchen. Others, well, it’s a good thing there’s takeout sushi. But, there’s something about getting the basics down and delivering them fairly regularly that is pretty [...]
Don't Chicken Out On Nature Just Because It's Cold
We’ve all done it a million times, taken a look out the window on a dreary January day and decided that the walk in the woods, trek around the park or hike to the beach we had planned is canceled due to weather. Then, inevitably, the kids spend the day inside screaming and arguing, running [...]
Children's Book Review – In The Land of Merfolk & Fairies
I have always been in love with stories that take the reader on a magical adventure. As a kid, I remember loving The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis because I was convinced that the mountains around my childhood home transformed into Narnia after a frosty snow. It’s those kinds of books [...]
Thinking Fitness? Personal Tips to Keep On Track
Editor’s Note: Good morning. I am not exactly on the fitness train this year. I keep thinking it’s a good idea. But, getting motivated and, mostly, finding the time in already jam-packed days have set my vision of fit me back a bit. Thankfully, there are inspiring women such as Kaylee Norton out there. Kaylee [...]
Join The Wealthy School Revolution
As every parent with school-aged kids knows, we are called upon regularly to contribute and lend a hand with paying for extras as a part of our kid’s education for everything from gym equipment to sports programs. Candy bars, cookies and hot dogs are great. But, what if you could give back to your local [...]
OBE 2012 – The Year of Inspired Action
I don’t know if I’m actually capable of doing less. It’s not really in my nature to step back and take it easy. But, when I sat down at the end of 2011 to re-evaluate my professional life and what Our Big Earth is to me, I began to realize one thing – that I [...]
Adminstrators Fail To Provide Traffic Safety Measures at New Brooklyn Elementary
Brooklyn Elementary school administrators along with Comox Valley School District 71 officials are forcing the hands of parents, Town of Comox officials, Fire and RCMP authorities after a lack of planning on the part of SD 71 related to traffic safety at the new Brooklyn Elementary site has caused serious concerns about the safety of [...]
New Year's Resolutions Women Really Should Keep
It’s 2012 and most momma types are on the hunt for ways to make sure this year gets started on the best possible note, makes for some great memories and fill itself with positivity whether it be getting into shape, less arguing, healthier food, whatever we personally take stock in. We also know that making [...]
Family Crafts – New Year's Eve Crowns
New Year’s Eve is one tricky holiday to get the family involved with. Most of the long-standing traditions of the event portion of it revolve around activities not meant for kiddos, and generally the big project for this day is finding a baby sitter that doesn’t mind an extra late night. But, around our house, [...]
Here Comes Santa Claus, Here Comes Santa Claus
It’s Christmas Eve and kids everywhere are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the big guy in the sleigh, better known as Santa Claus. In today’s technological era, getting a glimpse of the Claus is easier than ever. You can even get a pretty darn good idea of when he’ll be in the neighborhood thanks to [...]
