Tag: women
Be Inspired By Because I Am A Girl on International Women’s Day
Today is International Women’s Day. Looking for ways to support girls and women and empower them to reach their full potential, you’ll find everything from signing petitions to end sex slavery to ways to help fund the education of girls and women in developing countries. One organization that has truly inspired us to invest our [...]
Moms, Make Time To See The Doctor – The Visit That Saved A Life
You know those commercials from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada? The ones where the women take such amazing care of their husbands, making sure they are eating right and getting exercise, then end up being the ones to have a stroke or a heart attack? I don’t think one of us ever thinks [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Everyday Inspiration
After yesterday’s post on the daily trials and tribulations of managing motherhood, it seems most appropriate to take a moment today to share some serious inspiration. One of my personal mantras is to start every day with something provocative and lovely that gives me a bit of sweetness to carry with me throughout the day. [...]
Why Is It The Sisterhood of Motherhood Isn't Always Warm and Welcoming?
I sat across the table from a new friend recently, martini and wine glasses collecting between us, in a bit of awe. It had been one hell of a week and we both needed to downshift, dumping a bit about motherhood, womanhood and the general state of our hoods when what seems to have become [...]
The Back to School Mom's Shape Up
Let’s admit it. School is as much for the parents as it is for the kids. We love our children. But, sending them on their merry way to run around with their friends, learn a thing or two, is a bit of a sanity saver. Much like our partners, their comes a point in life [...]
The Emergency Kit – Mom's Secret Stash
I am more and more convinced lately that women need at least a smidge of a secret life in order to maintain their feminine autonomy in the midst of motherhood. While this could come off as a very left-leaning feminist rant, I’m talking less about finding out one day that your very proper mother was [...]
Your Healthy Nature – Depeleted Mom Syndrome
I was reading Canadian Parent recently and came across an article that totally resonated with me. In it, the author talked about the realities of how exasperating and exhausting parenting can be at times. But, what really struck a cord in my head was his assertion that women in particular often suffer from depleted mom [...]
Is 40 the New Black?
Fully realizing that anything I write about my birthday is entirely self-serving and a bit on the indulgent side, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to wax on about such things today. I had a moment last night as Ken and I sat in the living room chatting about the last 10 years when [...]
Getting Positive About Post-Partum Depression
Editor’s Note: Having coped with a wicked bout of post-partum depression myself, I am honored to have Esther Kane here today to talk about this important topic that hits so many new moms hard. Thanks to Esther for your perspective and helping hand. Motherhood is wonderful and magical…and sometimes none of the above. It’s great [...]
The Princess Factor
I want to get all traditionally feminist today and rail against the whole princess culture that permeates society. I really do. But, I also have been giddily planning to set the alarm so I could catch a glimpse of the gorgeous dress Kate Middleton is wearing on her wedding day. Does that make me a [...]
Wines Just for Women
There are a few things that marketers know well about women. Most of us, whether we admit it or not, are suckers for something pretty. Give us great packaging, a brand that resonates with us and we are often sold. You can apply that to lots of things such as cosmetics, movies, even buying a [...]
Dads and Their Long Lost Spot In Bed
It’s a moment that will live in infamy forever. Christmas 2004. Me, three months pregnant. Loving husband gifting me with full body pillow better known as the Snoogle. Me loving said pillow like I have never loved an inanimate object before (oh the comfort). Loving husband realizing quickly that he had been booted out of [...]
How To Love Your Post-Baby Body
Some days I look around and see nothing but women who didn’t seem to gain a pound while they were pregnant. As soon as they gave birth the baby weight seemed to just vanish. Me, not so much. Three pregnancies later my body is so very different than when I started. I’ve become incredibly self-conscious [...]
The Woman’s Room – Unassuming is Sexy for Women
Valentine’s Day is coming, the sap is rising in the trees, and a woman’s thoughts turn to sex. Or maybe they don’t – what can we do about that? Aphrodisiacs have been around since time immemorial and have included snake blood, animal organs, leeches and mandrake tea. The efficacy of these potions has never been [...]
The Woman’s Room – PMS is Code for “Don’t Touch My Junk”
PMS is Mother Nature’s way of saying, “Don’t touch my junk.” Or so says a doctor friend of mine. It all comes down to that most primal of evolutionary drives: perpetuate the species. I asked this friend what the evolutionary purpose of PMS could possibly be. Here is her theory: an egg is most likely [...]
Ask A Midwife – Caffeine, Heartburn, Fish Oil and Flu Shots
Editor’s Note: Good Morning. It’s time for our Ask A Midwife column from Plum Midwifery. We had four interesting and provocative questions posed to this team of midwives from women throughout the OBE community and are excited to share their insightful response. The Plum Midwifery crew includes Joanne Daviau, Amy Kelly, Emma Gledhill and Jessie [...]
Esther Kane – Take a Mental Health Break with Yoga
In this article, I wanted to share with you one of my greatest passions and recommendations for all of my clients to help them de-stress, find balance, and get in shape- yoga. I have been practicing this ancient form of fitness, meditation, and relaxation for over half my life already. I was introduced to Kundalini [...]
The Woman's Room – Every Woman Needs Her Own Ruby Slippers
Imagine having only six items of clothing. For a whole month. Last June, a group of about 100 people, mostly women, voluntarily tried this out, as part of a social experiment called Six Items or Less. Their experiences, recorded on the project’s web-site, are fascinating – the biggest surprise being that other people, including husbands [...]
Ask A Midwife – Leg Cramps and Strep B Testing
Editor’s Note: Good Morning. It’s time for our Ask A Midwife column from Plum Midwifery. We had two interesting and provocative questions posed to this team of midwives from women throughout the OBE community and are excited to share their insightful response. The Plum Midwifery crew includes Joanne Daviau, Amy Kelly, Emma Gledhill and Jessie [...]
Esther Kane – Putting The Past Where it Belongs, Finding Closure
In my therapy practice, the work lately seems to be about helping clients release and let go of ‘unfinished business’ from the past; whether it’s an old romance that still niggles away at their psyche, healing from a past trauma, or coming to terms with one’s family-of-origin and learning to reposition oneself in our families [...]
Love or Hate The Curse – My Menstrual Manifesto
I like having periods. There – that’s it: my menstrual manifesto. So why is this fairly boring personal statement a manifesto? The first clue is that I can’t seem to find many women who feel the same way. An on-line thread entitled, “Would you stop menstruating if you could?”, initiated by the Museum of Menstruation, [...]
Mom Time – Time to Plan A Pedicure Party
Now that the kids are all back in school and we’ve had a few weeks to adjust to the go-go schedules of Fall, it’s time to put a call in to the women in your life and put your feet up for a night of wine, friendship and taking care of your toes. If there [...]
Ask A Midwife – Empowered Parenting through Informed Choice
Editor’s Note: Yesterday, I took my 3-hour glucose test for gestational diabetes at the hospital. At 30-weeks pregnant, fasting for 14 hours, drinking a bottle of sugar water and having my blood drawn every hour was not my optimal way to start any Thursday. But, I knew it had to be done. Pushing 40, with [...]
Birth Stories – Pushing 40 and Pregnant
Editor’s Note: Happy Friday. Deepa Upadhyaya is on site this morning with a birth story reflecting on how women who start their families a bit later in life cope with those stigmas, its challenges and its incredible joys. Here she is: Even though it is worded in a politically correct way, the term “advanced maternal [...]
Ask A Midwife – Circumcision, Depression And Water Birth
Editor’s Note: Good Morning. It’s time for our Ask A Midwife column from Plum Midwifery. We had three interesting questions posed to this team of midwives from women throughout the OBE community, and are excited to share their insightful response. The Plum Midwifery crew includes Joanne Daviau, Amy Kelly, Emma Gledhill and Jessie Shannon, as [...]
Birth Stories – The Hands Of A Grandmother
Editor’s Note: If you missed out on all the information about Cumberland’s Empire Day celebrations, you can catch it all HERE. Now, here’s Deepa with a moving birth story for all the mamas out there. Enjoy. Sometimes you do things right and sometimes you live with regret for the rest of your life. We all [...]
A Peek into the Roll of a Doula
Editor’s Note: Good morning. Local doula Stephanie Janzen is on site explaining the role that doulas play during childbirth, as well as the benefits of professional labor support before, during and after the birth of your child. Our Big Earth is a sponsor of this year’s Bellies, Birth and Babies Fair hosted by the Comox [...]
Ask A Midwife – Hip Pain, Episiotimies, Yoga & More
Editor’s Note: Good Morning. It’s time for our Ask A Midwife column from Plum Midwifery. We had four interesting and provocative questions posed to this team of midwives from women throughout the OBE community, and are excited to share their insightful response. The Plum Midwifery crew includes Joanne Daviau, Amy Kelly, Emma Gledhill and Jessie [...]
Mom-P-Inc. – Overcoming Fear in Business
Whenever I sit down with my friends who own businesses, the conversation almost always veers toward ways to kick ourselves into gear. It’s not that we are standing still, watching our investments, time and energy swirl around us. But, sometimes it really does feel like this apocalyptic weight of “what do I do next?” weighs [...]
Birth Stories – Magic Comes in Threes
Editor’s Note: Happy Friday! Deepa is on site with another fabulous birth story from her experience as a midwife. Enjoy. “Does anyone here want to take on triplets?” said the red-headed Sister Midwife of National Maternity Hospital’s Labor Ward in Dublin, Ireland. It was a place where 30 births could happen daily in one of [...]
Ask A Midwife – Back Pain, Swelling, Amnios & Hemorrhoids
Editor’s Note: Good Morning. It’s time for our Ask A Midwife column from Plum Midwifery. We had four interesting and provocative questions posed to this team of midwives from women throughout the OBE community and are excited to share their insightful response. The Plum Midwifery crew includes Joanne Daviau, Amy Kelly, Emma Gledhill and Jessie [...]
Working Motherhood Is Insane… Or Is It?
Editor’s Note: If you missed out on this morning’s review of the luxurious Tigh-Na-Mara Spa & Resort, you can read all about it HERE. Now, here’s Robin with a look at working motherhood. It’s hard to hear, that sweet voice sitting next to me coloring at the kitchen table that pipes up when my computer [...]
SHIFT News – Celebrate Great Canadian Women
Editor’s Note: If you missed Robin’s morning post on pregnancy advent calendars, you can read it HERE. They are simply lovely. Now, let’s take a look at five exceptional Canadian women as we celebrate International Women’s Day. Here they are: When legendary Canadian speed skater Clara Hughes declared Canada one of the greatest countries in the world [...]
Mom-P-Inc. – Blog Love for The Organized Business Mom
Good morning. It’s Sunday and that usually means we kick into Mom Entrepreneur mode around here with guest columnists like Emma Payton of Payton Hughes Consulting. Emma has offered up some fantastic business advice to OBE readers and now it’s time to return the love as she’s kicked off her own blogging project that is [...]
Shift News – The Right to Speak & Listen to Language
Editor’s Note: Good morning. It is with a sense of admiration and humility that we here at OBE have the opportunity to bring to you United Nations Aid Worker and Comox mom Kelly Flynn as she opens our eyes up to the importance of human rights and how they play a role in the daily [...]
Bumps – Finding Love In Rural Afghanistan
Editor’s Note: Happy Friday! Deepa is here today with another wonderful birth story from far off Afghanistan, as well as a love story that gave her a sense of home, wherever she may be. Here she is: I was all geared up to write the story of the triplets I helped to deliver vaginally in Ireland, [...]
When Birth Becomes An Inspired Resistance Movement
Editor’s Note: Happy Friday! This morning we have Deepa talking about the incredibly powerful and moving birth story that inspired her to become a midwife. Here she is: They say that a mark of happiness is whether you get any pleasure out of the question, “what do you do?” I often get asked why I became [...]
Ask A Midwife – Top 5 Questions From Pregnant Women
Editor’s Note: Good Morning! It is with the greatest of pleasure that we launch the new Ask A Midwife column here on OBE with the midwives of Plum Midwifery joining us monthly to answer your questions about pregnancy and childbirth. I’m honored to introduce you to Joanne Daviau, Amy Kelly, Emma Gledhill and Jessie Shannon, [...]
Birth Stories – Conscientious Observation of Labor
Editor’s Note: Good Morning. Ah, life, how it evolves. Deepa’s column is evolving too. Today, we start the first of many amazing birth stories told through the experiences of Deepa. I’m looking forward to this change of pace, as we are set to launch a whole bunch of goodness around pregnancy and childbirth in early [...]
Helping Your Daughter Feel Good About Her Body
Editor’s Note: Good afternoon. If you missed it this morning, we had local small business consultant Emma Payton exploring attributes of successful entrepreneurs. You can check it out HERE. This afternoon we have Esther Kane on the topic of body image and helping girls be comfortable with their bodies. Here she is: Thanks to Twitter, I’ve been [...]
Product Review – Hot Winter Lip Protection
Good morning. Blustery weather is as hard on the face as it is on the head, and as soon as the weather goes from sunshine to big rainy whine, I am always happy that my trusty lip gloss saves the family’s collection of dry lips from inevitable degeneration. We always find that Winter weather seems [...]
Dr. Amy Wells – Taking Charge of Our Fertility
Editor’s Note: Good Morning. Dr. Amy Wells is here this morning talking about a hot topic in our house right now – fertility. Plugging in to your body cues is an amazing way to feel empowered when working on getting pregnant. On a couple of other notes, I posed the question over on our Facebook [...]
BUMPS – It's Spring, Time to Nest
The space I have carved out for myself in this house is the spare room. This is where I write. Since my daughters share a room, this one is mine…well kind of. I guess I share the space with the ironing board, the pack-n-play (for our baby guests to snooze), broken and obsolete electronic equipment, [...]
Parent Wellness: Rejuventating Power – Girls Night
As a little girl, I can remember the delight of falling asleep to the chitter-chatter of four women, my mom among them, who met weekly under the guise of playing bridge. Don’t get me wrong, these four women, known endearingly as the “Bridge Ladies,” do gather to play cards. They even have an annual trophy [...]
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 [...]
Mommy Talk – Cure Post-Holiday Blues
It hit me about 9 a.m. yesterday morning – Christmas is over. All the wind up, the preparation, the crazies (which I could have totally lived without) and sugar rushes are now just a memory and, whew – I feel a little low. While we kept it all pretty darn modest this year – no [...]
Love The Skin You're In – Say No to Dieting
Editor’s Note: Local clinical counselor Esther Kane joins us today for the first of many a guest column about self-esteem and healthy body image for women and girls. I have most definitely struggled with my weight and a pretty warped out body image since I was a young girl going through a terribly awkward chunky [...]
Books for Mom – Frank Talk on Motherhood
I don’t read much for myself any more. There’s not enough time. I don’t make enough time. It isn’t really on my to do list. I read about 100 children’s book a month (I do not kid). But, when it comes to me, I’m lucky to get through our book club read every four weeks [...]
