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 mysteriously [...]

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 for [...]

Product Review – Pregnancy Advent Calendars

I have several friends who have recently announced that they are expecting and one asked me about where to find a cool pregnancy calendar that wasn’t the typical “200 days to go” sort of electronic countdown.
I went hunting for the perfect alternative and found the most gorgeous keepsake countdown ever from Julaan Creations, made right [...]

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 sure [...]

Esther Kane

Esther Kane, MSW, Registered Clinical Counselor, empowers her clients to become all that they dream of being. Call for free 15-minute telephone consultation.

Making Room for Baby – Tips For Nesting

Editor’s Note: If you missed out on Alix’s morning post with tips on planning for large family gatherings, you can read it HERE. Now, we take nesting to a new level and get you organized for new babies (or even just to be more organized) with some tips that simplify, focus and pamper:
I don’t think I [...]

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 [...]

Jipsi Clothing Movement

We are an ever-evolving clothing boutique featuring Canadian designed funky, wearable, versatile clothing and one-of-a-kind accessories for men and women

C.V. Transition Society

The Comox Valley Transition Society provides counseling, support and education services to women who are victims of violence.

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 a midwife. [...]

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, as [...]

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 able to [...]

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 to [...]

Product Review – Budget Organic Cosmetics

I consider myself a middle-of-the-roader in the living green universe. We live on a very tight budget and every dime counts. So, while buying eco-friendly, organic and natural is the way we roll, we can’t always roll that way.
Priorities live in the food, household products and personal care fronts for us.
But, holy batman can I [...]

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 page [...]

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, and other [...]

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 ritual – [...]

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 [...]

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 big [...]

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 phase [...]

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 – until [...]

Mom-P-Inc. – Sarah Stromquist of Kasa Bags

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 [...]

Mom-P-Inc. – Sherry Turnbull & Kristina Jespersen of Podlings (formerly Little Me)

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 [...]

Resources for British Columbia Families & Children

The Comox Valley Child Development Association
The BC Coalition of Women’s Centres
BC Coalition of Specialized Victim Assistance and Counseling Programs
North Island Women’s Services Society
BC Housing Rental Assistance Program
Campbell River Family Services
BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation Child Passenger Safety Program
PacificCare Childcare Resource & Referral Program
www.islandfamilyinfo.ca – a site funded by the Ministry of [...]

Where oh Where has all of the Maternity Wear Gone?

I realize that a majority of the population of The Valley is Baby Boomers enjoying their retirement years.
But, all the rest of us tend to be young parents in the midst of making and raising young families and I am more than mildly surprised at some of the things most women consider the “basics” in [...]